Public Symposiums
- A Cosmic (or broader) vision of a problem.
- Commitment - Without commitment, you will not be able to move a step forward – we need to have commitment for peace.
- Compassion – without compassion, you cannot understand another person’s point of view.”
Spreading the message of a One World Family
Spreading the message of love, compassion and non-violence, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar tirelessly advocates harmonious co-existence among people. While he addresses innumerable forums on diverse subjects, the common thread through all his speeches is the principle of humanity, and brotherhood. His universal, and simple message is that love and wisdom can prevail over hatred and distress.
Whether it is speaking to parliamentarians in Argentina, business leaders in Europe, peace organizations such as the United Nations and Muslim and Hindu leaders, Sri Sri emphasizes human values, and unity among people.
Sri Sri has been invited to address the World Economic Forum at Davos on two occasions, the United Nations Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders, the first World Congress of Imams and Rabbis in 2005 among other forums.
With an aim of bringing together leaders from diverse walks of life, Sri Sri has also hosted a number of symposiums. The Truth & Reconciliation Conference to foster equality of the Dalit community (2007), International Conference on Human Values (2006) and the annual Corporate Culture and Spirituality Symposiums being a few of them.
Through his public talks and symposiums, Sri Sri addresses issues of inter-faith harmony, environmental sustainability, poverty alleviation and grassroots development. He inspires thousands across the globe to live the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or a One World Family.
Some addresses:
The World Health Organization (WHO), Sri Lanka (October 2009)
“Mental well being to me is improved perception, improved observation and improved expression. Like, the body grows from the time you are born to the age 21, 22 and then the body starts deteriorating, our mental age, our mental well being should grow simultaneously from childhood we need to keep improving our perception, observation and our expression this has no age, usually psychologists say 50 or 40 it stops, at middle age our mental observation, expression starts deteriorating. I say if you are practicing yoga or meditation this doesn't happen. There is no decay of your mental well-being”.
Infosys Technologies’ annual Strategy & Action Planning meet - STRAP 2009 (February 2009)
“There are three aspects required for transformation - perception, observation and expression. There are four Ts that have to be reviewed, and renewed again and again - truth, tradition, technology and trade. They have to be renewed again, and again. You all know about technology, but I am talking of the experience of reality.”
The Civilization of Peace: Faiths and Cultures in Dialogue, Cyprus, (November 2008)
“Every child should know a little bit about all the different cultures, civilizations, faiths in the world. Then they will live in harmony, and let others live together as one family. The world as one family – we are all part of that one family.”
Peace and Reconciliation in South Asia: Challenges and Opportunities, Oslo (April 2008)
Vedanta-Buddhism: Towards Global Peace (February 2008)
“When there is wisdom, even though there are different view points, there will be no conflict. Wisdom always views reality from various different angles. Honoring the diversity, finding unity in it, is wisdom. Celebrating diversity in oneness and finding unity in diversity are the two main aspects of wisdom.”
“When there is wisdom, even though there are different view points, there will be no conflict. Wisdom always views reality from various different angles. Honoring the diversity, finding unity in it, is wisdom. Celebrating diversity in oneness and finding unity in diversity are the two main aspects of wisdom.”
World Congress of Imams and Rabbis (January 2005)
“Muslim children are in Buddhist monasteries, and Buddhist children are housed in Hindu temples or churches. All religious places of worship have housed everybody as humans. We must know that we belong to one universal spirit first, and then we are human. When this basic identity is forgotten, we will continue to face the problems that we are facing today.”
Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders (August 2000)
“Spirit loves diversity. There is not just one type of fruit, one type of people, or one type of animal in this world. Spirit loves diversity so let’s not confine the spirit to a uniform. Let’s enjoy the diverse variety of creation by honoring them all, respecting and really loving them. We used to use the term “religious tolerance”. I think that these words have become obsolete now. You tolerate only that which you don’t love. Don’t you think so? The time has come to love each other’s religions as one’s own.”
