Peace: God’s Beauty in His Oneness-Home
• First Peace Concert in the USA.
• Audience of 2,000
• Inauguration of the Peace Concert series, 1984–2007.
• “Peace: God’s Beauty in His Oneness-Home”
• Audience of 8,500
• At the conclusion of the concert, Sri Chinmoy offers a special dedication to Germany.
On 24th March 1984 in the Sportshall in Cologne, Sri Chinmoy offered his first major Peace Concert, with 8,500 people in attendance. The concert began with an opening meditation and then included performances on the flute, cello, esraj and singing with the harmonium.
Sri Chinmoy gave the title of the concert as “Peace: God’s Beauty in His Oneness-Home”. Like other aspects of Sri Chinmoy’s activities, the concert was offered free.
Opening flute performance by Sri Chinmoy
Although Sri Chinmoy had given small concerts before, this was unique in reaching out to so many people. On the day, buses came to Cologne from across Europe as over 8,000 seekers experienced a unique concert of soulful music and silent meditation.
The Peace Concert in Cologne proved to be an auspicious beginning for the first out of approximately 800 Peace Concerts. Sri Chinmoy would later speak of this first concert in Cologne:
"An unprecedented thing took place in Cologne on the 24th. It is the very beginning of something unique. “Peace: God’s Beauty in His Oneness-Home” has started radiating its divinity and immortality all over the world.
The Germans have spent thousands and thousands of dollars. But I tell you it is not their money-power that achieved this tremendous success. It is their heart-power, oneness-power and cooperation-power that has succeeded. Heart-power, oneness-power, money-power: all the powers should go together.
Over eight thousand people came. Needless to say, they did not come to see the musician in me. They came to me to see a God-lover and peace-distributor. The inner peace that I have and that I am is what they felt long before they even came to the concert. So peace-lovers are the ones who have come to our Peace Concert.
God’s fondest child is peace. Whoever needs peace in life, in his entire being, is bound to be the most perfect instrument of God."
— Sri Chinmoy, 29 March 1984 World Experience Tree-Climber, part 3
Full Length Concert Video
Video by Kedar
At the conclusion of the concert, Sri Chinmoy offered the following dedication:
“Beloved Germany, breathlessly I am bowing to your soul. Soulfully, I am loving your heart. Devotedly, I am admiring your life. To me, stupendous is your soul. Generous is your heart and precious is your life.... My beloved Germany, to you my aspiration-heart and my dedication-life bow and bow and bow.”
— Sri Chinmoy
Listen to Sri Chinmoy’s Peace Concert address
Further Reading
Photo top: Opening meditation: Shradda.
The genesis of Sri Chinmoy’s Peace Concerts can be traced back to one auspicious day in June 1965, when he was asked by the Indian Consulate, at the behest of the Asia Society, to set tune to three ancient Bengali poems and sing them at a recital to be held at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
With barely a week’s notice, the young Chinmoy was desperate to find a harmonium. As it happened, Sher Singh, the security guard at India House, was more than happy to sell him one. In true Indian manner, Chinmoy bargained with the seller, eventually procuring it for just $6. The kind heart of Sher Singh won out. Chinmoy’s first offer of $25 was refused and when they both agreed upon $7, Mr. Singh returned $1 to Chinmoy’s hand.
“That week I practised those three songs on Sher Singh’s harmonium at least forty times. Before the actual performance, during my lunch hour, I had to go to the Asia Society and sing before the Society’s leaders. They were very satisfied.”1
His career as a concert musician had begun.
At his lectures in the late ’60s and early ’70s, Sri Chinmoy would often play the harmonium and sing a few traditional spiritual songs, as well as some of his own original compositions from an ever-increasing repertoire.
In the summer of 1975, Sri Chinmoy began practising a variety of Eastern and Western instruments, culminating in a twenty-seven instrument concert on his birthday, August 27.
Although the variety of instruments Sri Chinmoy has played since then can be numbered in the hundreds, there are two instruments that have become synonymous with Sri Chinmoy’s musical performances over the years – the Indian esraj and the Western flute.
He first began playing the esraj in New York on February 17, 1976. And in early March that same year, during a lecture tour of Australia, Sri Chinmoy learnt to play the Western flute.
During his lifetime, Sri Chinmoy gained worldwide recognition as a prolific composer and a consummate musician. In 1984, he offered the first of what he called ‘Peace Concerts’ to an audience of 8,500 people in Cologne, Germany. For the next twenty or more years, he travelled the globe sharing the message of peace through his music. His largest concert was held in the year 2000, when 19,000 people gathered to hear him at the Molson Centre in Montreal, Canada.
