Corporate Culture and Spirituality

[gHari]

 

<h3>Crash course in corporate culture and spirituality</h3>

By Indo-Asian News Service

 

Bangalore, Nov 16 (IANS) About 350 business leaders, chief executives and head honchos from 58 countries will arrive here later this week for a crash course in corporate culture and spirituality.

 

To be conducted by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of the Art of Living Foundation, the three-day international summit from Nov 19 to 21 will be held at the spiritual organisation's headquarters, 20 km from here.

 

Being held for the second consecutive year, the summit will focus on how individuals and organisations can use spirituality as the foundation for developing inner strength and core values.

 

"We want to revisit the challenging notion that ethics and spirituality blunt the competitive edge. Our perception based on experience is that spirituality compliments material life, as both are inter-dependent," said Nikhil Sen, summit organiser and chief operating officer (COO) of Britannia Industries Ltd.

 

The participants, including 105 from the Americas, Europe, the Gulf and the Asia-Pacific, will undergo special .-stress sessions through guided meditation sessions and musical evenings to unwind and experience deep relaxation at the physical, mental and spiritual levels.

 

 

"The summit will serve as a platform for a dialogue between corporate and spiritual leaders to evolve a larger joint role in addressing complex global issues such as terrorism, corruption and poverty," Sen told IANS.

 

A series of plenary sessions, lectures and discourses over the next three days will demonstrate how corporate culture and spirituality go hand in hand forming an integral part of an individual's existence.

 

Through discussions and case studies, the summit will address innovative management issues such as maximising ethics and profits, persevering excellence amidst the chaos of change and increasing productivity spiritually.

 

"In fact, we have a special session on <font color="blue">'Lord Krishna as the CEO'</font> to focus on the concept of 'letting go' in business and highlighting the lessons we can draw from Him as the CEO," Sen explained.

 

According to Ravi Shankar, spirituality not only brings ethics and fair practice to business but also helps corporate managers attain an expansive vision, which can be harnessed as a motivator to explore possibilities beyond the status quo.

 

"Trust is the breath of business, ethics its limbs, to uplift spirit its goal," the world-renowned spiritual guru said in his message for the summit.

 

Among the international speakers at the summit are 1997 Economics Nobel laureate Myron Scholes, State of the World Forum president Jim Garrison, Clearstone Venture Partners managing director Bill Elkus, Francesco Pira from the University of Udine, Italy, Berger International chairman Jalaj Dani and Thierry Pauchant, who holds chair in ethical management at HEC Montreal.

 

"What makes this summit unique is its format and the atmosphere in which it is held. It is aimed at bringing together global business and spiritual leaders to explore how corporates can benefit by inculcating spiritual values in their practices," said Yezdi Batliwala, a former Tata group director and head of the summit's organising committee.

 

The Art of Living Foundation International is a non-profit educational foundation accredited by the UN. In the last two decades, the Foundation's course offerings and service activities have spread to over 140 countries.

 

http://in.news./041116/43/2hw9v.html

[krsna]

Is he the musician who met Prabhupada in the '60's?

[sumedh]

no, he is not the musician ravi shankar.

[gHari]

http://www.artofliving.org/v2/index.asp

 

He seems aimed at the audience who don't want to complicate their lives with God, but are ready to control their breathing for peace and contentment: http://www.artofliving.org/v2/courses/kriya.htm

 

He likely never mentions Kriya's Babaji Maharaja.

 

Here are some videos where we see we are serving the mass of humanity thereby becoming happy: http://www.artofliving.org/v2/download/videolinks.htm

 

I keep getting the impression that he is the Hindu Dalai Lama, although in one video he speaks of the only need to turn a terrorist into a lover is their natural clapping in a kirtan of Ram nama. Hari Hari Bol.

 

 

 

 

[krsna]

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Speaks On Hindu Identity

 

http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=59670

 

INDIA, November 27, 2004: "It is interesting to probe into the psyche

of identity, which often is a source of security, insecurity, conflict

and comfort. Perhaps the following reasons would answer the identity

crises of the Hindus. The broadmindedness of Hinduism, its inherent

inclusiveness and secularism, makes Hindus feel guilty about claiming

their identity, as it is embedded in their philosophy that it is wrong

to exclude others. Claiming a religious identity makes them feel they

are excluding others, and so they shy away from doing so," says Sri

Ravi Shankar in his recent column for The Indian Express.

 

"But Hindus who know Sanskrit or a few shlokas are rare. Most educated

Hindus know the Bible; they know Christmas carols. When they know

nothing about their religion, how can they take pride in it?There

are 1.25 billion Hindus in the world, a little over one-sixth of the

world's population, but you hardly find a single Hindu lobby at

international forums. You will find a Christian lobby, a Muslim lobby

or a Jewish lobby, but you can't find a Hindu lobby. Just 12 million

Jews in the world are such a powerful voice. Buddhists also have a

voice and make their presence felt at world forums.A strong

community is an asset to any nation. A weak community will always be in

fear and because of insecurity will become aggressive. It is the pride

in one's identity which strengthens the community," Sri Ravi Shankar

continues. For the full column, click on "source" above.