Transcript of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: "Money Cannot Buy A Quiet Mind" | Ep. 440 with Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Founder of Art of Living Foundation

The most successful entrepreneurs I know have money but still can't sit alone in silence. Why?

They don't know the skill how to quieten the mind. People think happiness comes from circumstances, situations, materials around them, but it's not so. It's all from within you.

Spiritual teacher, humanitarian, peacemaker. His breath-based meditation has touched over 800 million lives And in 2026, he received the Luxembourg Peace Prize for 45 years of resolving conflicts globally. Today, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar sits down with us.

So we have forgotten the art of handling our own mind, our consciousness. That is the reason today mental health crisis is so big in the world.

You've negotiated with warlords, presidents, and people who hated each other for decades. What's the fastest way you know if someone wants peace or just wants to win?

What's the problem you should ask?

You've negotiated with warlords, presidents, and people who hated each other for decades. What's the fastest way you know if someone wants peace or just wants to win?

Slow down, calm down, cool down. Haste makes waste.

So when you're with these people, how do you— can you tell their intentions? Do you feel their emotions?

Oh yeah, oh yeah. And I see a good human being hiding in each one of them.

Gurudev, if I gave you 1 hour with the most powerful leaders in the world, What's the one conversation you'd force them to have aside from slowing down?

You know something, I never prepare what I will be saying to people or speaking to people, Kate. I just show up and whatever comes at that time, whatever the universe wants to bring up that time, I just be there as a channel. No, I'll just say whatever comes to me at that moment.

Have you ever said something that came to you, but maybe you either regretted or thought, maybe that wasn't what I would've said?

I haven't had any such experience of getting into regret. Yeah, not that I can remember of.

Everyone's talking about AI replacing jobs. I think the bigger crisis is AI exposing humans who never learn emotional resilience. Do you agree?

Oh yeah, it's a different dimension altogether. Uh, you know, one is thinking, um, perceiving, another is expressing. And emotion plays a role in both perception and expression. And, uh, this is something that, uh, We have to put more in our education system. We have to train ourselves to be emotionally resilient.

What is something that almost everyone believes about happiness, but it's actually completely backwards?

People think happiness comes from circumstances, situations, and materials around them. But it's not so. It's all from within you.

How did you become— I don't want to say the word enlightened because I don't know if that's a bad phrase to use, but how did you, how did you become this way that you— because I think most people wouldn't say that.

Everyone is unique, you see, in this world. So I would say everybody will say different things. And what I say, I say from my heart, from my own experience. One thing I was—

I have always been doing is never Gurudev, the most successful entrepreneurs I know have money but still can't sit alone in silence. Why?

They don't know the skill how to quieten the mind. You know, many people have problem with sleeping these days, let alone sitting alone. in silence, but they can't even have a good night's rest. All night you toss and turn, and then you have too many dreams and you wake up even more tired, right? So we have forgotten the art of handling our own mind, our consciousness. Perhaps that is the reason today mental health crisis is so big in the world, so big.

How do we solve that? Meditation.

People should learn meditation. It's, it's one of the skills that would help you to manage your mind, your perception, and your expression. Your emotional resilience is rooted in consciousness, and the way to get into that is meditation.

I'm a big believer in that one. And you're going through something handling anxiety, that's the only way that calms you down and be able to perform at peak because you're— you have clarity in your head.

Yeah.

So it's like we all have the strength to achieve within us, but can we unlock it? Seems like the key. What's the most dangerous emotion in leadership?

You know, emotions are not bad, but if you allow emotions to overtake you Overtake your common sense, your broader vision, then it's— you are getting into disaster. Hatred, anger, revenge, jealousy, greed— these emotions, when they overtake you— I mean, as humans, these emotions come in, but if you're not in control, if you don't have a say over them, You stupid to be trouble.

I'm guilty of that.

I have to come from that. You've built one of the largest volunteer organizations in the world. Volunteers don't stay because of money. So what actually makes people commit for a long time?

Listen, Kate, if you see a nice movie Would you say, please don't disturb me, I will be by myself?

No.

When you see, whenever you discover something wonderful, when you see something new, when you experience, the nature of joy is to share. So that's the case with all our volunteers. When they do the meditation, the SKY technique, the breathing, they find so much joy and peace, happiness within themselves. That they say, hey, you also do, you also do. They go on telling people around them, word of mouth. And then many of them take teacher's training so they can impact the lives of others.

