Global Peace Ambassador and Humanitarian Leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar arrives in Guyana on July 15th for an IStandforPeace public event at the National Cultural Centre as part of his global peace campaign across major cities in Europe, North America, South America, and Africa.
Launched at the UN Headquarters in Geneva in April 2022, the IStandforPeace campaign is a call for the silent, positive, and rational voices in society to stand and be heard. The campaign is premised on intentions being the driving force behind purposeful actions and that a resolve to stand for peace will itself empower those overwhelmed by the rising global aggression to channel their energies into peaceful outcomes.
“People come together when there is crisis; when they feel threatened; or when they are wise; when they understand we are all interdependent. Can people not come together for something positive? Something that is creative? Something that can create harmony in society? Yes. They can. Provided that they are strong mentally and are not swayed by the ‘so-called news,’” Gurudev asserted in an address at a seminar on Unity and Collaboration in a Post-Pandemic World at the UN recently.
Gurudev, who heads the Art of Living Foundation and the International Association of Human Values, which has a presence in more than 156 countries, says conflict arises when trust and communication break down and can be prevented if people are mentally strong and their minds are serene and calm. He notes that rumours often inflame conflicts and social media has become a source of both information and misinformation.
Gurudev and his 1 million plus volunteers have been working tirelessly in the last 40 years to bring stress and trauma relief to communities and individuals ravaged by disaster, conflict, trauma, anxiety, and depression. They have been teaching a breathing technique called Sudarshan Kriya to help persons experience immediate relief from stress and anxiety and bring calm and peace to the mind. This allows one to go deeper into a meditative space that brings healing to the mind and the body.
The peace envoy believes that peace begins within, at the level of the individual, and then ripples into families, communities and into the world. He does not believe that anyone is inherently bad and shares that even within the most violent criminal lies a beautiful being waiting to be uncovered and all that is required is for persons to learn how to handle their negative emotions and manage their minds.
The World Health Organization recently reported that nearly a billion people were living with a mental disorder. Gurudev notes that depression and suicide are on the rise on one hand (every 40 seconds one person commits suicide in the world) and aggression on the other.
“All this indicates to us is that we need to educate people how to handle their minds and their emotions. See, neither at school nor at home has anyone taught us how to handle our emotions. You feel bad and go on for days and weeks or months with those bad feelings. This is where our foundation volunteers are helpful,” Gurudev says referring to Sudarshan Kriya technique.
“Your breath has a secret. Every emotion has a definite pattern in your breath. By changing the breathing pattern and doing some exercise with the breath you can change the way you feel. Acting schools teach breathing techniques to bring out the emotions in actors. However, our schools do not attend to mental health and hygiene,” Gurudev shares.
A mind that is clear and strong can carry a weak body, but a weak mind cannot carry a strong body. “So mental strength is needed and that can come when people who are like-minded, who support positivity and who have the right intention, with a big vision, can come together and say I stand up for peace. Standing up for peace is necessary,” says Gurudev. He notes that while deep within we all want and support peace, we need to bring that desire to the fore of our minds and to take steps to advocate for it. A referendum for peace in Columbia was rejected as those supporting peace did not turn up at the polls and the 20% opposing was able to defeat the process.
“The negative voices, though very small, are very strong. You can hear them very loud everywhere. What is needed today in the post-pandemic era is for the sane voices to become strong and loud. There is no dearth of sanity in the world. There are wise people everywhere but somehow, they sit back and are not proactive. The post-pandemic requires action from all who have care and concern for the planet and who are really worried about the welfare of whole of humanity,” the peace envoy implores
He also calls for independence in thinking, dubbing it “sacred”. “We must be independent thinkers and we also need independence within ourselves from our negative emotions. Many times, we are under the clutches of these negative emotions, and we suffer, and we do not know how to get out of it. We reel in those emotions. If one person is mentally or behaviorally not ok in the family, that entire family is unhappy… We need to do something to make people understand the value of their thoughts, their intentions, their feelings and how they need to harness themselves into more socially acceptable and personally beneficial roles that nature has provided us in abundance. We only need to wake up and see that the irresponsible behaviour of one person can affect so many around us”.
For us to reach for a more peaceful world, Gurudev says multiple approaches are needed, whether it is to foster peace among nations, or, within or among communities. “All this can be handled when we have a broader vision, when we recognize that life is sacred and that we are here for a short period of time. When we want to leave a better world for the future generation. A world that is economically sound, environmentally safe. Water pollution, soil pollution, air pollution, noise pollution, electronic pollution – these are things that we really need to take care of. And it cannot happen just by some laws that the government makes. It must be a people’s movement. Similarly, I feel that peace is something that can bring people out of despondency and helplessness. When they stand up and say `I stand up for peace’ it empowers them and brings out their inner strength. Collectively, then, we will be able to influence our atmosphere positively and in such a positive atmosphere only good things can happen,” the peacemaker says.
