“During the birthday celebrations of August 1993 Sri Chinmoy explained and demonstrated the meditation states of Savikalpa and Nirvikalpa Samadhi at the "Aspiration Ground" in Queens, New York. When I filmed the meditation something strange happened with my camera. At the moment when Sri Chinmoy explained the meditation getting high, higher, highest, the colour of the recording faded away as if a high meditation could only be captured in black and white”. - Kedar Misani
On 6 October 1977, Mrs Lillian Carter met with Sri Chinmoy and the members of the Meditation Group in Americus, Georgia. Mrs Carter charmed the visitors them with tales of her experiences in India and vignettes about what it is like to be the President’s mother. The group, in turn, meditated with Mrs Lillian and sang a song composed by Sri Chinmoy in her honour, which brought tears to her eyes. This is a brief part of their conversation. Here Mrs Lillian was talking about the U.N. Meditation Group’s public concert that evening.
Mrs Lillian: Well, this is going to be a lovely night. I hope you have a crowd. People don’t understand this. I don’t know whether many people will be here or not. Have you heard?
Mr Steven Hein: We really don’t know if a lot of people will come or not. There was a little article in the newspaper.
Mrs Lillian: Yes, and weren’t you in Plains this afternoon?
Mr Steven Hein: Yes. There are a few posters up there.
Mrs Lillian: But here they don’t understand I am the only one who does, and I wouldn’t miss it but I hope you are going to have a nice crowd.
Sri Chinmoy: With your kind permission, may I meditate for a minute?
Mrs Lillian: Oh yes. [To the group] He wants me to be quiet!
Sri Chinmoy: Not in the least! Far from it. Please forgive me. My students had informed me that you would like me to meditate for a minute that’s why.
Mrs Lillian: Y’all better be quiet now, we’re going to meditate. [Silent meditation for four or five minutes.]
Sri Chinmoy: Thank you.
Mrs Lillian: Thank you. Very nice.
Sri Chinmoy: Now I wish to offer a soulful song to you, which I composed yesterday. It is about you. First I would like to sing it and then my students will sing it for you. Could my students come in now, please?
[They open the door and additional members of the United Nations Meditation Group come in.]
Sri Chinmoy: Just yesterday I composed it in honour of you.
Mrs Lillian: Wonderful! Y’all come in! [Turning to the Secret Service agent accompanying her] Ray, you should see the little piano, little organ, or what-do-you-call-it! [To the members of the Meditation Group] Good afternoon.
Sri Chinmoy: These are the members of the United Nations Meditation Group.
Mrs Lillian: Beautiful, beautiful. The saris are gorgeous. I never could wear one because I couldn’t put it on. Hello! Hello! How many are there?
Sri Chinmoy: Here there are about forty.
Mrs Lillian: Wonderful.
[Sri Chinmoy sings the song Compassion-Ocean, Mother Lillian, accompanying himself on the tote-a-tune.]
Mrs Lillian: That’s beautiful.
Sri Chinmoy: Now they will sing.
[The members of the United Nations Meditation Group sing Compassion-Ocean, Mother Lillian.]
Mrs Lillian: You just don’t know me. I’m not that good! Oh boy, this is wonderful! But I just really don’t deserve all this.
Sri Chinmoy: You deserve all this and much, much more.
Mrs Lillian: Oh, no, no, no, I don’t. This is just beautiful.
Sri Chinmoy: And we mean it. What we have sung, we literally mean it.
Mrs Lillian: Thank you, thank you, Sir.
Sri Chinmoy: It is all of our hearts’ feelings.
Mrs Lillian: Thank you very much. It is a great honour that you are doing this for me. But you don’t know me. Ray knows me, though. He knows that I’m not that good. Don’t you, Ray? It’s beautiful. Let me ask you something. Do you go everywhere with…I call him Mr Chinmoy… all together all the time?
UN Meditation Group member: As often as we can.
Sri Chinmoy: We have many more students. We have about eight hundred or so.
