Sunday, June 26, 2011

Monday, June 20, 2011

“ORIENTATION-What to Expect in Berlin/World Culture Festival” - June 21/22

 
Dear World Culture Festival Participant,

Welcome The WCF Team is excited to host you in Berlin!

Mark your calendars on June 21/22 for “ORIENTATION-What to Expect in Berlin/World Culture Festival”


Call in # 1-213-289-0500
Access Code: 474975#

For your convenience, we have several sessions. Please choose one.
  • June 21 5pm PST/8pm EST
  • June 21 8pm PST/11pm EST
  • June 22 5pm PST/8pm EST
  • June 22 8pm PST/11pm EST

Friday, June 17, 2011

US Participants - WCF Orientation - June 21-22

Mark you calendars June 21/22 for “ORIENTATION-What to Expect in Berlin/World Culture Festival” - Only for US participants.

Call in # 1-213-289-0500
Access Code; 474975#
For your convenience, we have several sessions. Please choose one.
  • June 21 5pm PST/8pm EST
  • June 21 8pm PST/11pm EST
  • June 22 5pm PST/8pm EST
  • June 22 8pm PST/11pm EST

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Updated Sample Airfares to Germany

Check out http://www.travelsri.com/Searchexpedia.php or kayak.com.

Here are some sample fares as of June 9, 2011.

From SFO to TXL (Berlin)
6/29 - 7/6
Delta, $1330

From SJC to TXL (Berlin)
6/29 - 7/6
Delta, $1230

From LAX to TXL (Berlin)
6/30 - 7/6
Kayak.com, $1050

From JFK to TXL (Berlin)
6/29 - 7/7
Delta, $1050
From IAH (Houston) to TXL (Berlin)
6/29 - 7/6
Delta, $1159
From Chicago to Frankfurt
6/30 - 7/6
Delta, $1109
From ATL to TXL (Berlin)
6/29 - 7/6
Kayak.com, $1102







































Friday, May 20, 2011

Special Message from Denise Humphris in Berlin

Greeting from Berlin where magic is happening everyday.

Would you believe me if I told you that this amazing event is in the hands of 50 people, a handful experienced teachers and project leaders with the majority being youngsters in their twenties with little experience but through enthusiasm and energy are achieving amazing things? Would you believe me when I tell how each evening at satsang we laugh in wonder when sharing the miracle stories of how the grace flowed that day?

Each day is a surprise to us and while there is a plan, we simply show up to meetings and things just happen in front of our eyes while we just sit and smile. I'll give you an example. Today Christoph and Rajita met with the owner of a Football Club and Media Agency and they expected to be in and out in 20 minutes. But before they knew it he set up a number of TV interviews for Guruji including one on the station we have been trying to get on, without success for some time. AND it happened that all the top management consultants were in the office for the monthly meeting and they all spent an hour with us brainstorming ideas and suggestions of what more we can do. All this for NOTHING, if we had to pay their consultancy fees!

Another volunteer working with us is an actor and he invited 2 friends (one is a Director and the other an actress) for a meeting with Swami Pragyapad and Rajita. They chatted for 20 minutes then asked them, not expecting anything, what they could do for us... Next thing they offered to get 50 celebrities to make a video for U-tube promoting the event, and make a pledge for peace in the stadium. AND the director offered his time to coordinate VIP's and provide VIP Mercedes cars for us at no cost! Doors are just opening once we knock lightly. Grace is flowing in abundance. Another example is MTV who just appeared seemingly out of nowhere and who want to partner with us. The list goes on and on.

The Olympic stadium team are also in awe (and a little, no I lie, a whole lot nervous) at how we are managing to do this event on our budget and how we managing pulling things together in such a short time. Remember this is Germany with hundreds of rules and regulations that need to be approved well in advance, yet somehow things are happening just in time.

There are also so many stories of how devotees with financial difficulties have booked a ticket determined to come and then the abundance has come to them. Similarly teachers from other countries who should be working at home on this but are doing seva here, are finding that things are happening at home all by itself e.g. Iran, a group of 40 have already paid and registered for all courses etc despite have restraints in getting funds out of the country. It is so inspiring!

