Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Summary

Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin — Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Episode Date: July 22, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this illuminating episode, Rick Rubin sits down with Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, world-renowned spiritual teacher and founder of the Art of Living Foundation. The conversation explores meditation, silence, the wisdom of ancient Vedic traditions, transformation through breathwork, and the application of spiritual principles in everyday life—including prisons. Guiding listeners through Eastern philosophy, practical techniques, personal anecdotes, and cross-cultural insights, Sri Sri offers a contemporary, non-dogmatic approach to ancient wisdom.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Peace, Conflict, and the Human Condition

• Peace & Disturbance as Universal Dualities (00:24):
  Sri Sri notes that throughout history, peace and conflict have co-existed; even during troubling times like COVID, peaceful places remain.

  “Peace and disturbance have been part of this existence from a long time in the recorded history.” — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (00:24)

• Root of Conflict and Resolution (42:03, 42:21):
  Conflict arises from various sources, but returning to one’s “true self” is a universal way to address disagreements.

  “There could be many causes for conflict, but there can be one answer: that is getting back to your true self and seeing the conflict as just a stepping stone for where you want to be.” — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (42:03)

The Essence and Practice of Meditation

• Meditation Is Essential (01:19):
  Meditation is fundamental for cultivating ongoing serenity; with repeated practice, its benefits permeate daily life.

  “Sitting meditation is essential… that serenity or meditation goes with you, it stays with you.” — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (01:19)

• Becoming the Source of Joy (01:50):
  Meditation transforms one's internal environment, making the individual the generator of joy, rather than its recipient.

  “You don’t say, oh, this is bringing me joy, but you are the source of joy.” — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (01:50)

• Silence and Creativity (03:05):
  Silence is indispensable for self-consolidation and creativity; it sharpens the mind’s focus and unleashes imagination.

  “Silence is the mother of all creativity.” — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (03:05)

• Overcoming Discomfort with Silence (04:12):
  For those new to silence, a guide or teacher is key—much like a lifeguard helps a swimmer overcome fear.

• Group vs. Solo Meditation (05:59):
  Practicing in groups inspires through shared energy fields, while solo meditation brings introspective benefits. Both are necessary.

Vedic Wisdom and Ancient Sciences

• Vedic Astrology as GPS for Life (06:56):
  Vedic astrology provides a roadmap, highlighting both opportunities and challenges—not a deterministic fate.

  “Astrology gives you a roadmap. It’s like a GPS of life… it is futuristic.” — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (06:56)

• Vedic Knowledge as Downloaded Wisdom (08:20):
  Ancient texts are seen as wisdom “downloaded” by sages rather than composed through analysis, blending vision with practical science.

• Ayurveda, Mantra, and the Microcosm (08:16–10:27):
  The interconnectedness of mind, body, and cosmos through Vedic sciences—Ayurveda for health, Gandharva Veda for music, Jyotish (astrology) for cosmic timing, and Vastu for architecture.

Mantras, Transcendence, and Spiritual Experience

• Mantras: Internal vs. Vocal Practice (12:51):
  Some mantras are best kept internal for deep meditation, while others are meant to be chanted for environmental uplift.

• Natural Meditative Ability (13:25):
  Sri Sri describes his own journey as innate—never “seeking,” but always immersed, going back through “many lifetimes.”

• Cultural & Family Background (14:02):
  Raised in a family rooted in mantras and ritual, further mentored as a youth by saints like Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Transformation through Art of Living

• Seven Layers of Being (17:33):
  The Art of Living program explores body, breath, mind, intellect, memory, ego, and the self, opening transformative possibilities through accessible techniques tailored for fast-paced modern life.

• Prison & At-risk Populations (20:52):
  The foundation’s programs have helped transform prisoners and gang members globally by bringing “a little bit of knowledge” to remove “the cobwebs around the mind.”

