Sri Chinmoy meditates during a concert for America's Bicentennial Celebrations 4th July 1976. Photo Sarama
The American Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th 1776. Sri Chinmoy often observed this momentous date in American history, remarking that it was a most significant document, not just in American, but also in global history.
“The American Declaration of Independence had the pioneer vision of faith, dignity and humanity’s basic needs: equal rights, justice and freedom.”
Lighting the Liberty Torch, 1976, photo Sarama Minoli
Speaking at the start of the Liberty Torch relay run on 9 January 1976 to honour the nation's Bicentennial, Sri Chinmoy offered this message:
"O divine runners, you are the harbingers of America’s new dawn, America’s new promise, America’s new conviction and America’s new assurance to the world body. Two hundred years ago America received, nay achieved, independence from human bondage. This was not only the freedom of American consciousness but the freedom of all human consciousness to strive for a higher life, a more illumining soul and a more fulfilling goal."
"America: the fairest child of freedom, the first to fight for the divine gift of freedom and win it for the New World. None perhaps has a keener perception of freedom’s worth. America! The whole freedom-loving world salutes you. The holy flame that burned in your heart when you were smarting under the injustices of imperial domination is still alive in you. Your one single claim to Immortality is this flame. You live not for yourself alone. You live for freedom and for those who share your love for it."
"America is my dreamland. It will always remain my dreamland – America, as such, the country, the soul, the heart, but not necessarily the mind. America will forever remain my dreamland. I had the highest hope, and still I maintain the highest hope, all in the inner world. The outer world is frustration. The inner world is the highest hope. When I came to America, a new country, I came with such high hopes, and I shall still maintain my love for America, admiration for America, adoration for America. At that time I hoped for many divine things to be manifested in the outer world. They have not yet been manifested, but the vision that we have in the inner world, that I shall never give up, never.
One man, Thomas Jefferson, showed the light not only to the country, but to the whole world. His vision touched the very length and breadth of the world. It started manifesting here, there, everywhere. Jefferson’s vision, for about 200 years, blossomed in many countries, not only in America. We sow the seeds here; somehow the same seeds go to some other places, far, very far. They enter into Mother Earth and germinate. There are quite a few countries that may be unaware that this vision came from Jefferson."
On America's Bicentennial anniversary, Sri Chinmoy offered a 13-hour meditation for the Soul of America in Central Park, New York, US.
Photo by Sarama Minoli
The meditation began at midnight on July 4th and ended late in the afternoon. It is the first overnight event the New York Police Department had ever permitted in Central Park.
The Fourth of July
The Fourth of July, the fourth of July My heart, my life together fly No more stark bondage-night, no more! Arrived at Freedom’s Ecstasy-Shore.
Sri Chinmoy opens the July 4th celebration in lower Manhattan with a short meditation and his students perform several of his songs about America. Photo by Maral Siegel
“The term “united” has always had a special appeal to all human souls, and this transcendent idea has remained in vogue down the sweep of centuries. There was a time when America was under the repressive yoke of Great Britain. Then America fought dauntlessly and sleeplessly for its rightful independence. At first, the newly liberated Americans and their beautiful, vast land were sadly wanting in oneness. But there came a time when a new dawn of oneness-glory broke upon the glowing and illumining horizon. Americans felt the supreme necessity of a “united” country, and the thirteen colonies gradually, steadily, unerringly and selflessly became unified. Similarly, although at the present time peace is not reigning supreme in the United Nations, there shall definitely come a time when peace-flood will inundate the 'united' nations around the globe.”
O polestar Statue of Liberty! Earth-heart’s pinnacle-divinity. America’s proudest vision-pride, Her beauty’s cosmic-fragrance-ride. Freedom-smile-bestower is your soul, World-peace-hunger’s nectar-flooded Goal.
Sri Chinmoy meditates during a concert at the Jefferson Memorial, Washington DC, 8th July 1988.
“There have been many American patriots in the past and there will be many more. The Supreme had a special vision for the soul of America and He revealed it first through the Founding Fathers. The Founding Fathers were definitely spiritually illumined. Of course, their illumination may not have been the illumination of a great Yogi, but they did have great inner awakening and inner illumination.