When Guruji was here recently, one of the questions asked of him was, "How can we improve our technique in getting people to come?" The reply? "In a relaxed and easy manner, you simply tell them to come!". That is all he is asking us to do, the rest is in his hands and happening around us.

He also told us when asked about the significance of the event, "Peace will spread from Berlin to Europe and down to Africa where there is so much violence and unrest (mentioned North Africa)." So by coming along and being here that is the gift you are giving the world and the legacy you will be part of leaving to all the children of the world.
JUST COME!

Much Love from Berlin
JGD Denise
Denise Humphris

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

YOU are 'Selected' to Go to Berlin (Ram Nambiar)

This is an inspiring narrative of Ram Nambiar's experience in LA a couple of weeks back during the Upanishads.  One more story of Grace of The Master. Least we can do is be a small part of his Big Mission by being with Guruji during the World Culture Festival....


"Let me narrate an experience I had in Los Angeles during Upanishads -

The Upanishad participants were having darshan inside Gurudevs room in batches of 20-30 people. So we (me, wife and kids) were standing for His darshan. He came and did His Magic again and I was so Grateful.

 After meeting us (we were at the end of the line) He turned to meet the people waiting in the other line, there was this devotee who was on her knees with tears of Gratitude. She was so Grateful that she could make it for Upanishads and she expressed it to Guruji.

 And His reply just made me feel so Special and Loved - He said "You had no choice my dear ... you know, I was thinking who all should attend Upanishad, and I selected". I was like WOW!!! Oh my God.. did I really hear that? :)

And the same way I know He has chosen US to move this country, to take our family for the Grand re-union."  - Ram Nambiar

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Meditation with Sri Sri in Germany 22 years ago - Recounted by Christopher Kiran Byrt

Recently Christopher Kiran Byrt, a Senior Art of Living Teacher from Germany, shared an awe- inspiring post with all of us on Change The World and ESatsang.

Be a part of History and join us in Berlin this July!

You can find the piece below:

“Back in early 1989 I attended a silence retreat with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Timmendorfer Strand in the north of Germany. When we broke silence after a week, he appeared very pleased and I will not forget what he said: “Your silence and meditation has helped to bring down the wall. I remember feeling honoured, but to be honest, it sounded completely over the top. I had grown up in a divided Germany and anyone predicting that the wall would come down peacefully any time soon would have been considered a dreamer (at its best!). But then, just a year later we saw that the wall had come down and Germany was on its way to be reunited.”

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

MahaKriya, Satsang and Celebration with John Osbourne in the Bay Area

On March 2'nd, John Osbourne got a call from Sri Sri urging him to go to San Jose, CA the next day to meet w/ Satsangees gathered for MahaKriya.

John at the time was in LA and the LA Center itself had a blissful Shivratri followed by a rocking Satsang.

On March 3'rd - The Bay Area welcomed John w/ open arms and he repaid us plentiful and then some. Not only did 300 of us gather for MahaKriya - We ourselves had a rocking satsang!

John made it a point to invite all of us to LA for Sri Sri's commentary on the Upanishads in April. He also touched upon the World Culture Festival in Berlin on July 2-3.

 In John's words, 'The Art of Living has two kind of events. One that we do for ourselves - like the Upanishads - to be in the space of knowledge with our Master.  Second - what we do to showcase to the World via the World Culture Festival in Berlin. There are soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan afflicted with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. These are people AOL can help and want to help, however, for us to do so we must gain visibility in the public eye and receive a thumbs up from the U.S. Gov't.'

John also shared an emotional exchange he had w/ Gurudev a few years back. John said, 'I don't know why this incident keeps flashing in my head, but it is perhaps to share this with all of you. One year on May 13'th - GuruDev's Birthday- For some reason I wanted to wish him 'Happy Birthday.'  Gurudev was in the Bangalore Ashram at the time and the phone system was one-line and whoever rang first got him on the phone. I got a busy signal plenty of times, however, just had a compulsion to keep calling till I got him on the line to wish him. Finally, I got Gurudev on the line and wished him 'Happy Birthday,' and expressed my compulsion to call him.  The line was quiet for 10 seconds and Gurudev said, 'You know John, this body i'm in was created for you.'

