August 3
Sri Chinmoy seated beside a portrait of his mother at a special function held at Aspiration-Ground in Jamaica, New York.
August 2
Sri Chinmoy offers ‘Bacci’ as prasad at an evening function at Aspiration-Ground in Jamaica, New York, where he has created many Jharna-Kala paintings and Soul-Bird drawings.
Note:
Bacci is one of his most sacred and special prasads to give. He especially liked to give this prasad in relation to President Gorbachev.
August 1
Having just participated in a 3-mile race as part of the Sri Chinmoy Grand Prix held at Flushing Meadows Park in Queens, New York, Sri Chinmoy looks over the results with race official Sundar Dalton. His time is exactly 23 minutes.
August 1
Sri Chinmoy honours Dr. Ananda Guruge, the former Sri Lankan Ambassador to the USA, and his wife Darshanika and their daughter (on their left) at Aspiration-Ground in Jamaica, New York. (It was Darshanika’s birthday two days earlier, on 30 July.)
August 14
Running Anecdotes
by Sri Chinmoy
Three car experiences
The day before yesterday, in the morning, I had covered about two miles when a car with a little girl and her father approached me. The man said, “Look, look, Sri Chinmoy is running!” When the child looked outside the window, she was so delighted and excited to see me running.
Fifteen minutes later I was running near Bohack. Very slowly a car came toward me and finally stopped. A black lady and a black man were inside the car. The black lady was driving. She said to me, “Hi, Sri Chinmoy. You are running, you are running!”
One minute later another car with two middle-aged men slowly drove by. The driver asked me where a particular street was. I said, “Sorry, I do not know.”
The man said, “Damn you.” So I said, “Thank you.”
The divine cheerers
Five minutes later I was running on the street where the Greek school is — the one which leads to Agni Press. As I was running, I passed a young girl of sixteen or seventeen who was riding a bike. She came up to me and said, “Hi, Sri Chinmoy.” She was smiling and smiling. Then for about 150 metres she rode beside me, and then she pedalled away quite fast.
When I came up to Agni Press, I saw her talking to a few of her friends, some boys. As soon as I came by, they all started shouting my name, and clapping and jumping with such cheerfulness. They were cheering me at every step: “Sri Chinmoy! Sri Chinmoy!”
When I got home I asked one of my disciples to bring me twelve apples and twelve oranges immediately. But he didn’t hear the word “immediately.” Twenty minutes passed and I said, “By this time those divine children will have disappeared.” So I asked another disciple to drive me in the car. Then I saw the first disciple. He was walking very slowly. I said, “What are you doing? I asked you to come ‘immediately’.” He said, “Guru, I didn’t hear the word ‘immediately’, I just heard ‘go and bring’.”
Anyway, I went to the spot to see if those children were still there. To my great surprise, the girl was sitting on the steps in front of the Greek School, with a friend of hers. Since both of them were girls, I didn’t think it would be proper to go and speak to them. “Best thing is for us to go to Guru Stationery and bring some girls,” I said. So we brought back two girl disciples who were working there to the spot where the two girls were talking.
When the girl saw our car approaching her, she stood up and jumped towards the car. “Sri Chinmoy, Sri Chinmoy,” she said. She and her friend were both jumping for joy.
I said to them, “Can I give you some fruits?”
The girl who was then standing beside the car said, “Of course. You are such a sweet, nice man. Can I kiss you on your hand?”
I said, “Oh, no!” I gave them each an orange and an apple. Then I asked, “Where are your friends?”
They said, “We'll go look for them.” They went into the school, but their friends were not there. When they came out, the other girl said how happy she was to see me running. She was also a runner, and she said that she had run in one of our ten-mile races in Connecticut. She had come into Guru Health Foods that morning to ask when our next race would be. Both girls were excited.
I asked if they would see their friends soon, so they could give them apples and oranges, but they said, “No, we will not see them.” I said, “Then I would like to give you again another orange and apple.”
A young boy was watching the scene. He was not one of those who had cheered me, but he said, “Can I also have an orange? I don’t care for apples, however.” He came up to me all excited, and I gave him an orange.
Published in Run and Become, Become and Run, part 1
Rhyming Poem
by Sri Chinmoy
My restless mind I tame
By breathing God’s Name.
Published in My God-Hunger-Cry
See editor’s note
Rhyming Poem
by Sri Chinmoy
My shoulder-burdens are lifted
By my Lord Supreme —
This is absolutely true
And not my idle dream.
