Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari

Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari
Born May 10, 1949
Kolkata, India
Nationality Indian
Occupation Motivational Speaker, Social Advocate

Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari born May 10, 1949, is a motivational speaker and social advocate. He lives in Kolkata, India, where he founded and is the current mentor of Lokenath Divine Life Mission. He has authored several books and travels internationally, speaking on stress reduction, mindfulness and meditation and microcredit.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Early life and career

He received a Master of Commerce degree in 1972 at Andhra University, Visakhapatnam and taught Commerce at Andhra Vidyalaya College (affiliated to Osmania University). From 1972–1976 he was a lecturer of Commerce at Andhra Vidyalaya College, (affiliated to Osmania University) in Hyderabad, India and then left his career to dedicate his life to God and the alleviation of human suffering. He is an economist-turned-monk and his vision combines both aspects of his background.[9]

Humanitarian work

He founded Lokenath Divine Life Mission (LDLM) in 1985 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India and currently serves as its mentor. Lokenath Divine Life Mission works in the field of education, health care and women's empowerment, utililizing microcredit self-help programs.[9][10][11][12][12][13][14]

LDLM’s model, through a Self Help Group (SHG) model, is unique and different from any of the existing models practiced in India. According to Brahmachari, although his own method has the essence of Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus’, in practice and implementation it is totally different.

A former professor of economics, Brahmachari’s model aims at direct credit linkage between banks and SHGs, completely eliminating agencies that play the middleman, such as NGOs. LDLM’s role is to create SHGs through awareness, training and organisation and then enable their credit linkage with the banks.[11]

LDLM also performs resource linkage as well as addressing targeted areas of need and collaborating with other organizations on additional programs.[10][13][14][15] The mission’s goal is sustainable development and does not use traditional charity. Shuddhaanandaa, "We work to awaken the commitment and potential within the poor to become self-sufficient. The Mission forms a partnership with them. We offer them the training and foundational supports they need to work together, building a new and better future for their communities."[13]

Motivational and spiritual teacher

In 2005, he founded the Stress Management Academy, and began conducting global seminars on breathing, relaxation, meditation, mindfulness and positive thinking for schools, corporations, hospitals, prisons and other venues under his Course of Mindfulness program.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Awards and major speaking engagements

He addressed the Parliament of World Religion in Chicago, (1993) and Barcelona (2004),[15] was a keynote speaker at the Global Youth Conference held at the Capital Center, Washington, DC (1993),[12] and was a special invitee to the United Nations World Millennium Summit of spiritual leaders in New York, (2000).[8] He was a keynote speaker at the International Conference on Spiritual Paradigm for Surmounting Global Management Crisis in Varanasi, India in 2012, 2013.[3]

He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the S.T.A.R foundation at the House of Lords in the United Kingdom on July 21, 2015 for his invaluable and outstanding contribution to society. He was presented the Award by The Rt Hon, Lord Hunt of Wirral MBE [16]

Teachings

Shuddhaanandaa speaks and writes regularly about the merits of mindfulness and meditation to reduce stress and create a more holistic, simple life. His philosophy is that happiness is not something that one can get by demanding it from others, but by sharing their inner sense of contentment in life with others first.[9] He teaches that the purpose of mindful meditation is not to achieve anything, but to reach a state of letting go, a profound state of relaxation. It is in this powerful state of mindful meditation that he believes that great innovations and creative genius happen.[6]

He advocates for the development of management education to create better leaders for the future. He says

Management Schools are the training ground for the future leaders in every field of human endeavor. A true leader needs a holistic orientation of life. Mindfulness prepares the ground for the growth of consciousness that sharpens attention and expands awareness to be more inclusive and integrated in life.
— [17]

Books

Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari is also a spotlight writer for OM Times e-zine.[20]

Sources

  1. 1 2 "Unleash the 'Power Within'™". weekender.bh. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
  2. 1 2 "Backing sought". Gulf Digital News Online. 2015-04-07. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
  3. 1 2 3 "Sri Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari, Renowned Spiritual Guru at SMS Varanasi (Part-I)". Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Mindfulness and Meditation Workshop This Monday 9/15". University Health Services. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  5. 1 2 "In the Spirit: Hindu monk urges putting our lives on pause at least a little every day". La Crosse Tribune. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 "Mindful Meditation for Health and Happiness - Theosophical Society in America". Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  7. 1 2 . "Sri Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari: The Role of Meditation/ Mindfulness in stress management". Göteborgs universitet. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 "The World Council of Religious Leaders". Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 Jones, Constance A.; James D. Ryan (2007). Lokenath Divine Life Mission. Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Encyclopedia of World Religions. New York: Facts On File, Inc. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Microcredit crosses over to this side of Bengal". dna. 5 April 2007. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  11. 1 2 Himalayan Academy. "No-Nonsense Calcutta Swami Rallies Youth To Serve India's Poor". Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 "Article". Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 Swinhoe street school Calcutta. Vimeo. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  14. 1 2 "Parliament of the World's Religions 2004 - Barcelona". Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  15. 1 2 3 Brahmachari, S., & Shannon, A. , 2014, Incredible Life of a Himalayan Yogi : The Times, Teachings and Life of Living Shiva : Baba Lokenath Brahmachari, LDLM Publishers, Kolkata.
  16. ↑ “Baba Shuddhaanandaa receives Lifetime Achievement Award”, Pardes Weekly, p. 23, (London, U.K.). 8 August 2015 – 14 August 2015 issue
  17. ↑ Brahmachari, Sri Sri Shuddhaanandaa. "Consciousness-the New Paradigm for Surmounting Global Management Crisis." Purushartha: A Journal of Management Ethics and Spirituality 5, no. 1 (2012).
  18. ↑ Brahmachari, S., & Shannon, A. , 2004, Your Mind Your Best Friend: 30 days To Build Your Most Important Friendship, LDLM Publishers, Kolkata.
  19. ↑ "Cleaning the Mirror of Mind: Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Mind - Kindle edition by Baba Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.". Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  20. ↑ "Baba Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari Archives - OMTimes Magazine". OMTimes Magazine. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
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