So what's the big deal about Art of Living?
AOL is a technology for breathing discovered by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Hyperventilation (scientific term for what AOL-ers call Sudarshan Kriya) is beneficial for stress, concentration and a number of diseases.....
Personally AOL has been amazing for me -why I even bunked a final exam in the gung ho enthusiasm to attend a course in Bangalore with Guruji.......Amazing wisdom from him as well and I've loved every AOL satsang I went to - so to that extent it is quite kewl.
But then I have my questions about a few things regarding AOL - I say this of course after having done the basic and advanced programes, interacted with Guruji and done some work for AOL too.....
For one AOL is a lot of hype about the man who discovered the technology......yeah its sure benificial and all, but Guruji as God - the be all and end all is something I find difficult to accept..... I mean yeah even if he's attained supreme conciousness, I still see him as very human......of course a blissed out happy soul but yeah thats about it....
In any other case, of course the scientist is acknowledged and all, but never hyped up so much by the users of the technology.....
Then comes the funda of devotion - it totally works for AOL-ites who take the word of the guru as the final. For someone who believes in questioning, its this very surrender that I find almost impossible.....I really cant imagine myself giving up all my thought and just act on command, even if it comes from an enlightened soul....
There are people around me (a very close friend) who'se dedicated his life to AOL and to spreading the technology......for no financial gain (there is so much of psychological return for him to do it for a living). I totally respect his choice, but its HIS life......to outsource your most critical life decisions (marriage, career) to the founder of just another yogic technology is something I just cant digest too
AOL may be a spiritual organization but its marketing is as good as any modern MNC. Differential pricing (a course in Ahmedabad is priced differently from Mumbai), hardcore viral marketing, register-by-this date kinda stuff is pretty in vogue. Then again if the guru is entering your city, the entire city gets plastered with his smiling pics - free ad space worth millions is just grabbed - on what pretext????
Then again AOL is a very closed source copyright kinda company - not everyone can become a teacher and you cant really tinker around with the technique to adapt it to your own style. The heart of the matter is in the tape which the guru hands out only to teachers he selects......why not democratize conciousness? Why not share it with all?
All said and done a hard core AOL-ite is going to be this closed minded guy who cant think beyond the AOL world-view. He thinks there's just one way to save the world, one answer to every problem and thats sudarshan kriya
And personally I think its just another technology thats helpful - like my bathing soap, my computer or NLP....why go to the end of the world for this one?
Personally AOL has been amazing for me -why I even bunked a final exam in the gung ho enthusiasm to attend a course in Bangalore with Guruji.......Amazing wisdom from him as well and I've loved every AOL satsang I went to - so to that extent it is quite kewl.
But then I have my questions about a few things regarding AOL - I say this of course after having done the basic and advanced programes, interacted with Guruji and done some work for AOL too.....
For one AOL is a lot of hype about the man who discovered the technology......yeah its sure benificial and all, but Guruji as God - the be all and end all is something I find difficult to accept..... I mean yeah even if he's attained supreme conciousness, I still see him as very human......of course a blissed out happy soul but yeah thats about it....
In any other case, of course the scientist is acknowledged and all, but never hyped up so much by the users of the technology.....
Then comes the funda of devotion - it totally works for AOL-ites who take the word of the guru as the final. For someone who believes in questioning, its this very surrender that I find almost impossible.....I really cant imagine myself giving up all my thought and just act on command, even if it comes from an enlightened soul....
There are people around me (a very close friend) who'se dedicated his life to AOL and to spreading the technology......for no financial gain (there is so much of psychological return for him to do it for a living). I totally respect his choice, but its HIS life......to outsource your most critical life decisions (marriage, career) to the founder of just another yogic technology is something I just cant digest too
AOL may be a spiritual organization but its marketing is as good as any modern MNC. Differential pricing (a course in Ahmedabad is priced differently from Mumbai), hardcore viral marketing, register-by-this date kinda stuff is pretty in vogue. Then again if the guru is entering your city, the entire city gets plastered with his smiling pics - free ad space worth millions is just grabbed - on what pretext????
Then again AOL is a very closed source copyright kinda company - not everyone can become a teacher and you cant really tinker around with the technique to adapt it to your own style. The heart of the matter is in the tape which the guru hands out only to teachers he selects......why not democratize conciousness? Why not share it with all?
