Interview of Acharya Shree Shankar - 6th June 2013

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Acharya Shree Shankar - Rivière

How do you present yourself ? 

Well, The presentation on the website is not enough. I understand that as its very little introduction but purely eastern way of presenting will surely be not fine with western people because for instance here in the east they say "Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwara, Guru Saakhyat Parabrahma, Tasmai Shree Gurave Namah". (Guru is Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Guru is Parabrahma itself, So for that guru, I will bow down). Only people who go to deeper understanding of Guru's role in life will understand this else it will not be good to them so this is very difficult for me to write about myself according to the mindset of the western people. But, I can say one thing that there are some categories like Avatars - Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Mahaavatar Babaji, Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi, "Mystics & Masters" - Adi Shankaracharya, Sai Baba of Shirdi, Maha Caitanyaprabhu, Spiritual Master's - Amma, Sri Tathata, Mooji, Spiritual Philosophers - Eckhart Tolle, Adya Shanti, Papaji. I belong to all the three category. That is my specialty. You know better than anyone because your soul knows me so you only write on me keeping western people in mind. I will give this responsibility to you (you can even glance some websites of Sri Tathata, Amma or someone to get some inputs).

I still say only one point to even western people or eastern people when they ask me what I would like to say in one word about myself - In case you regret not living in the times of Krishna, Jesus or Buddha then you have one more chance to live with me. This was favorite to my disciples in Madhya Pradesh, One of the State of India in Northern Region where I visit every year in winter also having many of my disciples from the same place. 

Which traditions are you attached to ? Yoga ? Tantra ?

My family comes from the direct family tree of Adiguru Shankaracharya so my tradition was Advaita Vedanta. I started to practice Meditation on my own even before my journey started with Hatha Yoga. I was a Dhyana Yogi first even before becoming a Hatha Yogi. Then during my Himalayan days I got into the Tantra tradition. As a Family principle from the birth was learned Bhakti Yoga, Rituals associated with it. So you can clearly see that I practiced all traditions. Even today depending on the student and their interest I will teach accordingly. If someone is more into Hatha Yoga then this tradition is followed with them and with someone else Tantra so it depends. As far as I am concerned, For me the tradition doesn't matter because all traditions leads to the same point - Brahman. So, I cannot be classified under any specific traditions. Even if you insist me to say one then I would say - Dhyana Yoga. Yoga of Meditation. 

Why have you translated these two upanishads which can be found on website ? Why these two precisely ?

These two Upanishads are enough to understand the deepest core of the Truth. Let me tell you its not a known fact for many that even Krishna did not say anything new in Bhagavat Gita except the summary of all the 108 Upanishads (There are not just 108 but many many more but prominently accepted one's are 108 among which these two come in the first batch). The very first mantra of the Isavasya Upanishad is full of wisdom which is enough to answer all the questions that is dwelling for all Spiritual seekers. I have also written about it below, there is no other Upanishad which starts with so much wisdom. The same quality can be seen in Atma Bodha Upanishad too. I will soon be writing another one which can be put on the same category of these Upanishad which is called as Mandhukya Upanishad soon. 

ISHAVASYA UPANISHAD

It is the shortest of the Upanishads consisting of 18 verses.

This is an opening invocation prefaced in this Upanishad:

"OM POORNAMADAH POORNAMIDAM

POORNAAT POORNAMUDACHYATE

POORNASYA POORNAMAADAAYA

POORNAMEVAAVASHISHYATE

OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTIH"                                                                                       

These lines mean:

THAT (BRAHMAN) IS WHOLE,

THIS (CREATION) IS ALSO WHOLE,

FROM THAT WHOLE (I.E. BRAHMAN ONLY)

THIS WHOLE HAS COME OUT (CREATION)

BUT EVEN THOUGH THIS WHOLE HAS COME

OUT OF THAT WHOLE,

YET, THAT WHOLE REMAINS WHOLE.

(i.e. Brahman remains unaffected, retains His/Its fullness and completeness.)

The summary of this is as follows :-  Everything is complete in itself - the inner self, the outer self, are all Purnam. When pots are made out of mud in different shapes, the space outside and inside is different. When the pot breaks, the inner space gets mingled with the outer space and becomes one. The inner space has been created from the outer space. Whatever is visible is perishable. You are able to identify the inner space only because of the mud-pot. The one which can be seen or identified is perishable, and the one which cannot be seen is imperishable. Imperishable can create the perishable, but perishable cannot create the imperishable. The inner space cannot create the outer space, but the outer space can create hundreds of inner spaces. The shanthi patha is chanted thrice : for aathma shanthi, mana shanthi and sharira shanthi. Once he identifies that the pot is only temporary, the pot can break and the inner self will join with the outer self, the total shanthi comes to him. Shanthi reaches all the three levels : the external, the internal and the subtlest level. A person who does not understand this, does not get peace.

We all look for peace and happiness, that peace and happiness is all-pervading, it is within us, outside us, all around us, we only have to identify it as peace. Otherwise we remain in the dark, we only see the matter, not the inside of the matter. We identify that the happiness is beyond the pot and we are unable to break the pot to reach that happiness. We do not know that the pot cannot contain water. The moment it is left, it flows away, you can guide it the way you want. You hold it in a small pot or in a big vessel, you hold it all over the world as an ocean, every where there is water. This is the truth. Truth may look small, but it is only the reflection of the truth. When you have a reflection, there has to be a substance to create that reflection, believe in that substance, and not in the reflection which can be destroyed. The shadow or the reflection of a man on the river water can be seen, but the moment a child throws a stone in it, the figure gets distorted, it is no more the truth. So go to the reality, the absolute infinity. Only then you can reach the goal of life : Tat Twam Asi.

Have you already had media speaking of you in India ? in other international countries ?

I was interviewed on a local cable channel in North India. I was not so much looking for media in India as people here are quite conservative and do not prefer to see Guru's on TV, Radio or even having a website. Once the Guru becomes very famous figure even then they will see in a different way if media is close to Guru's so I respected the culture here. In some ways even today in India  same old ways, I mean prefers to see Guru's in a strict ascetic way of living and doesn't encourage in this way.

In the past there has been one interview of mine in Copenhagen, Denmark for a Danish Magazine.

In International Media, I have been approached by a Print Media in Sofia, Bulgaria and one from Yoga association in Pecs, Hungary which will happen this summer soon when I will arrive there in couple of months. 

What is exactly the aim of your foundation ? What purpose it serves ? What it brings to the society ?

Aim of the Foundation is to complete the Ashram in Bangalore then make a commune close to the Bangalore ashram where spiritual seekers across the globe can come and practice meditation, yoga & tantra. For the proposed Commune we need to buy extra land around the proposed ashram place in Bangalore. This is a dream project as people of many culture, nationality, tradition will all come together and live as one family. Everyday there will be activity inside the commune like Singing, Dancing, Martial arts etc etc to be exchanged between the members of the commune. There is also plan to make our own farm to grow vegetables in a completely organic way. Starting a School for the people of Commune and also for poor children who cannot afford the cost of education. Also construction of training centers for empowering the poor to become small business people to make their living. We believe that green energy is the purest form of energy without polluting the environment and our earth so we will invest a lot on solar energy based cells so that we will produce our own electricity, hot water, cooking needs through solar energy. These things will certainly help the society to be more creative, more expressive and growing spiritual to the peaks of consciousness. This was my goal of creating a new man, a total man who is complete from inside and outside. This plan will be replicated everywhere in Europe & USA once we do it in India.