August 13
Sri Chinmoy ready to lift. On this occasion, it is the Olympic wrestler Karina Shadoyan: and the photographer Maral Siegel and his parents who are to be lifted at Aspiration-Ground in Jamaica, Queens, New York.
August 13
After traversing New York State for 10 days, the ‘Aspiration-Plants and Gratitude-Leaves of New York’ 700-mile walk finishes with a special celebration at the Sri Chinmoy Church in Bayside, New York.
August 12
In the heat of the summer’s day at Aspiration-Ground in New York, Sri Chinmoy hands one of the girl singers a hat from inside his blue gazebo at the tennis court.
August 11
Silence-Seed and Sound-Fruit
During a meeting of his Connecticut Centre, Sri Chinmoy asks each of his disciples to give him a spiritual word, and he then spontaneously recites a poem based on the word.
Either I shall have to
Cry like a child
Or I shall have to
Smile like a child.
These are the only ways
To constantly gain inner strength.
There are no other ways.
When I cry like a child
Or smile like a child,
Lo, inner strength becomes mine.
A human life of joy
Is a life of and for
God's Satisfaction-Toy
In humanity,
In His Universal Reality.
Oneness with the past
Is our oneness with frustration-night.
Oneness with the present
Is our oneness with hesitation-night.
Oneness with the fast-approaching tomorrow
Is our oneness with God-preparation
For a new dawn.
Spontaneity
Is God-transcending
Reality,
Divinity
And Immortality
In our life of ever-mounting oneness
With the Absolute.
An Avatar is he who is
Heaven's unrecognised infinite capacity
For
Humanity's immortal perfection.
The human mother tells the child,
"Look up!
There is the truth."
The divine Mother tells the child,
"Look within!
There alone
Is the beauty of truth."
Gratitude
Is self-expansion
And
God-manifestation
In the life of the sincere seeker's
Ever-mounting aspiration.
The seeker's regularity
Makes God
Smile.
The seeker's punctuality
Makes God
Dance.
If ever a disciple realises,
Even for a fleeting second,
What the Guru's love is,
Then God-realisation for him
Can no longer remain a far cry.
God-realisation then becomes
As easy as drinking water.
As long as the animal in us
Plays the role of our Supreme,
We cannot become a genuine seeker.
As long as the human in us
Plays the role of our Supreme,
We cannot become a real seeker.
But
The day the Divine in us
Plays the role of our Supreme,
That day not only will we
Have the Supreme as our guide,
But we will ourselves become the Supreme —
Our only Goal.
Give light;
You will receive more.
Become light;
You will receive much more.
Ask God
Whether to give light or become light;
You will become boundless light.
Devotion
To the inner reality
Is liberation
From the shackles
Of temptation and frustration.
Cry for name and fame;
God will not allow you
To participate in His cosmic Game.
Cry for surrender-participation
In His cosmic Game;
God not only will allow you
To play with Him,
But also will share with you
His infinite Delight.
A human child
Cries for possession.
A divine child
Cries for perfection-progress on earth
And
Perfection-progress in Heaven.
If you think of sin,
Then you need salvation.
If you think of ignorance,
Then you need liberation.
If you think of oneness,
Then you need God-realisation,
Self-realisation.
The self-giving life-tree
Becomes slowly,
Steadily
And unerringly
The God-nourishing,
God-immortalising
Fruit.
Creation is
God-preparation
In silence,
God-transcendence
In silence.
A God-ordained marriage
Leads to
Heaven's door.
A man-made marriage
Is the door to
Hell itself.
A surrendered life
Is God-satisfaction acceptance-light
In the heart
Of a genuine seeker.
Peace is not in seeing,
Peace is not in receiving,
Peace is not in feeling,
Peace is not in giving;
Peace is in praying to God
For peace-role
In the seeker's aspiring life.
The best education
In the human life
Is self-giving.
The best education
In the divine life
Is unconditional surrender
To God's Will.
With our outer vision
We see the world
The way we want to see the world.
With our inner vision
We see the world
The way God wants us to see the world.
How does God want us to see the world?
He wants us to see the world
As God-preparing perfection.
God never asks us
To do something beyond our capacity.
He always grants us
Infinitely more than the necessary capacity
When He asks us to do something for Him.
