and I went into that classic description of pure bliss, pure peace, just everything was light,вЂќ says Nancie DiSilverio, who first heard Shankar speak in person at a satsang in Connecticut in 1992. вЂњThere was a moment when he just locked on, looked me in the eye, and stopped. Perhaps ShankarвЂ™s growing success can be explained by the strong appeal many spiritual searchers find in someone whose practice promises to solve all problems. Sollod, a professor of psychology at Cleveland State University, who has published works on the psychology of religion. вЂњFollowing a guru appears to be a quick way toward personal transformation,вЂќ says Robert N. вЂњIn The Art of Living, there are people who think this could be Krishna, this could be Jesus.вЂќ YouвЂ™d think that such talk wouldnвЂ™t sell well with Americans, who are wary of charismatic gurus, familiar as we are with the well-chronicled excesses of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, David Koresh, Jim Jones, and Baba Muktananda. вЂњSomeone special has come to earth,вЂќ he gushed, eyes bright.

Latimer had taken a basic course in England in 1994 and now is one of many Shankar followers who believes his guru has something supernatural going on. ThatвЂ™s where, five months before my interview with Shankar in New Jersey, I met James Latimer, a 29-year-old former British Telecom client manager who is now a landscaper at the ashram. On the next hill over is the dining hall, where vegetarian meals are ladled out. Asked why they were building it, my ashram tour guide said simply вЂњWe have outgrown the old one.вЂќ The old meditation hall, a flat-roofed, white-walled, one-story building, was built about a decade ago and can hold only about 400 people. The extraordinarily grand temple, perched dramatically on the pinnacle of a hill overlooking the vast valley, isnвЂ™t just for show. When itвЂ™s done, the main floor will hold 3,500 meditators, all breathing hard and fast, then slow and deep, for Shankar. This ornate confection is made not of whipped cream, eggs, and flour, but of concrete, gold leaf, sweat, and hard cash. Pillars as thick as elephants swirl upward, supporting gymnasium-wide slabs of what looks like the biggest wedding cake the earth has ever seen. Here, high above a vast valley of rice fields and banana trees, a mammoth new building is rising into the sky. To understand the vastness of AOL and ponder the question of why Shankar, why now, leave New Jersey for a moment and head to a spread of rocky hills on the outskirts of Bangalore in South India.

We have doubled the number of our teachers we have doubled the number of our volunteers working in the villages.вЂќ вЂњIn India itself, we have doubled in the past year. вЂњThe organization is growing at such a fast rate,вЂќ says Prashant Rajore, the administrator of ShankarвЂ™s ashram in India. The Art of Living may be the fastest growing spiritual practice on the planet. He spends about 60 days a year at his ashram near Baden Baden, Germany, 40 days at AOLвЂ™s ashram near Montreal, Canada, and 150-odd days on the road, giving satsang (spiritual talks), everywhere from Atlanta to Singapore. Worldwide, more than a million people in 136 countries have taken his introductory course. Now, more than 25,000 annually check in for retreats at the 60-acre center that attracts up to 5,000 visitors a day when Shankar is there. Five years ago, his ashram in India was attracting about 5,000 overnight guests a year.

Tens of thousands of Americans have taken his classes that feature the breathing technique he calls Sudarshan Kriya. His simple messageВ—a light blend of Eastern religion, meditation, yogic stretching, and breathingВ—is catching on big. It can heal mental, physical, and spiritual illnesses.вЂќ вЂњLove is the only superior power on the planet love has the healing power. He begins speaking in a cheerful, slightly bleating Indian-accented voice about his favorite subject. His white robes are made of a fine, opalescent fabric that shimmers slightly. Today the twinkly-eyed, black-bearded вЂњguru of loveвЂќ is in New Jersey, in the bridal suite of Royal AlbertвЂ™s Palace hotel, wiping his hands and waiting to be interviewed. The face of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, guru extraordinaire of the explosively expanding yoga and meditation practice called The Art of Living (AOL), is more lined than it appears on the covers of his dozens of books, CDs, newsletters, Web sites, and postcards. For exclusive access to all our stories, including sequences, teacher tips, video classes, and more,

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