Published in My God-Hunger-Cry
See editor’s note
August 3
Sri Chinmoy playing tennis at Aspiration-Ground in Jamaica, New York.
My 3,070-pound Lift
by Sri Chinmoy
When it was my fifth attempt to lift 3,070 pounds with my left arm, I saw my physical mother standing behind R, combing and caressing her hair while she was taking pictures. My mother was so grateful to her that she was taking pictures. Some Cosmic Gods and Goddesses were also there, as well as some celestial beings, and Mother Kali was prominent. Then I was able to successfully lift the weight.
Previously, when I lifted with my right hand, I went from 700 to 1,000 to 1,300 to 2,000 and so forth. This time, with my left hand, I went from 700 to 1,000 and from 1,000 directly to 3,000. I skipped 2,000.
Since I depend one hundred per cent on God’s Grace, if the Grace works, I can lift. If it does not work, what can I do? Then, when my disciples do not believe it, what can I say? I feel we should not give it to any newspapers or magazines right now. We should hold it for a long time.
Published in My Weightlifting Tears and Smiles, part 3
Sri Chinmoy lifts 3,070 lbs. with his left arm, in Jamaica, New York. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th attempts are all good lifts.
– Sri Chinmoy |
Sri Chinmoy offers this prayer at 12:49 a.m. before doing a clean and press lift from the ground — up to 45 lbs. — with both arms simultaneously. (25 reps). The prayer was later published in My Morning Soul-Body Prayers, part 8.
August 3
An exhibition of Sri Chinmoy’s 70,000 Dream-Freedom-Peace-Birds at 66 Crosby St, Soho, New York, NY, USA.
Questions on Art
answered by Sri Chinmoy at the Jhatna-Kala exhibition
Question: How do you find the time to draw, to write, to do everything you do?
Sri Chinmoy: As you know, where there is a will, there is a way. I pray to God and meditate on God. Out of His infinite Compassion, He has given me the capacity to accomplish quite a few things. These creations of mine are not my personal belongings or my personal possessions. These are my dedicated offerings to my Inner Pilot. Out of His infinite Bounty He has given me the capacity, and it is He who receives the fruits.
Question: I notice the drawings are all birds. Why birds?
Sri Chinmoy: I am a man of prayer and meditation. For me, birds have a very special significance on a spiritual level. They fly in the sky, and the sky is all freedom. So when the birds fly in the sky, they remind me of the soul’s infinite freedom. The soul has come from Heaven. When we think of birds, we are also reminded of our Source, and this gives us enormous joy. I feel that if people come here to view these birds, their inner hunger to fly in the sky of infinite freedom will be fed.
Question: I come from Puerto Rico and I was wondering if you could say something about the Spanish culture.
Sri Chinmoy: The most significant event in my life during the years I have lived in the West took place in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I came to America in 1964, and at the end of 1966 we established our first Centre in San Juan. So my aspiration, my dedication and my vision started in Puerto Rico. I am eternally grateful to Spanish culture and Spanish spirituality, for it accepted me first.
Question: When you first went to Puerto Rico, was it difficult for the people to accept you or difficult for you to get accustomed to them?
Sri Chinmoy: No, because they used their hearts and I used my heart. My philosophy is founded upon the heart and not upon the mind. The Puerto Ricans have such a simple mind and pure heart, and my life also tries to be all simplicity, purity and oneness. So when I went to Puerto Rico at the end of 1966, immediately they accepted me and I also found it extremely, extremely easy to accept them as my own.
Question: What gives you the most satisfaction?
Sri Chinmoy: I get the most satisfaction when I am able to please my Beloved Lord Supreme in His own Way. Also, when I see that somebody else is really happy, it gives me the greatest joy; immediately I try to identify myself with that person. When children are moving around and not using their mind, there is no tension, no jealousy, no insecurity, no doubt, no impurity. When I look at the children, they give me immediate joy.
Question: Among your disciples are there people who not only share your beliefs but also whom you are very proud of?
Sri Chinmoy: I am proud of many, many of my spiritual children because not only do they have talent, but also inside their talent they have an inner hunger. If I see that they have an inner hunger, then I deeply appreciate them. Otherwise, there are many, many talented people on earth who are not practising the spiritual life. So, from the strict spiritual point of view, we cannot appreciate them. Our way is that God comes first. If someone puts God first in his life, and then if he is also endowed with capacities, well and good. Again, there are many simple-minded, pure-hearted human beings who do not have outer capacities, but at every moment they are thinking of God and praying to God to become good citizens of the world. So I appreciate them, admire them and love them deeply.