The Beyond
Is in my heart's cry
For my nature's transformation
And
For the constant Satisfaction
Of my Beloved Supreme.
A sacred life is needed
To receive God.
A sacred life is needed
To reveal the divine in us.
A sacred life is needed
For the real in us
To become universally real.
But a supreme life is needed
To carry the message of God.
Immortality
Is not a vague word;
It is a reality.
And this reality dawns
Only when the seeker becomes
A conscious and constant cry
For God-satisfaction in himself.
Spirituality
Is the only reality
That grows in our inner life,
That glows in our outer life
And
That flows in God's ever-transcending
Silence-Life.
Real hope is not mere wishful thinking.
Real hope is the seed of reality in us
Which is bound to manifest itself
In God-satisfaction
Reality-tree,
Reality-flower,
Reality-fruit.
When I consciously do not mix
With ignorance-night,
Delight spontaneously mixes with me
And promises me
That light will always mix with me.
Lord Supreme,
Make me a hallowed instrument,
A flute,
So that you can play on me
With Your all-illumining,
All-liberating,
All-immortalising
Delight.
The soul not only tells us about
The existence of the supreme Goal,
But also shows us
Where the Goal is
And
What the Goal is.
Lord Supreme,
I am becoming
A surrendered instrument of Yours
Precisely because
That is what You want
For Your constant and continuous
Satisfaction in me.
The divine in me grows
Only when I devotedly allow
The supreme Energy to flow.
What is the supreme Energy?
The supreme Energy is my constant
Offering of my gratitude-heart
To the Supreme.
God's Silence-Life
Is God's perfect Love-Life
In God.
God's Sound-Life
Is God's constant Satisfaction-Life
In man.
Man's soulfulness
Is God's all-fulfilling Oneness
With the seeker's promise
To the Absolute Supreme
For God-manifestation.
Earth-bound reality tells me
That I am of ignorance-night
And for ignorance-night.
Heaven-free reality tells me
That I am eternally
What God wants me to be:
His constant and conscious instrument.
The divine journey
Is the continuous, eternal journey
That is not only nearing God-Reality
But is actually bringing God-Reality
To itself.
And this journey is not only the soul's
Continuous preparation
In us,
But also the soul's full blossoming
For us.
A human child
Eventually becomes
God-Perfection.
A divine child
Eternally remains
In God-Satisfaction.
Eternity
Is the God-height in man.
Infinity
Is the God-length in man.
Immortality
Is the God-depth in man.
Clarity is the greatest wealth
That a human mind can achieve.
Purity is the best wealth
That a human heart can achieve.
Surrender is the best treasure
That a human life can achieve.
When I pray,
I pray to God to make me perfect.
When I meditate,
God tells me that
I have all along been perfect,
But I have only to realise it.
Human will is nothing more
Than disheartening hesitation.
Divine Will is nothing short of
God-preparation in us,
God-Perfection for us
And
God-Satisfaction in and through us.
Inner obedience
Immediately increases our outer faith.
Outer obedience to the spiritual Master
Immediately increases our inner faith.
And when our inner faith is increased,
Our outer ignorance is not only decreased
But immediately and totally diminished.
At that time we become
Perfect instruments of God-manifestation.
Salvation
Is the first enlightenment
In our inner eternal journey.
Liberation
Is the second enlightenment
In our heavenward eternal journey.
Realisation
Is the third and last
All-illumining and all-fulfilling
Enlightenment
In our eternal journey
Toward ever-transcending
Existence, Consciousness and Bliss.
Bliss
Is divine intensity-height.
Bliss
Is God-intensity
For
Universal Reality.
Creativity
Is a God-loving reality in us.
Creativity
Is constant God-embodiment,
God-revelation and God-manifestation
In the seeker's evolving life
Of God-Satisfaction.
There is only one everlasting reality
In the human heart
And that everlasting reality is man's
Constant, increasing and expanding
Gratitude.
Sow the unconditional love-seed.
Lo, God grants you
The God-service-tree,
The tree that bears
Nectar-fruit
And
Nectar-satisfaction.
God-Dream
Is unrecognised
Reality in us.
God-Reality
Is unmanifested
Divinity for us,
Only for us.
I surrender my outer existence to God
Not because He is very great,
Infinitely great,
But because He is the only Reality
That loves me sincerely,
Truly,
Eternally.
