By Niamh Fodla
I’ve heard and read of people giving Deepak Chopra a very hard time, and I have to say, I don’t really understand it. Some critics seem to find it suspect that he’s gotten wealthy from his books and lectures, as though he moved to American to get rich, preaching Hinduism, self-healing and hope. But the same people don’t seem to object when those preaching western medicine (Doctors and pharmaceutical companies) get very rich in the course of their healing work. The attitude seems to be that they deserve to live well if they’re helping people – and I would say the same applies here. I definitely don’t agree that his making a nice profit (however much he makes – I’m only basing his being fabulously rich on rumors), that this in any way detracts from his perfectly intelligent and helpful message.
In this lecture, Chopra discusses health and healing. I found it absolutely fascinating. Did you know that your body is not an object, but is in constant flux? That before long, every cell in your body will have been replaced, and there won’t be one single cell left that was in your younger self? Grasping that is a beginning to understanding how healing is possible. I love this lecture because it contains a lot of morsels of truth that I sort of already knew, but it was so validating to hear someone smart say them out loud! Click here.
In this lecture, a younger Chopra gives what I would call a more controversial speech. You may love it or hate it. The title, including the word “wizard” may be off-putting to people who are now thinking of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. It may make the speech sound like fantasy. I almost wish he hadn’t used the word for that reason! But it’s about a different kind of magic – a “natural” magic that you may feel more confident is out there. The premise is essentially that Darwin’s survival of the fittest – species evolving according to who’s the toughest – is no longer going on. Now, humans are evolving in a different way entirely … Click here.
And finally – music! During the health lecture, Chopra discusses the fact that we are inseparable from our environments. (After all, we can’t live without oxygen for example, right? So how can we talk about ourselves as being separate organisms, living independently from the world around us?) So if it’s true that what’s around you may be affecting your health as much as what’s inside you, then one thing to note is that music is one of the things in your environment. And plus, I love music! Here’s a beautiful song that has a truly healing pulse: Click here.
Top photo: Author: BankingBum / November 13, 2011 / Deepak Chopra speaks to the Microsoft PAC on January 13, 2011 / http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Deepak_Chopra_MSPAC.jpg / Wikimedia Commons
Second photo:”This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Abovementioned friend of user: Gilgemesh in the Hebrew Wikipedia. This applies worldwide.” / http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dune_sunrise.jpg / Wikimedia Commons