Mrs Lillian: I envy you your calmness. It took my best to sit still, much less meditate. I’m not much of a meditator. I did go to the meeting every Thursday night and I did meditate with them.
Sri Chinmoy: But you have meditated with me extremely well.
Mrs Lillian: Do you want me to tell you the truth? I don’t know what I was thinking about, but I had a thousand thoughts. I can’t get everything out of my head like you can. When you meditate, you completely bare your mind, don’t you?
Sri Chinmoy: At that time, we do not have a mind at all. When we meditate, we only live in the heart and we become the heart itself.
Mrs Lillian: I have heard that and I think it is beautiful. But the only way I can meditate is to go somewhere by myself. I go to what I call my Pond House, I can go out and sit and look out over the pond, and then I can meditate.
Sri Chinmoy: We belong to the United Nations Meditation Group. This is for you, Mother, this is our offering. [Sri Chinmoy presents Mrs Lillian with the United Nations Meditation Group banner.]
Mrs Lillian: Oh, this is beautiful. Thank you. Oh it is beautiful.
At the concert that the UN Meditation Group presented later that evening, Sri Chinmoy played the Indian esraj and members of the Group sang several Bengali and American songs, including India’s National Anthem and “America the Beautiful.”
During the concert Sri Chinmoy commented:
Sri Chinmoy: I am a seeker. I have been here for six or seven hours. On the strength of my aspiration, I wish to say what I feel about Plains. Simplicity, sincerity, spontaneity, humility and self-giving are the birthright of this town. This is what my inner aspiration tells me and I wish to offer my soulful gratitude to the soul of this town where our dear President was born.
Originally published in Sri Chinmoy, The Seeker’s Mind, Agni Press, New York, 1978
Compassion-Ocean Mother Lillian at Sri Chinmoy Songs
Video by Mridanga Spencer
During a function at Aspiration-Ground in New York, Sri Chinmoy reads three of his earliest English poems — The Golden Flute, Immortality and The Absolute — written during his Ashram years in India before he came to America in 1964.
The U Thant Peace Award was established by Sri Chinmoy: The Peace Meditation at the United Nations in honour of the third Secretary-General of the United Nations, who was a deeply contemplative world-server. At the invitation of U Thant, in 1970 Sri Chinmoy began conducting at United Nations Headquarters the twice-weekly Peace Meditations, which continue to this day.
To perpetuate U Thant's sacred memory, the Award is presented to individuals or organisations who exemplify the lofty spiritual ideals of the Secretary-General in their distinguished service to the cause of world peace.
U Thant Award at Sri Chinmoy.org
Zenon Rossides
7th October 1982 — Sri Chinmoy presents the first U Thant Peace Award to Zenon Rossides, Ambassador of Cyprus to the UN, at the United Nations in New York.
(Other recipients this is a non-comprehensive list)
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prime Minister of India, 13 January 2001
Sri Chinmoy's Mahasamadhi, 11 October 2007.
Sri Chinmoy entered Mahasamadhi - the mystic process through which spiritual Masters leave the body - on the morning of 11 October 2007.
The day before Sri Chinmoy’s mahasamadhi on 10 October, he held a weekly meditation, where he sold a book of prayers My Christmas-New Year-Vacation-Aspiration-Prayers, (written during his stay in Langkawi, Malaysia in early 2006.) The last prayer in the book was:
“My physical death
Is not the end of my life –
I am an eternal journey.”
My Christmas-New Year-Vacation-Aspiration-Prayers, Part 52
In a nutshell, this encapsulates Sri Chinmoy's philosophy on death and reincarnation. Also of note is this passage from Siddhartha Becomes the Buddha. In this particular scene the Buddha is on the verge of passing beyond his mortal coil and his dearest disciple Ananda is crying. The Buddha speaks:
"Ananda, do not cry for me. I tell all of you not to cry for me. Ananda, I have told you repeatedly that everything is transient on earth. There is nothing everlasting here. Anything that comes into life will have to give up life. ... My spiritual journey began with renunciation and compassion, and today, at the end of my journey's close, I offer to the world the same message: renunciation and compassion. O Ananda, do not grieve."