So far more than a million names have been attached to the pledge of peace at https://istandforpeace.artofliving.org/. Gurudev is hoping that at least one percent of the world’s population will take the pledge and has been meeting with congressional leaders, community leaders and influencers across the world to make this happen. “When 1% of the population meditates, it elevates the collective consciousness. Similarly, if enough people say, “I stand for peace,” then we project that energy, that vision and it will happen!” Gurudev says.
Gurudev arrives in Guyana on July 15th for the IStandforPeace public event at the National Cultural Center at 6:30PM (18:30hrs).
Who is Gurudev?
Gurudev is a global humanitarian, spiritual leader and peace envoy who has worked tirelessly in the last 40 years to bring peace and well-being into the lives of more than 450 million persons around the world. Standing for Gandhian values of non-violence, and often called the Master of Love, Gurudev has worked with governments and civil society leaders to progress peace in conflict-stricken areas of Sri Lanka, Iraq, Venezuela, and Colombia, among other countries. He has also been actively involved in efforts to promote peace and sustainable development in several countries including India, Sri Lanka, Iraq, Lebanon, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Egypt, and Haiti. Recently, he proposed the settlement adopted by the Supreme Court in Indian to settle the age-old Ayodhya dispute.
Gurudev, who began his teaching journey with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of the Transcendental Meditation movement before he began the Art of Living, teaches breath-based meditation techniques to calm the mind and to lead to improved health outcomes.
Gurudev has inspired a wave of service activities across the world among 30 000+ instructors and over one million volunteers who also work tirelessly to bring trauma relief in areas ravaged by stress, tension, and natural disasters. Volunteers have proactively embraced environmental sustainability, planting more than 36 million trees around the world and they have rejuvenated thousands of water bodies in India.
Programmes
School Programmes – Apart from the introductory SKY Breath Meditation Program (called the Happiness Program in Guyana), and the 702 schools established in India which currently educates 70 000 children, Gurudev ‘s SKY Schools program is approved in the US by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) as a social emotional learning program. SKY Schools has breathed life into the US education system by giving students and educators the tools to optimize the educational experience. More than 120,000 students at 225 schools across the U.S. have learned how to manage stress and make more responsible choices through these programmes. Independent research by Claremont Graduate University also shows that the SKY Schools program reduces anxiety, depression, and bullying, and increases attentional focus and responsible decision making.
The foundation also offers a SKY Campus programmes to combat the fast paced, high-stress university environment where students report more depression and suicidal ideation than ever before in history. SKY Campus is a comprehensive well-being and resilience training designed to help students, faculty, and staff achieve their fullest potential. More than 127,000 students on 101 university campuses have participated in these programs and can experience clarity of mind, resilience, purpose and belonging.
Veterans Programmes – Gurudev has also designed a free program for the armed forces and their families in the US. The Welcome Home Troops offers restoration and tools to reduce chronic stress and PTSD. More than 3,700 veterans across 30 U.S. cities have benefited from these programs, including through 18 Veterans Affairs hospitals and Veteran centers.
Prison Programmes – His Prison Smart Program, which has rehabilitated more than 800 000 prisoners globally, is accredited by the American Correctional Association and is accepted by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons as an evidence-based program. More than 50,000 inmates across 17 states have benefitted from this program to manage stress and trauma and begin the process of true rehabilitation. The program tackles individual stress and transforming the mindset, attitude, and behavior of offenders. Independent research shows the prison smart program has been successful in dramatically reducing offender recidivism rates, effectively breaking cycles of violence.
Inner City Programmes – Urban violence is a major issue in the US and Gurudev’s Cities 4 Peace initiative actively promotes peace and social cohesion. The program empowers community stakeholders including social justice activists, former gang members, and law enforcement officers with evidence-based breathing and meditation techniques. Upon graduation from this program, leaders become “Ambassadors of Peace,” and conduct peace workshops in their own communities.
Vedic Programmes – Gurudev, known as the master of love, fosters global awareness of Vedic spirituality. He has established schools to revive the ancient Vedic practices that is sought out by Vedic scholars. He also facilitates commercial diplomacy, promote cultural and artistic exchange, accelerates awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals, facilitates disaster responses in India, and promotes gender equality in India and globally.
Gurudev seeks to build bridges between beliefs and religions to universalize wisdom and foster greater compassion, love and mutual understanding for a stress and violence free society. In 2016, he brought together 3.75 million people in New Delhi for the World Culture Festival that celebrates unity in diversity, something no politician on earth has been able to do. The World Culture Festival will be held in Washington DC in 2023 as a platform to heal the fabric of society torn apart by polarization by uniting cultures and celebrating our uniqueness. The theme of the World Culture Festival is Vasudaiva Kutumbakam, the World is one Family.
For Tickets to the IStandforPeace event at the National Cultural Center, please email info.guyana@artofliving.org.
