JANUARY 1ST
 
           
 

• Sri Chinmoy meditates with his students for the New Year while on a visit to Puerto Rico.
 
JANUARY 2ND
 
           
 

• Sri Chinmoy and his students spend the day at the resort beach of Palmas de Mar, ‘Palms of the Sea’.

  
 
JANUARY 4TH
 
           
 

• Sri Chinmoy returns to New York from Puerto Rico.
 
JANUARY 8TH
 
           
 

• Sri Chinmoy delivers the first lecture in his Dag Hammarskjöld Lecture Series, entitled ‘1976: The New Year, New Opportunities, New Challenges’, at the United Nations in New York.

  
 
JANUARY 9TH
 
    “When we use our outer vision, we see that thirteen runners are observing this bicentennial historical event. But when we use our inner vision, we see that these runners are runners of a new dawn, beckoning America’s body, vital, mind and heart to run fast, faster, fastest towards a goal which others call unknowable. These divine runners call that goal unknown, but tomorrow it will not only be known but it will be a day-to-day reality for Americans, and not for Americans alone, but for the entire world. Today’s goal seems unknowable, but tomorrow it will be known and utilised for the betterment of the new world.” — Sri Chinmoy  
 

• Sri Chinmoy gives an early-morning blessing at his home in Jamaica, New York, to the thirteen Liberty-Torch runners before they begin their historic 360-mile relay run from New York to Washington, D.C.

  
 
         
 

• Sri Chinmoy gives a short talk, entitled ‘My Life Is A Life Of Gratitude’, and answers a series of questions about religion, at the United Nations in New York.

  
 
JANUARY 10TH
 
    JANUARY 10TH 1976   “O Church of Christ, to you I bow, to you I bow... Countless are the churches in America, but I soulfully and unmistakably feel that this particular church has been blessed by the Absolute Supreme most dynamically and most powerfully.” — Sri Chinmoy Read more...  
 

• In the afternoon, Sri Chinmoy meditates at historic Christ Church in Philadelphia, where the Liberty-Torch runners pass their relay torch. Sri Chinmoy inscribes in the guest book: “The country-server of the past comes as the country-lover of the present to fulfil the Supreme in His own Way.”

  
 
JANUARY 11TH
 
    JANUARY 11TH 1976      
 

• Sri Chinmoy offers a wreath and meditated at the grave of the late President John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery just outside Washington D.C. The Liberty-Torch runners offer a solemn salute before continuing on to complete their course at the Washington Monument, where they receive the commendations of the President's Advisor on Physical Fitness, Mr. Casey Conrad; Apollo Astronaut Bill Anders; Captain Harry Allendorfer, Director of Special Events of the National Bicentennial Commission; New York Congressmen Ottinger and Addabbo, by letter; and from President Ford, in a personally signed letter.

  

 

 

JANUARY 12TH
 
    JANUARY 12TH 1976   “In each seeker, there is a promise to God, a promise to the inner Reality, to the Highest Reality, that he will become a perfect, unconditional instrument of God to play the inimitable role God has created for him.” — Sri Chinmoy  
 

• An article about Sri Chinmoy appears in the popular US national People magazine.

  
   
         
 

• Sri Chinmoy is a guest on ‘The Pat Collins Show’ on New York television.

  
   
         
 

• During an informal gathering at his home in New York, Sri Chinmoy answers numerous questions about dreams, the pyramids, Atlantis, the Bermuda triangle, the planets and the moon. These are later published in his book, ‘Conversations With The Master’.

  

 

 

JANUARY 15TH
 
           
 

• Sri Chinmoy takes up photography for the first time.
 
JANUARY 16TH
 
           
 

• Sri Chinmoy answers a series of questions about religion at the United Nations in New York.

  
 

 

JANUARY 18TH
 
    “When you meditate, three things bring into your mind: purity in your entire being, humility in your entire being and gratitude in every limb, in every cell. And when you breathe in and breathe out, feel that a river is flowing in and out with constant oneness with the Source, the Supreme. If you meditate in this way, you are bound to get one hundred out of a hundred.” — Sri Chinmoy  
 

• Sri Chinmoy meditates with his disciples in groups according to their age and month of birth. He tells them which groups had done the best meditation, then he offers them all some encouraging words.

  
 

 

JANUARY 19TH
 
           
 

• Sri Chinmoy inaugurates the first ‘Family Gathering’ of all his New York area students. This is the forerunner of what would later become known internationally as Sri Chinmoy Centre ‘Joy Days’.

  
 
         
 

• In the afternoon Sri Chinmoy hosts a vegetarian banquet for senior citizens from the Jamaica area, offering each a rose and a copy of a special message at Annam Brahma Restaurant.

  
 
  “Now we will see some slides; and if you have any mental disease, it will disappear! … This is the beginning. I am sure I will make progress.” — Sri Chinmoy  
 

• During the evening meditation, there is a showing of Sri Chinmoy’s slides. Sri Chinmoy laughs the hardest of all at the distorted, over-exposed features of the Bengali Singers – his first photographic subjects.

  
 

 

JANUARY 21ST
 
      “Spiritual power tells us in unmistakable terms, ‘I am, I eternally am.’ Occult power tells us unmistakably, ‘I can, I immediately can.’ Will power unmistakably tells us, ‘I enjoy, I divinely enjoy, I supremely enjoy. I enjoy, not in a human way, but in a divine way, in a supreme way.’ ” — Sri Chinmoy  
 

• Sri Chinmoy delivers the first of 7 lectures, entitled ‘Spiritual Power, Occult Power And Will Power’, at The George Washington University in Washington, DC, USA.

  
 

 

JANUARY 24TH
 
    JANUARY 24TH 1976   Steve Powers: “Do you believe that God provides?”

Sri Chinmoy: “God does provide. He is the Creator and He is the creation. How can you separate the Creator from the creation? When you write a poem or when you compose a song, you feel your identification and oneness with the creation itself. God has created us, so how can He separate us from His own reality?”

  
 

• An interview with Sri Chinmoy on ‘The Steve Powers Show’ is aired on WMCA-AM Radio in New York. Listen to the interview...

  
 
         
 

• Sri Chinmoy departs New York for Puerto Rico.
 
JANUARY 25TH
 
    JANUARY 25TH 1976   JANUARY 25TH 1976      
 

• Sri Chinmoy meets with Muhammad Ali in Puerto Rico where they have a long spiritual discussion. Sri Chinmoy also offers the world boxing champion a song he has composed called ‘Greater than the Greatest’. After the meeting, Sri Chinmoy attends one of Muhammad Ali’s training sessions.

  
 

 

JANUARY 27TH
 
           
 

• Sri Chinmoy is named an Official Guest of Honour of the city of Caguas in Puerto Rico.
 
JANUARY 28TH
 
           
 

• Sri Chinmoy delivers a lecture, entitled ‘Heaven-Vision And Earth-Reality’, at George Washington University in Washington, DC, USA.

  
 

JANUARY 31ST
 
    JANUARY 31ST 1976   “I have offered to each of you a flower. A flower signifies purity. Let us feel that our hearts have become as pure as the flower. Concentration, meditation and contemplation are of utmost importance in the spiritual life.” — Sri Chinmoy  
 

• Sri Chinmoy offers his first seven-hour meditation for the public, at All Angels’ Church in New York. The meditation is held in three sessions: the first of three hours, followed by two sessions of two hours each. During the first session, Sri Chinmoy offers blessing-flowers individually to all present. Then he gives instructions on concentration, meditation and contemplation.