Sri Chinmoy, Siddhartha Becomes the Buddha
After Sri Chinmoy's passing many renowned world figures offered their kind tributes.
“With deep regret I have learned that my long-term close friend, the friend of my family and of our Foundation, Sri Chinmoy, passed away yesterday…This is a loss for the whole world. Through many years of his selfless work for the sake of peace, Sri Chinmoy has gained recognition and love in the farthest corners of our planet…In our hearts he will forever remain a man who dedicated his whole life to peace… We shall remember Sri Chinmoy forever!”
— President Mikhail Gorbachev
More tributes at Sri Chinmoy.org
After Sri Chinmoy's passing, many came to Aspiration-Ground, New York to pray and meditate. The silence alternating with soulful performances by his disciples.
Performances from 2007 at Radio Sri Chinmoy
In 1974, Sri Chinmoy composed the song "When I am gone away, remember me" but asked that it would not be sung until his physical passing.
When I am gone away, remember me,
O children sweet.
No, not because I failed.
No, not because I cried.
No, not because I tried.
No, not because I saw my Lord in you.
No, not because I served my Lord in you.
No, not because I fulfilled my Lord in you.
No, not because I was your Pilot true.
No, not because I was your ‘Infinite’ blue.
O, but because my life was all gratitude, gratitude, gratitude
To you, to you, my children sweet, to you.
When I am gone away, remember me.
Question: What is the significance of a comet?
Sri Chinmoy: When something most precious leaves the earth-consciousness, then a comet will be visible. From the spiritual point of view, when you see a comet, something very significant has taken place on earth. When Sri Ramana Maharshi passed on, everybody saw a comet in the South Indian sky.
Sri Chinmoy, Sri Chinmoy Answers, Part 9, Agni Press, New York, 1999
Comet Holmes was discovered in 1892 by Edwin Holmes, normally, it is a very faint object but on 23-24 October (13 days after Sri Chinmoy's mahasamadhi) it unexpectedly brightened by a factor of one million times making it clearly visible to the naked eye. It was reported in a scientific publication as the largest known outburst by a comet thus far.
"The massive outburst of the comet 17P/Holmes in 2007 October is the largest known outburst by a comet thus far." Royal Astronomical Society
Interestingly 2007 was notable for a very rare astronomical double feature. Comet McNaught, first discovered in August 2006, passed exceptionally close to the sun in January 2007.
The number 13 has always been very significant in Sri Chinmoy's life, such as his arrival in New York on 13 April 1964.
Related
Dulal (Sol Montlack) was one of the earliest disciples of Sri Chinmoy, accepted by the Master on 20 August 1966. In 1967, he helped to officially incorporate AUM Centre Inc (later renamed Sri Chinmoy Centre), in New York City, as mentioned in AUM magazine:
“To our Dulal (Mr. Sol Montlack) who made many patient trips to the Supreme Court, untangled countless difficulties, and saw through the Incorporation to its conclusion, we offer our deep and grateful love.”
Dulal wrote an introduction to My Yogi-Friends, My Avatar-Friends, Agni Press, New York, 1971:
“Sri Chinmoy’s path is the path of unconditional love, devotion and surrender. It is the path of purity, sincerity and gratitude. It is the path of the heart. It is the path of service that demands transformation and offers God-realisation.
This path is not an escape from reality; on the contrary, it is Reality itself. It is for the strong as well as for the pure in heart.”
— Continue reading Dulal's introduction to My Yogi-Friends, My Avatar-Friends
Dulal served as an early president of the Sri Chinmoy Centre and played a role in helping new seekers integrate into the centre. For example, Sarama recounts how Dulal introduced her to Sri Chinmoy.
Ashrita recalls ringing Dulal when he was first interested in meditating with Sri Chinmoy.
