Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a globally renowned spiritual leader and humanitarian, recognized for his profound contributions to personal and societal transformation. Born in 1956 in Tamil Nadu, India, he founded The Art of Living, an educational and humanitarian nonprofit organization, in 1981. It has since expanded to 180 countries, impacting millions of lives through stress relief and self-development programs. Central to his teachings is the Sudarshan Kriya, a pranayama practice that harmonizes the body, mind and spirit, reduces stress and enhances overall wellbeing.

Gurudev’s influence extends beyond spiritual teachings. He has been instrumental in peace-building efforts in conflict zones such as Iraq, Colombia and Sri Lanka, advocating for non-violence and dialogue. His leadership in trauma relief has brought comfort to disaster-stricken areas, and his initiatives in education, environmental sustainability and social service have empowered communities worldwide.

A recipient of numerous awards, including the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award, Gurudev is celebrated for his vision of a violence-free, stress-free society. His work emphasizes universal human values, fostering a sense of global responsibility and unity. He has authored several books, offering insights into spirituality, relationships and leadership, further spreading his message of peace and well-being.

Gurudev makes two trips to The Art of Living Retreat Center in Boone, North Carolina, each year. One is during the summer, and Natural Awakenings was invited to interview the spiritual leader when he was there in July. Questions for this article were drawn from our reading of his most recent book, Notes for the Journey Within. We also asked him questions that weren’t drawn from his book, and we’ll publish his responses to those in Part 2 in an upcoming issue.

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You’ve written: “The first step on the spiritual path is to stop blaming yourself.” Why is that? And why is it a prerequisite to whatever the second step is?

You see, the spiritual journey is going towards yourself, realizing who you are. That is the spiritual journey. It’s not going out; it’s going within you. When you blame yourself, you will not go to yourself; you will be repelled from yourself. You will only go to something that you praise, something you’re attracted to. You never go towards something to which you’re adverse. You try to run away from that. So, if you’re blaming yourself, you can never go within. You can never go close to yourself.

What might be the first thing a person does to stop blaming themselves?

To stop blaming, one should see life from a bigger, wide-angle lens. I would say see life from a bigger context. You know, a mistake happens through unawareness and through ignorance. Say you don’t know how to make an apple pie; you tried and it didn’t turn out right. So, out of ignorance, you did it. Right? So, one is ignorance. Second is [being] unaware. You put apple pie to bake, and then you forgot. Later on, it burned. So, lack of awareness or ignorance are the two causes of all of our mistakes in life. We don’t know the whole picture. Our understanding is very limited. We are bound to make wrong judgments and make mistakes. [But] with every wrong thing you did, you have learned something, yes? You learn by it. You say no, this is wrong; you don’t want to do it again. If you do it, it’s out of habit, compulsion without awareness. So, one needs to forgive oneself for past things. See, all your mistakes have happened through unawareness and through ignorance; you have to move away from that. Then, you will stop blaming yourself.

A passage in your book says it takes courage to say “I am,” and you write, “All your spiritual doings are to help you become silent.” Someone taking early steps in their spiritual path might find that statement surprising. Please explain what becoming more silent has to do with becoming more spiritually evolved.

Silence is mother of all inventions. And silence is also the way to go to one’s source of energy. That’s why it’s important [that] the mind becomes quiet.

In your book, you write about the five steps in meditation, and you list them as relaxation, energy, creativity, enthusiasm and joy. You write that joy is indescribable, that “you’re one with the whole of universe.” My guess is that in the U.S., the vast majority of people practicing meditation are doing so for stress relief and relaxation. So, would you say there are different meditation practices that can help you attain more energy and creativity? Or is it that one does the same meditation practice—just longer at each sitting and for a longer period—meaning months, years, and so forth?

In fact, a little bit of both. As you progress, first, you do stress release, and then you learn more techniques. Advanced programs help you go deeper. Sustained practice also helps.

When people have more energy all of a sudden, are they surprised about it?

Oh, yeah. The wow factor is always there in the spiritual path. Miracles in life are a normal thing. Here at the Art of Living, we say we depend on miracles. It’s normal. If it doesn’t happen, then one is surprised.

In your book, you write, “There are two steps to enlightenment. From being somebody to being nobody is the first step. And then the second step is from being nobody to being everybody.” People just starting on their spiritual paths might find this profound but not easy to understand. Would you explain what you mean by these “two steps”?

You know, higher wisdom does not require much explanation. You explain too much; then you get more confusion. It is experiential. You know you’re somebody. Okay. Now, the first step is you try to get out of that somebody-ness and become a nobody. Realize you were a nobody before you became somebody.

You also write, “Peace is your nature, yet you remain restless. Freedom is your nature, yet you remain in bondage. Happiness is your nature, yet you become miserable for some reason or another. Contentment is your nature, yet you’ve continued to reel in desires. And benevolence is your nature, yet you do not reach out.” One could say that people see restlessness, bondage, misery, and the rest when they look at humanity. And one might conclude that it’s just as likely that those things are our nature. How are you sure that peace, freedom, happiness, contentment and benevolence are truly our nature?

That follows whenever one realizes oneself; this is what comes out of it. When you realize who you really are, and you realize yourself, self-realization brings this truth in life.

So we must go down the path, and then we will understand that it’s the truth?

Yeah. This is what you will get to know. That is the reality. Like, you have a coconut. It’s all husk outside. Only when you peel it, when you remove the husk of the coconut, do you find the kernel inside. The kernel is the real thing. You go for the kernel, right? You don’t hold on to the husk. So that’s what it means.

I think in mainstream America, “passion” is seen in a positive light, whereas “dispassion” can be seen negatively. In your book, you write, “Even though dispassion and enthusiasm appear to be opposite, they’re actually complimentary. When they coexist, there’s perennial enthusiasm and profound dispassion.” So, how do you define dispassion? And how can dispassion and enthusiasm be complimentary and not opposites?

See, breathing in is passion. Your in breath is passion; your out breath is dispassion. If you like passion, you can’t have a good night’s sleep. See, when you want to go to bed, when you want to sleep, you let go of all that has happened in the day; you let go of everything around you. Only then can you go into deep sleep, right? That letting go is dispassion. Passion is holding on. Correct? Letting go is something very common in America. It’s considered very positive: ‘Oh, you let it go.’ You know, if you’re not—if you’re holding on to all the past things and every little thing and all the grudges—then you have no dispassion. Dispassion helps you let go of the past. It helps you to let go of anxiety about the future. It helps you to let go of everything and relax. Relaxation can never happen if one doesn’t know how to let go. And letting go is what I call dispassion.

In that case, how would you define passion?

Passion is what motivates you to do anything in life. Passion connects you with everything. Passion brings enthusiasm in life. If you don’t have passion, you will get into depression. Depression is not dispassion. You have to make that distinction. You know, people who have no passion in life get depressed, and depressed people are not detached. So, there is a sea of difference between depression and dispassion. Dispassion brings a lot of joy. Depression is immersing in sadness; it can become suicidal. Passion can bring a sort of distorted passion, which leads you to depression. So passion needs to be balanced with dispassion. If you have only passion, you will become a nervous wreck. You will become a patient of insomnia, and you will get depressed because you have so much passion about things that didn’t happen. That leads to depression. But if it is balanced with dispassion… It’s like having a shoe. When you want to go out, you put on a shoe. When you come back home, you remove the shoe. You don’t go to bed or shower with shoes on. So, the ability to detach oneself from unsown passion makes you stronger. ❧