Q: You said you got demotivated.What kind of incidents demotivated you?
A: Outbursts of anger, small mindedness, lack of a broad vision of some people sometimes demotivated me.
Q: How did you get back?
A: If I am harboring negativity against someone it just means that my own weakness is getting exposed. I need to change myself first. The second important thing to note is that everyone is changing. All the people on the path go through certain phases, good or bad.One cant label people as "bad".
Q: Some people have left the AOL because they could not accept certain things happening in the organization. Does it mean that AOL failed?
A: As I mentioned each one goes through phases. In my long association with AOL I have seen people who were against AOL becoming devotees and vice versa. I have also seen people totally disconnected and then suddenly they jump in and get actively involved. Sometimes so called "devotees" completely vanish after six months and then are again spotted in satsangs after a few years. As people go through life and its teachings priorities also keep changing.
Q: What were the factors that convinced you that Sri Sri is a True Guru.
A: NO factors. All the reasons to figure out who is the true Guru can also be used as reasons to prove that the same Guru is a fake. for eg...
1. Lot of service is happening - Oh you know he is craving for the noble peace prize. If the money is collected in the name of service projects he needs to show something in the name of service.
2. So many followers and they all look so happy - Marketing strategy and by the way any Tom, Dick or Harry grows a beard and long hair and talks some spiritual nonsense will get a large following in no time.Ia m sure he is a expert in skillful brain washing
3. Sudarshan Kriya is really amazing - Its just hyperventilation. Any sort of heavy fast breathing can give you a feeling of well being for some time. its no big deal.
4. He is working hard to uplift the society and is still smiling all the time -: He is working hard to uplift his own organisation and his own image as a GOD man or an Avataar. Smiling all the time is the only USP of all that he does.
we can go on and on
Q: So then how do you know?
A: I have no idea. If I had specific reason or factors to love him and know that he is genuine then I would be the greatest fool fooling myself. Its my own experience of being in his presence. There is no way I can prove that to anybody else. A feeling of love, joy and abundance is a very deep and personal experience beyond words.
to be contd
"J"
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Straight Talk
The purpose of this blog is give an unbiased objective view of the Art of Living Foundation and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Any particular event, action, words can be viewed through different angles and can be interpreted differently by different people and yet all of them put together may not come even close to the Truth.
So I thought I would just like to interview a few members of the AOL and find out what really makes them stick around, what really inspires them to dedicate their lives working for/with the organisation.On the condition of anonymity a few teachers agreed to answer questions and I would like post the answers on this blog. The answers posted here are a compilation of all the answers given by different members.
Q: When you started on this path did you feel that AOL has two faces? One which they present to the outside world and then when you get in suddenly you are shocked to see the other side where there are conflicts, politics, fights, ego clashes etc?
A: I never felt I was presented two faces. I just did the course, I liked it and since then I have been involved.
Q: Do you mean there is nothing negative about AOL?
A: Yes of course there is. Its an organisation run by human beings. So it has flaws and there are arguments and clashes between people.
Q: So how did you react to the negative side of AOL? Were you shocked? Why did you still continue?
A: I did the course. I did not become prefect. We all have our flaws. So I was not shocked. But the important thing is to know to what degree is the negativity present and what percentage. If it overshadowed the good that is being done and if the whole thing was just a scam involving people with bad intentions then I would have left the organisaton long time back. I find the people who are associated have genuinely good intentions and conflicts are just superficial. There were incidents which were demotivating but at the same there were lot of good examples who were always a source of inspiration.I have met so many wonderful people doing such extraordinary work in society. So much transformation is happening that it completely overshadows all the minor conflicts that happen in any organisation.
to be cont
"J"
So I thought I would just like to interview a few members of the AOL and find out what really makes them stick around, what really inspires them to dedicate their lives working for/with the organisation.On the condition of anonymity a few teachers agreed to answer questions and I would like post the answers on this blog. The answers posted here are a compilation of all the answers given by different members.