The light always has to be embodied by great noble individuals. To start with, you have Thomas Jefferson's vision: the Declaration of Independence. But it is not Jefferson's vision alone. Many people saw the reality. It was the vision of that era, the vision of all who surrounded Jefferson. You can call it the vision of Washington, Adams, Franklin, Paine and others. Again, the sense of sacrifice of all those who fought for this country in those days — no matter how little or how much — deserves our special attention.”
The Liberty Torch Relay was a relay run in honour of America's bicentennial in 1976. It was the inspiration of Sri Chinmoy who wanted to honour the 200 year anniversary of America's Independence.
Sri Chinmoy offers a meditation at a ceremony for the "Liberty Torch Relay" 26 June 1976. The map shows the route of the runners across the US. Photo: Sarama Minoli
The Liberty Torch is a human aspiration, a divine realisation and a supreme perfection.
Birthless are the flames of the Liberty Torch, deathless is the light of the Liberty Torch.
On April 13th 2007, Sri Chinmoy lifted 50 roses to symbolically honour the 50 states of the US.
"America the Beautiful, I love you, I admire you, I adore you and I need you. O soul of America, I bow to your all-pervading fragrance. O heart of America, I bow to your all-thrilling beauty. America, my America, you have showered your choicest blessings, concern and encouragement upon my God-aspiring heart and man-dedicated service for long 43 years.
America, my America, my soul, my heart, my mind, my vital and my body shall remain sleeplessly and breathlessly grateful to you. I am offering fifty roses from my heart-garden lovingly, devotedly and self-givingly to the beauty, prosperity and divinity of each State."
Speaking on the significance of this song, Sri Chinmoy remarked:
“Tomorrow is a very significant day for the American soul, American heart, American consciousness and American life. Let us all try to be in a very, very high consciousness the entire day.
Those who sing very, very well “America the Beautiful” will sing the song tomorrow. That is my most favourite American song. That song is very, very significant.”
Between October 22nd, 1979 and July 3rd, 1983, Sri Chinmoy composed 10,000 Flower-Flames, a poetry series published in 100 different volumes.
Photo: Bhashwar Hart
To mark the completion of the poetry series, the poet, Sri Chinmoy held a celebration at Aspiration-Ground, New York on 3rd July 1983.
Video footage by Niriha
Sri Chinmoy reading poems from this poetry series
Poems from Ten Thousand Flower-Flames
A recording of Sri Chinmoy reading a selection of poems from part 1 of his Ten Thousand Flower-Flames series, interspersed with musical performances on various instruments.
A distinctive feature of the book covers for Ten Thousand Flower-Flames was the cover photo from the life of Sri Chinmoy. This shows part 1, part 50 and part 100.
"On Sunday, July 3rd, 1983, Sri Chinmoy completed the final poem – poem number 10,000 – of his monumental series entitled Ten Thousand Flower-Flames. It is not often that we are given the opportunity to celebrate a poetic “event”... - View the read-only PDF…
Sri Chinmoy reads a selection of poems from part 1 of his Ten Thousand Flower-Flames series, interspersed with musical performances on various instruments. The 10,000 poems in this series were written from 1978 to 1983.
A story from Sri Chinmoy’s 1976 trip to Australia, 9 March 1976.
In 1956 Melbourne hosted the Olympic Games. As it is for all Olympic cities, this was an opportunity to build new sporting facilities, expand and update its infrastructure such as public transport and generally brush everything up with a sparkling new coat of paint. It was Australia’s first truly grand moment on the modern world stage!
Modern view of MCG (2015) Stock photo, licensed.
Just by coincidence Melbourne is also the home of Australia’s most famous sporting stadium, the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) or just the ‘G as it is affectionately known by all Melburnians. It is a massive, Coliseum-like structure that holds 100,000 spectators and its grandstands rise upwards to form a huge amphitheatre. So it was a natural decision for Olympic officials to choose the ‘G to stage the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, as well as the track and field competition.