  “Inside every culprit there is a victim crying for help… once the victim is healed, the culprit disappears.” — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (44:19)

Language, Knowledge, and Cultural Bridges

• English and Sanskrit Connections (23:39):
  Sri Sri illustrates the surprising overlap between English and Sanskrit, challenging linguistic preconceptions:

  “English is more close to Sanskrit than other languages…” — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (23:39)

Science, Spirituality, and the Nature of Reality

• Breath as the Mind-Body Link (26:37, 28:54):
  Detailed explanation of how breath correlates with emotion, health, mood, and energy—practical techniques offered for managing states.

• Meditation Mainstreaming & Mental Health (32:49–34:22):
  Spiritual practices, once niche or stigmatized, are now globally recognized, with even the UN acknowledging World Meditation Day.

• Mindfulness vs. Meditation (34:22):
  Mindfulness is described as the “portico to your home;” real transformation comes through the effortless rest of meditation, from which mindfulness arises naturally.

• Holistic Science (46:48–50:22):
  Emphasizes that ancient Indian philosophy never separated science from spirituality. Cites recent Nobel Prizes confirming the illusionary nature of material reality—aligning with the Vedic principle of consciousness as the unchanging substratum.

  “This division I find is very artificial… A holistic outlook towards life, body, mind, and spirit…” — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (46:48)

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Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• On Group Meditation:
  “Group meditation… creates a field of magnetic energy that makes it easy for you to go deep in.” — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (05:59)

• On Creativity and Silence:
  “Silence is necessary for creative, productive activity.” — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (03:05)

• On Education and Knowledge:
  “Whatever traditional knowledge is there, it should be available for everyone in the planet. Every human being has a right over there.” — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (32:07)

• On the Transformation of Prisoners:
  “More than 800,000 prisoners around the world have undergone program. And you must listen to their experiences, their testimonies. It just moves you.” — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (20:52)

• On Meditation’s Accessibility:
  “Any meditation is okay. But… the goal of all meditation is to be nothing, to get into the space where you are simply energy and you are just love.” — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (37:32–39:39)

• On the Nature of Reality:
  “What is real is the wave function, the energy underneath it all… What is real is the non-changing aspect of existence—consciousness.” — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (49:36)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:24] Peace, Disturbance, and Human History
• [01:19] Meditation as Essential Practice
• [03:05] Benefits of Silence for Creativity
• [04:12] Overcoming Resistance to Silence
• [05:59] Group vs. Solo Meditation
• [06:56] Vedic Astrology Explained
• [12:51] Mantras: Inner vs. Outer
• [14:23] Influence of Maharishi and Saints
• [17:33] Art of Living Framework
• [20:52] Transformation in Prisons
• [23:39] Sanskrit- English Linguistic Connection
• [26:37] Breath as Mind-Body Link
• [32:49] Mainstream Acceptance of Spiritual Practice
• [34:22] Meditation vs. Mindfulness
• [37:32] Types of Meditation and Purpose
• [42:03] Root of All Conflicts
• [44:19] Healing the Victim Within
• [46:48] Science and Spirituality as a Continuum
• [49:36] Reality as Wave, Not Solid

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Tone and Closing Thoughts

Through gentle humor, grounded wisdom, and a spirit of inclusivity, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar bridges Eastern and Western thought. He debunks barriers between science and spirituality, advocates making ancient wisdom accessible, and demonstrates, through decades of teaching, that even the most troubled lives can be transformed via simple, profound practices. The conversation remains open, compassionate, and inspirational—honoring tradition while inviting everyone into the journey of self-discovery and peace.

Transcript

[Narrator/Host]

Tetragrammaton.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

This planet always had some peaceful places, peaceful times. It's not that the whole planet was being disturbed at one point of time. Maybe during COVID Even then there were places where there has been peace. Like there is day somewhere on the Earth and night somewhere else like that. Peace and disturbance have been part of this existence from a long time in the recorded history. I hear about just 285 years without any war or recorded conflicts. But conflicts are also part of life.

[Interviewer]

Is sitting practice the best thing that we can do is that, number one,

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

sitting meditation is essential. Yeah, I would say it's essential. Once you are well into practices, if you have practiced meditation for a long period of time, then whether you lie down, you are walking, you are talking, that serenity or meditation goes with you, it stays with you.