After John shared this story, it brought a deeper meaning to the Art of Living greeting 'I Belong to You.'  Guruji also indicated to John the world is moving more and more towards spirituality. What better way to showcase Art of Living to the World than to be a part of the World Culture Festival in Berlin and inviting others to join our ever expanding 'One World Family?'

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Largest Peace Meditation

Sri Sri Ravishankar inaugurated a 100 year old Church as an AOL Center in Los Angeles, CA last year - April 2010.

In Sri Sri's words, ' This building serves two purposes. First, It will bring excitement, celebration and serenity in the region. Secondly, it will be a place to bring tranquility, contentment and happiness through meditation. This would be such a place where people would come out as a beautiful human being. And this is the purpose of life - to become more and more beautiful from within.'

Since the Inauguration several Meditation sessions, breathing and yoga excercises have been part and parcel of the LA AOL Center.

Fast forward 9 months and The LA Times reported that violent crime was down to 1967 levels in Los Angeles.  Specifically there were Zero violent crimes around the vicinity of W Adams St - Location of the LA AOL Center. This came as a pleasant surprise to the city as mentioned by a LA Detective, "I never thought we'd see these numbers," said Sal LaBarbera, a veteran homicide detective with the LAPD. "It is night and day compared to the old days. Night and day."

In addition to the serenity and tranquility which encompassed the LA AOL Center and surroundings as forecasted by Sri Sri - Happiness and Excitement will be overflowing in Berlin this summer where The Largest Peace Meditation will be held!  We all know the beneficial effects of meditation on ourselves and others. Be among the hundreds and thousands of people from all over the world emanating vibes of peace through the largest meditation session.

Although the World Culture Festival is being held at the Olympiastadion, Meditation is not a spectator's sport - Come join us in Berlin, close your eyes and be a witness to history in the making!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Creating Magic, again!

Where were you exactly 5 years ago?  I was at the Jakkur Airfield in Bangalore, India from February 17 to 19, celebrating the Silver Jubilee of the Art of Living Foundation (AoLF), along with 2.5 million people from the world over.  Year 2006 set a milestone for the Art of Living Foundation: 25 years of service, of love, and of belongingness.  

Each one of us who participated in this historic event had a purpose, a driving force, a personal story to regale.  Here's mine:  

I was born and raised in Bombay, India.  While meeting the demands and breathing the stresses of this gushingly fast-paced city, I fortunately stumbled upon my first Art of Living course in the December of 2002 (finally, learning to breathe the stress out:)).  Have you ever wanted to capture a beautiful moment or a gorgeous day and keep it with you forever?  That's how I felt about that entire week - it was just incredible.  Be it my subsequent visits to the International AoL Center in Bangalore or participating in seva projects, but from 18 of us in the course, I went on to meet hundreds of people/volunteers in and around the city.  

It was all hunky dory until I moved to the U.S. in the fall of 2005 to pursue further education.  I was cringing inside, wondering, when would I see my AoL family again?  An even bigger question, How will I go back to India for the Silver Jubilee celebrations? was looming in my head.  In the corners of my mind I had posed a dozen reasons why I'd never be able to go: finances, getting time off from the semester, school-work, and so on.  I was not entertaining the thoughts of going for the Silver Jubilee one bit.  I guess that was the biggest hurdle, because as soon as I imagined being there, my heart and mind focused on that one intent (sankalpa): to be at the Silver Jubilee.  The sooner I began to overlook the hurdles, they ceased to exist.  Given my situation, it seemed impossible to attend the celebrations, but the moment I decided to attend, the hurdles began to vanish one after another.  Leave was granted, school-work was completed, deadlines were met, group discounts on air-fare appeared, and most of all, family and friends supported me all through.  Miraculous, isn't it!?  Well, with Guruji it's not very difficult to fathom! :)

There I was, chanting OM and meditating for world peace.  The world truly came together, as a One World Family, right before my eyes.  

So this time, for Art of Living's 30th anniversary celebrations, you know what to do.  Just decide to go.  

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Catch The Fire!

