Fulfilment

Guru’s way is through meditation not drugs

 

By Audrey Aslin
Citizen special correspondent 

Yogi Sri Chinmoy, in Ottawa during a cross-Canada lecture tour, says today’s hippies are “disappointing”

“You cannot give peace by shouting and slogans. You cannot help society by leaving society.”

The guru, lapsing into periods of meditation during an interview, said thousands of people had come to him seeking spiritual fulfilment through Yoga. Young people who had experimented with drugs have come to him and told him of their “marvellous experiences” with drugs. Sri Chinmoy’s way is through meditation, not drugs.

He cited two types of life, one of desire and the other of aspiration. Aspiration is an inner cry, he said, and is the type of life that fulfils.

“The ordinary person cries for name, fame, material wealth.” 
This is the life of desire the Yogi says is a part of the problem with the contemporary.

Through meditation, he said, people can learn to control their desires for material things and transcend the barriers of prejudice.
Divine fulfilment is the goal in Yoga practice, reached by a union of the soul with God. It is not a replacement for religion.

“Yoga” he emphasised. “is only one path.”

“Everyone has the right to realize God in his own way. Yoga will never interfere. Yoga transcends the barriers of all religions.

No superior religion He said each religion criticizes the others, but he sees the different religions as paths to fulfilment. One is not superior to another, but each fulfil the needs of various people, he said.

Sri Chinmoy does not follow any one specific religion. “I have a path of my own — of love, devotion and surrender.” “I feel God is dearest to me not because He is omnipotent, omnipresent ... but I am attracted to His love aspect.”

He said he had achieved peace of mind by offering himself to God through meditation.

Like drop of water

He compared his surrender to God to a drop of water being assimilated by the ocean. As the drop of water loses its individuality, so the finite becomes infinite.

“Man cannot remain imperfect forever. When man listens to God his imperfections turn to perfections,” he said.

Sri Chinmoy said the only way to reach fulfilment is to meditate.

When he began following Yoga at the age of 12 in India, he meditated eight to 10 hours a day. Now, he said, his meditation is constant and spontaneous.   “In order to realize God, man has to meditate. Meditation is the divine language. When I speak to God, I don’t use English — I use the common language of meditation.”

Daily meditation

He asks that his disciples meditate at least every morning and every night.

Centres for Spiritual philosophy and meditation have been established in several cities in North America. The first Canadian Centre was established in Ottawa, at the home of Mrs. Elizabeth Lok.

Mrs. Lok, has been given the Indian name of Mukti, meaning liberation.

He said he feels each of his disciples should have an Indian name to express the way their souls can realize truth.

Sri Chinmoy’s centres are opened by people whom he believes are sincere in their quest for the ultimate in Yoga philosophy.

When he is convinced a person is a “sincere seeker”, he will grant him an interview after the aspirant has spent four months meditating at one of the Centres. He asks that his disciples be vegetarians. This helps keep the body and mind pure he said.

“When you eat meat, the animal consciousness enters into your body. Animals are restless,” he said. “You can’t meditate when destructive qualities such as doubt, fear, and anxiety are within the body.” 

Being a vegetarian speeds up the progression towards the ultimate realization of God, he said.

Sessions at UN

Sri Chinmoy, who leads meditations in the Peace Room of the United Nations every Tuesday, said U Thant is doing a remarkable job. He expressed fear of what might happen after U Thant is gone. “All governments are talking peace, but look at the outer thing — all wars. There is a difference between what we speak and what we do. Truth and peace have to be felt first from within. Then we can offer it without.”

Caption:

Yogi of Sri Chinmoy
Divine fulfilment the goal

Published in The Ottawa Citizen, Sat., Oct. 10, 1970, Page 47

 

U.N. Bureau of the German Press Agency

The following question Is asked by Mr. Zehn Eckhardt of the U.N. Bureau of the German Press Agency, during an interview at the United Nations.

Question: I have read and seen on television that you have achieved quite a number of astonishing feats. What is the connection between your search for peace and what you are doing with weightlifting?

Sri Chinmoy: There is an important link between what I am doing at the United Nations and what I am doing when I lift up weights, elephants and so forth. In my weightlifting I am trying to show that if you pray and meditate, you can bring to the fore your inner strength. Now, if somebody is really inwardly strong, he is always at peace. When you have confidence and strength within you, then you do not go outside to quarrel or fight with others. If you are secure at home, then you do not leave your house and start quarrelling and finding fault with your neighbours. It is only because you are insecure that you try to fight with others, because you are always afraid that they are going to surpass you.

Because countries inwardly feel insecure, they go out and fight with other countries. But the country that is inwardly secure will not come forward to fight; such a thing is beneath its dignity. An elephant is not going to approach a dog and attack it. The dog will bark and bark at the elephant, making the world feel that it is so strong, but the elephant will just ignore the dog.

So when I lift up some heavy weight, I am hoping to inspire others to also bring forward their own inner strength. Inner strength is not my monopoly. Far from it. Everybody has it. Only it has to be brought forward. If everybody can bring forward his inner strength, then everybody will be secure and nobody will try to attack anybody else.

When we are inwardly strong, not only do we not attack the world but we feel our oneness with the world. And it is out of the feeling of oneness that solid peace comes. Because the different parts of your body have established oneness with each other, they do not feel jealous of one another. When your arm lifts a weight, your eyes or your ears are not jealous, because all the parts of your body have established their oneness. Every part of your body feels joy in the body’s achievements.

Similarly, when you and I feel our heart’s oneness, whatever you achieve I also claim as my own achievement. If I claim your achievement as my own, then how can I be afraid that you will surpass me? There is no fear or competition; there is only self-giving. I will give you what I have, and you will give me what you have. So oneness, based on inner security, is the only foundation for world peace.

Published in Aspiration-Body, Illumination-Soul, part 1