On the evening of 25 May 1973, the former United Nations Secretary-General U Thant attended the first performance of the play, Siddhartha Becomes the Buddha, at Old Mill Farm in Harrison, New York. Dulal is second from left.
Dulal was a professional violinist, playing as a viola player in the Little Orchestra Society of New York. In The Life of Sri Chinmoy, Madhuri Sands quotes Dulal sharing an experience of his Master playing through him.
“There was a concert I was nervous about. I had some solos to play in the orchestra and I asked Guru to put a force on me. The force was so strong I found I was playing so relaxed and easily that I realised that if I didn't concentrate I wouldn't know where I was. Afterwards, Guru told me that he was playing. He was playing, and he never took a lesson in his life!”
— Madhuri Sands, Life of Sri Chinmoy, Part 2, Sri Chinmoy Lighthouse, 1972.
In public concerts, Sri Chinmoy would on occasion perform with Dulal.
On 6 May 1976, during a celebration of Dulal’s birthday, Dulal asked Sri Chinmoy to reveal some of his inner secrets for the benefit of the disciples. This led to the publication of the book Ten Divine Secrets.
On 2 October 1993, Sri Chinmoy offered the following tribute to Dulal, one of his pioneer disciples in the West, at a special observance for Dulal held at Aspiration-Ground after Dulal’s earth-departure:
Dulal, the human in me will eternally remain grateful to you. The divine in me will eternally cherish you. Two thousand five hundred years ago, you had a most significant incarnation. You became Lord Buddha’s dearest and closest disciple. In this incarnation you came to another spiritual Master. Your soul knows, your heart knows, your life knows where you are and where you will eternally be: inside my heart and inside Alo’s heart.
The most sincere and most cheerful surrender of the American mind to an Indian heart you were. I have created many, many things in many fields. Your soul’s inner depth felt and realised the beauty, the divinity and the immortality of my creativities in various fields. Your soul’s nobility will remain unparalleled. Your heart’s capacity to assimilate the shortcomings, weaknesses, expectations and demands from many, many, many people who have known you over the years will remain unparalleled. Your smile is made of divine oneness plus divine kindness.
Quite a few times you came to me with problems and problems, countless problems of the disciples, and I asked you for your suggestions to solve the problems. You gave me the suggestions. I looked at you with my heart of compassion and I said, “I shall deal with these problems in totally different ways.” You looked at me and I told you how to deal with the problem. Immediately is the right word, unreservedly is the right word, cheerfully is the right word, unconditionally is the right word: these words can be applied only to your life. You accepted my advice, offering the messages to the disciples in question.
In so many ways, I cannot count, you have served the Supreme in me. Since you left the body yesterday in the afternoon you have come to me so many times, so many. Long, longer, longest conversation we have had, and this special meditation that we held today is also at your express wish. You wanted to have it here at Aspiration-Ground and not anywhere else.
You were not only physically tall, but spiritually also you were tall, extremely, extremely, extremely tall. I have written many, many books. If ever I write a book about you, it will indeed be a very thick volume, with many, many significant incidents and experiences that took place in our mission. With you we started our mission. To you we gave the name Dulal. Dulal means darling. Your soul and your heart are undoubtedly worthy of this name.
Today we had most significant, most significant meditation to love your life, to offer my gratitude to your heart and to be inseparably one with your soul’s vision-light. Now I wish to share something with all the disciples, your brothers and sisters who are still here in the land of the living. When the hour strikes, we shall also join you. You can see us; you will be able to see us infinitely easier than we do. Here I am identifying myself with the disciples.
Now to come back to the significant part. I see so vividly, so vividly, with my third eye that you were inundated with a blue light, a blue aura. There are many auras, but blue is my most significant and most favourite in my life-story. This moment I saw you flying in the blue sky. The sky was flooded with blue light, and you were flying with unimaginable ecstasy. Next moment I saw you swimming, swimming, swimming in the sea of blue light. Flying and swimming, swimming, swimming.
