:: July/August 2006 Volume 5/Number 5

Sitting Down With:
Deepak Chopra

By Julie Deife

Deepak Chopra is the Bob Dylan of consciousness. Thoughts spill effortlessly in perfect sentences when he speaks or writes, always on a level that amazes even the seasoned Chopra fan. Chopra is the man credited with introducing Ayurveda to a U.S. audience, with a vocabulary we could understand, in a way we could begin to accept. He has helped us to understand that we are not our bodies, that through spirit and soul we will transcend the mundane realities of our perceptions. Chopra never stops creating and he’s at it again with his Alliance for a New Humanity that aims to change the world through peace cells, one mind at a time.

Julie: You speak on Ayurveda in India as well as in the U.S. Would you comment on Ayurveda in India?

Dr. Chopra: Ayurveda is a consciousness-based approach to health. And what I still find missing in India, particularly, is that we don’t focus on consciousness as an important element in healing. Ayurveda is a minor text in the larger body of knowledge; it’s an Upa-veda, a secondary Veda. The main Vedas deal with the deeper issues like who we are and what happens after death. That ultimate healing is the conquest of the main fear people have - the fear of death.

Julie: How will Ayurveda grow in the West?

Dr. Chopra: Just like yoga did, which basically started with people wanting to look and feel better. Then they realized that yoga is more than that; it is getting in touch with your soul and spirit.
With Ayurveda it is true that there are effective ways to address problems like insomnia or irritable bowel syndrome with relatively simple yet effective approaches and people will see that. In the West it is just a slower approach.

Julie: Is there a danger that with the growth of what is referred to as ‘complementary medicine,’ Ayurveda will be co-opted?

Dr. Chopra: Change is inevitable, we can’t control it. But Ayurveda won’t be co-opted.

Julie: Will the teachings of the Vedas move from localized activities in yoga communities to a globalized interconnected way of being?

Dr. Chopra: It will happen. The world situation is such, that everything is a global issue. For example, one can look at Hurricane Katrina, the Iraq war or oil consumption as a local or a global issue. What we start to see is that everything is so inextricably woven that it’s inevitable we will have to look outside and adjust.

Julie: How are you, personally, working toward that goal?

Dr: Chopra: I have founded Alliance for the New Humanity. We have Nobel laureates and other people involved now. If enough people go through personal transformations and form groups, consciousness will be raised and the world will change.

Julie: Alliance for the New Humanity, how does that work?

Dr. Chopra: It is done through being part of a satsang - being part of a community; simran - reflecting on who we really are; and seva - being in service with devotion and compassion.
We’re living in a world that is full of fractured relationships causing all the problems: war, terrorism or eco-disasters.

With Alliance for a New Humanity we connect with each other through a website, sharing, inspiring and motivating each other. And we feel we have to do this right now. If enough people go through personal transformations and form groups, change will happen. We just had thirty people at our seminar at the Dream Hotel; these people are establishing peace cells.

At our annual Alliance for a New Humanity conference in Puerto Rico, there are so many examples of what people all over the world are doing to help one another. Register on the website and a Dutch company will plant a tree in Africa.

Julie: You made this statement at your Alliance for The New Humanity at the U.N. in November 2005: “… the war on terrorism is not being won. It’s being lost, just like the war on drugs, the war on poverty, the war on AIDS. All of these are probably the wrong metaphors for finding a solution to the problem of global instability. We will never win any war, particularly the war on terrorism, if we do not look at the deeper causes of instability.”
This is an Ayurvedic philosophy - find the cause of the disease, stop treating symptoms.

Dr. Chopra: If you have a large tumor surgical excision, that might be appropriate, but if you do not understand the underlying causes the tumor is likely to come back. The holistic approach to violence in the world is to understand the deeper causes of global instability and begin to creatively solve them. These include extreme economic disparities, dehumanizing conditions, selfish foreign policy on the part of wealthy nations, the weapons of trade, social injustice and lack of awareness amongst others. Alliance for a New Humanity is focusing on addressing these issues.

Julie: Clearly Alliance for a New Humanity is on the top of your list right now. If the U.N. were to establish a Department of Peace (or the Federal Government, but it seems more likely the U.N. would), would you be willing to accept a leadership position?

