A different kkind of guru for MBAs

His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a global humanitarian and spiritual leader, is not exactly the traditional leadership lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

After all, the guest lecturer a few weeks ago was Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Yesterday, Shankar began his lecture by getting the filled-to-capacity auditorium of Wharton students to do a little deep breathing and meditation.

But before getting the group to close their eyes, Shankar quipped, "I was told this was a perfect time to come here because of the economic crisis here."

He noted that students may be worried about the job market and finding work when they graduate.

The audience laughed.

Shankar is founder of the Art of Living Foundation, described on its Web site as a nonprofit organization with educational and self-development programs that "offer powerful tools to eliminate stress and foster a sense of well-being."

It has been recognized by the United Nations as a nongovernmental organization with volunteers who help people around the world.

Shankar has visited war zones in Iraq, and conflicts in Kashmir and Sri Lanka to work for peaceful resolutions.

At his leadership talk, Shankar did not give the kind of lecture that students may have expected.

After getting more than 300 people to breathe quietly for a few minutes, Shankar did not have a speech, but offered suggestions for relieving stress after sitting for hours at a computer.

Then he asked if his audience had questions.

One student asked: "What is the purpose of life?"

Shankar smiled and responded that that was the "million-dollar question," but one for which the student would have to search within himself to find the answer.

"Anyone who knows that will not tell you, and if anyone tries to tell you that he knows, he really doesn't know," Shankar said.

Another student noted that Shankar's teachings are nonreligious, and asked what religion he practices.

"I would say that spirituality is where all religions meet," Shankar said.

"I was born a Hindu and remain one, but spirituality - that's universal."

One student, noting that Shankar worked to resolve conflicts between groups, wanted to know suggestions for resolving conflict between two people.

Shankar said it depends if one is talking about a husband and wife, a boyfriend and girlfriend or just two friends.

He got another laugh from the crowd when he guessed that the young male student was asking about a boyfriend-girlfriend problem.

"As a man, you never want to step on the emotions of the woman," he said. "And as a woman, you do not want to step on the ego of the man.

"Even if your boyfriend may be dumb, you should never tell him that. While the world may think he is a fool, you say that he is brilliant.

"Just because you don't use your brilliance, it doesn't mean you don't have it."

After the session, Wharton graduate student Daniel Lennon said, "It was really interesting to do a group meditation."

Lennon said he has done yoga before and was familiar with the breathing techniques for relaxation. But, he said, "There were a group of guys sitting around me who seemed to have never experienced it before."

He said they seemed surprised at how relaxed they felt.

Sakina Zaidi, a junior, said she was glad to hear Shankar.

"More than anything, we need this," Zaidi said.

Alejandro Adler, a senior, said that it's not strange to find highly motivated Wharton students interested in learning how to take time out to quiet their minds:

"It's very necessary to have that balance between the intellectual and the spiritual." *