All said and done a hard core AOL-ite is going to be this closed minded guy who cant think beyond the AOL world-view. He thinks there's just one way to save the world, one answer to every problem and thats sudarshan kriya
And personally I think its just another technology thats helpful - like my bathing soap, my computer or NLP....why go to the end of the world for this one?
posted by The One at 11:41 PM
19 Comments:
@openminded1
Agree wt you saar.... :)
Very nice thoughts Abhishek. I wrote about something similar in my blog.
I have a friend who attended Art of Living course and who's gone insane now. He said practising the Sudharsana Kriya over the allowed time can be like taking drugs and now he is a psychic patient and taking medicines for that. His doc advised that he shouldn't follow any Gurus for happiness, but try to follow his own duties as a man to be happy. :-)
Everyone, Respect your intelligent and informed opinions.
It indeed is quiet informal and while I have been involved for quiet a few years I never base my opinions on what a few devotees say. I have witnessed tons of diffent opinions on hundreds of devotees. If I wanted I can choose a certain set and label the organization. At times I have even seen senior teachers reasoning, speaking up and doing the right thing. Recommending and laying detailed proposals for discussion in front of Sri Sri for things which they want changed. Also so many times have I heard and seen Sri Sri telling telling people to use their intelligence and reason to base their personal decisions. He said only if things are to go really bad would he give exact guidance.
"Sharpen your intellect, without a sharp intellect a person would have a hard time on the spiritual path" are the exact words that he mentioned once :)
I had the exact same opinions like Abhishek. The more I listened and saw directly the more I realized that he is making his devotees become independent, strong and intelligent.
Big organizations do not run without cultivating reason.
Do you think Swami Vivekananda or Paramhansa Yogananda lost all their reason and other critical faculties because they had rock solid faith on their masters ?
The entire purpose is to have the sharpest intellingence and anything but is just being spacy. If you encountered spacy devotees ...remember they are just on the path to become the stable, balanced and smart spiritual persons. It would behove one good to not base their judgements about the master and the path on ones who are on the path but moreso on ones who have reached the goal or are living the teachings !
Hi Abhishek,
Now this looks like an old blog that I happened to chance upon...but still:)
I honor your opinions, but in the end they are just that !
Wanted to bring to your attention certain facts, from my honest and unbiased endeavor in finding more about AoL.
First you mention it is a "technology" invented by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. It is indeed very naive to equate the process of cognition of Yogic technique to technology. You must understand that it requires an individual of utmost depth to have access of the being to come out with something like this. If that was the case every other guy
will start coming out with techniques left and right !
Second, hyperventilation aha ! it may seem like it but the looking holistically and obeserving at the actual effects, it is nowhere near it ! How do I know this ? I have had detailed conversations with a renowed researcher Dr. Dick Brown from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Columbia Univ, NY who is also the author on the chapter on Pranayama and Sudarshan Kriya in the official Psychiatry handbook in the US. He gave me exceptionally clear differences between the effects of hyperventilation and Sudarshan Kriya...one I remember was about the metabolic rate.
Now, about your suggestion about sharing conciousness and sharing it etc. my dear that is the whole intention and purpose here...but when that is done over the world..aha..it's all marketing, money making ..Now who would be responsible if the tapes are ditributed and some crazy guy just goes on doing it and teaching others in the wrong way. Infact just scroll up and see the comment made by Jo ! Abhishek, I guess you should throughly educate yourself about the ancient Guru-Shisya tradition, how Yoga-Gyan is taught, the importance of delivering the knowledge the right way by the proper person, rules of initiation etc. All this is done only for the safety of the benifitor, and has been coming along since ancient times.
It's so ironic that the founder Sri Sri who started with the intention of making this esoteric knowledge -which was trapped in the high mountains and ashrams in India for centuries - accesible to the people around the world from prison inmates to politicians; and you here are talking about "why not share it with all" !
I sincerely feel enthusiastic and sharp indiviuals, like youself, should really take the effort in finding the profoundity of any technique taught by an enlightened master...why they are here, why the technique, what is the ultimate purpose ? Is is just the technique or is there something more. The more we get stuck with little trivialities, lesser becomes our clarity to look from a 10000 feet view.
Hmmm...i did the AOL course around the same time u wrote this Abhishek. I agree with you the 'technology' is great but why hype up its inventor?