The playing area of the ‘G is huge and the officials found they could easily measure out a temporary athletics track, jumps pits and throwing areas within its boundaries. In those days synthetic track hadn’t been invented and the lanes were all marked out on the grass.
And so, for one long week at the end of November 1956, the world competed for Olympic athletics glory at the ‘G and Australia suddenly seemed to come of age. Then at the end of the Games the stadium reverted to its former role of hosting games of cricket in the summer and AFL games (a unique brand of football we call ‘Aussie Rules’) during the winter months. Other than the lasting tribute of a bronze plaque on a grandstand wall and now fading memories, you would never have known that, in the bright summer of 1956, the Olympics came to the MCG.
Now we fast-forward 20 years later to March 1976. Guru has just arrived from Canberra during His first visit to Australia and we were all jumping out of our skin in anticipation at the airport! Although we had just spent the past few days with Guru in Sydney, this was something really special, hosting Guru in our own home town.
We drove Guru to his hotel, and thinking that He might want time to rest or settle in, had planned to make arrangements for the talks Guru would be giving. Guru, however, had His own inscrutable ‘plans’. Shortly after checking in, He reappeared.
“Melbourne has staged the Olympic Games?” “Yes Guru!” we all replied in wondrous chorus. “Then please take me where the athletics were staged.”
Since I had a very keen interest in athletics, everyone turned to me excitedly with that “let’s go, let’s not keep Guru waiting” kind of look. To say that I was thrown into a sea of confusion is an understatement. Guru said He wanted to see where the athletics were staged but I knew intuitively that He would not appreciate the MCG in spite of its majesty, now that it was just an empty sports stadium with no evidence of anything remotely looking like a track. Oh God, what was I to do!
Luckily the ‘G was only about 2 kilometres away so we all jumped into our cars and travelled in excited convoy across town. We arrived and I immediately encountered the first challenge: the stadium was all locked up; how would we get Guru inside?
I had an inspiration to seek out one of the groundsmen and after persuading him that we had with us a visiting Indian gentleman who had waited all his life to see the home of Australian cricket, his heart softened. “No worries mate, just go through that gate and you’ll get inside. But don’t step on the grass, it’s hallowed ground, you know!” I allowed myself an inner chuckle, thinking, “If only you knew who you were letting inside!”
We all walked down the ramp to the grass. Guru looked around and then uttered the words I had been dreading: “Where is the track!” I felt my knees buckling and my stomach turning somersaults. “Guru, they only had the track during the Olympics; they removed it once the Games finished.”
I knew Guru wasn’t convinced. “Guru, I can show you the warm-up stadium just across the road where the athletes prepared for their races. It’s got a track.”
Guru responded with what I felt was some annoyance but on the positive side I knew this other stadium at least had a track, even if it wasn’t the actual stadium where the athletes competed during the Games. So we all jumped back into the cars and drove in convoy to Olympic Park.
Now every Australian who loves track and field has heard of Olympic Park in Melbourne. It is where John Landy ran a sub-4 minute mile; where he ran back to pick up a stumbling Ron Clarke and still won the race. So many moments in Australian athletics history have been recorded in the very earth it stands upon.
We were able to walk straight into the ground and immediately Guru turned and showered us with a radiant smile as He spied the track. I’m already thinking to myself, “Thank God,” but Guru jolted me out of my false nirvana with a request for some equipment.
Immediately I sped off to look for another groundsman and fortunately, on explaining the situation, he very kindly brought out some hurdles. OK, it wasn’t a javelin or a discus but Guru seemed happy enough. At least we had hurdles . . . that’s what I was telling myself anyway.
Guru started doing some warm-ups and stretches using the hurdles. He was really enjoying Himself standing on His head, doing poses at the long jump pit and He even gave a short talk on the significance of the Olympic Games. Then Guru had us all line up and run down the 100 metres straight in a line across the track.
Finally the stress of the moment gave way to pure joy, seeing Guru the supreme athlete happy and completely in His element. Afterwards Guru gave us all a sweet from His hand. It was the first time Prashanta and I received something in this way from Guru.