Universal Declaration of Human Values (March 2007)
Non-violence, friendliness and cooperation must come to be recognized as the new norm, as hallmarks of today’s true hero. Moreover, a sense of pride must be kindled in connection with these qualities, instead of with violence and aggression.
A partial listing of addresses
2010
- World Academy of Spiritual Sciences (WASS) (Sep 23)
- Sri Sri’s talk at the Business, Ethics & Spirituality, Los Angeles, USA (Apr 16)
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s address at the inauguration of the Art of Living center in Los Angeles (Apr 14)
- Indian Priests’ Congress - Shrine of Our Lady of Good Health, Velanganni, India (Feb 9)
- Parliament of World Religions (Dec. 3)
- Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, India (November 26)
- 2nd Israeli Presidential Conference ‘Facing Tomorrow’ (Oct 22)
- World Culture Forum (Oct 10)
- 10th Annual International Conference hosted by the Szent Istvan University, Budapest, Hungary (June)
- Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India (May)
- Infosys Technologies’ annual Strategy & Action Planning meet - STRAP 2009 (February)
- National Defence Academy (January)
- Youth indigenous festival in Arunachal Pradesh (December)
- The Civilization of Peace: Faiths and Cultures in Dialogue (November)
- 29th National Conference of Jamiat Ulema-e Hind (November)
- Wharton School (October)
- University of Connecticut (October)
- Point of Peace Summit, Oslo, Norway (September)
- Argentinian Senate (May)
- House of People’s Representative, Ethiopia (December)
- Parliament of South Africa (May)
- European Parliament - Brussels, Belgium (May)
- Parliament of Germany/Deutscher Bundestag (May)
- Karnataka Legislature, India (April)
- Parliament of Krasnoyarsk, Russia (August)
- Religions and Peace: From Terrorism to Global Ethics (June)
- World Congress of Imams and Rabbis, Spain (January)
- European Parliament - Brussels, Belgium (December)
- European Parliament - Brussels, Belgium (December)
- International Court of Justice, The Hague (December)
- Orissa Legislative Assembly, India (November)
- North-East Youth Conference, India (October)
- Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture, Karachi, Pakistan (July)
- Scottish Parliament (June)
- Federal Senate, Brazil (May)
- Institute of International Affairs/CARI, Argentina (May)
- Panama Chamber of Commerce, Panama (May)
- ‘South Asia Peace Symposium’, Ohlone College, Fremont, California, U.S.A. (April 18)
- ‘Toward a National Dialogue on Integrity Issues: Roles of the Public, Private and NGO Sectors in Promoting a National Integrity Agenda’- World Bank and the Turkish Ethical Values Foundation, Turkey (March)
- Sufi Saints Conference, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India (February 28)
- Interfaith Conference for World Religious Leaders, Seville, Spain (December)
- 5th World Congress on Environmental Management, Himachal Pradesh, India (June)
- 11th International Anti-Corruption Conference, “Different Cultures, Common Values”, Seoul, South Korea (May)
- ‘Uplifting Spirit Through Education’, University of California, Berkeley, U.S.A. (May 14)
- Human Values, Science & Sustainable Development, Rice University, Houston, Texas (May 1)
- ‘Science, Meditation and Creativity’, NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Washington DC, USA (April)
- Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi, India (March)
- ‘Symposium Towards Peace, Progress and Salvation’, Jammat-E-Islami Hind, Bangalore, India (March)
- Inter Pacific Bar Association, New Delhi, India (February)
- ‘Dawn of the New ICE Age – Philosophic Consideration on Convergence’, Inter Pacific Bar Association, India (February)
- World Conference on Religion for Peace entitled ‘Prayer and Meditation for Peace’, Washington DC, U.S.A (January)
- Symposium: Science and the Spiritual Quest, Bangalore, India (January)
- World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland (January)
- Madrid Convention on Aging, Madrid, Spain (December)
- World Ayurveda Congress, Kochi, India (November)
- ‘Social Partnerships Make Business Sense’, Confederation of Indian Industry, Mumbai, India (November)