My other point - They say that to attain the benefits of kriya you have to do it daily for at least 3 months. Now, that requires good discipline. If the problem of a person is lack of discipline in the first place, how is he going to benefit from AOL? I am sure there are thousands like me who attended the AOL course, did kriya for a few days and then gave it up altogether. Which means AOL is only beneficial to the disciplined few. Now that gives rise to another point - If you are disciplined, then a little bit of common sense will tell you that you don't need AOL!!! Ulimately it's all a clever marketing game...
Its easier to doubt,postpone and find fault with good things and discipline
than following something harmful.
Now we all know from statistics and from our own friends circle , somebody calls you for a drink , or smoke or something like that which is harmful, we dont question the right or wrong. When you have to follow certain disciple, our mind is so cunning that we categorize AOL or similar organizations which offer (processes I would say rather than techniques) for getting the best of us. Now its easier to find fault and crib about all the bad things or just try to help a noble cause by being part of the process. DEEP Down we all know we cant deny that we will only get better,but we want avoid something.. lets look at our own mind and see why we have these tendencies... savvy....
its the best course tht only lucky people can experience...depends on ur luck n ur way how u take sudarshan kriya is very very very benefecial thing n a necessity for every human being early or late people will believe...bolna easy hai aisa ho to aap log jaake sudharo na puri duniya ko hamare guruji ki tarah if u have tht guds thn only critize understood.nys ur loss n bad luck my srisri is the best...ur choice to beleive or no.... jaigurudev
happens. everything is changing. our feelings, mind, enthusiasm, beliefs and body - it's all changing. neither your faith was permanent, nor is your doubt. jai gurudev.
At first place, AOL is a non profit organization, neither teachers nor the management is making money.. So the term "marketing" doesn't apply here.. Because marketing is related to business and business is all about making money.
I just feel pity for the author Abhishek Thakore who has shallow knowledge on visions of AOL n Guruji. n i feel very pity for those who agree on his comments.
But lets not be football of others opinion. . lets focus on what AOL has given to us who sincerely follow the techniques every day...
I ll tell u, though these techniques are similar to Patanjali, there is no one in this world who can teach us better than Guruji.
Anyone who practices Kriya and Meditation techniques sincerely will immediately or within few months see the difference... But those who not regret on it n end up in writing such blogs.. how sad..
Jai Guru Dev
We're all humans, n remember every thought has contradictions, I cn say dat don't b a football of AOL teachers opinions.
Dats nt right at all, bt d point I want to prove here is whatever ppl say abt AOL, Guruji cn never be proved wrong, coz his generosity has spoken 4 him, he sharing Sudarshan Kriya wid d world says it all.
jgd..see u at long kriya :)
-Amey Dev
(Mumbai)
I wish AOL had good sense of Marketing...else it wouldn't had been such a under-rated organisation even though they have presence in 156 countries. It has highest number of volunteers, that means less cost of operation. As per statistics lots of well known NGO's organizational Fixed expense cost is about 60%(Salaries, Travel, etc.). But AOL has 2% as organizational cost. Now why so? Coz at a time People like Abhishek who got benefited by the course where more happier in life then earlier and were generous to give it back to society. I have been to west, East, and Europe and unbiased response from those part of world is they feel happy. Something common about them is they all have highest no. of physiological problems. So they are benefited the most as compared to our Indian people. But with Globalisation we too will not be left out from adopting these courses.
But apart from the Sudarshan kriya, which act as a catalyst....a person also need to apply the 5 sutra's.... which many fails to do. And results into the frustrated blogs. Just give a thought, what stops those developed countries diplomats from going into the terror prone places in Iraq, but doesn't stop Sri Sri to spread the Smile. Why Hurriat in Kashmir doesn't agree with Indian Govt. and Agrees for message of peace with Sri Sri. What bounds all those millions of his devotees?
I think the base is "UNCONDITIONAL LOVE" by Sri Sri
I wish AOL had good sense of Marketing...else it wouldn't had been such a under-rated organisation even though they have presence in 156 countries. It has highest number of volunteers, that means less cost of operation. As per statistics lots of well known NGO's organizational Fixed expense cost is about 60%(Salaries, Travel, etc.). But AOL has 2% as organizational cost. Now why so? Coz at a time People like Abhishek who got benefited by the course where more happier in life then earlier and were generous to give it back to society. I have been to west, East, and Europe and unbiased response from those part of world is they feel happy. Something common about them is they all have highest no. of physiological problems. So they are benefited the most as compared to our Indian people. But with Globalisation we too will not be left out from adopting these courses.
