Video by Utpal Marshall
On March 3rd 1979, Sri Chinmoy completed his first marathon in Chico California in a time of 4:31:34. Each year since then, his students in New York and around the world have honoured him by running the 26-mile distance.
Video by Utpal Marshall
On March 3rd 1979, Sri Chinmoy completed his first marathon in Chico California in a time of 4:31:34. Each year since then, his students in New York and around the world have honoured him by running the 26-mile distance.
Sri Chinmoy gives a talk, entitled ‘Aspiration and Wisdom’, at a private hall in Milan, Italy.
Sri Chinmoy composes the song ‘Jiban Debata’ in a hotel elevator in Greece. He later revises the list of his Bengali songs to make this song his 2000th. (The approximate date of composition could be as late as 7 July 1978.)
Sri Chinmoy offers an opening meditation at a nine-day reading of the Ramayana at the Jacob Javits Center in New York, NY, USA.
Sri Chinmoy offers a Peace Concert (354) — the 16th of 39 concerts held in honour of Swami Vivekananda — at Public School 86 in Jamaica, NY, USA.
Sri Chinmoy offers a Peace Concert (411) at the Aotea Centre in Aukland, New Zealand, at which a message from Prime Minister Jim Bolger is read out. The concert is introduced by the Mayor of Auckland Mr. Les Mills who, like Sri Chinmoy, had been a track and field athlete in his youth.
Panaji, the capital of the Indian state of Goa, is declared a Sri Chinmoy Peace-Blossom City.
Sri Chinmoy lifts 18 people in Jamaica, NY, USA.
Sri Chinmoy lifts illusionist David Copperfield at Aspiration-Ground in Jamaica, NY, USA.
Sri Chinmoy lifts eight of the world’s strongest men, including IFSA world champion Zydrunas Savickas, as part of a three-day strongman competition in Philadelphia, PA, USA.
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Mayor Les Mills opened Sri Chinmoy’s Auckland peace concert at Aotea Centre on June 30.
Speaking to a crowd of 2,500, he hailed the spiritual teacher as a man who has dedicated his life “to moving the people of the world from darkness into light.”
Sri Chinmoy, he said, “is here to help us understand our unique worth and to inspire us to respect and understand that worth in others.”
The Auckland concert, like most of Sri Chinmoy’s other peace concerts this year, was dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the United Nations.
While he was in town the following day, the Auckland Zoo was officially dedicated as a Sri Chinmoy Peace-Blossom. The city of Auckland previously had been named a Sri Chinmoy Peace Capital.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jim Bolger meets with Sri Chinmoy on June 30 in Auckland.
Published in Anahata Nada, Volume 25 April-July 1995
Jiban Debata
Jiban debata daki animesh
Khama karo aji more
Ogo sumahan jagater tran
Jagi jena shubha bhore
O my life’s Love Supreme,
Sleeplessly I invoke You
To forgive me today.
O great One,
O world’s Reality-Salvation,
May I be fully awakened
In purity’s auspicious dawn.
* Chalbo ami parama pita was considered to be Sri Chinmoy’s 2,000th Bengali song. However, in 2007 Sri Chinmoy revised the listing to make Jiban Debata number 2,000.
Published in Bela Chale Jai
Jiban Debata at Sri Chinmoy Songs
Sri Chinmoy offers a Peace Concert at the Aotea Centre in Aukland, New Zealand, at which a message from Prime Minister Jim Bolger is read out. The introduced by the Mayor of Auckland Mr. Les Mills who, like Sri Chinmoy, had been a track and field athlete in his youth.
Excerpt from welcoming remarks by Mr. Les Mills, Mayor of Auckland:
Sri Chinmoy is a man who, for the past thirty years, has dedicated his life to world peace and, most importantly, to the development of the human spirit, to moving people of the world from darkness into light.
Sri Chinmoy, as you all know, is ... a fabulous man, an inspiring man who has worked as a universal ambassador of peace.
Sri Chinmoy is here to help us understand our unique worth and to inspire us to respect that worth in others, to understand that worth in others, and to treat others with tolerance and love. To change the world, we must first live in peace and harmony with our families and neighbours.
Peace Concert dedication by Sri Chinmoy:
Today’s Peace Concert I am prayerfully dedicating to the all-illumining soul, all-loving heart and all-serving life of the United Nations. I wish to offer my heart’s soulful gratitude to the esteemed Mayor of Auckland for offering his tribute to the audience so kindly and compassionately. My heart’s prayerful love, joy and gratitude I am offering to his heart’s kindness and magnanimity.
Published in My Prayerful Salutations to the United Nations
Sri Chinmoy recounts his experience at a racewalk in Central Park
Howard* is the great authority in New York on racewalking. He has written a book about it. When I had walked 800 metres, Howard came over to me and said, “You are in pain, I can see. Do you want to walk?”
I said, “Still I will try to walk a little.”
After I walked two and a half miles, he came up to me again and grabbed me in a very kind, affectionate way. He said, “Can you do me a big favour? I want to speak to you.”
