My Puerto Rico
A talk by Sri Chinmoy
held under the auspices of the YMCA of Santurce, Puerto Rico
My Geography tells me that you are the land of unmatched charm and beauty.
My History tells me that you have significantly learned the meaning of suffering.
My literature tells me that your culture is flooded with the soul's spontaneous sincerity.
My body tells me that your body is the perfect expression of nature's simplicity and candour. My mind tells me that your mind is looking pointedly into the golden Vision of the Future. My heart tells me that your heart is full of loving warmth and snow-white affection. Your heart's tearing efforts to transcend the ill-fated barriers of poverty will, before long, be crowned with success.
They came. They conquered. Perhaps they helped. But they could have made better use of their paternal concern.
They have come. They are helping. Momentous is their contribution. Yet you need more of their attention, sympathy and opportunity.
Let them come and let them go, if so is the Will of God. But you try to live dauntless, deep within. You try to listen to the dictates of your inner soul.
Yours is the mounting cry. Yours is the Golden Shore. Yours is the Promised Land. May God shower His choicest Blessings upon you, my Puerto Rico!
Published in AUM – Vol. 2, No. 7, 8, Feb. – 27 Mar. 1967
Spaniards Came
A poem* by Sri Chinmoy
Spaniards came.
They conquered.
Perhaps they helped.
But they could have made better use
of their paternal concern.Americans have come.
They are helping.
Momentous is their contribution.
Yet you need more of their attention,
Sympathy and opportunity.Let them come and let them go,
if so is the Will of God.
But you try to live dauntless,
deep within.
You try to listen to the dictates
of your inner soul.
Yours is the mounting cry,
Yours is the Golden Shore,
Yours is the Promised Land.
May God shower His choicest Blessings
upon you,
My Puerto Rico!
* Sri Chinmoy set music to the words of this poem on July 8th 1979 in his song, Spaniards Came. However, it has never been included among his literary works.
Everest-Aspiration Talks
by Sri Chinmoy
Acceptance
7:30 a.m.
Jamaica High School Track,
Jamaica, New York
I have accepted man
Because
Man is dreaming.I have accepted the earth
Because
The earth is transcending.I have accepted Heaven
Because
Heaven is smiling.I have accepted the cosmic gods
Because
The cosmic gods are promising.I have accepted God
Because
God is at once evolving and fulfilling.I have accepted myself
Because
I am learning the supreme art
of surrendering.
Empty Moments
7:40 a.m.
Jamaica High School Track,
Jamaica, New York
You are saying that you suffer from empty moments. Do you know why? Not because you have nothing to do. Not because you have nothing to talk about. Not because you have nothing to read or write. Not because your world is wanting in friends. Not because you cannot trust the world. Not because you cannot claim anybody to be your own in this vast creation of God’s. No, the reason you suffer from empty moments is because you are not playing inside the garden of your heart with your heart’s child, the soul.
If you play lovingly, cheerfully, devotedly and unreservedly with your soul-child, then you will never, never suffer from empty moments no matter what the world gives you, no matter what the world does to you, no matter what you are doing and what you will be doing for this world of yours.
You are bound to suffer from empty moments. The empty moments will assail you unless and until you do the right thing, the only thing, which is your constant oneness-sport with your heart’s child, the soul. Something more: you have to realise the supreme fact that a tiny, soulful smile by your soul is the saviour of your life, the liberator of your life and the fulfiller of your life. If you can catch the soul smiling, you are bound to make progress in your inner life and you are bound to succeed in your outer life. And when you smile simultaneously with the soul, you become what you eternally are in the inner world: God’s own Satisfaction-Smile. Not empty moments, but a fulfilled and fulfilling smile is the only purpose of your existence-reality here on earth.
Do You Want to Be Perfect?
7:45 a.m.
Jamaica High School Track,
Jamaica, New York
Do you want to be perfect in every possible way? Then let Me ask you a few simple but life-illumining questions. Is your mind receptive to a small change? If so, then ask your mind not to be so doubtful and suspicious all the time. Is your vital receptive to a small change? If so, then ask your vital not to lord it over the world and to crush the world under its heavy weight. Is your body receptive to a small change? If so, then ask your body not to sleep shamelessly for so many hours at a stretch. Is your heart receptive to a small change? If so, then ask your heart not to be so helplessly and hopelessly timid.
One more question you will ask each of the members of your inner family. Is your mind receptive to a small change? If so, then ask your mind to empty itself of all its contents early in the morning so that I can enter into it and enjoy My Satisfaction-Rest at least for seven fleeting seconds. Is your vital receptive to a small change? If so, then ask your vital to spread its concern-wings all over the world. Then what shall I do? Do you know? With enormous pride I shall play with all-loving Concern-Wings with your vital. Is your body receptive to a small change? If so, then ask your body to wake up and look around and discover Me. I am hiding. If the body can trace Me, then I shall be more than willing to play with the body my hide-and-seek game, which even the cosmic gods most soulfully enjoy. Is your heart receptive to a small change? If so, then ask your heart to breathe in only the purity-breath and nothing else. Tell your heart that the purity-breath is the only thing that I live on. When I eat anything else, I suffer from stomach upset and from all kinds of ailments. It is only your heart’s purity-breath that nourishes Me, sustains Me and gives Me the Nectar-Delight and Immortality-Strength to continue My cosmic Game, My cosmic Dance and My cosmic Oneness-Satisfaction.
Where are They?
10:15 p.m.
Co-op City,
Bronx, New York
Where is the ignorance-king? He is at work. Where is the desire-man? He is at work. Where is the Compassion-God? He is at work.
The ignorance-king, the desire-man and the Compassion-God want me to be their witness. If you want to know how they work, I am more than willing to tell you. The ignorance-king works untiringly. The desire-man works unconsciously. The Compassion-God works unconditionally.
The ignorance-king wants to devour the world. The desire-man wants to possess the world. The Compassion-God wants to illumine the world.
The ignorance-king says, “I do not want to love anything. I do not want to love anybody, but I want to be loved by the desire-man and by the Compassion-God.”
The desire-man says, “I want to love the temptation of the ignorance-king and I want to love the forgiveness of the Compassion-God.”
The Compassion-God says, “I want to love My own awakening evolution in the ignorance-king. I want to love My own aspiring evolution in the desire-man. I want to love My own all-transcending and all-illumining evolution in My own Dream-Boat and Reality-Shore.”
Published in Everest-Aspiration, part 4