Expressions of Gratitude
Remarks by Sri Chinmoy
at a special meeting of the Meditation Group at the United Nations*
Today you are celebrating my birthday. I wish to offer my gratitude to each of you, and to say that every day I observe my birthday in the hearts of my dear and near ones, in the hearts of those who are seated in the Boat of the Supreme, the Boat that is destined to carry us to the Shores of the Golden Beyond. I observe my birthday every day in your hearts with my deepest gratitude, and at the same time I observe your birthdays every day in the inmost recesses of my heart with deepest love and pride divine.
I came into the world to be of service to the Supreme in mankind. By forming this United Nations Meditation Group you have given me the golden opportunity to be of service to the United Nations and to the world at large, and for that I am immensely grateful to each member of this group. On Tuesdays in this Chapel and on Fridays in the conference room when we hold meditations, what do we actually do? We try to bring down Peace, Light and Bliss from above. In the outer world we are not in a position to show what we bring down from above, but in the inner world I wish to assure each of you that we do bring down these and other divine qualities. The Supreme out of His infinite Bounty showers His Blessings on us and on the United Nations as a whole. We are the chosen devoted instruments of the Supreme.
Again I wish to offer my deepest gratitude to all the members of the United Nations Meditation Group and to all the seekers who come and regularly, faithfully, devotedly, soulfully meditate for Peace. History will bear witness to the fact that we have tried and we are trying and we shall continue to try with utmost sincerity to bring Peace into our lives and into the life of the United Nations. In the name of the Supreme I wish to assure you that we shall succeed. Our Pilot Supreme is the Absolute Supreme Himself. He will manifest and fulfil Himself in and through all aspiring hearts at His own choice Hour.
* The name ‘Meditation Group at the United Nations’ is later changed to ‘Sri Chinmoy: The Peace Meditation at the United Nations’.
Published in The Seeker’s Mind
The Compassionate Barber
A story by Sri Chinmoy
about his walking adventure
I went out walking and passed by a barber shop that I go to from time to time. It is near the funeral parlour on Parsons Boulevard. I looked in but my barber was not there. His assistant was working. I did not go inside because my pocket was empty. I did not have a cent. Without money, how can I get my hair cut? So I started to walk home. After I had gone about thirty metres, whom did I see? The owner. When he saw me, he said, "You look so young! You need a haircut." The barber's flattery started.
I said, "True, I need a haircut, but I do not have any money."
"Never mind, never mind, no problem!" he replied.
He forced me to come with him, so I went back to the shop with him. I said to him, "I want you to cut my hair, not your assistant."
"Of course, of course," he said.
Then I asked him to cut my hair very carefully. While cutting my hair, he started asking me questions. I said to him, "I am sorry I do not have money with me. I will send one of my disciples with money to pay you."
He said, "Do not think of money." Then he told me, "I have heard from your disciples that your brother has recently passed away."
I said, "Yes, my brother passed away."
Then he said, "So, how come you are close to God and we are not?"
I said, "I am trying to be close to God. We are all trying to be close to God."
"Was your brother as close to God as you are?" he asked.
"No, I am a little closer," I answered.
So this is how our conversation went. He was very nice. After he had finished, I walked back to my house and then I sent Pulak with money. Six dollars is the usual fee because I am a senior citizen, so one dollar extra I give them as a tip. But this time I gave Pulak ten dollars and I told him, "Do not take anything back."
So Pulak gave the barber ten dollars and said to the man, "You are very nice to my teacher." He wanted to give Pulak three dollars back. But Pulak said that he did not want anything back.
The barber said that my disciples are very, very good. From many parts of the world they come and they are very respectful, very kind. He was talking all about the visitors. Our barber, Sundar, cannot handle all those who come, so this barber gets very good business.
Whenever you go to a barber, you get the whole world news in a second!
Published in Walking-Challenging-Becoming, part 2