But apart from the Sudarshan kriya, which act as a catalyst....a person also need to apply the 5 sutra's.... which many fails to do. And results into the frustrated blogs. Just give a thought, what stops those developed countries diplomats from going into the terror prone places in Iraq, but doesn't stop Sri Sri to spread the Smile. Why Hurriat in Kashmir doesn't agree with Indian Govt. and Agrees for message of peace with Sri Sri. What bounds all those millions of his devotees?
I think the base is "UNCONDITIONAL LOVE" by Sri Sri
The kriya is not as safe as it is made out to be. AOL also as an organization is not all that straight. If you cut through their hype you can see their real face:
http://artoflivingfree.blogspot.com/
Please check out the other side of the comin too...
MUST READ !!
http://artoflivingfreefree.blogspot.com/
Each individual is free to express his or her feelings..experiences with the course and sudharsan kriya can also vary from individual to individual...
regardless it does de- stress and calms and centres the mind which i thought was the very purpose of the course..
why be judgemental when a vast majority of AOLites are enjoying and have benefited from Guruji...
In todays day and age no harm if courses were designed and marketed on economic considerations as we all know charity cannot be done from empty vessels...
NGOs do have to adopt a certain buisness model to reach out to millions globally..
I laud Guruji and his band of AOLites for doing a commendable job by assimilating modern techniques to reach to people of diverse beliefs and thought processes......not an easy task by any stretch of imagination..truly we are on the path to vasudeva kutumbakam guided by our master..Nandu,Mumba
Each individual is free to express his or her feelings..experiences with the course and sudharsan kriya can also vary from individual to individual...
regardless it does de- stress and calms and centres the mind which i thought was the very purpose of the course..
why be judgemental when a vast majority of AOLites are enjoying and have benefited from Guruji...
In todays day and age no harm if courses were designed and marketed on economic considerations as we all know charity cannot be done from empty vessels...
NGOs do have to adopt a certain buisness model to reach out to millions globally..
I laud Guruji and his band of AOLites for doing a commendable job by assimilating modern techniques to reach to people of diverse beliefs and thought processes......not an easy task by any stretch of imagination..truly we are on the path to vasudeva kutumbakam guided by our master..Nandu,Mumba
just bumped in like this only but
i would like to share my experience...
i think its sham and just targeting people who are venerable enough to get brainwashed by some mind blowing communication skill used by them..
i attended this course twice and was shocked to see that the content was similar by all means...same jokes same examples same stories and same kind of brainwashing though the teachers were different..
Anti congress and anti muslim sentiments were quite prominent...and i being someone who cant stand fanatics could not digest it...moreover when this was being done under the propoganda that we want more and more people to vote but very carefully plagued with some hidden agenda..
the volunteers were very assertive and not at all generous.
JGD was their ultimate signature line and by the time the course ends sri sri ravi shankar was the established know it all godmen...
i could not digest this to be honest...
for me spirituality is something that is beyond things like religion,government,right or wrong and other absolutely bizzare theories that were being propogated there...it always has to be
ishwar allah tero naam sabko sanmati de bhagwaan unlike uselessly chanting jai guru dev and getting lost in a sham that will take you nowhere......
though benefits and side effects of sudarshan kriya may be debatable what cannot be refuted is the fact that some of aol teachers are the worst hypocrites and have an ego to rival the height of mt everest.i recently attended a meditation class when having my periods.one of an old aol teachers specifically told people not to sit besides me as they were going to have puja of gurudev.i was treated
like an untouchable.i was astounded.a modern guru of this century is associated with people of such outdated ideas.how can they humiliate people like this when it is such a natural phenomena.
further i had attended their ayurveda course.the teacher had such arrogant attitude and massive ego that our questions were treated like innane chatter.this kind of puts u off .
though benefits and side effects of sudarshan kriya may be debatable what cannot be refuted is the fact that some of aol teachers are the worst hypocrites and have an ego to rival the height of mt everest.i recently attended a meditation class when having my periods.one of an old aol teachers specifically told people not to sit besides me as they were going to have puja of gurudev.i was treated
like an untouchable.i was astounded.a modern guru of this century is associated with people of such outdated ideas.how can they humiliate people like this when it is such a natural phenomena.
further i had attended their ayurveda course.the teacher had such arrogant attitude and massive ego that our questions were treated like innane chatter.this kind of puts u off .
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