Q: When you started on this path did you feel that AOL has two faces? One which they present to the outside world and then when you get in suddenly you are shocked to see the other side where there are conflicts, politics, fights, ego clashes etc?
A: I never felt I was presented two faces. I just did the course, I liked it and since then I have been involved.
Q: Do you mean there is nothing negative about AOL?
A: Yes of course there is. Its an organisation run by human beings. So it has flaws and there are arguments and clashes between people.
Q: So how did you react to the negative side of AOL? Were you shocked? Why did you still continue?
A: I did the course. I did not become prefect. We all have our flaws. So I was not shocked. But the important thing is to know to what degree is the negativity present and what percentage. If it overshadowed the good that is being done and if the whole thing was just a scam involving people with bad intentions then I would have left the organisaton long time back. I find the people who are associated have genuinely good intentions and conflicts are just superficial. There were incidents which were demotivating but at the same there were lot of good examples who were always a source of inspiration.I have met so many wonderful people doing such extraordinary work in society. So much transformation is happening that it completely overshadows all the minor conflicts that happen in any organisation.
to be cont
"J"
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The Doors are open
One of the most ridiculous things to comment about the Art of Living Foundation and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar would be to say that they are really great in marketing their product. The volunteers seem hardly trained and quite a few times they blabber nonsense in their excitement to share whatever they have to say. Sometimes even simple questions/objections are not handled properly. The media is not properly used at all. There is hardly any planning or strategy. Everything happens in a haphazard and a chaotic way. Art of Living desperately needs good lessons in marketing. If at all the claims that it is a super rich organisation and the founder is hungry for fame/power are true, I would say they are doing a very sad job with their marketing department.
The wonder is, with such poor skills of organising how is it that the Art of Living foundation manages to organise such huge events?? And thousands of courses get organised in so many thousand cities all over the world.
How does this happen? To me the only logical answer seems that the people involved are really inspired to share and are genuinely been benefited by the techniques learnt in these courses. The power of experience, the power of the intention to share and contribute towards society is the only reason I feel, makes such great things happen in society. People who fail to understand this phenomenon generally say that the only reason AOL is successful is because of its extraordinary marketing skills. I beg to differ.
Such a huge volunteer based organisation obviously will consist of a few idiots here and there, some of them not just good enough to represent spirituality. One of the teachers say that the biggest drawback of working in a spiritual organization is that devotees cannot be hired or fired! But at the same time there are no illegal activities happening, people are getting benefited in some way or the other. Isolated examples, stories cooked up by a few disgruntled morons do not define the values of an organization that is involved in so much good work all over the world.
Lastly if anyone does not like it, DO NOT GET IN. If you are already in GET OUT. The doors are open. Nobody is going to stop you. Nobody is forcing you to stay. If you are allowing someone to force/fool you, you anyway deserve to suffer. But still the doors will always remain open. At least now you know that this does not work for you or you failed to make this work for you. In any case you have grown wiser. Move on.
“j”
The wonder is, with such poor skills of organising how is it that the Art of Living foundation manages to organise such huge events?? And thousands of courses get organised in so many thousand cities all over the world.
How does this happen? To me the only logical answer seems that the people involved are really inspired to share and are genuinely been benefited by the techniques learnt in these courses. The power of experience, the power of the intention to share and contribute towards society is the only reason I feel, makes such great things happen in society. People who fail to understand this phenomenon generally say that the only reason AOL is successful is because of its extraordinary marketing skills. I beg to differ.
Such a huge volunteer based organisation obviously will consist of a few idiots here and there, some of them not just good enough to represent spirituality. One of the teachers say that the biggest drawback of working in a spiritual organization is that devotees cannot be hired or fired! But at the same time there are no illegal activities happening, people are getting benefited in some way or the other. Isolated examples, stories cooked up by a few disgruntled morons do not define the values of an organization that is involved in so much good work all over the world.