When asked how his concerts bring peace to the world, he answered with characteristic humility: “In my case, I feel that when I play soulful music and when I sing my spiritual songs, I can offer whatever peace I have to humanity. So this is my way of offering.”2
In total, Sri Chinmoy offered almost 800 Peace Concerts, performing in capacity-filled venues, sharing inspiration with audiences around the world. Speaking on the inspiration behind the concerts, Sri Chinmoy remarked
“When I offer peace concerts,” he said, “thousands of people pray with me and meditate with me. I play different musical instruments and sing for about two hours. The peace-lovers who come to listen inspire me, and I inspire them. Everything is based on inspiration.”3
– Animesh Harrington
Within the Peace Concert umbrella, Sri Chinmoy also did particular series of concerts, dedicated to a particular theme. Of particular note are:
This page is a list of Sri Chinmoy’s Peace Concerts, you can search by country and year.4
USA = 437
Germany = 43
Japan = 34
Canada = 20
France = 18
England = 16
Indonesia = 16
Australia = 11
China = 10
Switzerland = 8
Austria = 8
New Zealand = 8
Italy = 7
Norway = 7
Thailand = 7
Myanmar = 6
South Africa = 6
Malaysia = 6
Brazil = 6
Spain = 5
The Philippines = 5
Russia = 5
Sweden = 4
Hungary = 4
Slovakia = 4
Guatemala = 4
Puerto Rico = 3
Scotland = 3
Finland = 3
Chile = 3
Singapore = 3
Iceland = 3
Sri Lanka = 3
Malta = 3
Poland = 3
Viet Nam = 3
Nepal = 3
Czech Republic = 3
Mexico = 3
Turkey = 3
Greece = 2
Egypt = 2
Western Samoa = 2
Zimbabwe = 2
Bulgaria = 2
Cambodia = 2
Morocco = 1
Argentina = 1
Peru = 1
Belgium = 1
The Netherlands = 1
Denmark = 1
Czechoslovakia = 1
Fiji = 1
Rarotonga, Cook Islands = 1
Tahiti = 1
Wales = 1
Bahamas = 1
Vatican City = 1
Paraguay = 1
Romania = 1
Macedonia = 1
Timor-Leste = 1
Slovenia = 1
Mongolia = 1
Video of Sri Chinmoy Peace Concerts. Photo by Dhanu from Montreal Concert, Canada, 1991.
1 Sri Chinmoy, My Consulate Years, Agni Press, Jamaica, NY, 1996, p. 35.
2 Sri Chinmoy, Sri Chinmoy Answers, Part 30, Agni Press, Jamaica, NY, 2001.
3 Sri Chinmoy, Sri Chinmoy Answers, Part 23, Agni Press, Jamaica, NY, 2000.
4 Originally published in 500 Compassion-Blessing-Blossoms with new additional information and amendments supplied by concert organisers.
– Animesh Harrington
On 24 September 1989, Canadian Olympic running coach Daniel St. Hilaire came to interview Sri Chinmoy at Aspiration-Ground, New York. Sri Chinmoy had previously lifted Daniel St. Hilaire at the Seoul Olympics on 25 September 1988 as part of "Lifting Up The World With A Oneness-Heart".
The running coach was particularly interested in Sri Chinmoy's philosophy on taking drugs in sport. Sri Chinmoy replied that "To fight against drugs is to fight against ignorance and to fight for God."
Sri Chinmoy encouraged the coach never to give up on his philosophy of discouraging athletes from taking drugs. At the time, Sri Chinmoy had been visiting the Sri Chinmoy 1,300 Mile Race, which was then taking place, and he used the example of the runners who had battled through bad weather, never giving up. Sri Chinmoy also shared his own running experiences. As a coincidence, the date was very close to the fifth anniversary of running his fastest 100m time in Puerto Rico in 1984.
Daniel St. Hilaire gave Sri Chinmoy the Canadian team uniform that they used for training, aware that Sri Chinmoy was still training as a sprinter.
Sri Chinmoy also gave him a plaque with a photo of him being lifted a year earlier, plus written answers to seven questions that he had submitted in advance.
These written questions were later published in Aspiration-Body, Illumination-Soul, Part 3.
Question: Is it possible to be among the best in the world in power events, such as weightlifting and sprinting, without using steroids?
Sri Chinmoy: My answer will be in the affirmative. It is quite possible to be among the best in the world without using steroids. There will come a time in the near future when weightlifters and athletes will be able to break world records and better the world standards without using any drugs.
In 2001, Sri Chinmoy recited some of his favourite poems at a Jharna-Kala exhibition in the City Hall of Oslo, Norway. This was one of the many activities within a ‘Peace Week’, which included concerts and the inauguration of the Peace Flame at the harbour of Oslo.
Lakhan L Mehrotra meets Sri Chinmoy in San Francisco, 27 September 1978.
Lakhan Lal Mehrotra was Sri Chinmoy's boss whilst Sri Chinmoy worked at the Indian Consulate. Lakhan L. Mehrotra went on to have a distinguished diplomatic career, as well as being a great writer. In fact, Sri Chinmoy wrote:
To our extreme delight, a great author and good ancient history lover, a lover of India's traditional art and of world art, a distributor of the Vedic and Upanishadic lore to the world at large, a promoter of Indian culture throughout the length and breadth of the world, and an unreserved inspirer of perfection within and perfection without is Lakhan Mehrotra.
"Yours is the life of bounty, lofty and free.
Yours is the soulful seed and fruitful tree."
