Hip Hop Mogul Russell Simmons Interviewed About Success And Spirituality
WHITFIELD: Coming up, the many interests of hip hop mogul Russell Simmons. But first a check of the top stories. Free democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi plans a major address about her future tomorrow. Myanmar's ruling Marxist regime freed the Nobel Peace laureate this morning. She has spent the better part of the past 20 years under house arrest was freed. It's a weekend of adjustment for former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's family. He was temporarily moved from a hospital to his home yesterday. Sharon may eventually be transferred there permanently. He has been in a coma since suffering a massive stroke in 2006. And a backlash against those full-body scans could mean long lines when you travel this Thanksgiving. Grassroots organizations hope travelers will say no to it and instead undergo the more time- consuming pat-downs. Security has been increased in the wake of recent terror plots. Russell Simmons may be best known for cofounding "Def Jam Recordings," a label that helped bring huge popularity to hip-hop music. But he's had multimillion dollar success through fashion and philanthropy. His latest ventures is a newly launched reality show, "Running Russell Simmons," plus a new book called "Super Rich" due out in January. In a candid discussion, Russell Simmons told me being rich has nothing to do with finances.</s>WHITFIELD: It's not about money rich, because people see the word "rich" and think, OK, I want to be a billionaire like Russell Simmons. You're saying that's not what this is about.</s>RUSSELL SIMMONS, DEF JAM CO-FOUNDER: It's the guide to having it all. The first chapter is "Redefining Rich." It is a tricky chapter, because I don't want people to throw the book out. It talks answer rich being --</s>WHITFIELD: Tricky chapter?</s>SIMMONS: I'm telling the truth. I want people to be more productive, be greater givers. Good getters are greater givers, that's OK. But the state of being nothing -- the Christian refers as to Christ consciousness. Buddhists call a nirvana. I couldn't write a book about nirvana or heaven on earth or Christ consciousness. I called it "Super Rich" as the state of needing nothing. The book is about that kind of conscious. Different people are giving different messages with the same aspirations, the same hopes and desires, and they all have different ways of going about it and different voices. This is just another voice.</s>WHITFIELD: I know you're accessible and you're very approachable, but people do see Russell Simmons and they think, he's a mega guy. He's huge. How can you tell me I can operate with nothing?</s>SIMMONS: If you read the book it will stick. It's written in such a way that people can digest this idea of operating from abundance with the greatest -- that work itself is the prayer and there's no payment. That sounds like a lot, but so many rich friends are suffering, rich, in terms of world fame and so many people who don't have a lot who are happy. And we're only here to be happy.</s>WHITFIELD: What should be at the root of someone's happiness?</s>SIMMONS: A peaceful state. You know, there's a lot of discussions and meditation in there. And the mind is still, everything surrenders.</s>WHITFIELD: How did you get there?</s>SIMMONS: It's a practice, to have faith in the practice. I went to a yoga class and came out just for a minute I was at ease. I thought if I kept doing that I'd lose all my money.</s>WHITFIELD: Why did you say that?</s>SIMMONS: It was because I thought that anxiety drove me. But it's the opposite. That I take my half an hour in the morning, my hour and a half in the afternoon, morning meditation, practice afternoon and 30 minutes at night. I take that time out of my day and I'm so much more productive and healthy, because of it.</s>WHITFIELD: Kind of at peace?</s>SIMMONS: Well, you know, struggling with that, but more than I have been.</s>WHITFIELD: Really? Struggling, why?</s>SIMMONS: Being at peace?</s>WHITFIELD: Meaning you're at the center because you're using that collectively about two hours to just concentrate on you.</s>SIMMONS: It changed my life dramatically. In the physical practice of yoga you'll told to smile and breathe in every pose, no matter how difficult.</s>WHITFIELD: The person who is one of the millions who's unemployed, down on their luck, can't pay their bills, and they're looking for some inspiration. They're looking for, how do I reclaim some of my happiness because it seems like everything else is crumbling around me.</s>SIMMONS: If you make work your prayer and if you're present as a giver, then the results not only are they more fruitful, but they become less valuable, but they just keep coming and the cycle of giving speeds up which is what people want to do. The cycle of giving speeding up caused them the result, the cycle of getting speeds up. So you want people to be present and awake and focused. That's what the book is about, the basic practices that promote happiness. Money doesn't make you happy, but happy makes you money.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, Simmons built his multimillion dollar empire without ever making a business plan. That's what he revealed face to face. He tells me his secret to success in the third part of "Face to Face." That is coming up at 4:00 eastern. You do not want to miss that. Do you think classical music is boring? Wait until you see it conducted by a three-year-old. That's just one of the stories waiting for you at the water cooler. And researchers at the University of Southern California are testing a robot that could be the next big thing in education. CNN's Rob Marciano has details on how these pint-sized teachers aides work.</s>ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Could this face inspire learning? Researchers at USC think so. Designed with kid-friendly features like big eyes and the ability to blow bubbles, this robot named Bandit is a magnet for children.</s>MAJA MATARIC, USC: Kids get really excited and very motivated. We can use it for motivating exercise, for motivating doing homework, motivating studying, learning social behavior. We think of robots at social integrators. You can put a robe but in the playground a lot of kids will flock to it and play with it.</s>MARCIANO: This robot is guided by art terrible intelligence software, like motion tracking and speech recognition. Researchers believe fully autonomous robots make good teachers one day, especially for subjects that require more memory like languages.</s>MATARIC: They can teach them school material and also get them to do jumping jacks.</s>MARCIANO: While that may be years away in the U.S., Bandit's special talent for patience and repetition is already helping rehab stroke patients and providing a resource for children with autism.</s>MATARIC: There are a lot of people, children, adults, who need one on one care and attention, and there are just not enough other people to provide that care. Robots can step in and provide the care for which we don't have human care.</s>MARCIANO: Rob Marciano, CNN.