Thursday, August 16, 2012

Sri Sri University opens its doors

July 31, 2012
Bangalore, India
 
Today we have commenced our University in Bhubaneswar, Orissa.
The first batch of students have arrived at the University, and this first batch of students are our pride, because they are the foundation of something that is going to be very big and very great.
The Sri Sri University in Orissa is based on values and universal cooperation.
The best of East and the best of West will be provided to the students in the University, and they will become Global Citizens, and take their skills and their brilliance all over the world.

Sri Sri University in Orissa is based on values and universal cooperation. The best of East and the best of West will be provided to the students and they will take their skills and their brilliance all over the world.

I congratulate our Vice Chancellor, Dr. Mishra, and the President of our University, Dr. Rao and all others. They have all worked very hard in a short time. They had to make all the logistics even through the rains in Bhubaneswar. They had many challenges and through the challenges they were able to start the University on the committed date. Better facilities will come along as we move on.
I also congratulate all the students; you all have a very bright future ahead of you!
Even before the University started, I had gotten calls from all over the world, with people suggesting how they can associate with the University. And I am very glad that today, on a very auspicious day, we have begun the University. I am sure this first batch of students will be leaders in our fraternity.
Knowledge, personality, economic development, social responsibility and leadership in society, are all what we are expecting from our students. And I am sure that they are going to bring a new hope. They will instill a new hope in the economy when there is economic downtrend, moral degradation, social injustice, poverty and many other challenges.
I do not wish to recount all the challenges that society is facing today. But, I am sure these youths will be well equipped to wipe the tears of millions and bring up the economic growth and prosperity back in the world.

As students, you need two things:

1.You need to have a bigger vision, and
2.You need to have the willingness to equip yourself with as much knowledge as is possible. Not confining yourself to the syllabus, but seeing beyond the syllabus as well. You need to demand from your teachers what you want to learn. I think it is very necessary for students to be very enthusiastic
There is an old saying in Sanskrit, ‘If you are a student, don’t long for comfort. And those who are hooked on to comfort cannot attain higher education.’
Vidhyarthina Kuto Sukham; Sukharthina Kuto Vidhya.
That does not mean you should be uncomfortable. But focusing only on comfort and fun will result in education being in the back foot. So, if you keep knowledge in the front, then comfort comes to you for your whole life.
Wisdom is something which draws comfort, both inner comfort and outer comfort. So we need to focus on wisdom and automatically comforts will follow us.
I am very glad and confident that this first batch of students will be shining examples of our big hope for the world.
I would also like to congratulate the faculty that is assembled. You are preparing for a new foundation for humanity.
The University in the future will have Osteopathy, Naturopathy, Yoga, Ayurveda and many other disciplines; especially the rare ones that are not available in the country.
For the first time in India, we will be introducing Osteopathy, as a course. Nobody in India knows about Osteopathy. Just like we have Allopathic Medicine, similarly we have Osteopathy, which concentrates on correcting the musculoskeletal framework (joints, muscles and spine), whereby many diseases get cured. It also improves the immunity and overall good health and wellbeing of a person. So, we are starting a course on this in our University.
And then, The College of Good Governance is also going to begin in our University. Today, people from every field require some qualification or the other. But in politics that is absent. That is why the quality of politicians has gone down so much, like never before.
Also in the administration – from the level of the Village Panchayats to the Parliament, we need to create proper administrators and leaders of society. So The College of Good Governance is something that is also in the pipeline. It is going to come very soon.
Now, the courses on Business Management and Business Administration have started today, and in the coming days will see knowledge from across the world being made available to our students. We have started this University with this very purpose in mind.

I would like to say, in the coming years you all should send your children to this University. The education your children will receive here will be equivalent, if not better than the education they would receive going abroad. They will achieve academic excellence through this University.

