Deepak Chopra // Current

The Savage Sword of Conan: In recognition of endless wars and those who profit from them

The importance of comic books to our society was summed up by Deepak Chopra during the 2006 Comic-Con: * “Comics... more

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Deepak Chopra on Obama and the Palin Effect

Nothing like a little Deepak to help us make sense of it all.... Sometimes politics has the uncanny effect of mirroring the... more

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Psychology of Obama and Palin Effect - Deepak Chopra

"Sometimes politics has the uncanny effect of mirroring the national psyche even when nobody intended to do that. This is... more

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Mike Myer's "Love Guru" banned in India

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Hindu groups in India are seeking to ban Mike Myers new film, The Love Guru. In it, the shagadelic Austin Powers actor portrays a character called Guru Pitka, who is dubbed the "second best guru in India." Unfortunately not everyone is seeing the funny side of Myer's self-help industry satire, and pressure is apparently being put on India's Central Board of Film Certification and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to ban screenings of the film in the country.

Bhavna Shinde, a representative of the Mumbai-based Hindu organization Janjagruti Samiti, is quoted as saying that Indian censors should, "stop distributing or screening the movie till Paramount has made necessary changes ... so that it will not hurt the feelings of the worldwide spiritual and Hindu community." American-based religious leader, Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, has accused the film of "lampooning Hinduism."

Myer's Love Guru co-stars include Justin Timberlake, Jessica Alba, Daily Show funny man John Oliver (as Dick Pants), and Gandhi star Ben Kingsley (as Guru Tugginmypudha). Real life uber guru Deepak Chopra also has a cameo role, and is featured in the film's publicity campaign. Guru groupies can log on to FavoriteGuru.com to vote for the man they'd most like to follow. So far Myer's alter ego Guru Pitka is leading with 62% of the vote, compared to Chopra's 38%, making it more decisive than a Democratic primary (if you ignore West Virgina like the superdelegates are).

Before Myer's started filming The Love Guru, he spent some quality time with Chopra to get the right vibe. In 2006 the double act appeared on The Sundance Channel's series Iconoclasts, and spent the day together in preparation for a symposium on comedy and spirituality that evening.

Chopra explained the need for laughter in spirituality, saying that, "When your soul responds to the paradox of our existence, to the contradictions of our existence, to the fact that wherever there is joy there is suffering, when your soul recognizes this, it can do nothing except laugh."

Myers closed the show, by saying, "Everything that I've read suggests that enlightenment is lightening up." After recent events, he may want to revise that statement.

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The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Hindu groups in India are seeking to ban Mike Myers new film, The Love Guru. In it, the... more

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6 months ago

If You're Happy And You Know It Think Again

Love Guru Pitka introduces the Laws of Happiness from his forthcoming book If You're Happy and You Know It . . . Think Again... more

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8 months ago

The Path To Enlightenment Is Filled With Books: Reading Suggestions From Deepak Chopra

Deepak Chopra is perhaps the world’s most popular spiritual guru. He is certainly one of the planet's most prolific... more

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8 months ago

Double Act: Mike Myers & Deepak Chopra On Comedy & Spirituality

by Malayna
An episode of The Sundance Channel's series Iconoclasts paired comedian Mike Myers with spiritual author Deepak Chopra. Actor Robert Redford, the visionary behind the Sundance Channel, explained the concept behind the series this way: "Iconoclasts can be a beautiful clashing - a collision of high profile types- that's stimulating and entertaining for audiences." Regarding this particular pairing he said, "Obviously there's admiration going both ways, and the connection between the two of them becomes straight out entertainment, because it's just different."

Myers and Deepak spent the day together in preparation for a symposium on comedy and spirituality that evening, held in a small theater in New York. "I don't think that a having a sense of spirituality and a sense of humor are mutually exclusive," Myers explains. "One of the things I love about Deepak is that he has a sense of humor about what he does."

Myers attributes his perspective to what he learned from his own "comedy guru," Del Close (who also worked with John Belushi, Bill Murray and Dan Akroyd), who connected comedy with the profound and profane. Myers explained it in this way, "Ha Ha and A-Ha are connected - they're related industries."

At the theater later that day, the discussion seemed surprisingly to circle around a central theme. "Lenny Bruce defined comedy as pain plus time; Bergson described comedy as the realization of one's own mortality," Myers begins. "The laughter is just an involuntary response of the recognition of your own mortality."

Chopra initially responded by explaining, "When your soul responds to the paradox of our existence, to the contradictions of our existence, to the fact that wherever there is joy there is suffering, when your soul recognizes this, it can do nothing except laugh." Later, Chopra returned to the theme of mortality. "We're all on death row and the only uncertainty is the method of execution and the length of reprieve." Myers followed this rather gloomy thought with a hearty "Goodnight!" Over the laughter Chopra continued, "Do you realize that I've been talking about the most morbid thing in existence...and you are laughing? Do you see that? Confronting our mortality makes us laugh."

Overall the pairing was refreshing, both because it elucidated how well-versed and educated Myers is, despite the silliness of his work; and how down-to-earth and light-hearted Chopra is, despite the seriousness of spirituality. Myers closed the show with the following quote: "Everything that I've read suggests that enlightenment is lightening up". We at the Daily Mantra wholeheartedly agree with that.

http://www.dailymantra.com
http://www.myspace.com/thedailymantraby Malayna An episode of The Sundance Channel's series Iconoclasts paired comedian Mike Myers with spiritual author Deepak... more

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11 months ago

Deepak Chopra

The Savage Sword of Conan: In recognition of endless wars and those who profit from them

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Deepak Chopra on Obama and the Palin Effect

2 responses

Psychology of Obama and Palin Effect - Deepak Chopra

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Mike Myer's "Love Guru" banned in India

11 responses

If You're Happy And You Know It Think Again

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The Path To Enlightenment Is Filled With Books: Reading Suggestions From Deepak Chopra

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Double Act: Mike Myers & Deepak Chopra On Comedy & Spirituality

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