[Interviewer]

So if you practice enough, the feeling permeates you all the time.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Absolutely. It's just your vibration turns into that space and then you create joy. You don't say, oh, this is bringing me joy, but you are the source of joy.

[Interviewer]

Do you feel that from the practice you've done and from the state that you're in, that you can see a change in people when you're with them?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Oh yeah. Oh yeah, it's obvious.

[Interviewer]

How has your relationship to practice changed over the course of your life?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Well, from my childhood I have been in this sort of space, which from a very young age. So it's not just some moment that happened that I completely shifted. Nothing like that. But of course I took some silence retreats and I myself went into silence for 10 days. And then when I came out of silence, I started teaching. Then the breathing technique came, those things happened. But meditation was like fish to water for me. Natural.

[Interviewer]

Tell me about the benefits of being in silence.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

You know, it consolidates yourself in ways that you can't even explain. You know, you'll be able to hear the noise in your own mind. And then, you know, the mind becomes like a laser beam, very sharp and focused. So it's very beneficial. I would say silence is the mother of all creativity. See, suppose you want to write a music or light some really lyrics and. Or a poem or anything. You need a quiet space, right? You can't come up with a creative idea in a noisy place. No, see, now you are in a beautiful quiet place so that your creativity finds an expression. And so silence is necessary for creative, productive activity.

[Interviewer]

What would be a suggestion for those who have trouble being in silence and feel they're not comfortable being with themselves?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Yeah, that would Happen. That's why you need a teacher, someone who is experienced, who can just hand hold you through that journey. See, even to learn swimming you need a coach. If you know that there is a lifeguard standing on on the swimming pool, you would just jump without any fear and anxiety. So in the same way silence for the first time may be rattling, it may be very confusing. So if there is a person who has experienced that deep silence and is sitting with you, it becomes so easy for you to get into that silent space.

[Interviewer]

Beautiful.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

So because we are all just energies and we transfer energy with each other, we exchange. So silence is also one such high volt energy that can bring about transformation in people's life. Yeah, more than word silence conveys a lot.

[Interviewer]

Really?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Yeah, I don't speak much.

[Interviewer]

Would you recommend that most people starting off meditate for the same amount of time or is it different for different people?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Yeah, a general thing is about 20 minutes, half an hour. It's good to begin with. Yeah. It's not the amount of time, but it's the intensity with the meditation moves in you that's more important.

[Interviewer]

Have you noticed the difference in the outcome when someone meditates by themselves versus meditating together in a big group of people?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Oh yeah. They have qualitative differences there. They both are needed for an individual Sometimes a group meditation and that can uplift our spirit, our energy, our field. It creates a field of magnetic energy that makes it easy for you to go deep in. And other times it's good to be by yourself and meditate alone. They both have their own benefits and both are necessary.

[Interviewer]

Are there many opportunities to meditate with other people?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Oh yeah. We do create in art of living. We have full moon meditations, we have group meditations very often beautiful. Almost everywhere we we open our meditation session to everyone to come and join.

[Interviewer]

Tell me about Vedic astrology.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Vedic astrology is one of the most ancient astrology. I mean, you know, it's startling to see how to the minute and second the calculation that was done from thousands of years ago holds good even for today. If you have seen the Vedic Albanak we call the Panchang. Exact time of eclipse, exact time of transition of planets. All are calculated and mentioned are given. And so the mathematics in that is so exact. And so also the knowledge that comes about predictions and the nature of a person. Astrology gives you a roadmap. It's like a GPS of life. It should not be mistaken as a fatalistic science. It's not fatalistic, it is futuristic. It gives you an Opportunity tells you what all you can do, what all your possibilities, what would be the pitfalls that may be. So it helps one to manage and steer your life through that.