Footnote: Guru visited Olympic Park on another two occasions: in 1987 when He opened the World Masters Athletics Games with a meditation and special song He had written for the occasion, and in 1995 at the staging of a Sri Chinmoy Masters Games.
The "Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart" program is a unique award that was offered by Sri Chinmoy to recognise individuals from all walks of life who had inspired and uplifted humanity. Sri Chinmoy lifted the recipients overhead either with one arm or both arms, using a specially constructed platform in a symbolic gesture of oneness with their uplifting achievements.
Bill Pearl. Five times winner "Mr Universe". Photo: Pulak
The programme began on 26th June 1988. The first person to be lifted was Mahamsarat Bill Pearl, a former Mr Universe and "World's Best-Built Man of the Century". Explaining his motivation for this programme, Sri Chinmoy said:
"I am trying to reach people in various walks of life who have inspired others — in sports, in literature, in science and in politics. Since they have inspired many people, I am trying with my limited capacity to encourage and inspire them. When someone does something great, he is cheered by his colleagues. They congratulate him. Here also I am trying to congratulate them with my prayerful meditation and inner oneness with them. I just lift them up to show my deepest appreciation of their achievements." (1)
Sri Chinmoy's initial goal was to lift 700 individuals. He achieved this on 3 November 1988, just a few months after beginning. Five days before the celebration of this first milestone, Sri Chinmoy remarked:
My immediate goal is to lift 700 individuals who have inspired mankind in all kinds of ways, in all walks of life. But my ultimate goal is to love God the Creator and serve God the creation sleeplessly and unconditionally until I breathe my last. (2)
7 Nov 1988, celebration of first 700 people to be lifted. Photo Dhanu
Over the next 29 years, Sri Chinmoy would lift 8,300 people in this way. It included heads of state, senior diplomats, sportsmen and cultural figures, but also ordinary people who had made a contribution to making the world a better place.
PM Steingrímur Hermannsson of Iceland holds aloft the Peace Torch whilst being lifted.
A seated one-armed lift is one of the hardest weightliftin,g challenges as the arm needs to do most of the lifting. The feats of Sri Chinmoy lifting people heavier than his own bodyweight, are impressive in their own right. Sri Chinmoy was always keen to emphasise that the essence of "Lifting Up The World With a Oneness-Heart" was the feeling of oneness.
As you can see, I am not a bodybuilder; I am not a weightlifter. I do not have the muscle mass of a bodybuilder; I do not have the strength of a weightlifter. But I am a truth-seeker and a God-lover. I pray and meditate so that I can establish my oneness with each and every human being in the whole world. My lifting is all done on the strength of my heart's oneness with the world. I do this in the spirit of my soulful and devoted service to humanity.
Sri Chinmoy also offered this most significant revelation of the significance of his Lifting Up the World programme on 28 July 2005.
Sri Chinmoy: I lift people to offer my gratitude, gratitude to the Lord Supreme. So many children, so many world leaders, so many I lift.
Whom do I lift? The living Presence of God I lift. Not the name, not the form, but the real Divinity inside – that I lift with my aspiration. The living Presence of God.
Heads of State
From left to right. President Nelson Mandela (South Africa, 9 March 1999) President Ranasinghe Premadasa (Sri Lanka, 4 January 1990) President Jorge E. Illueca of Panama - 21 July 1989
United Nations
From left to right. Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, 5th Secretary General of the United Nations, 26 May 2005 Vladimir Petrovsky, Former Director-General of the United Nations in Geneva, 12 October 2002 Professor Ibrahim A. Gambari, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, 4 March 2002
Sport
From left to right. Sudhahota Carl Lewis, Olympic champion - 10 September 2001. Billie Jean King, tennis champion - 22 May 2003. Tegla Laroupe, Marathon champion - 4 November 2004
Cultural/Music
From left to right. Ravi Shankar, 20 September 2002 Susan Sarandon, 23 April 2003 Roberta Flack, 29 October 1988
Religious/spiritual figures
From left to right. Cardinal Basil Hume, 19 October 1990 Rabbi Marc Gellman, 23 May 2001 Buddhist monk, 23 May 2001
Kind Words for Lifting Up The World With a Oneness-Heart
"I am very happy you are here. I feel deeply honoured to be a part of your worldwide organisation and to take part in this wonderful programme. I am happy this moment has come. Your powerful group carries an equally powerful message for the world."