- Contributions of the Holy Vedas & the Holy Quran to Science, Bangalore, India (August)
- ‘Technology and Tradition’, Confederation of Indian Industries, Hyderabad, India (August)
- World Peace Through Prayer & Meditation, Venice, Italy (May)
- Symposium on the Science of Breath, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India (March)
- ‘Volunteering for Humanism in the New Millennium’, VIII IAVE Asia-Pacific Conference, New Delhi, India (November)
- 11th International Forum on Technology Management, India (November)
- ‘Sacredness Transcends Time and Space’, Opening Ceremony of the Museum of World Religions, Taipei, Taiwan (November)
- ‘Human Values in the 21st Century’, Strasbourg, France (June)
- ‘Where are the Peacemakers?’, World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland (February)
- ‘Living Human Values: A Call to Action’, Amsterdam, Netherlands (November)
- ‘Shaping Globalization’, State of the World Forum (September)
- ‘Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders’, United Nations, New York, U.S.A. (August)
- ‘Human Values & Human Rights in the 21st Century’, National Press Club, Washington DC (May)
- Calcutta Management Association, India (April)
- ‘Breaking the Cycle of Violence’ Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A (June)
- Interfaith Conference, Paris, France (April)
- ‘Human Rights & Human Values in the 21st Century’ Conference, Vienna, Austria (May)
- ‘Human Rights & Human Values in the 21st Century’, Geneva, Switzerland (April)
- Calcutta Management Association, Kolkata, India (April)
- Inter Religious Conference, Parliament of Croatia (January)
- ‘The World’s Great Religions & Their Transformation in the 21st Century’, University of California, U.S.A (January)
- International Conference of Religions, Kyoto, Japan
- International Congress of Catholic Priests- (September)
- Interfaith Prayer & Meditation Conference, Washington DC & Los Angeles, USA (July)
- Conference of Spiritual Luminaries celebrating the 50th anniversary of the United Nations, United Nations, New York, U.S.A.
- Doctors for Daughters: Faith in Action against Sex Selection, Art of Living International Center, India (September)
- Brahm Naad, Delhi, India, (November)
- 5th Corporate Culture and Spirituality Conference, Brussels, (November)
- ‘Faith in Action: Hindu Leaders’ Caucus on HIV/AIDS’ Art of Living International Center, India(June)
- ‘Peace and Reconciliation in South Asia: Challenges and Opportunities’, Oslo, Norway (April)
- ‘Vedanta and Buddhism: Bringing Global Peace in the Current Scenario’, Bangalore, India (February)
- ‘Truth and Reconciliation Conference’, New Delhi, India
- ‘Universal Declaration of Human Values’, Washington D.C. (2007)
- International Conference on Integrated Value Education- UNESCO, Ministry of Human Resource Development (Government of India)
- Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO, The Art of Living International Center, India (June)
- International Conference on Human Values - marking the 25th Anniversary of The Art of Living, Art of Living International Center, India (February 2006)
- International Women’s Conference, Art of Living International Center, India (June 2005) {Biannual event}
- Corporate Culture and Spirituality Conference, Art of Living International Center, India (November 19-21)
- ‘Human Values, Science & Sustainable Development’, Art of Living International Center, India (November 2003)
- Corporate Culture & Spirituality Conference, Art of Living International Center, India (November 21-23)
- World Conference on Spiritual Regeneration & Human Values, Art of Living International Center, India (January 18)
- World Youth Peace Summit, Art of Living International Center, India (December 7)
- Ayurveda Conference, Art of Living International Center, India
- Empowerment of Dalits Conference, Art of Living International Center, India (November 29 – December 1)
- Ayurveda Conference, Art of Living International Center, India
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1996
1995
Symposiums: Organized by or in conjunction with The Art of Living/International Association for Human Values (IAHV)
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
1992