[Interviewer]

Do you have any idea how they figured it out?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

You know, this is all part of the Vedic wisdom, the knowledge which was all downloaded. Actually it's called. It's not someone who received, who wrote by their intellect, but something that they cognized, that came to them in vision, that came to them as a premonition or in the modern language, you can say they downloaded it. So Vedic astrology, and also same with Ayurveda. Just imagine so long back ago they could see which herb and what are the combinations which would suit for a particular part of your body, what's good for your liver or kidney or spleen or pancreas. I mean, this is startling science research. If you go on research also, it may take you maybe several centuries to find out all this materia medica, and it's all in poems. Most interesting is the only materia medica which is in poetry form is in Ayurveda. So from the Vedic wisdom there are four subordinate Vedas. In that comes Ayurveda and Vastu, about architecture, about music, how different sounds can impact your moods. This is on Gandhar Veda and then on the subordinate limb, on the limbs of Vedas, you have Jyotish, the astrology. So in astrology it's deeply connected with mantras, sounds. And what sound vibration would nullify what negative impact for you? And what are the impact of the macrocosm and the microcosm? So this connection between the microcosm and macrocosm is so well explained in astrology.

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[Interviewer]

How different does a mantra function if it's sung out loud versus if it's repeated internally?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Certain mantras are good to repeat inside. It has to be kept within yourself. When you get initiation, these mantras are helpful in taking your mind deep into meditation. Otherwise there's lot many other mantras which you chanting loud and listening to them. They create a field of vibration. That's good, that's good.

[Interviewer]

Can you remember the first time you had a feeling of transcendence?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

As I said, you know, it was there for me from my very childhood. So I couldn't pinpoint one time. Oh, I had this wow experience.

[Interviewer]

How did you come to it in childhood?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

We were here many lifetimes before, you know.

[Interviewer]

Did you seek it out or was it given to you?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

As far as I remember, I never sought for anything. You know, I didn't go searching for anything.

[Interviewer]

Were your family members also practitioners?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Yeah, of course. My mother, the mother, my parents. It was in the family, the mantras and the pujas they were all doing. They were quite, in that sense, quite steeped in it.

[Interviewer]

I read that early in life you spent some time with Maharishi.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Yes.

[Interviewer]

Can you tell me about that?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

It was so wonderful that in my young age, in my teenage, I spent my time with all great saints and sages of India. And now that I'm older, now I'm spending time with young people. Yeah. Maharishi was such a wonderful being to be with him for something. Yeah.

[Interviewer]

How would you say the different saints of that period of time were similar and different from each other?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

You know, there is one common thread between everyone that is wisdom and serenity and love. And that was their. But their expressions were different. So many had different type of expression. Maharishi's was very scientific outlook and he was very sensitive to the western society and western needs. And there are others who are very traditional and different. Yeah. But it's more than what one speaks is the vibration. I See, it's a vibration. That's something nobody can deny. And it's so beautiful. Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Are the new discoveries different understandings of ancient practices or they're actually new methods?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

You know, Lord Krishna says, you know, the ancient path is like a walkway, it's like a trail. You know, trail sometimes gets covered, but then when you clear the trail, it is both new and old.

[Interviewer]

I see.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

So nature reveals itself to, you know, time to time. What is needed for that time and everyone else is just an instrument for nature to play its game.

[Interviewer]

How important is spending time in nature?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

One has to be within one's own nature, one, one's true nature. And of course, everything is part of nature. Only we must realize that.

[Interviewer]

I know that when I spend time on the beach with the ocean, I feel different than the nature of a big city.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Yeah, that's fine. You may feel that way, but a point comes in life where nothing makes a difference to you. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, even the most noisy place can sound musical to you. If your mind is in the self, if you are centered, no, you see, place also doesn't matter to you. And if you are disturbed, even this so beautiful, nice place also will be very disturbing and lonely. So it all depends on us, how we feel, how the feelings come around.