You said, “My Gurudev, I bow to your infinite blessings. I bow to your eternal compassion. I bow to your immortal love. Alo, my Mother, my Mother Divine, my own Mother of Eternity, I shall always love you, I shall always give you my soul’s love and gratitude, love and gratitude. My brothers and sisters, I have only one piece of advice to you all: obey, obey, obey our Gurudev. Do not disobey him. Do not disobey him. Do not disobey him.”
Dulal. Dulal. Dulal. Dulal. Dulal. Dulal. Dulal.
Photos: Sarama (1972, 1974), Bhashwar (1976), Pulak (1993).
"I do this to inspire humanity. There is nothing. It is not too late. At any age you can start. And never to give up! Many people have given up hope. So I will try to inspire them not to give up hope and never too late." From DVD Mridanga Spencer 1999
On 26-27 September 1981, the second Sri Chinmoy 24-hour track championship was held at Greenwich, Connecticut. It proved to be a record-breaking event, with 40 runners taking to the start line, up from just 6 runners at the 1st event in 1980.
The race began with a short meditation by Sri Chinmoy.
Sahishnu Sczesiul, a SCMT race director wrote:
“The 24-hour event was catching on, not only around the US but worldwide, as athletes chose to test themselves at various distances and in set-time events, like the one-day and even 48-hour affairs. On the extreme end of the sport existed the revival of the six-day races from the late 19th century, as well as point-to-point races from cities, or across states, or even across countries, as history would later reveal. Our humble 24-hour races began serving the running community by offering inspiration to the athletes, as well as building standards for race administration and implementation, especially in the care of the athletes during the races.
Sri Chinmoy begged us to treat the athletes with the utmost respect and with a sincere concern for their endeavors. To this day, the ounce of care has been essential in the formation of good feelings among athletes in sport.” - Continue reading at www.srichinmoyraces.org
Cahit Yeter won the race with 155 miles. This set a new North American 24-hour record, national record, course and event record, and moved him into sixth place of all time in the world for 24 hours.
Sue Medaglia laid claim to a new women’s world track record with 126 miles 763 yards. She eclipsed the mark set by Sue Ellen Trapp of 123 miles 593 yards. Sue also became the first woman in history to pass the 200 km barrier, reaching the mark in 23:41:08.
In 5th place was Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team’s own Steve (Arpan) Deangelo, with 125 miles.
The race became a real collection of ultra-distance running legends. The awards ceremony was graced by ultrarunning legend Ted Corbitt.
Also the great Australian runner Robert de Castella, who went on to win Gold in the men’s Commonwealth Games marathon in 1982, had just won the BMW 15K, and came to speak with Sri Chinmoy at the awards.
Overall, there was a great feeling of enthusiasm and excitement about the growth of the 24-hour races in the US.
Bob Marshall, one of the runners who finished 14th with 106 miles, wrote an article in Ultrarunning magazine in November 1981. This is a quote from his article:
“There is always something special about Sri Chinmoy and his group. Through ultra-marathoning I have found what I consider to be an unparalleled inner contentment, yet I can only wonder in awe at the peace and love radiating from each of the Sri Chinmoy followers. At the far corner of the track two young women sang beautiful lyric songs about running and living. On nearly every lap I was greeted and cheered by name. When it was dark, the track was lighted with dozens of candles in white bags, which cast a mystical glow around the far turns.”
“The combination of the 24-hour event and Sri’s race support group produced an unforgettable event, and fitting surroundings for the world-class performances which resulted.”
“At the award ceremony I felt as if we were all winners; it was tremendous! We sat in a circle and shared the moment—perhaps the first time that 24 runners bested 100 miles in a 24-hour race. World and national records were set by masters and junior performers. Sri Chinmoy composed a song that the group sang to us. Van Deusen and Yeter shook hands; Cahit had broken Bob’s American record for 200 km, as well as his national 24-hour record. Sri Chinmoy presented the awards. I had my brief moment, barely able to stand and accept Sri’s hand. Suddenly it was over—the greatest 24-hour race ever held on American soil. I’ll be back.”
Related