While walking along Eternity's Road, Lakhan Mehrotra, the pilgrim-soul, is offering lovingly and breathlessly his heart's birthless and deathless goodness-fragrance to each and every human being on earth.
— Sri Chinmoy, India, My India. Mother India's Summit-Prides, Agni Press, New York, 1997.
On 23 September 1991, Sri Chinmoy welcomed Lakhan L. Mehrotra to Aspiration-Ground, New York
Sri Chinmoy and Lakhan Mehrotra look at a display of some of Mr Mehrotra's books. The sign above the map states: "Mr Mehrotra's volume of poetry Krivatanjali is a part of the permanent collection of the following libraries."
At one of Sri Chinmoy’s concerts which Mehrotra had recently attended, he offered the following spontaneous message: “… Sri Chinmoy belongs to that stream of thought and sentiment which has shown us the Light for ages… I consider those blessed who sit in his presence and who seek his presence and I know that even after I and you and everyone is gone, his voice and his message will be with us, for that is the Message Supreme to which I bow.”
Sri Chinmoy, Ten Thousand Flower-Flames, Part 25, Agni Press, New York, 1982
Sri Chinmoy told several stories about his time at the Indian Consulate in a book My Consulate Years, including:
One day Mr. Mehrotra’s secretary, Yvonne, was typing and typing. I happened to pass by her desk and she said, “Ghose, do you want to read something?” Mr. Mehrotra had given a talk on Hinduism and Buddhism. I read it and I really enjoyed it. I liked it very, very much. But in two places I thought it would be better to change the words because there were two very minor grammatical mistakes. I told the secretary and then I said, “Do not tell Mr. Mehrotra, for God’s sake, or I will lose my job.”
Mr. Mehrotra used to dictate his speeches, so perhaps she herself had made the errors. Anyway, I begged her not to tell Mr. Mehrotra. But she knew Mr. Mehrotra’s nature. She went and told him and immediately he corrected the mistakes. Then I got a good job. Whenever he was supposed to give a talk, he used to ask Yvonne to show it to me in advance so that I could offer my suggestions. Mr. Mehrotra saw something in me — perhaps a budding literary figure.
So noble people will always be noble.
After I had been working at the Consulate for three months, Mr. Mehrotra was sent to Cuba for two or three months. The Indian Government did not have an Ambassador to Cuba, so they wanted Mr. Mehrotra to go there for some time.
I was inspired to write a poem on Mr. Mehrotra. He was going away and God knows when he would come back. I felt so sad that he had to go. At his farewell party in our office, I stood behind his chair and read out the poem about him. He was so moved.
I was not feeling well on the day of farewell. A few weeks later, from Cuba, he wrote a letter to his secretary, Yvonne, who really liked me. In the letter, Mr. Mehrotra asked, “How is Ghose now? How is his physical health? I know about his spiritual health. He is taking good care of it, so I do not have to worry about his spiritual life, but I am worrying about his physical health.”
All kinds of things Mr. Mehrotra asked. He was extremely kind to me from the very beginning. He was my saviour.
Related
27 September 1978 Lakhan L Mehrotra meets Sri Chinmoy at a concert in San Francisco and tribute from L.L. Mehrotra.
"Imagine the birth of a world of peace." - Sri Chinmoy
Sri Chinmoy's music, talks, poems and activities related to peace.
On 19 September 1995, Sri Chinmoy gave the opening dedication at a classical music celebration in honour of the opening of the 50th Session of the UN General Assembly. The event was hosted by Ambassador Istvan Nathon of Hungary.
Before the classical chamber concert, Sri Chinmoy gave a short musical offering - singing with the harmonium.
The main classical concert included members of the New York Philharmonic orchestra.
During 1995, Sri Chinmoy gave 50 concerts in honour of the United Nations 50th Anniversary.
Sri Chinmoy practises basketball throws at Aspiration-Ground, 28 August 1996.
Basketball throws 4 July 1996
On 4 July 1996, Sri Chinmoy took 1,300 basketball shots from the penalty line in sets of 100. He achieved a strike rate of 863 out of 1,300, with a best of 77 goals out of 100 at 7:40 pm.
This record was later transcended as recorded in Sri Chinmoy Answers —
Interviewer: Do you play basketball?
Sri Chinmoy: In India I used to play basketball. Now I practise taking free throws from the penalty line. Usually I throw a hundred times, and then I take a little rest before throwing another hundred times. I practise on a regular basis when the weather permits it. My highest score is 79.
Interviewer: No kidding — 79 out of 100!
Sri Chinmoy, Sri Chinmoy Answers, Part 11, Agni Press, New York, 1999
On 17 September 1988, Sri Chinmoy met and lifted several basketball players, such as Mark Jackson and Ken Bannister.
Sri Chinmoy lifting a total weight of 1,164 lb overhead.
Sri Chinmoy offering prayerful meditation before the lifting.
“My basketball foul-penalties:
Charming, challenging realities!
Behold, out of a hundred seventy-seven!
God Himself cradles my eyes and hands in Heaven.”
— Sri Chinmoy, Sri Chinmoy's Rainbow Dreams
Sri Chinmoy took part in the 1977 World Gratitude Day.