[Interviewer]

Tell me about the art of living.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Training art of living is just seeing life from a broader perspective in context of time and space and learning about the seven layers. We are a little bit knowledge about seven layers. The body, breath, mind, intellect, memory, ego, and then the self that is, which is beyond the ego. So a little bit understanding A glimpse of these would bring a huge transformation. And this we do with little breathing techniques and a bit of meditation and all that together. And some techniques, you know, of broadening our consciousness. And it has helped people all over the world. Yeah, I only see this as a. As a gift that has come to this generation which does not have so much time or patience to pursue any spiritual practices. You know, these people are in such a hurry, they have to do so many things. They want everything very quick. And this is something in a short period of time, opens up those doors and removes the cobwebs around the mind, which causes so much anxiety, tension, sleeplessness and all that. So physically it is helping. So we have number of programs. And first, this is a basic program is one thing, because like in our days, we used to spend many years to learn something. A spiritual journey was not one or two days matter. It's for months together. You had to do the practices. So today nobody has neither patience nor the time or resources. So they need things in a short form. So a little bit glimpse into it, what would help them to be healthy, happy. Here is the basic programs we do. And then for advanced seekers that you have, take them through a four day, five day silence retreat. And then deeper you know on as programs on at various levels where you get the ability to bless others. You get so centered and then you become a blesser. You will be able to help people to heal them from their physical ailments, mental traumas and bring a smile on others face. And it's very gratifying for people. And when you are able to be of help to people around you, you feel such a sense of purpose in life and satisfaction. This is what people are looking for. You see if you ask people, everyone says what is the purpose of my life? Life becomes really meaningless if it is only self centered. But if our life is useful to everybody, you don't even feel the time.

[Interviewer]

For most people even the glimpse is enough to change their lives.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Would you say oh yeah, yeah of course. See we are teaching this program in the prisons around the world. More than 800,000 prisoners around the world have undergone program. And you must listen to their experiences, their testimonies. It just moves you. And same with the inner city gang members and the anti social people. People used to go with the guns and keep shooting the those sort of people with criminal and tendencies, violent tendencies are huge change in their whole outlook towards life. These are some, some of the very important things that indicate to us. Look, the knowledge can bring transformation. Just a little bit of knowledge is good enough to bring a huge change in life.

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[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

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[Interviewer]

Would you say you're the same person you were when you were a child?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Yeah, keep saying that. I'm a child who refuses to grow up. Do you know English is more close to Sanskrit than other languages, Hindi or other languages? I know that, yeah. It will be startling the months, names of the month that are in English, they are on Sanskrit actually. Really, you are, you are saying December, you are saying October and then November, December. These months we say they're all Sanskrit names. This Ambar means the 10th sky. Ambar means sky. Dash means 10. Dashambar means 10th sky. November means 9th sky. October means 8th sky. September, septa amber 7th sky. So March was supposed to be the new year, the spring. So March is new first year. February is the fag end of the year, the last month of the year. So new year should begin in March, actually, with the, with the spring solitude.

[Interviewer]

So spring is actually when the cycle starts.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

When the cycle starts. Exactly. That was like that till 500 years back when a king of England decided to have the new year celebrated in January because he was born in January. And then, see, all the verbs that we have in English like go is Sanskrit. Gamma gaba means go. Kacha go. Organs of the body, hand, heart, hasta nasika, nose, danta, dental heart, hridaya. You see, English is 80% in Sanskrit.

[Interviewer]

Wow. It's an unknown fact. It's very interesting.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Yeah. Like daughter. In Hindi, daughter means beti, but in Sanskrit is duhita. Duhita is close to daughter, not beti, like suta son. Beta is so far away from Sanskrit. Beta in Hindi. So if you compare Hindi and English, English is more close to Sanskrit.

[Interviewer]

Wow. And Sanskrit's older.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Yes, older. Yeah, much older.

[Interviewer]

I wonder how that came to be.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Yeah. Svasa sister. So, I mean, I can go on and on and on. Sanskrit is not foreign to English. Sanskrit is the mother of English language.

[Narrator/Host]

Wow.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

So anyone who is thinking Sanskrit is a foreign language, you are making a blunder because you are disowning your own mother.