Even I do not love myself
The way God loves me.
To Him alone I surrender.
These 50 poems were later published in Silence-Seed and Sound-Fruit
August 10
Sri Chinmoy lifting two Japanese children as part of his ‘Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart’ programme, at Aspiration-Ground in Jamaica, Queens, New York.
August 8
Sri Chinmoy visits The Panorama of my Silence-Heart’ on Parsons Blvd. in Jamaica, New York. A replica of his original artwork, dedicated to the cafe, takes pride of place on the wall.
August 16
Reflections on Tagore
10.
When I came to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, my brother Chitta taught me Bengali metre. It took him about a week or so. There are four or five main Bengali metres. English also has many metres, such as iambus, trochee and spondee. But Bengali has more metres. Chitta taught me, and my ear was fortunately very trained. He used Tagore’s poems as examples and then he said, “This is how it was done.” There are many, many poems of Tagore’s that are very, very easy to scan. And then there are some metres that Tagore used which are very, very complicated. Those also I learned.
There are two metres that are very common. One deals with the letters of the alphabet, and the other with sound. In India, I wrote both sound and letter metres, but here in America it seems to me I have written the sound metre more than the letter metre. That is how Chitta taught me. When I started writing my song ‘Uthe Jakhan Pub Gagane Savita’, my brother was in the seventh heaven of delight because the metre was correct. Again, I wrote some poems with both metres together — sound metre and letter metre. They were very difficult, very difficult.
Published in Rabindranath Tagore: the moon of Bengal’s Heart
August 16
Sri Chinmoy honours 588-pound Baptist Minister Daniel Deane in the ‘Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart’ programme at Aspiration-Ground in Jamaica, Queens, New York. Sri Chinmoy lifted him in recognition of his lifetime of ministry to the deaf and disadvantaged.
Daniel Deane:
“I have never known so many people to gather together with one thought, one heart: to serve.
"The world has a lot to learn from you folks."
August 16
Peace walk for United Nations Charter Day
SOME 275 UN staff and delegates from 80 countries joined in the second Peace Walk for United Nations Charter Day, which was held on 25 and 26 June in the North Garden. By walking through a marked area of the Garden with their countrymen, in silence and re-dedication, they commemorated the 39th anniversary of the signing of the Charter. At the end of each lap, each participant, also signed a copy of the Preamble to the Charter as a symbol of renewed support.
Following the final lap through the Garden — during which nationals from all countries walked together — a closing ceremony was held on the Visitors Plaza.
Here, Sri Chinmoy led a silent meditation for peace, and representatives of India, Samoa and Zambia took turns in reading from the Charter's Preamble, To conclude the ceremony, a message from General Assembly President, Jorge Illueca, was read, a portion of which follows:
“I assure you of my wholehearted support in this effort to renew our dedication to the spirit of the Charter, and I would urge that we avail ourselves of every opportunity of this kind, both as individuals and as representatives of our respective countries, to re-dedicate ourselves to the ideals which we are striving to realize in our devotion to 'the principles and purposes of the United Nations.
“Peace is not a passive state; it is not merely the absence of conflict. It is the effective expression by all nations of a determination to create and continuously support a world of progress and development, governed by justice and understanding.
“We see the United Nations as a church of mankind, dedicated to worshipping the aspirations of men, women and children of all races, nationalities and political and religious beliefs for a better life ...”
Caption:
Left: Some 275 UN staff and delegates from 80 countries in the Peace Walk.
Right: Mr. W. Almoslechner, Austria, receives a copy of the Charter of the United Nations from Ambassador Jacobs, Antigua and Barbuda.
Published in the Secretariat News, United Nations Headquarters, New York, 16 August 1984
August 16
Liberty Torch returns to New York
Rather than end the run in Washington DC as originally planned, the runners decide to continue on to New York City, where the run began.
There, they are honoured by a parade through the busy Wall Street area and a ceremony on the steps of Federal Hall. Speakers at the ceremony are New York City Mayor Abraham Beame, Mr. Bernard Jackson, Special Assistant to Governor Hugh Carey, Police chief Carl Ravens of Manhattan South Area and Sri Chinmoy. A military Colour Guard is present and the veterans of Foreign Wars Grand National Championship High School Brand, from Milwaukee, play several pieces.
