Chairperson’s Note
The Secrets of Mind & Consciousness
Health is our greatest wealth - both physical and mental.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, “A strong mind can carry a weak body, but a weak mind cannot carry even a strong body”. Mental well-being is the basis for happiness, prosperity, and success in our lives.
However, every day we collect stress, we are bombarded with impressions that consistently color our mind, we are racing between planning for the future or worrying about the past – anxiety and regret, we are shaken by the ups and downs that we face relentlessly. Amidst such a storm of activity, emotions, achievements, and failures how can we manage to keep our mind balanced, calm, clear, centered – in a state of dynamic serenity?
To harness the power of the mind, to know its secrets, we need first to explore the nature of the mind. The deliberations during these three days will take us on several journeys of self-exploration where we will come to understand ourselves better and learn ways to have a say over our mind.
The beautiful Hibiscus flower is synonymous with good health and is the chosen flower for this conference. It has innumerable medicinal properties. Further, this flower blossoms throughout the year. Our mind, however, is often subject to mood-swings and as a result is happy seasonally, subject to many conditions.
If you can win over your mind, you can win over the whole world.
~Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Together let us move from strength to greater strength, from a space of wanting happiness to giving happiness, from winning the world to winning over our own mind. Our own mind creates our world. Let us take care of our mind.
Ms. Bhanumathi Narasimhan,
Chairperson, International Women's Conference
The Secrets of Mind & Consciousness
It is a great pleasure for us; the International Women’s Conference team to welcome all of you to this beautiful moment, I would say where so many of you have come from far and also from near, to be with us and learn from each other.
The possibility of something new arises in our life only when we are ready to step into the unknown to explore and to realise a higher calling. So dear ladies and gentlemen, I am very happy to welcome you once again to this beautiful conference named- Life A Mystical Journey.
So on this journey we have, women from over 60 countries participating; we are very grateful to all of you who have travelled from far away. Once again welcome.
Every journey culminates in a goal. I hope these three days will help us to move together towards a larger positive purpose, have a closer personal connection and most of all help us to dive deep within to find the treasures that make life a celebration. This place looks so celebrative and colourful. Don’t you think so? From here I can see all of you; such a wonderful picture.
In fact at the opening of this beautiful hall; the Vishalakshi Mantap, there was a dance programme. After the programme, one elderly woman came to the artist and congratulated her and said how she wished that she could have learned the dance before. She felt it was too late. She said maybe in her next lifetime she would achieve it. She felt that she had missed the bus somewhere.
This was the time when I felt that we could make a difference through spirituality. It is never too late. In fact, I know a 75-year-old woman who learnt the Art of Living and became a teacher and taught her friends in the village. That is the spirit. Age is no bar in spirituality. We can begin from anywhere. That is the beautiful part of spirituality. It makes you realise your inner strength. It also gives you the maturity to worry big – in fact, about the whole planet or about all the children who have not received education and how we can help them. This is the maturity which comes from spirituality.
When Gurudev and I were small, we had a helper in the house and her small daughter did not go to school. Her parents felt she was a girl and need not go to school, for various reasons, economic reasons. Gurudev would say ‘When Bhanu can go to school then why not she’. Perhaps that was how the seed was sown. And, now we are working towards girl child education. Of course, education for all is necessary – whether a girl or a boy but emphasis here is more on girl child education. And I am very happy that we have so many volunteers and well-wishers like all of you who have made this possible for us.
There are many experiences that come to us to inspire us to take responsibility and make a change for the better, to bring more smiles. Problems and challenges are always there. But, when we are in the right frame of mind, we can come together to find solutions and move ahead. Most of the time, we are looking for someone else to solve the problem, some hero or some other person. Whereas here, Gurudev, on the other hand, has inspired us all to be that change, be that hero or leader. And we are so fortunate that He has graced this special occasion with His presence.