[Narrator/Host]

Wow.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

The mother of English is Sanskrit.

[Interviewer]

Tell me about physical practice and breath work.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

We have the three dimensions, the physical body and then the breath, the prana and then the mind. So breath work or prana is the link between the mind and the body. So doing, breathing, exercise is a way to have a say over the mind and the body also. So it's very useful and very helpful. The first act of our life is we took a deep breath in, then we started crying. We couldn't cry without the breath in. Right? The last act of life is we breathe out. So throughout the life we keep breathing, but we never pay attention to our breath. So for every emotion there is a particular rhythm in the breath. This is what I have been talking last half a century, how breath is so important to have a say over your mind. And it's a way for your spirit too. Expression of our spirit and the breathing Exercise can enhance the vibrations in your body and in your mind. And that is what consciousness is all about. Consciousness is just the vibrations and it doesn't take too much time to learn about it. Just a few hours you can learn about different rhythms about the breath and what impact it has in what part of the body. See, when you are happy, you breathe different. When you are upset, you breathe different. So if you are in a bad mood, you don't have to wait for time to turn around. Your breath can help you to get out of your bad mood in no time. So it is one of the ignored dimension. That's what we are bringing up in our couple. Giving prominence, making people aware how important it is.

[Interviewer]

I imagine the speed of the breath, how fast, how deep and where you place it in the body.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Yeah, there is rhythm in the breath. When you are happy, your inhalation is deeper and exhalation is not so deep. When you are frustrated, your exhalation is prominent and there are rhythms in the breath. If you observe and the breath changes from the left nostril to right nostril, there is a lot about it. And even knowing little bit about our breath can help us to be more independent. Independent of our own emotions, our, you know, physical comfort or discomfort. We will be able to manage many things, heat or cold. And you know, how to feel warm from inside, how to feel that. Yeah, there are many, many possibilities.

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[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

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[Interviewer]

Have the Vedic teachings been continually practiced from thousands of years ago till today?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Yes, yes. But it was kept as a guarded secret with very few people, bro. They would only share it with, you know, people who are really ethical or whom they see that they are fit to be given knowledge. Maybe some royalties were given. But you know, I thought, you know, it's the other way around. We can make people fit and more moral and ethically strong by teaching them this.

[Interviewer]

Yes.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

So I'm a little bit of a rebel in that direction. I said whatever traditional knowledge is there, it should be available for everyone in the planet. Every human being is a right over there. That's my view from the very beginning. So I wanted people to have that.

[Interviewer]

So there was a time it was more like a secret knowledge.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Yes, it was always guarded as a secret knowledge. So there are chances for people misusing it.

[Interviewer]

It's very powerful, powerful knowledge. Over the course of your lifetime, how have you seen the acceptance of spiritual practices change?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Oh yeah, big way. 45 years back, it was not the same. The mainstream people thought, oh, this practices meditation, this must be a little, maybe some cuckoo or something.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

They would not think that it is a mainstream narration. But today it's different. You know, last year 192 countries came together to declare World Meditation Day.

[Sponsor Voice 1]

Wow.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

This has never happened in United nations. Of course. 10 years back they did World Yoga Day 21 June. But last year specifically meditation was taken as a very serious thing. When I led the meditation in United Nations, Secretary General, he said this, you know, Gurudev, we need this before every negotiation. When people meditate, they become calm and they're able to listen to others. Our perception, our observation, our expression all improves through meditation. And that's why I feel it's very important today to bring a robust mental health in our society. This has been a very big issue. Perhaps you may also have never heard about bipolar schizophrenia when you were all young, right? No, I had never heard about these words.

