Daily Sutra} Subject: Love + Wisdom = Happiness

We need to wake up to the power that we are made up of, that is love. Like our body is made up of amino acids, carbohydrates and protein, our spirit is made up of love. It is love that gets distorted and becomes all other negative emotions. It is wisdom which can keep love pure. Love without knowledge or wisdom is misery. Love plus wisdom is happiness. It is as simple as that.


{Knowledge Sheet} Subject: Self is the ocean and mind is a wave


Q: I feel happy and peaceful here. My heart is really contented. All negativity comes when I go out. I encounter all problems like corruption and bribery. How to face these problems? How to maintain the same positivity when I go from here?


Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You forget a strength in you – Prayer and power of your Sankalpa (positive intention). 

SUTRA: "Every pain that you undergo in this process is for higher growth. A seed 'has pain' to sprout and a sprout 'has pain' to become bigger" - Sri Sri

"It is admirable with what a gentle resoluteness, with what a calm dynamic, with what full concentration, with what incorruptible kindness, Sri Sri makes people understand that they can only contribute to peace by overcoming their own inner fear and prejudices against others”
- Prof. Gesine Schwan, candidate for the 2009 German presidential elections & Dean of Humboldt-Viadrina School of Governance, Berlin.

Giving Direction to Young Inmates

“I never felt my breath this light before in my whole life. Today, I am feeling so much peace and silence than I ever felt before.” A young inmate, Tihar Jail, Delhi, India

The Art of Living’s Youth Empowerment and Skills (YES!+) program, conducted for around 200 inmates in jail no. 5 of Tihar Jail Complex, made a remarkable impact on the youngsters. The adolescent group, aged between 16 and 25 years, was infamous for being adamant, rude and non-compliant. Rohit Ranjan, YES!+ faculty admitted, “Initially, it was quite challenging to hold their attention. But after the Sudarshan Kriya, it became easy to connect with them”.

The workshop was spread over five days and conducted by 12 teachers. While the youngsters were initially reluctant, they slowly began to enjoy the course. From the third day onwards, one could witness substantial changes - the adolescents offered to help and volunteer for the workshop. They became receptive and even opened up to share personal experiences by the end of the workshop. Sayeed (name changed), a 22-year-old, quit smoking and vowed to leave a criminal life.

Their experiences can make one cry

Karan Nijhawan, YES!+ faculty shared, “Initially, it was difficult to ask them to do anything, but with passage of time and after experiencing the Sudarshan Kriya, they exhibited a noticeable change. Their experiences shared can make one cry.”

The prison staff also believed the program had an incredibly positive impact on the group. S.C.Bharadwaj, Superintendent of Jail No 5, said that the course was well-organized and benefited the inmates immensely. He said, “The breathing techniques helped the inmates release all their negative emotions and think about life with a new perspective. They were encouraged to tap their hidden talents.”

Teaching in Tihar since 1999

The Art of Living’s Stress Management And Rehabilitation Training (SMART) program was introduced in Tihar jail, in 1999. Over 48,000 prison inmates in Tihar jail alone have benefited from the program. Special courses have been conducted for the prison staff to cope with the stress, owing to the nature of their job. The course is conducted twice a year for the staff, and around 130 members have completed the Art of Living Introductory Course.

Sri Sri enthralls European Parliament

Takes the global anti-corruption issue to world leaders

Brussels, Nov 19, 2010: 400 delegates, 25 ambassadors and MPs from various countries, corporate heads, and businessmen gathered at the European Parliament on November 19, 2010 and in a live telecast appealed to citizens across the globe to rise against increasing corruption in the world.

The event was conducted by The World Forum for Ethics in Business (WFEB), which is a sister organization of The Art of Living. Through its annual International Leadership Symposium on Ethics in Business, WFEB brings together global leaders to dialogue on the pressing need to strengthen human values and ethics in business.

“The basis of ethics is economy. You can’t have ethics in a society that is poor. The ethics is economy and the basis of economy is the state and the basis of state is civil society. We need to look at it as a circle. Now people are becoming more aware, thanks to the media. This is an opportunity for youngsters to wake up and see that you can be successful and follow ethics. You can make very good profits and be ethical,” said Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder of the International Association for Human Values and The Art of Living and co-founder of WFEB.

The topic of 2010 Symposium was “Leadership in the 21st Century - Time for a Paradigm Shift!” The initiative was financed by the Government of Belgium and saw the adoption of a seven-point plan and charter, with delegates pledging to support the anti-corruption agenda, in a world that has seen an estimated $30 trillion loss due to corruption and rendered 25 million people jobless.

“We are here to leave this room having decided to act. We are here to have the paradigm shift. I am interested in the shift not in the time for the shift. The time to shift is now,” said Mr. Nirj Deva, the Vice-President of the Development Committee, European Parliament.

“We need to engage more governments and business and make better use of media,” declared Mr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, the Managing Director of the World Bank and expressed the bank’s willingness to be a key partner for some of the actions discussed at the Forum.

The Forum collectively adopted and pledged to:

• Act to promote shared values and ethical leadership at the individual, organizational, sectoral and global levels.
• Serve as models of ethical and socially responsible behavior to inspire current and future generations of leaders across business, civil society and government. 

• Mainstream corporate social responsibility into current business practices and education. 

• Sustain dialogue to build greater awareness across stakeholders and shareholders of the importance of ethics in business. 

• Share inspiring examples of the intersection of ethics and profitability to build wider public trust in business.
• Engage and partner with key individuals, forums and initiatives to leverage our collective ability to deliver transformational impact.
• Monitor and report on our progress at the 2011 World Forum for Ethics in Business.

The initiative also announced the winners of the Ethics in Business Award 2010. Andris Piebalgs, The European Commissioner for Development, was awarded in the category ‘Most Outstanding Public Figure for the Year 2010’. The award in the category ‘Outstanding Corporation’ was given to Mr. Miguel Veiga-Pestana, Vice-President, Global External Affairs at Unilever PLC and Outstanding individual; Mr. Dele Olojede, Managing Director, Timbuktu media and the 1st Pulitzer prize winner from Africa.

The participants in the World Youth Forum, traditionally held in the week before the Symposium, joined the top leaders at the European Parliament. This year the Forum gathered 25 young professionals, including acting leaders with impactful achievements and demonstrated social responsibility, from 10 countries.

The Symposium was first launched on the inspiration of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in 2003 in Bangalore, India, and the venue moved to the European Parliament in Brussels in 2006. Over the past seven years, political leaders, Nobel Laureates and top executives from global companies such as Shell International B.V., Microsoft Corpora¬tion, Coca Cola, Infosys, ING Bank, GMR Group, Daimler AG and Tata Services have participated in this annual initiative.

In the Picture: Art of Living founder, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at the International Leadership Symposium on Ethics in Business in Brussels on Nov 19. Also seen with him are Rajita Bagga, Director, WFEB; Dr. Sanjay Pradhan, Vice President, World Bank Institute, World Bank. Mr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, Managing Director, World Bank; Mr. Nirj Deva, Vice-President, Development Committee in the European Parliament; Amb.Jean Paul Carteron, Chairman Crans Montana Forum.