See, we send our kids to far off lands. We send them to Australia, London, America, and we arrange for a lot of money to be spent on their education abroad. Even then our children do not get treated very well there. They have to bear with so much violence there. Our country has lost a lot of its children. We have lost some of our brilliant children to such countries.
So, I thought, the world’s best teachers could be called to India, and children could be given that level of education here in India, for which we send them to foreign countries. If we have such a University here then we do not have send our children abroad to other countries. We can save so much of the expenses and also feel satisfied that our children will be safe here. Keeping this in mind, we have started a world-class University here in Orrisa.
I would also like to say that in the coming years you all should send your children to this University. The education your children will receive here will be equivalent, if not better than the education they would receive abroad in some of the foreign countries. They will achieve academic excellence through this University.
Once again, I give blessings to all the students, the young minds who have joined the University. Focus on your studies and I shall come and visit you all soon!
Q: Dear Gurudev, when we are on this path, to what extent can we hear knowledge from other Gurus?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I would say, respect everybody. There is only one knowledge and that is available to you. But if you go on shopping here and there, you will get in to more confusion. We say, ‘Do So Hum.’
Someone else will say, ‘No! So Hum is not correct, do Hum Sa.’
And a third person will say, ’ Hum Sa is not correct, you should do Sada So Hum ‘, and then you get in to a bigger mess.
So, respect everybody and stick to one knowledge. If it has given you any satisfaction, any upliftment in life, you should go deep into it. There is no point in digging many holes. In one place go deeper.
Q: Gurudev, you are beyond ego and hence you have no karma. But still you are doing a lot of karma for the benefit of humanity. But as per the law of karma, you will have to bear the consequences. So, how do you do it?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Very easy! It is feather light.
Q: Gurudev, since many years, I have a desire in my mind. So far it has not been fulfilled. What is the reason for this?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Time! Let it take its time. You should always say, ’If this desire is good for me then let it happen. Otherwise, let it not happen.’
Q: Dear Gurudev, I understand that every happening in the Universe is with the knowledge of the Divine. Why then does he increase the crime rate and then counteract it with measures of good virtues. Kindly explain.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: There are many questions like this. Why did God place both eyes in front? He should have kept one in the front and one at the back. Then you would not have to turn back and see. You could go sideways, isn’t it?
God lacks some ideas I think.
If you ask a movie director, ‘Why should this hero undergo all these difficulties to get the heroine, and why is there a villain? Why do you make all this drama? Everything should have been very smooth.’ What would he say? Find out! Then I will tell you. Because that is exactly what God will also say!
Q: Dearest Gurudev, what is Guru Mandala, please explain!
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When you try to go near a Guru, many things come around on the way – that is called Guru Mandala.
At first you get many distractions. And when you pass those, then many charming things will come. Siddhis will come, cravings and aversions will come. And you pass all that and then reach the center of the Mandala.
Mandala means circle.
So, you come here to meet the Guru and do sadhana, and suddenly you find a beautiful girl or a boy and then you start running after them. Or you come for the purpose of knowledge and So these distractions indicate your one-pointedness; your power to really go to the center. How you can pass the circle of negativity, doubts, charms, attractions, and all these distractions and go to the center.
And then the ego, ’I am better than the Guru. Oh, what Gurudev is saying, I also know that. I can do even better.’
This sort of Yoga Maya will come. They are all there and all that is called Guru Mandala.

When you try to go near a Guru, many things come around on the way – that is called Guru Mandala. At first you get many distractions. And when you pass those, then many charming things will come. Siddhis will come, cravings and aversions will come. And you pass all that and then reach the center of the Mandala.

Q: Does the Art of Living support the Anna movement?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Art of Living is a founding member of the IAC (India Against Corruption) movement. We are standing against corruption from the beginning and our efforts are ongoing.
I appeal to Annaji and to his team to drop the fast. Your efforts are very much required for this country. Nearly 350 youths are sitting there since the last six days and the seventh day is going to come. Please do not fast anymore and put your bodies through more trouble. I appeal to you to drop your fast, but maintain the struggle.
There is a lot of work to be done and we have to bring a lot of change in this country. Corruption needs to be removed and we are all united in this effort.
We all have the same goal, i.e., to remove corruption from this country, but our means are different. Our ways of working is different.
Our approach is to never insult or condemn anyone. We do not go to anyone’s home and create violence. We do not believe in any kind of violence or aggression.
In our satsang, there is an energy which is very high and very positive. Not of jealousy and anger, but of enthusiasm, zeal and hope, to do something, to bring about a change. And we walk ahead towards our goal with this spirit (gusto).
Moving with awareness and enthusiasm is the way of the Art of Living. This is the path that we have always adopted. So we must protest with complete awareness, complete knowledge and with music.
Annaji is fasting at the moment, and at the venue it is our Art of Living singers who are sitting there and singing and encouraging the masses. But unfortunately, yesterday there were some people who were being unruly; they are not from The Art of Living. This should not be done and I do not approve of any sort of unruliness. We have to bring about a revolution with complete awareness. So we must all think and act.
Q: Gurudev, I have just finished my TTC. What are the parameters to decide whether I should teach fulltime or not?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Look at your family responsibilities. If you have none, then you can decide to become a full time teacher. If you have a lot of responsibilities at home, I would like you to continue with your responsibilities and also start teaching on the side.

*Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te6M_qdQGaI to watch Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's message to the inaugral batch of students.

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