Then he took me off of the course and told me, “When you are in pain, never walk. It is hurting me to watch you.”
I said, “I was in pain. That’s why I gave up running.”
He said, “Now you should give up walking.”
I said, “I have read your book. I have learned so much from it.”
He said, “Thank you. Do you have a chiropractor?”
I answered, “I have four or five, but they cannot cure me.”
“I had the same experience,” he said. “But at last I went to a chiropractor who is so good that she cured me. If you go to her, she will cure you. Where is your pain?”
I explained where my pain was and he said, “I had exactly the same thing. Do you know the source? This doctor found the source: right under the shoulder, near the right side of the spine.”
Then he sat on the ground and straightened my leg, and then pulled it. I was in such pain! He said, “I had the same pain. You should go to my chiropractor.”
After that he said, “I won’t allow you to walk anymore. First you have to be cured.”
I asked him about breathing. In his book he had mentioned inhaling for two counts and exhaling for two counts. He demonstrated this, going two or three metres from this side to that side. He was breathing in and out: “Hoo! Hoo!”
He asked me, “Can you hear me?”
Then he ran away to give advice to some of the other walkers.
Later I sent Bipin to talk to him and get his chiropractor’s name. Her name is Dr. Kirk. I have asked Laurajean to learn from her, and then teach her husband, Avery. Then Avery will treat me.
Published in Run and Become, Become and Run, part 17
* Sri Chinmoy is very likely referring to the New York-based walking coach and author Howard Jacobson. His best-selling book ‘Racewalk to Fitness: The sensible alternative to jogging and running' was published in 1980.
Sri Chinmoy (3rd from left, back row) lifts eight of the world’s strongest men, including IFSA world champion Zydrunas Savickas (centre, front row), as part of a three-day strongman competition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Seventy-five-year-old Sri Chinmoy, himself weighing just 173 pounds, lifts the strongmen who weigh between 293 and 385 pounds, with one arm and also in groups of three or four using a standing calf raise machine.
Five-time Mr. Universe and ‘Best Built Man of the 20th Century’ Mahasamrat Bill Pearl (2nd from right, back row), introduces the lifts, which Sri Chinmoy calls “one of the highlights of my weightlifting career.”
a diary entry by Sri Chinmoy
while in residence at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, India
I was typing in the flower-room when Nolini-da came up to me and said: “Chinmoy, fifty years ago one of my toes was badly injured while I was playing football, but I recovered. Once I recovered, there was no pain at all, but now it seems that the pain has come back and I can’t do athletics anymore.”
I said to him: “Nolini-da, it seems your body does not want you to participate anymore in athletic competition.”
“I see, I see. Chinmoy, I know that you are not going to participate in athletics this year; you have had enough of it. But you must practise every day without fail to keep your body fit.”
“I do that. Prahllad is my witness.”
“I don’t need your best friend to support your case. I believe you. You know, Chinmoy, I don’t like to participate in athletics anymore either, but there are various reasons why I still have to.”
I said: “I fully understand that.”
He said: “I am glad that you understand it.”
Published in A Service-Flame and a Service-Sun
A talk by Sri Chinmoy
at a private hall in Milan
Spirituality is a subject to be studied, as we study history, geography, science and other subjects. When we study the subject of spirituality, we discover our inner being, our real being, our true existence. When we become spiritual, that is to say, when we aspire, we see that there are four important things on earth: desire, aspiration, knowledge and wisdom.
Desire is something that binds us constantly. It will not allow us to free ourselves from ignorance. Aspiration is something that tells us about the Infinite and carries us into infinite Peace, Light and Bliss. Knowledge is something mostly of the mental world. Very often what we call knowledge is nothing but mental information. This kind of knowledge is not sufficient; it disappoints us quite often. We soon come to realise that knowledge does not carry us very far. Wisdom is something that comes to the fore from within, from the Light of the soul. When we discover wisdom, we feel that we are in conscious oneness with the Almighty Father.
Since we are all seekers here, let us deal with aspiration and wisdom. When a child cries, his mother runs to him immediately with food. A seeker is a spiritual child. When his aspiration-cry begins, the Almighty Father flies to him with the nectar of Immortality. Wisdom is the Light of the soul. We achieve the Light of the soul, we grow into the Light of the soul, on the strength of our inner cry. The more sincere we are, the sooner our inner wisdom dawns.How do we get aspiration and wisdom? It is through positive thoughts. There are two types of thoughts, positive and negative. When we follow the spiritual life we always welcome positive thoughts. A positive thought is: "I am of God, I am for God." A negative thought is: "I am nothing, I am useless."
How can we have positive thoughts? We can have positive thoughts, God-thoughts, when we associate with people who pray to God and live a simple, sincere, pure and humble life. But there comes a time when we go beyond even positive thoughts and enter into God's Will. We surrender consciously to the Will of God at every moment. At that time, for us there is no positive thought, no negative thought — only God's Will to regulate and direct our life.
Published in My Rose Petals, part 2