Enthusiasm is like fire; it is difficult to contain, it spreads instantly, and it touches everyone it comes in contact with.

For those of us who remember the wave of enthusiasm that spread though the U.S. in the months leading up to Art of Living Foundation's Silver Jubilee Celebrations in 2006, this is no new phenomenon. A couple of people are talking about it, then you get a few emails, someone makes an announcement during Satsang, you see a Facebook Page, a steady stream of Twitter updates... BOOM, you know that something big is on the cards.

Art of Living Foundation marks its thirtieth anniversary this July with a big-bang celebration in Berlin, Germany. Parades from various countries, fireworks, conferences, yoga, vegetarian food festival, grand musical ensembles... the list is long and wonderful! Catch the Fire today - register online!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

The Essence of ‘Culture’

Culture is a powerful tool for human survival, but it is a fragile phenomena. Culture is that one common bond, which brings the people of a community together. The customs and traditions that the people of a community follow, the festivals they celebrate, the kind of clothing they wear, the food they eat, and most importantly, the cultural values they adhere to, bind them together. Culture is a product of constant human interactions. It is constantly changing and can be easily lost because it exists only in our minds. It is important for the society to preserve its culture as a community gains a character and a personality of its own, because of the culture of its people. Culture is shared by the members of a community. It is learned and passed from the older generations to the newer ones.

Culture helps in render a sense of individualism to a community and also has the ability to create a regional and social harmony. Culture is often defined as an invisible, social-control mechanism wherein people start interpreting the cultural values that have been passed on to them as the benchmarks for how they should function. In today’s diverse economy that we are living in, wherein people from different corners of the globe are increasingly intermingling with each other, understanding of different cultural aspects enable develop some degree of understanding of faraway nations and communities, helping them become better informed, more tolerant and better citizens.

Festivals are a great medium to remind people of the prevailing culture in the community especially in today’s fast paced life style. Festivals rejuvenate and reinforce the culture in the society and play a very important role in the human society. Festivals kindle the spirit of joy and celebration in the hearts and mind of the people and make a lasting impression of the prevailing culture.

Envision the power of culture and festival by attending ‘World Cultural Festival’- a festival celebrating 30 years of the Art of Living Foundation, a one world family that weaves the people of several different countries and cultures into a common thread of wisdom and spirituality.

Jaigurudev!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Poem by Sri Sri

"Let the silence speak of the peace you seek
 Let the divine love flow
 Because every shining star tells who we are in the grand design..."

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Celebrating...

1) 30 years of Art of Living
2) 30 years of One World Family
3) 30 years of Sadhana
4) 30 years of Seva
5) 30 years of Satsang
6) 30 years of Love
7) 30 years of Peace
8) 30 years of Joy
9) 30 years of Gratitude
10) 30 years of Meditation
11) 30 years of Inspiration
12) 30 years of Growth
13) 30 years of Hollow & Empty
14) 30 years of Fun
15) 30 years of Blessings
16) 30 years of Uplifting
17) 30 years of Humanitarianism
18) 30 years of Giving
19) 30 years of Hope
20) 30 years of Grace
21) 30 years of Faith
22) 30 years of Soooo Hummmmm
23) 30 years of Breath
24) 30 years of Silence
25) 30 years of Spreading the Word
26) 30 years of Guru Chasing ;-)
27) 30 years of Smiles :-)
28) 30 years of Laughter
29) 30 years of I Belong to You
30) 30 years of Jai Guru Dev!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Message from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar about the 30'th Anniversary Celebrations

"30 years of the Art of Living: A big milestone with many achievements, inspiring us to move forward with greater speed and greater enthusiasm. The dream to make life a celebration and the world a family has materialized and become a reality.

Millions of volunteers who have worked with such enthusiasm and love will continue to inspire millions more, reach out to all those areas where we have not reached and wipe all those tears that are yet there.

The 30th anniversary is a celebration of achievement and a vision to do more service.."
  
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Follow the Latest on the World Culture Festival on July 2'nd & 3'rd 2011 @ Olympiastadion in Berlin

Celebrating 30 Years of Art of Living

http://www.worldculturefestival.org/