Question: In the span of a 24-hour day, how many hours do you meditate, how many hours do you paint, how many hours do you write and how many hours do you have left for leisure?
Sri Chinmoy: In my case, I fill the time in different ways. And each time I change my activity, I get tremendous satisfaction. Each time I do something new, I feel that I am getting an extra supply of energy to give me joy. I meditate early in the morning — from two or two-thirty until five o’clock. That time is very peaceful. Again, when I enter into the hustle and bustle of life, when I am playing tennis or talking to people, at that time also I can inwardly pray and meditate. It is like being an expert. When someone is an expert, he can do more than one thing at the same time.
Question: What is the most important message that you want to offer to humanity?
Sri Chinmoy: I wish to offer only one message: Pray to the Supreme, meditate on the Supreme Lord, our Heavenly Father, to be of service to Him, most soulfully, most devotedly and most unconditionally. Each and every human being is praying to God in his own way, but there is usually some condition: “God, if You do this for me, then I shall pray to You.” Or someone is praying to God only to fulfil his personal goals — to make him the world’s best singer or the world’s best artist. So most of the time we are praying with conditions. But we have to pray to God unconditionally and meditate on God unconditionally to fulfil God in God’s own Way. Then it is up to God whether or not He wants to fulfil our prayers. We should not pray to God to make us great or unique. No, our goal must be only to please God in God’s own Way. This is my supreme message. It was the same yesterday, it is the same today and it will be the same tomorrow: to please and fulfil God in God’s own Way.
Published in Sri Chinmoy Answers, part 3
August 3
Ekatar Unmilan
Words and music by Sri Chinmoy
Sri Chinmoy sings and whistles 15 of his own Bhajan songs — ‘My Heart-Whistle-Birds’ — in Jamaica, New York.
O Mount Everest
Words and music*
by Sri Chinmoy
Lyrics:
O Mount Everest, O Mount Everest
You are the cosmic deities’ treasure-nest.
You teach us how to climb and touch the sky,
And fly with God’s Self-Transcendence-Freedom-Will, fly!
Published in Peace-Blossom Songs
* Song score pending
August 3
Tevin Campbell, American singer, songwriter and actor, holds the ‘Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart’ award after being lifted at Aspiration-Ground in Jamaica, New York, by Sri Chinmoy.
No mind
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The way. 2 thousand years ago somebody proclaimed ‘I am the way and the goal.’ His revealed aspiration was the way. His manifested realisation was the goal. Humanity’s first and foremost achievement is the way. His first and foremost achievement is the goal. There is a way to shorten the way. There is a way to bring the goal close to the starting point. In order to shorten the way we must increase our receptivity. In order to bring the destiny near we must unconditionally surrender to God’s Will. How do we increase receptivity? We can increase receptivity through constant self-giving. How do you make our unconditional surrender? We make our unconditional surrender in .... our supreme
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our supreme satisfaction and He ( ) supreme satisfaction.
2. Truth is [the] eldest son in God’s family. Right after truth is peace. They are extremely fond of each other. They complement each other. T. offers its Transcendental head to peace so that it can see their father’s height. Peace offers its universal heart to Truth so that it can see their father’s limitless space. When the two sons offer their unique quality and capacity to each other God smiles and tells them without them his creation would collapse. He says to Truth: My earth needs you to proceed. He says to peace: My earth [needs you to] succeed. They said to their Father, true earth needs us to proceed and succeed but we ( ) anymore our |
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( ) to become and bec. We wish to receive your message to carry earth’s heart of suffering into the soul of heaven and heaven’s soul of delight into the heart of earth. Father says: so be it.
The life. Life means responsibility. This is the human realisation. Life means opportunity. This is the divine realisation. An unaspiring person does not shoulder responsibility. He does not want to shoulder his one responsibility. A divine seeker feels if he can (perform?) his duty by fulfilling his ( ) responsibility |
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God will be happy with him. To please God in his own way he ( ) Each time he does his duty well he feels he is coming closer to God. R. and duty – these words annoy the unaspiring man. To an aspiring person responsibility is nothing but one’s conscious and dedicated service to God. What we want from life is ( ) dedication – a life of dedication can alone shorten the life of ( ). A life of dedication can teach us that one is for many, many are of one, unity and multiplicity — . . . . . . . . .
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Note:
The above draft formed the basis of Sri Chinmoy’s lecture, entitled ‘The Way, the Truth, the Life’, which he delivered at the University of Glasgow in Scotland on 29 June 1974. The lecture was subsequently published in My Rose Petals, Part 3, by Agni Press in 1974.