[Interviewer]

No.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

You know, when, when I went to school and college, we never heard about bipolar or schizophrenia. Today people take pride in taking the antidepressant. That is so surprising. People think, oh say I'm taking Prozac. And I mean that shows the mental health issue is a very big issue in the world. Now these practices will help you to get out of those mental health challenges. And you don't need to take medications even to sleep well. You need today. Sleep has become an abnormal function. To make it normal, you have to consume, you know, sleeping pills. If you meditate, do the breathing techniques, our sky techniques, Sudarshan Kriyana, you have very good sleep, you have very good alertness. And another thing, the modern day life is about the mindfulness. People talk a lot of mind, a lot about mindfulness. The mindfulness is, I would say, is just the parkway to your home. It's just the portico of the house. It's not the house. Mindfulness is a product, byproduct of meditation. If you practice mindfulness too much, it causes more tension to you. It is doing something. Mindfulness is keeping your mind alert. And this is lot of effort. This is strenuous on our mind and brain. Actually, meditation is just the opposite. It just relaxes you, it gives you deepest rest. So that when you come out of meditation, mindfulness is already there with you. Natural. It's not an imposed practiced one. It is a natural outcome in your life. You are very mindful, you are very aware of everything. But that should be the byproduct of meditation.

[Interviewer]

Would you describe meditation as an active or passive process?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

It's an active, passive process. It's an activity in the sense you have to sit and do it. It is passive in the sense you let it happen because you let go of doing anything and everything. When you let go, meditation happens to you.

[Interviewer]

So is the active part really about letting go of everything else?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

The active part is wanting to do and sit for meditation and let go.

[Interviewer]

Yes.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Tell me about the different kinds of meditation. There's guided meditation, body scans, mantra meditations, focusing on a candle, focusing on breath, focusing on sensations in the body. Do they do different things?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Yeah, yeah. There are as many as 112 different types of meditation techniques. What technique you do is not that important. But you have to do the technique correctly. You know, many times people do the body scanning. It's good if it remains to body scanning. But then they take them on an imagination, imaginative drive. And they say, oh, imagine you are on the beach. You are holding the hand of someone very dear to you. Now suppose you have two persons who are very dear to you. You have two kids. Then your mind starts working. Whose hand am I holding?

[Interviewer]

Yeah. Becomes work.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

It becomes a mental gymnastic. So the mental gymnastics, we should not do it, that becomes a strain on you. And then you say, oh, imagine there is a blue light coming. Well, that's an effort. But if you say, just take your attention to your right foot, right thumb, that is easy, simple, simple. So non imaginative. Gentle scanning is what we call yoga nidra. That is good. It's good to do. But then there are meditation. With mantra meditation, you take an initiation from a teacher of your mantra. Then the teacher will tell you how to use the mantra, how to take it. That's very good too. And guided meditations are very good also in the group. Many times, if you are not able to meditate on your own guided meditation, it's very comforting and takes you deeper. So any meditation is okay. But the thing is, you need to know that the goal of all meditation is to be nothing, to get into the space where you are simply energy and you are just love.

[Narrator/Host]

There's a long tradition of reading sacred text slowly, allowing each word to settle, echo and reveal meaning over time. Rather than rushing to conclusions, this practice invites reflection, listening and attention. For centuries, this repetition has been used to stay close to wisdom, not by studying words as information, but by receiving them as something lived and experienced over and over again. This tradition is known as lectio divina. Emerging in early monastic life, it engages scripture through four gentle reading, reflection, repetition and rest. A short passage is read, a single phrase is held. Silence becomes part of the practice, creating space for insight to surface naturally. Lectio 365 brings that ancient rhythm into the present moment. Designed for modern life, it offers brief, guided scriptural reflections throughout the day. To begin with intention, pause at midday and wind down at night. The readings are less about information gathering and more for returning to wisdom again and again, letting familiar words meet new moments. A modern way to keep biblical wisdom close, quietly present, steady and alive within everyday life. Lectio365 is a free resource. Find inspiration there now and always learn more at lectio365.com.

[Interviewer]

Would you say that the root of all conflicts is the same?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

There could be many causes for conflict, but there can be one answer that is getting back to your true self and seeing the conflict as just a stepping stone for where you want to be.

