Deepak Chopra

Deepak Chopra, M.D., graduated from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in 1968, and after interning at a New Jersey hospital, trained for several more years at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Massachusetts and the University of Virginia Hospital. He taught at Tufts and Boston University Schools of Medicine, became the chief of staff at the New England Memorial Hospital and established a large private practice in the field of endocrinology.

In Washington D.C., in 1985, Chopra learned under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of the Transcendental Meditation movement. Chopra has since broken ties with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, but continues to promote meditation as a way to develop a deeper self-knowledge.

According to the Chopra Center website, Chopra's teachings derived from his dissatisfaction with the ability of conventional western medicine to help his patients. He therefore developed a wellness system based upon a combination of western medicine and Ayurvedic principles of health and spirituality.


Chopra teaches a lifestyle that includes meditation, yoga, mindfulness in daily life, proper nutrition based on whole foods, detoxing through fasting, enemas, and massage, and abstinence from drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and junk food. He teaches methods of healing that include both physical treatments and mental techniques such as focusing attention on the area of pain.

Chopra's "Ten Keys to Happiness" are:

1.  Listen to your body's wisdom.
2.  Live in the present, for it is the only moment you have.
3.  Take time to be silent, to meditate.
4.  Relinquish your need for external approval.
5.  When you find yourself reacting with anger or opposition to any person or circumstance, realize    that you are only struggling with yourself.
6.  Know that the world "out there" reflects your reality "in here."
7.  Shed the burden of judgement.
8.  Don't contaminate your body with toxins, either food, drink, or toxic emotions.
9.  Replace fear-motivated behavior with love-motivated behavior.
10.Understand that the physical world is just a mirror of a deeper intelligence.
The "Seven Spiritual Laws of Success" are:


Law of Pure Potentiality (i.e. discovering the unity of the true self with the universe; "Atman is Brahman")


Law of Giving (giving releases divine power and energy)


Law of Karma (cause and effect of actions; "there is a perfect accounting system in this universe," 


Law of Least Effort (going with the flow of the universal energy, as in Taoism)


Law of Intention and Desire


Law of Detachment


Law of Dharma (having a purpose in life)