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 writes 50 poems in Puerto Rico that will subsequently be published by Aum Press, Puerto Rico, in 1974 as The Golden Boat, part 1. It is the first book in his new twenty-volume series.
Sri Chinmoy opens an exhibition of his artwork in Plaza de las Americas, Rio Pedras, Puerto Rico.
Sri Chinmoy delivers a lecture, entitled ‘A Seeker’, at the Virginia Beach Convention Centre in Virginia Beach, VA, USA.
Sri Chinmoy meets with ultra-marathon runner Ted Corbitt.
Sri Chinmoy holds a public meditation and concert for the Indian community, at Flushing Town Hall in Flushing, NY, USA.
At the invitation of New York State Governor Mario Cuomo, Sri Chinmoy offers the Opening Meditation at the Interfaith Celebration for the New York State Columbus Quincentenary, at the United Nations in New York. The Governor requests Sri Chinmoy to sit next to him on the dais.
Sri Chinmoy presents the U Thant Peace Award to Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela,1st President of South Africa, and President of the African National Congress, at the ANC Headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Sri Chinmoy offers a Peace Concert at the Holiday Inn in South Beach, Durban, South Africa.
Sri Chinmoy drives for one hour in Cancun, Mexico.
Sri Chinmoy offers a Peace Concert in Santuario Dom Bosco, Brasilia, Brazil.
Viet Nam is declared a Sri Chinmoy Peace-Blossom-Nation.
Sri Chinmoy lifted 35 people, including the Executive Secretary of the Brunei Olympic Council. He also breaks his lifting record by lifting his 2,070th person from the seated position — surpassing his previous record of 2,058 lifts in the standing position — at the Orchid Garden Hotel in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.
New York Governor Mario Cuomo chats with Sri Chinmoy Jan. 29 at an interfaith programme held at the United Nations to celebrate the Columbus quincentenary. Cuomo had invited the Master, who had opened the programme with a meditation, to sit next to him on the dais.
Published in VOLUME 21, MID-DECEMBER 1991–MARCH 1992
Sri Chinmoy plays the esraj and a number of other instruments during a public meditation and concert for the Indian community, at Flushing Town Hall in Flushing, New York.
Sri Chinmoy presents the U Thant Peace Award to President Nelson Mandela at the African National Congress Headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa.
President Mandela (greeting Sri Chinmoy): My Brother, how are you?
Sri Chinmoy: Beloved President, I am so grateful to you for so kindly allowing me to be in your blessingful presence.
Sri Chinmoy and the President enter the conference room, where the President is greeted by warm applause. He shakes hands with each person present.
President Mandela (to Sri Chinmoy’s students): It is a real pleasure to see all of you. You all look very impressive. I am so happy to see you.
Sri Chinmoy (after requesting the President to be seated): As your time is very limited, we would like to sing some songs which I have composed in your honour, and then I would like to offer you our U Thant Peace Award.
President Mandela: It is SO difficult to sit down when you are all standing!
Sri Chinmoy (presenting the President with the sheets of music): These are the two songs that they are going to sing right now.
[The choir performs A Perfect Justice-Voice and Long Walk to Freedom.]
President Mandela (applauding): Well! Thank you very much! This is a great honour.
Sri Chinmoy: Now the singers will sing four of your momentous utterances that I have set to music. (Showing the President the words and music) They will be singing these, and then we shall offer you our U Thant Peace Award.
President Mandela: This is absolutely wonderful!
The choir performs the four songs and the President applauds generously at the conclusion.
Sri Chinmoy: Highly esteemed and beloved President Mandela, it is the greatest honour for me and my students to offer you our most profound and soulful appreciation in the form of our U Thant Peace Award.
Dear President, yours is the life of a supremely chosen instrument, embodying both the excruciating bondage-pangs and the soaring freedom-dreams of your nation. The sweet hopes of your innocent childhood you unhesitatingly surrendered to Destiny’s challenging call. The loftiest goal of universal liberation you wholeheartedly embraced. Impossibility, defeat and bitterness are words never to be found in your oneness-heart-dictionary. Unfathomable courage, unparalleled determination and indomitable strength radiate on every page.