Lastly if anyone does not like it, DO NOT GET IN. If you are already in GET OUT. The doors are open. Nobody is going to stop you. Nobody is forcing you to stay. If you are allowing someone to force/fool you, you anyway deserve to suffer. But still the doors will always remain open. At least now you know that this does not work for you or you failed to make this work for you. In any case you have grown wiser. Move on.
“j”
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Is he Enlightened?
Once a journalist asked Sri Sri Ravi Shankar,"Are you enlightened"? and He said, "NO". The journalisk repeatedly kept asking. He said ," no tell me really are you enlightened?" Sri Sri repeatedly kept saying "no I am not". We always know the truth. Deep inside our heart knows. So even when he said "No I am not enlightened" the journalist could not believe it.
Many a times I have seen arrogant, rude reporters asking idiotic questions to Sri Sri. It is great to see the calmness with which he replies all the questions and there definately seems something special in the personality. But more importantly even if we assume that he is a FAKE and is a born great actor what about the thousands of his followers on whose faces there is an unmistakable sense of joy, enthusiasm, and a willingness to contribute.
One of my friends in Ahmedabad told me that on 2nd november the Art of Living family is hosting an event called ," Annabrahma". 5000 varieties of food are going to be cooked and served to underpriviliged children. Sri Sri is also going to inaugrate the project of free tribal schools in Gujarat in the presence of thousands of people during the evening satsang.
Around 1000 part time volunteers and teachers are having a great time working for it. He was telling me that the levels of enthusiasm amongst the volunteers is unbelievable. Of course there may be differences of opinions, a few skirmishes here and there but instead of doing a postmortem of the negative events I really wonder what on earth inspires these guys to do and accomplish such events at such a large scale.
Is this just a bubble thats going to burst in just a matter of time? Are all these people faking joy? Even in that case good work seems to be happening in society. Atleast they are not sitting at home and plonking themselves in front of television sets watching stupid TV serials and cricket matches.
Something worthwhile is being done. Instead of jumping to conclusions and screaming at the top of our voices just because we know of a few others who were fake, let us atleast wait and watch. So far these guys seem genuine.
"J"
Many a times I have seen arrogant, rude reporters asking idiotic questions to Sri Sri. It is great to see the calmness with which he replies all the questions and there definately seems something special in the personality. But more importantly even if we assume that he is a FAKE and is a born great actor what about the thousands of his followers on whose faces there is an unmistakable sense of joy, enthusiasm, and a willingness to contribute.
One of my friends in Ahmedabad told me that on 2nd november the Art of Living family is hosting an event called ," Annabrahma". 5000 varieties of food are going to be cooked and served to underpriviliged children. Sri Sri is also going to inaugrate the project of free tribal schools in Gujarat in the presence of thousands of people during the evening satsang.
Around 1000 part time volunteers and teachers are having a great time working for it. He was telling me that the levels of enthusiasm amongst the volunteers is unbelievable. Of course there may be differences of opinions, a few skirmishes here and there but instead of doing a postmortem of the negative events I really wonder what on earth inspires these guys to do and accomplish such events at such a large scale.
Is this just a bubble thats going to burst in just a matter of time? Are all these people faking joy? Even in that case good work seems to be happening in society. Atleast they are not sitting at home and plonking themselves in front of television sets watching stupid TV serials and cricket matches.
Something worthwhile is being done. Instead of jumping to conclusions and screaming at the top of our voices just because we know of a few others who were fake, let us atleast wait and watch. So far these guys seem genuine.
"J"
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Really?
Why would a naxalite commander surrender his weapons to the police after completing an Art of living course? Its easy to instill negativity in the minds of "innocent" people about something genuine but how easy it is to brain "wash" a Naxalite and make him give up violence? People who are habituated to mudslinging and involved in writing negativity against Art of Living I request them to read this http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Naxal-leader-surrenders-in-Jharkhand/articleshow/6423651.cms
I also challenge them to approach and interview all such people who have been transformed by the Art of Living and write about it in their blogs if they are even remotely interested in propagating the "TRUTH" and maintaining objectivity.
