O Great Instruments
by Sri Chinmoy
outside Guru Stationery on Parsons Boulevard, Jamaica, New York, just before the USA Bicycle Relay team sets off on the transcontinental ride*
O great instruments of our Beloved Supreme, I wish to offer to each of you my heart’s soulful gratitude and my soul’s fruitful blessings. At the very start of your spiritually historical and historically unprecedented journey, only one thing I am offering to you, for you to carry with you all the time: an unconditional surrender to the Will of our Beloved Supreme.
Two hours ago, when each of you offered us messages, you used a most significant term – a mantra or incantation, let us say. It was the word ‘opportunity’. What is opportunity? Is it something that occasionally appears before us and knocks at our mental or psychic door, or is it something that we forcefully or consciously create? Or is it something that we receive as a supreme, unconditional boon from Above?
I must say, in all divine wisdom, that opportunity is nothing short of an unconditional boon from our Beloved Supreme. In the ordinary life, in the desire-bound life, opportunity knocks perhaps only a very few times. Sometimes it knocks only once at the dawn of one’s journey and then, during one’s entire life, it does not return. But in the spiritual life, the opportunity-boon descends from Above again and again, countless times. It is the seeker in us who has to avail himself of this constant opportunity.
As seekers, we want to manifest this opportunity in a concrete, solid and tangible form. Therefore, we have become chosen instruments of our Beloved Supreme. Whenever we undertake something great, significant, illumining and fulfilling, we must know that there is supreme necessity of having a leader. Here the leader is Shambhu. He has worked untiringly and sleeplessly. And because of that, the Supreme in me and the Supreme in all of you is offering him the leadership. It is my fervent wish and faultless hope – truth to tell, it is my inner assurance – that he will meet with his responsibilities most adequately. Also I understand that Martin has helped him considerably. Therefore, I am also deeply grateful to Martin. To all of you who have worked and who are going to be working very, very hard, I am offering my most blessingful and soulful gratitude.
Not who has done it, but whether the thing has been executed: that is what is of paramount importance. Who has done it is of no consequence. Then comes something higher and deeper: the way it is done. Is it done by hook or by crook, or is it done soulfully and unconditionally? If it is done soulfully and unconditionally, then my heart is all admiration for you.
Not who has done it, but how it is done: that is what matters. Then, an even more significant question arises: why is it done? It is one question, but it can be answered in many ways. If it is done because of an inner command, an inner decree, then that is all that matters. Finally, there comes a question that is still far more important: when is it done? For everything there is an hour; we call it God’s choice Hour. For this bicycle relay, it is now God’s choice Hour. At God’s choice Hour, we are embarking on something spiritually historical and historically unprecedented.
This is not an achievement of the New Jersey Centre, not an achievement of the New York area Centres, not an achievement of the East and West coasts, not an achievement of the American disciples or the disciples around the world. This is something more than an achievement. It is not something that we have to achieve. It is something that we eternally are: a birthless promise and a deathless progress. This birthless promise and deathless progress is what each individual standing here in front of me is. A birthless promise you are, my sweet children; a deathless progress you are. This birthless promise and deathless progress that you are, you have to offer to the world at large.
Your self-giving reality, divinity and immortality are now beginning, from here, at God’s supreme Hour. Use your imagination-bird to fly higher than the highest, farther than the farthest, and you will be able to see that my pride in you, my gratitude to each of you, is still far beyond your imagination’s flight.
On the practical plane, please, please listen to whatever decisions Shambhu makes, even if you do not see them as perfect. Only keep the atmosphere, the consciousness, as high as possible. Then, when you come back, you can bring your teeming complaints. But on the way, please accept his leadership. There should be no misunderstandings, no quarrelling, no fighting. Keep your oneness-reality. Let there be only oneness-song, which will grant us supreme victory. Again, in this supreme victory, this unprecedented victory, there will be always oneness-song.
Either in the near future or in the distant future, you will see that the progress you will be making on this journey will be astounding. And the progress that you will make here is just the very beginning. For each of you, for all those who are serving the Supreme in this supremely meaningful and fruitful journey, this will be a supreme victory – the victory of the Supreme.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna told Arjuna: “Everything has been done. You just become a mere instrument.” Here also I wish to say, in the Name of the Supreme, that it is all done. Become only instruments, instruments of our Beloved Supreme. It is all done. By whom? By Him, by the Supreme alone. Just become His faithful, devoted and unconditional instruments, Him to please in His own Way.
*The ten cyclists depart with a police escort, crossing the George Washington Bridge, on their journey towards Washington, D.C. There, Sri Chinmoy joins them to ride through the city and at noon a special programme is held at the Capitol in their honour. The cyclists, led by Sri Chinmoy, then ride to the Department of Transportation. Afterwards, they circle the White House three times and proceed to Arlington National Cemetery, where they visit the grave of President John F. Kennedy. Sri Chinmoy meditates at the Eternal Flame beside the grave. The team continues their ride across the continent, finally finishing in San Francisco twenty-two days later. Along the way, they receive countless letters of support from US senators, representatives, State governors and mayors. Official ceremonies are held along the route and fifty-one proclamations are received from cities and counties.