PRESIDENT NELSON MANDELA South Africa, March 9th, 1999 (The 2,000th person to be lifted by Sri Chinmoy)
"You spread the ideas of non-violence, tolerance and harmony among people. All of us are inhabitants of the same planet. We are members of one family. And you spread the idea of one family all over the world."
VLADIMIR PETROVSKY Former Director-General of the United Nations in Geneva, October 12th, 2002 (The 5,000th person to be lifted by Sri Chinmoy)
"To be lifted once in a lifetime, I think, is good enough for most. To be lifted twice is an honour I cannot forget. I am overwhelmed. I want to thank Sri Chinmoy for this tremendous honour. By honouring me, you are honouring more than just me. You are honouring the town from which I come in Nigeria, the country from which I come, the continent from which I come, and the United Nations, where I work. Sri Chinmoy is a wonderful human being whom I am proud and privileged to know. There is no higher calling, no higher pursuit than peace. This is what Sri Chinmoy symbolises."
PROFESSOR IBRAHIM A. GAMBARI Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Africa, March 4th, 2002
"Who can imagine what Sri Chinmoy does! He does it through his spiritual strength, his power, putting his faith in God and understanding that anything can be achieved. I think it is a message that is strong to everyone about where to direct their attention or meditation and that they can achieve anything they set out to do."
SUDHAHOTA CARL LEWIS 9-time Olympic Gold Medallist in track and field, November 17th, 1999
"Sri Chinmoy has no one to look at and say that such things are impossible. The only thing he can do is to feel what is inside him. For Sri Chinmoy there are no limits to the human body. To get beyond that is a wonderful feeling, because no one else has ever done what he is doing. But just because no one else has done it does not mean that it is impossible. Sri Chinmoy is the proof. Sri Chinmoy is exposing the wonderful mystery of what we are. He is exposing capabilities that humans have never tapped before. He has placed aside all barriers. To overcome the difficulties and go beyond limitations is the sign of someone very great. No one has been where Sri Chinmoy is now. Sri Chinmoy is a pathfinder for humanity."
AL OERTER 4-time Olympic Gold Medallist in the discus, February 18th, 2000 (lifted with his wife Cathy)
"First Swami Vivekananda came to give India's spiritual wealth to the West. Then came Paramahansa Yogananda. Now Sri Chinmoy has come."
MAESTRO RAVI SHANKAR Legendary Sitar Player, September 23rd, 2002
"Sri Chinmoy was in San Diego recently, so Christine and I went to see him. This was the first time Christine had met the Guru, and he lifted us together along with dozens of athletes in attendance. I was amazed at how his shoulders had grown and upper back had become wider from the overhead lifting. At 71 years of age, Sri Chinmoy continues to work out and lift more weight. I spoke a few words to the gathering before we left and got a standing ovation as I recited a stanza from a song I wrote about him years ago...Feeling very inspired afterwards, I was in high spirits all day."
FRANK ZANE 3-time Mr. Olympia, 3-time Mr. Universe, Mr. America, September 24th, 2002 (lifted with his wife Christine). Comments reprinted from the Autumn 2002 issue of his magazine Building the Body
"When Sri Chinmoy lifts, the feeling that you have starts from inside. It's a wonderful thing. It's as if you feel yourself being lifted by someone from inside first...Sri Chinmoy is trying to give people a chance to actually see the spirit. The way he does the lifts is with God's Power and Strength and Support."
ADDWITIYA ROBERTA FLACK 6-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist, July 29th, 2001
Helen Hunt on David Letterman
Stories about Lifting up the World With a Oneness-Heart
Father’s Day in America falls on the third Sunday in June, and each year Sri Chinmoy’s disciples, friends and well-wishers around the globe celebrate this day. Take a look at this special day throughout the years. Here also, is a selection of Father’s Day songs, composed by Sri Chinmoy.