Dear President Mandela, your life of unconditional sacrifice and your beloved country’s miracle-transformation are inseparable. Sleeplessly your life-boat is plying between Africa’s bleeding heart-shore and Africa’s smiling soul-shore. Your triumphant peace-loving and oneness-building spirit the entire aspiring world shall forever love, cherish and adore.
Published in Nelson Mandela: the Pinnacle-Pillar of Mother Earth
The U Thant Peace Award is presented to
President Nelson Mandela
South Africa’s visionary oneness-leader
Epitome of humanity’s nobility-aspiration-height
Heroic justice-champion
Radiant patience-embodiment
Illumining forgiveness-ocean
Glowing humility-servant of your suffering and striving people
Towering majesty-king of their blossoming unity-victory-destinyWith our deepest appreciation, admiration and gratitude
Sri Chinmoy: The Peace Meditation at the United Nations
29 January 1996
Published in Nelson Mandela: the Pinnacle-Pillar of Mother Earth
Sri Chinmoy writes 50 poems that will subsequently be published by Aum Press, Puerto Rico in 1974 as The Golden Boat, part 1. It is the first book in his new twenty-volume series.
Appreciation-flowers.
Today the poet in me has written these 50 poems.
Today I offer my most sincere gratitude to the perfect typist and the untiring server in Nivedan.
Today the great and divine artist in Pratyay deserves my most special gratitude.
Today the exemplary services rendered by Kalyan, Ashpriha, Mangal, Joe, Dhanu, Sevananda, Bansidhar, Jose Luis, Kanti, Indu, Jolie, Daisy, Drona, Madhavi, Ananta, Eulogio, Nadeshwar, Eshana, Aidita, Lester, Ricky, Anna and many more have found their home in my grateful heart for masking, printing, collating and completing this book to my great satisfaction.
(signed by) Sri Chinmoy
29 January 1974
Published in The Golden Boat, part 1
Don’t believe
My foolish heart,
Who told you
That I do not love you?
Don’t believe insecurity.
I tell you,
Insecurity is a graceless liar.My foolish mind,
Who told you
That I do not need you?
Don’t believe doubt.
I tell you,
Doubt is a hopeless liar.My foolish vital,
Who told you
That I hate you?
Don’t believe impurity.
I tell you,
Impurity is a shameless liar.My foolish body,
Who told you
That I force you?
Don’t believe lethargy.
I tell you,
Lethargy is a useless liar.
I am never afraid
I am never afraid
Of hell.
Therefore
Hell always ignores me.I am never afraid
Of Heaven.
Therefore
Heaven always examines me.I am never afraid
Of God.
Therefore
God always
Teaches me unreservedly,
Loves me constantly,
Perfects me untiringly.
A talk by Sri Chinmoy
at the Virginia Beach Convention Centre, Virginia Beach, Virginia
A seeker is a divine hero. His is the life of conquest, outer and inner. In his outer life he conquers teeming temptations every single day. In his inner life he conquers devastating doubts every single day. A seeker is he who fulfils his soulful promises both to Heaven and to earth. His self-giving role fulfils his promise to Heaven. His self-ascending role fulfils his promise to earth. To give is to become. To ascend is to become. He gives what he has and what he is, and eventually he sees and grows into the universal Soul, the universal Reality. He ascends with his heart’s devotedness-cry and his life’s detachment-smile, and thus he eventually sees and grows into the transcendental Soul and the transcendental Reality.
Unlike most human beings, the seeker knows and feels that every moment is God’s choice Hour. He wants to manifest on earth at every moment good thoughts, illumining ideas and fulfilling love. In essence he wants to manifest God-thought, God-will and God-love here on earth. At the same time he desires to offer his heart’s soulful gratitude unreservedly to Heaven, for he knows that all his achievements here on earth are due to direct inspirations and blessingful guidance from above.
A seeker-hero equally loves both God the Creator and God the creation. He loves God the Creator with his heart’s ever-mounting cry. He loves God the creation with his life’s ever-serving readiness. His heart is inseparably one with the Vision of God the Creator. His life is inseparably one with the manifestation of God the creation.
A seeker is a hero-warrior. He conquers himself in order to become man the blossoming God. He conquers God the infinite Compassion in order to become God the fulfilling man on earth.
Published in AUM – Vol. 5, No. 1, 27 January 1978