The Heart and Soul of Woodstock
A talk by Sri Chinmoy
at the Inauguration of the Woodstock Peace Mile
A long twenty-four years ago, I came to Woodstock for the first time. Since then I have come to Woodstock many, many times. I loved the soul of Woodstock, I still love the soul of Woodstock and I shall forever and forever love the soul of Woodstock. Now I am extremely grateful to the heart and soul of Woodstock for having given me the golden opportunity to be of dedicated service to the soul, heart, mind, vital and body of Woodstock.
Peace is the only thing that we need, that the world needs desperately. Here, our devoted, dedicated and soulful service to this great community will be our act of self-offering. Fruitful is Woodstock. And we are trying to add our soulful qualities with our devoted service to this great and good community.
I have had here teeming experiences, soulful experiences, spiritual experiences, illumining experiences, fulfilling experiences. I still have very, very good friends here in Woodstock. They have been extremely kind over the years and my heart of gratitude I am offering to them.
I cannot express adequately my inner feelings. I can only say this much: O heart of Woodstock, I was extremely fond of you, I am still fond of you, and I shall always and always remain fond of you. It is here that I had the dream, the golden dream, to do something in our way of manifestation here on earth. It has taken us twenty-four years to sow the seeds of my dream-beauty. Now we shall be offering our oneness-dream, oneness-home, oneness-family, not only in Woodstock but all over the world.
Published in My Consulate Years
European Poem-Blossoms
by Sri Chinmoy
written en route from Vaduz, Liechtenstein, to Lausanne, Switzerland
To tame the vital-tiger
Is the supreme task
Of each human being.
A God-lover knows
What to give:
His heart.A God-lover knows
How to give:
Unconditionally.
God's very first gift
To mankind
Was aspiration-flames.God's very last gift
To mankind
Will be satisfaction-sun.
What I have
Is an inspiration-tree.
What I need
Is an aspiration-flower.
Two things of mine
I truly treasure:
My prayer-heights
And
My meditation-depths.
Each God-lover
Is commissioned to serve God
In a special way.
To me,
Patience-light means
Reality's fastest progress.
What does peace signify?
Peace signifies the love
Of togetherness.
Do not miscalculate
Your outer friends:
They are not as many
As you think.Do not miscalculate
Your inner friends:
They are not as few
As you think.
You are at war
With your doubting mind.
That means you really love
Your aspiring heart.
Each self-giving thought
Is
A universal heart-embrace.
I just want to know
In which way
The human mind
Is better
Than a confusion-menagerie.
If you are desiring
An aspiration-short-cut,
Then you will have to be satisfied
With a lesser realisation.
Aspiration-discipline
I need.
Surrender-relaxation,
Too.
What does my mind do?
It cleverly plays the role
Of an irresponsibility-guide.
An impure thought
Is not even an inch away
From stark madness-danger.
Alas,
My dedication-bridge
Is always under construction.
God keeps my heart's cries
Inside the Satisfaction-Smile
Of His own Heart.
O pilgrim-soul,
Do come back
To your heart-home
Immediately.
I love, I love
And I always love
The Sweetness-Silence-Voice
Of my Lord Supreme.
Published in European Poem-Blossoms
California was Spiritually Awakened
A talk by Sri Chinmoy at
Ananda Fuara Restaurant, San Francisco, California
According to me, California is one of the very ancient spiritual states. Some of my Indian predecessors took shelter in California or gave light to California, so California, like New York, is a state that can take pride in Indian spirituality. California was spiritually awakened long before many other states. Long before I came, California was spiritually awakened.
One spiritual Master said that San Diego is the mind of spirituality. His Guru from the Himalayas told him that San Diego is the spirituality-mind. He came here because his Guru from the Himalayas asked him to discover the spirituality-mind and spread his Guru's light.
My California children, I have come here to love you and inspire you, inspire you, inspire you. I have come to inspire you, my California disciples, with the hope that you will inspire your beautiful, powerful state. I will inspire you, and you also can inspire others. With that hope I come —- not only to California, but to other states and other countries, only to inspire the disciples. I come to see my disciples in their respective Centres with the hope that they will inspire others around them.
We all need inspiration, inspiration, inspiration! Without inspiration, without enthusiasm, we shall never be able to become good seekers. If we really want to be good seekers and God-lovers, then inspiration and aspiration we must develop to our ultimate capacity.
Published in The Temple and the Shrine
Born Actors and Actresses
A story by Sri Chinmoy
at PS. 86, Jamaica, New York
We have so many born actors and actresses in our Centre! What other organisation can have such wonderful actors and actresses? I am very lucky and I am very proud of my spiritual children.
Your Master once forgot his line in a play. At the age of four or five, he had one line and he got frightened. Here I see little, little children performing. How many lines they can learn by heart! My children have made me so proud of their capacities.
Published in I Thank You