Dr. Deepak Chopra called "the poet-prophet of alternative medicine" by Time magazine, Deepak Chopra was the guest of honor at the Akshaya Patra event.

Dr. Chopra was born and raised in India and came to the United States in 1970 to train and then practice internal medicine and endocrinology.  He spent many years in New England where he was  Chief of Staff at the New England Memorial Hospital . He later studied  Maharishi Mahesh yogi’s Transcendental Meditation technique  and shifted his entire medical practice focus to Ayurveda and Yoga. He is the founder and CEO of the Chopra Center for Well Being in Carlsbad, California.

While he does serve as consultant to the rich and famous in Hollywood, he has created great impact on the common American through this writings. A prolific writer he has published several books that have deeply impacted the spiritual life of many.

Despite his fame and fortune, Chopra comes across as a very down to earth person who seems to have created a barrier between his fame and his soul.  Perhaps it is this separation that draws people to him like a magnet. When I asked about why he is so successful in impacting so many people in America his response was unusual.

”Many people of Indian origin have succeeded in creating great impact in the United States. You see so many in positions of great influence. My brother Dr. Sanjiv Chopra for example is the Dean of Continuing Education at Harvard Medical School.   There are many others I could name. Our Indian heritage is special.”

It is hard to imagine this impeccably dressed individual sporting high fashion to be considered as a spiritual guru. And yet there is a calm and compassion about him that transcends his outward appearance, which is perhaps his greatest appeal.  When I ask him why he is giving his precious time to Akshaya Patra again a very unexpected answer

“You know I did spend a lot of time chasing fame and fortune. I have been there and done that and it no longer holds an appeal for me. I would very much like to use my time and support causes like these.”  With this answer he immediately pulled himself of the very high pedestal that we often put spiritual masters at and was very much in an ordinary and approachable mode. I felt that this was also a part of his charm that though he was a “Gyani’ he conversed with you rather than talked at you.

What is his daily routine? “I wake up at 4:00, meditate for an hour and half and exercise. After that I just go with the flow” said Chopra. He seems to have found the balance that allows him to see the flow of life.

What message does he have for the readers I asked? He responded very simply “For people of Indian origin I would say as you ascend upward in life do no forget your Indian Heritage. There is a lot to learn there I would urge you to learn and apply it to all that you do”

During his keynote talk he clearly established his thorough understanding of Vedanta and Western Medicine.  His use of scientific methodology especially data analysis to understand some of the deeper questions of life was most unusual. It is interesting to note that he serves as a consultant to Gallup.

He can be considered a true model for the upcoming Indian American generations who may try to understand the secrets of their heritage that date back many thousand years using modern techniques that may give those studies authenticity in the 21st century and help influence and shape modern thinking.

|