Dr. Chopra: I am always prepared to serve in an informal position by whoever asks me to. I would gather experts in the area of creative problem solving and conflict resolution and work as part of a team.

Julie: If this did transpire, how would you go about making a difference in the short-term?

Dr. Chopra: The Alliance’s basic goal is to create a network of networks that could one day reach a critical mass in world awareness and develop creative solutions for the world’s problems.

Julie: You suggest promoting the concept of “‘Branding, marketing and selling peace’ with the same methodology that corporations like Starbucks, the Coca-Cola Co. and Victoria’s Secret use to sell their products around the globe.” It’s worth a try, but would that be an acceptable approach of a U.N. supported peace position?

Dr. Chopra: Over the last 30 years I have branded and sold the “abstract.” Ideas are more powerful than material things and once an idea reaches critical mass it is unstoppable.

Julie: You say that a shift in consciousness is what is needed to reach a “critical mass.”

Dr. Chopra: I believe through modern technology and the connectivity of the internet it is possible to reach a critical mass of consciousness that would be a “turning point” for humanity.

Julie: What are some good things you foresee on the political landscape today?

Dr. Chopra: Very few. Politics is all about cronyism, power-mongering, influence and corruption.

But there are a few places, such as Costa Rica, where there is a very good economy and education is improving. The children have to spend a month working in the rainforest and then they can continue with higher education which is paid for by the government.

There are good things, but you really need to have a critical mass of people to make change.

Julie: What about education in this country? By all major indicators we’re slipping fast. What should we do?

Dr. Chopra: As these global communities of peace consciousness grow, people will start their own schools. We can’t be discouraged. Just keep at it and don’t be attached to the results. Do what needs to be done and leave the results to the unknown.

Julie: In addition to Alliance for a New Humanity, how do you use the media to promote peace?

Dr. Chopra: On the Huffington blog, I post thoughts each week about, for example, immigration, Abu Ghraib, Iraq - ideas that will hopefully promote peace.

Julie: I know you talk about it in your book Peace is the Way, but it seems very difficult to believe that we can have peace in the world if we simply change ourselves. How long to affect an entire society

Dr. Chopra: You can’t change the world, you can only change yourself. Without changing ourselves, we are just angry peace activists.

Julie: Would you comment about the large number of Americans who don’t vote?

Dr. Chopra: Yes, it is a lack of awareness, about Who am I? Who are my archetypes, who are my heroes? How do I serve? These things are missing.

Julie: Would you give an example of a good leader?

Dr. Chopra: If you look at really good leadership, it is all based on intention. There is Betty Williams in Ireland who is rallying the mothers and children in Ireland for peace. There are many leaders who are not known, in the small villages in India and Africa, doing extraordinary things.

Julie: You are such a prolific writer. How do you do it?

Dr. Chopra: I’m on a plane a lot and there is nothing else to do. I just came to New York from Chicago, and we sat on the runway for 7 hours, so I was writing.

Julie: How do you decide on the topics for your books?

Dr. Chopra: I write about what I’m learning about and what I’m interested in: Life after death is one; then I’m going to write a book on the life of Buddha and one on feminine leadership.

Julie: With so many yoga books out there, why did you write The 7 Spiritual Laws of Yoga?

Dr. Chopra: Everyone comes to yoga at a certain level of awareness. This book adds the ingredients of consciousness, mindfulness and anchors the 7 Spiritual Laws to the various physical postures.

Julie: You’ve been married a long time. How did you meet your wife?

Dr. Chopra: I was an intern taking care of her aunt and saw her regularly when she came to visit.

Julie: What are the secrets to a successful marriage?

Dr. Chopra: Acceptance and unconditional love.

Julie: I’m here at the Chopra Center right now and on some level I am starting to understand this organic 20+ year journey of yours. How does one plan such a complex, purposeful and successful matrix of undertakings?

Dr. Chopra: I do what needs to be done leaving the results to the unknown. The Chopra Center is an important vehicle for education, healing and expansion of awareness and will continue to be so even as I expand my activities through The Gallup Organization, United Nations and through my Sirius Satellite radio show.

 

For more information visit www.chopra.com and www.anhglobal.org.

 

 

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