[Interviewer]

If both sides of a conflict meditate, the chances of them finding resolution are better. Yes.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Even if one side meditates also, they get the skill. How to manage and get over the conflict. Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Tell me about the meditation in prison. How does it come to be? And is there a resistance initially to doing it?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Oh, yeah. Whether inside prison or outside, there has been resistance in people to do, but once they know it when they do it, when they are guided through it, they love it. In conflicting zone like Iraq and when they after war or also in Colombia, in Sri Lanka, in many of these areas we have done programs for the people there. You don't talk about peace. People are only looking for justice. As I say, you are fighting for justice. Yeah, you must. But for fighting also you need energy. If you are shaken from inside, you have no energy to fight. Right. So the strength comes to you when you go deep inside. Once you go inside, your mind becomes much more clearer. Then your hatred disappears. Every child who has come into this planet have come as a bundle of joy. So if you see through my eyes, there is no bad guys on earth. They are bad because of their environment or their education or lack of it, or the circumstances that they got into, or lack of opportunity to know how to manage their own emotions. All this causes them to be who they are. So if we remove this veil of ignorance from them, you find them like what they were as a child, a bundle of joy with bubbling enthusiasm. So inside every culprit there is a victim crying for help and we need to heal them. Once the victim is healed, culprit disappears. The people who are engaged in crimes, or all these people who do anti social burglars and those who, you know, walk around with a gun and random shooting and mindless killings, they all need help. They were not born into this world as such. They were all misled, misunderstood, mistreated and misinformed and miseducated, ill educated.

[Interviewer]

You said remove the ignorance. You didn't say educate, you said remove the ignorance which implies they already know, we all already know.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Correct. The veil need to be removed.

[Interviewer]

Yes.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

The curtain veil which is, you know, shrouding the light that you are, need to be removed. That's all.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. And it sounds like the ignorance is the thing that was learned and that's the thing that can be taken away to get back to the natural state.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Correct.

[Interviewer]

I saw a video where you spoke about not being nice. You recommended not to be nice. I think it was about pleasantries.

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Yeah, yeah. Sometimes, you know, you get so stuck in being so pleasant and you're not so authentic then. So you don't have to be nice all the time. When you want to say the truth, you can say it. And you should see the reality as it is and express it as it is without offending anybody. That's one thing. You don't have to be too nice, too goody goody. At the same time, you don't need to Be rude and offend others too. The truth can be unpleasant and still need not be bitter.

[Interviewer]

How has your education in physics informed your spiritual understanding?

[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

Well, education in physics keeps you very curious. It keeps your scientific temper and very objective in nature, as I see. It's always helpful. You know, the ancient oriental philosophy, they never separated science from spirituality. They said they always came together. Actually, even if you see the Gita and the Vedas, they start with the 36 elements. The first element is Earth. You need to know earth, then water, then fire, then air, then ether, and then mind, intellect, memory. And then it goes on. Then finally it says the Shiva Tattva, the Shiva principle, the pure consciousness. So it's just an extension of each other. Spirituality is an extension of material science. Material science is very much a part of the spirit. So they can't exist one without data. This division I find is very artificial. It just makes us in compartments, a holistic outlook towards life, body, mind and spirit. And that's what the modern sciences said. Today the scientists are speaking about the consciousness. And every object has a consciousness and what you see is not real. In 2022, three scientists got the Nobel Prize for declaring this is not real, this world is not real. And this is what has been said from ages that what you see is just permutation, combination of atoms and is not real. What is real is the wave function, the energy underneath it all. Because this is all changing, everything will change. The non changing aspect of existence is consciousness. That's what we are. Even in you, you know, now you have a white beard and before that was different. And as a young boy you didn't even have beard. But there is something in you that's continuing though. Your body is undergoing changes, your thinking has changed, your emotions are changing, but something there is that has not changed over the years. And logging on to that something I would call a spirituality. And that brings stability, strength, creativity and vibrance in life. Tetragrammaton is a podcast. Tetragrammaton is a website. Tetra Tetragrammatin is a whole world of knowledge.

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[Narrator/Host]

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[Sponsor Voice 2]

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[Spiritual Teacher/Guru]

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