It's a lot of leaders struggle even keeping the people they get paid.

Have you ever met someone that the world called evil, but you found something deeply human inside them?

I keep I have seen them all the time, you know, in the prisons around the world and in the inner-city gang members. And we have spoken to the so-called drug peddlers and all sorts of people coming from all sorts of backgrounds. And I tell you, the way their life has changed. It's something remarkable. It touches everyone's heart.

Can you attribute some of these changes to the work that you all do when you see them over time?

This is— this technique we teach, we make them discover the beautiful self they are. You know, no child is born on this planet as a bad or evil guy. It's just lack of education or ill-education or awareness or the problems and situations they have faced in their own life make them what they are.

Gurudev, in business we say culture eats strategy for breakfast. In your experience, does inner peace eat culture?

Yeah, you all have— everyone has some good qualities within them that you just need some nurturing.

How many times do you smile every day, would you say?

I don't count.

Unlimited. I love this. If the entire world could hear one sentence from you for exactly 30 seconds, what would you say?

Humanity is one family. Embrace the diversity, celebrate diversity, and know that you are not alone.

We all need to hear that.

Finish this sentence: the happiest people in the world are the ones who—

Who know themselves.

Wow. Simple. Sounds like we overcomplicate things. We overcomplicate life.

Yeah, but there is some fun in complications also. I think that makes the world— It gives you a contrast. You know, simplicity loses its charm and its value if there is no complications. Yes.

It makes the world a very interesting place.

Very interesting place.

Yes.

It's not boring.

Complications make the world more interesting.

Yeah. Oh.

Gurudev, you're 70 years old and have influenced hundreds of millions of lives. Looking back, what belief have you changed your mind about the most?

You know, belief is— belief systems is what you don't know, right? You don't believe what you already know. So a scientific mind always goes into knowing things rather than believing. And I'm more like a scientist than an artist. So I believe more, you know, I have more knowledge. I believe in knowing more than believing. Again, I use, I believe more in knowing.

I like that. If you think back to when you went on your first, that silent retreat, or silent, I'm not sure if you say silent retreat, but the silence that you did that changed everything. Are you happy with how this whole progress has come in terms of you being able to spread happiness around the world, the meditation?

Yes and no. See, for 45 years we have been doing this, and it has reached millions, almost a billion people around the world. No, in the sense, still there are 7 billion people more out there who would need meditation. We have to reach out to them too.

Yes.

So, yes, it has impacted people's life. I'm happy about that. But there are so many more wars, so many more unhappiness, so many are depressed, one in every 5th person is getting depressed. So when you see this, then you feel more compelled to reach out to them also. You see how fast we can help out even those people, how fast we can go and douse the fire that's raging in this part or that part of the world.

And Gurudev, how do you want to be remembered?

First of all, you should ask me whether you want to be remembered. I don't care if people remember me or not. We are all— each one of us are like a wave in the ocean. No wave ever thinks, I must be remembered, because you are part of the ocean.

Jan is enlightened.

I'm enlightened.

You are.

Imagine this interview is discovered 100 years from now. What's one message about humanity you hope future generations never forget?

You know, wisdom is like an ocean. And ocean never tells you, come and what one thing you pick up from, you know. Ocean offers everything. So whatever is your interest, you pick it up. It's your choice, you know. I never say you have to do this one thing, don't forget those 3 things in life. I say, why? You know, everyone is different. Everyone needs different thought, different knowledge at different times. They should be free to do whatever they want to do.

Do you think that technology is maybe one of the worst things for humanity because of what it's enabled people to do, from wars. Like you're saying, we have the most technology ever, yet people are the most depressed than ever. Or is technology going to be the best things for humanity?

It's not the fault of technology. Technology is a gift to humanity. It's a boon to humanity. You know, I remember when I was in college, I had to go to library, Go through the index, look for the books. It would take a whole day. But today, in your fingertips, you can get everything. We shouldn't blame technology for our shortcomings. Technology is good. But how we use technology, how our psyche is, that we need to attend. We have to take responsibility for our lack of understanding about ourselves and about others. What is missing is sense of belongingness with people, with, with the planet Earth. That's what we need to bring about. That emotional connectivity will, you know, suffix the human need that it could eliminate fear, anger. And all this mistrust that is happening around the world, depression, loneliness.

We need meditation.

Yeah, we need meditation.

Yeah. Amazing. Thank you so much. That was incredible.