Following are transcriptions of the speeches that are delivered, on the steps of Federal Hall:
Sri Chinmoy: America, the world salutes the beauty of your Soul. America, the world salutes the power of your Heart. O great and good Liberty Torch Runners, you are teaching the world how to appreciate, admire and adore the perennial Spirit of independence-light. You are telling the entire world that the true love of one's dear country and God's supreme Satisfaction-Smile are eternally one and inseparable.
(Sri Chinmoy then meditates for a few minutes, hands folded on his heart.)
Jeff Kamen (MC): Ladies and gentlemen, for the official greeting of the Liberty Torch Runners, Mayor Abraham Beame.
Mayor Beame: Thank you very much, Jeff. Sri Chinmoy, Chief Ravens, Mr. Jackson, David Gershon, and the wonderful team: aren't they great? (Applause from the crowd.) It's really a great privilege for me to welcome the Liberty Torch Runners back to New York City. This is a year in which it seems as though everybody is running for something. But the race run by these 33 fine young men was something unique and quite spectacular. They've run 9,000 miles non-stop through all 50 states, and they did it in 47 days and at their own expense.
They did it as a way of celebrating our country's 200 years of expanding freedom. They wanted to show how America's spiritual values have been rekindled. And by carrying a flaming Liberty Torch wherever they ran, they brought a message of confidence and faith in ourselves to every one of our 50 states. As Mayor of the City of New York, I am proud of the fact that this super-marathon began here in Battery Park in sight of our Statue of Liberty; I am proud of the fact that most of the runners are New Yorkers; and I am proud of their nationwide achievement.
These New Yorkers took a message to every State in the Union and the District of Columbia, namely, that the residents of this city can determine their goals and accomplish them, that they deeply love this great country of ours and that they share the aspirations of people in every part of America. Day after day and night after night headlines in local newspapers and broadcasts on local radio and television stations paid tribute for more than a month and a half to the stamina, will and friendliness of the Liberty Torch Runners. In truth, this was a super Bicentennial event.
Mr. Gershon, New York is proud of you and of all your teammates. And now it is my great pleasure to read a proclamation which makes this day Liberty Torch Day in the city of New York.
(Mayor Beame reads the proclamation.)
Jeff Kamen: Governor Carey had planned on coming today, but one emergency or another has caused him not to be able to come. So today we get to meet somebody new and terrific, Bernard Jack-son, Governor Carey's personal assistant on urban affairs. He's got a special presentation to make to the Liberty Torch Runners from the Governor.
Mr. Bernard Jackson: Chief Ravens, Mayor Beame, Sri Chinmoy and Mr. Gershon: Mr. Gershon, on behalf of the Governor I will read these very brief remarks and make this presentation to you.
“The Liberty Torch will burn forever in the thoughts and dreams of the nation. The young men who carried it 9,000 miles have left a path of light in the hearts of all Americans. I greet you.” Signed, “Hugh Carey, Governor of the State of New ” Thank you.
Jeff Kamen: One of the finest of New York’s Finest is with us here today: Deputy Chief of Police, Carl Ravens, in whose district you are right now — Manhattan's South Area. Let's give a nice hand to chief Ravens, a fine cop.
Chief Ravens: Thank you. Mayor Beame, Sri Chinmoy and Mr. Jackson: the flaming Liberty Torch and its runners have been preceded and followed by the flashing lights of police cars wherever they ran in the 50 states. The police were there, I believe, not only to ensure safety but also to show their oneness with the ideals expressed by this most ambitious athletic event of the Bicentennial. Police officers know the value of teamwork and the challenges of dedicated action. The Liberty Torch Runners have achieved both, and I salute them. Thank you.
Jeff Kamen: One of the Mayor's friends has just sent us a note. We don't usually read out notes from friends, not at public events, but take a listen anyway.
“Although my schedule does not permit my attendance today, I am delighted to have this opportunity to share this great event with you. The spirit of the Liberty Torch Runners is the same spirit that has carried this Nation for 200 years.” Signed, “Jimmy Carter.”
Published in AUM – Vol. 3, No. 8, August 27, 1976
Video by kedarvideo
Sri Chinmoy meditates at the closing ceremony of the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run in Manhattan, New York.