First of all more than ninety percent of the people working actively with the organisation come from the educated middle class section of the society. Considering this how is it that all of them are completely overlooking the so called "facts" propagated by these blogs? Most of the Aolites consist of people who are intelligent and educated enough to not get fooled into something blasphemous.
Out of all the people who "complete" the course and practice the techniques "everyday" 100 percent people have positive feed backs. To me this seems to be the only reason why Art of Living is growing at such an exceptionally fast pace.
Another point to be noted is that the diversity that one can see in Art of Living. One of the signs of an enlightened master is that HE or SHE attracts all types of people from all different types of backgrounds and from all strata of society. Sri Sri in a span of may be a month or so would meet people of all types from slum dwellers to CEO's, From prison inmates to top scientists, from politicians to housewives, from village farmers to urban youth.
An organisation which is here only to make money, charging exorbitant fees for courses and giving almost nothing in return, having a leader who is angry and screaming all the time, and followers who have corrupt minds, psychotic behaviour and quite a few of them being characterless morons - Will such an organisation last? that too for 30 years? will it spread over 151 countries? Will it survive the test of time?
At least my common sense compels me to completely disbelieve the so called propagators of truth and who think that they are doing a great job by acting like messiahs saving people from going to hell!
J
I also challenge them to approach and interview all such people who have been transformed by the Art of Living and write about it in their blogs if they are even remotely interested in propagating the "TRUTH" and maintaining objectivity.
First of all more than ninety percent of the people working actively with the organisation come from the educated middle class section of the society. Considering this how is it that all of them are completely overlooking the so called "facts" propagated by these blogs? Most of the Aolites consist of people who are intelligent and educated enough to not get fooled into something blasphemous.
Out of all the people who "complete" the course and practice the techniques "everyday" 100 percent people have positive feed backs. To me this seems to be the only reason why Art of Living is growing at such an exceptionally fast pace.
Another point to be noted is that the diversity that one can see in Art of Living. One of the signs of an enlightened master is that HE or SHE attracts all types of people from all different types of backgrounds and from all strata of society. Sri Sri in a span of may be a month or so would meet people of all types from slum dwellers to CEO's, From prison inmates to top scientists, from politicians to housewives, from village farmers to urban youth.
An organisation which is here only to make money, charging exorbitant fees for courses and giving almost nothing in return, having a leader who is angry and screaming all the time, and followers who have corrupt minds, psychotic behaviour and quite a few of them being characterless morons - Will such an organisation last? that too for 30 years? will it spread over 151 countries? Will it survive the test of time?
At least my common sense compels me to completely disbelieve the so called propagators of truth and who think that they are doing a great job by acting like messiahs saving people from going to hell!
J
Sunday, August 8, 2010
The Art of Leaving
I believe that for any person or organization, it takes a very very long time to build trust and reputation in the society, and being a spiritual organization it is all the more difficult. It takes an immense amount of time and social work, before even people know about the organization, forget recognition. The Art of Living has succeeded in many ways to convince people about the work it has been doing.
Though I agree that there could be a little flaws within the organization, the kind of work that they have been doing overshadows any minor glitches. There are not many other non profit social organizations that I know of, spread across a hundred and more countries, irrespective of religion and caste. They should be doing something brilliant to spread at this rate in a little more than 25 years. I am still surprised and taken aback to see a few people maligning the name of an organization recently, which otherwise did not gather a lot of criticism all these 30 years.
