Opposing any move towards acquisition of temples by a government, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar has said that if such a step was indispensable, it must not apply only to places of worship of any one religion.
"It is not the government's job to look after the administration of temples. Moreover, if those in power think that it is a necessity, they must take care not to give an impression that the government is interfering in the matters of sacred places of only one religion," Ravishankar told media persons in Allahabad on Sunday night.
The spiritual guru, who was in Allahabad to attend the last rites of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of Transcendental Meditation fame, also said that incorporating spirituality into modern education was the only answer to the ills plaguing the world 'like terrorism, casteism, parochialism and shocking instances of people with brilliant academic and professional careers getting involved in heinous crimes.'
Recalling fondly his five-year-long association with Mahesh Yogi, he said: "I owe my spiritual advancement to the encouragement I received from him in my early youth."
Ravishankar also blamed farmers' suicides in various parts of the country on 'environmental degradation brought about by mindless use of chemical fertilizers' and said his Art of Living Foundation was working towards promoting organic farming by actively involving itself in 30,000 villages.
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