New Jersey Legislature and Local Governments Honour Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for 45 Years of Peacebuilding and Humanitarian Work

NEW YORK: Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar addressed a full house at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City on September 23. The evening brought together conversation, music, meditation and questions about work, relationships and family life.

His visit also drew civic honours in New Jersey. A proclamation from the mayor and council of Franklin Township commended Gurudev’s 45 years of humanitarian service. The mayor of Edison and members of the New Jersey Legislature issued further recognitions of his work for peace, human values and wellbeing. These tributes follow 54 earlier declarations of “Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Day” in cities across the United States and Canada.

At the cathedral, Gurudev described presence as something deeper than a passing thought or emotion. When the mind settles, he explained, people can give their full attention to the moment and to one another. A tense person can make others uneasy; a calm person can put them at ease. In a world of constant distraction, that quality of attention has become a form of strength.

Such strength, he said, does not depend on a title, money or control over others. Power drawn from position can create discomfort, while inner power can give others confidence. The test is whether one can remain centered, and even smile, when circumstances begin to fall apart. He connected that freedom to desire: the less tightly people cling to what they want, the less easily their peace can be shaken.

With humour, Gurudev offered three meanings of “AI”: absence of intelligence, artificial intelligence and absolute intelligence. The last, in his account, is the intelligence at work throughout life, beyond any one person’s calculations. The playful comparison raised a serious question: amid rapid technological change, how do we cultivate awareness and wisdom within ourselves? 

Loneliness, he suggested, cannot be measured simply by the number of people around us. Someone can be surrounded by others and still feel alone when connection and presence are missing. Meditation offers a way to settle the mind and reconnect with inner steadiness. During the evening, Gurudev led the audience in a guided meditation, offering an experience of the stillness he was describing.

Music also had a place in his reflections on emotional life. Across cultures, people turn to rhythm and melody to express what words cannot. Emotions, he said, are part of the energy of living. The aim is to move through them with awareness rather than suppress them or be carried away by them. Stress can accumulate quietly; the search for peace need not wait until burnout makes it urgent. Peace, he emphasized, supports prosperity at the personal, family and societal levels.

In the question-and-answer session, a New Yorker asked how stillness could coexist with ambition. Gurudev compared it to stopping to refuel: stillness restores the energy needed to keep moving. When the mind is disturbed, meditation can help it reset. Asked about letting go while pursuing success, he used the simple example of holding one’s breath. At some point, release is essential. His advice was to care for one’s own mind so that one’s presence becomes a positive influence on others.

For parents anxious about their children, he offered another image: a guitar string makes music when it is neither too tight nor too loose. Care needs the same balance between attention and freedom. For anyone wondering how to turn a wish for peace into action, he proposed three steps: deepen one’s understanding, take up a service project and pause beside someone who is struggling to ask, “Is there anything I can do for you?”

The evening’s message was both inward and practical: inner steadiness shapes how people act in the world. Gurudev offered a concise guide for that work: clarity in mind, purity in heart and sincerity in action.