I personally know that the Art of Living is indeed the Art of Leaving. I have seen the transformation in a small group of people I met a few months back. They have totally given up drugs after attending just one of the Art of 'Leaving' workshops. The joy that could be seen on the faces of their close ones and friends cannot be expressed. Recently there have been media reports of a few naxals (a group of rebels in India) who gave up violence and came to the path of peace after talks with Sri Sri. I have also heard a story (story because I have not seen the person for real) which says a lady is taking the Art of Living course for a naxalite leader who murdered her husband. I am sure there would be countless other stories that you and I have not heard of and probably never will. When such reports come in popular electronic and print media, which is otherwise very critical about anything spiritual, there should indeed be a lot of good things they are doing. If the Art of Living was really looking to make money and was purely looking for profits, they wouldn’t be bothered to have workshops and courses happening in slums and prisons. They wouldn’t be bothered to take up social initiatives and community projects in disaster struck regions, but would be focussing mainly just on corporate courses and funding from government agencies.
From what I have observed, it is right to call the organization - Art of Leaving - the art of leaving violence, drugs and things that destroy the harmony in our society. Like I have said in my earlier posts, I request the critics to do some basic research before making blank statements and injecting poison in the minds of people
Though I agree that there could be a little flaws within the organization, the kind of work that they have been doing overshadows any minor glitches. There are not many other non profit social organizations that I know of, spread across a hundred and more countries, irrespective of religion and caste. They should be doing something brilliant to spread at this rate in a little more than 25 years. I am still surprised and taken aback to see a few people maligning the name of an organization recently, which otherwise did not gather a lot of criticism all these 30 years.
I personally know that the Art of Living is indeed the Art of Leaving. I have seen the transformation in a small group of people I met a few months back. They have totally given up drugs after attending just one of the Art of 'Leaving' workshops. The joy that could be seen on the faces of their close ones and friends cannot be expressed. Recently there have been media reports of a few naxals (a group of rebels in India) who gave up violence and came to the path of peace after talks with Sri Sri. I have also heard a story (story because I have not seen the person for real) which says a lady is taking the Art of Living course for a naxalite leader who murdered her husband. I am sure there would be countless other stories that you and I have not heard of and probably never will. When such reports come in popular electronic and print media, which is otherwise very critical about anything spiritual, there should indeed be a lot of good things they are doing. If the Art of Living was really looking to make money and was purely looking for profits, they wouldn’t be bothered to have workshops and courses happening in slums and prisons. They wouldn’t be bothered to take up social initiatives and community projects in disaster struck regions, but would be focussing mainly just on corporate courses and funding from government agencies.
From what I have observed, it is right to call the organization - Art of Leaving - the art of leaving violence, drugs and things that destroy the harmony in our society. Like I have said in my earlier posts, I request the critics to do some basic research before making blank statements and injecting poison in the minds of people
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Not a BIG Deal
I have been asking a few people who have taken courses with the Art of Living Foundation whether they found it too expensive and whether they regretted having invested in the course. Most of them said that they did initially hesitate to do the course because of the cost. But after having experienced the course and noticing the obvious benefits, they did not regret having invested the time and money at all.
I must have talked to probably a few hundreds, but I have yet to meet a person who said that it was really not worth it. I went one step further and asked quite a few who practiced the techniques regularly whether they would give up their practices if they were given ten times the course fee in return. All of them replied in the negative. I must also mention that I came across quite a few people who were given scholarships after they convinced the teacher that they could really not afford it.
Some people in India say that AOL charges exceptionally high amounts for their courses and is only for the rich and elite. Well, looking at the tremendous following that AOL has across India, it is difficult for anyone to believe that all these people belong exclusively to the rich and elite class of society! Most of them seem to be from the middle class. In fact even in Mumbai a course in Mulund or Thane (middle-class suburbs) generally attracts many more people than a course in South Mumbai (pre-dominantly elite class) though the course fee is the same.
It would be absurd to say that all the people practicing AOL techniques in remote Indian villages belong to the rich and elite. And I don't think that people living in the slums of Dharavi would do AOL courses if they were exorbitantly priced. It is obvious that AOL has designed their fee structure based on the socio-economic strata of the population living in the area and this policy seems perfectly sensible.
A little research can clear a lot of misconceptions. I sincerely request the cynics to adopt such an attitude instead of resorting to useless wrangling.
J