Every and every person who has studied with Sri Chinmoy will be able to
make his or her own list of Sri Chinmoy's most significant areas of
achievement.  Here, I offer my first four, in the order in which I
value them.  More to come.

1. Master of Meditation.  Sri Chinmoy perfected meditation during his
years of practice in India, meditating sometimes more than eight hours
a day.  For me, the degree of his achievement in meditation is readily
apparent from the inner light that radiates from his  many people,
myself included, who have had visions, dreams and powerful meditations
of our own involving Sri Chinmoy.  These inner experiences only
confirm, in a way that no outer experience can, the inner height and
power of the meditation master.

2. Spiritual Teacher.  In addition to being inspiring and illuming Sri
Chinmoy's teachings provide the most comprehensive, self-consistent and
clear set of explanations about the experience that we call life, both
inner and outer.  I have had the good fortunate of studying in depth
three of the world's great religions (Christianity, Hinduism and
Buddhism), and have read the writings of many saints and sages from
different ages.  Earlier in my life, I trained to become a Christian
minister, and I also studied under several other spiritual masters, but
I have found in Sri Chinmoy's philosophy such a wide range and deep
understanding of life that my seeming insatiable string of questions
and my quest for understanding has been quenched.  Now I realize that
it is in the practice of these teachings that real satisfaction
comes.   Here, again, Sri Chinmoy is a perfect example.

3.  Prolific and Manifold Author.  Sri Chinmoy's writings will be
valued by generations and for incarnations to come.  They are a life-
boat to seekers trying to make sense of life and find peace within.
Not only do these writings embody his teachings, they also contain
inspiration for the spiritual seeker, including some of the most
beautiful poems ever written.  The book, My Flute, is filled with
rhyming metered poetry that is as sublime as one can find.  But
spiritual philosophy and poetry form only a part, albeit the most
important part for me, of his writings.  He has also written hundreds
of books of stories, many drawn from his own unique life.

For an unprecedented selection of Sri Chinmoy's electronic writings
see: www.srichinmoylibrary.com

Other categories to be covered in subsequent e-mails are: sportsman
extraordinaire, musician incomparable and artist fantastique.

I just want to share one little portion of the experience of being with Sri
Chinmoy for two weeks in New Zealand.

These two weeks have been very inspiring, very uplifting. I feel privileged to
be able to know a spiritual master of his caliber and to have been one of his
students for the past 16 years.  Sri Chinmoy is constantly inviting us to
surpass ourselves, in everything we do.  "Wherever you go, go with inspiration
and aspiration, says he. Whatever you do, do with love and concern...." These
simple words of wisdom inspire me in my daily life, and I am extremely thankful
to Sri Chinmoy for having given a new meaning to everything I say and do.

Yesterday, for example, as he has been doing for many years, he gave us a new
message for the year 2003. This is a prayer for the world, for all of us...
Here is how it reads:

"My Lord Beloved Supreme,
May each and every human being of the world
please you, only you, in your own way in the year 2003".

Inspired by Sri Chinmoy, I pray for the world, so that people make wise
decisions and care for each other... But this all starts from within.  So I
also work on my own personal transformation...

Utsahi St-Amand


---------------------------------------------
This message was sent using Endymion MailMan.
http://www.endymion.com/products/mailman/

A few of us are on a side trip to Wanaka and Queensland to go
climbing. We were invited by some of New Zealand's famous climbers
who were recently honoured by Sri Chinmoy with the Lifting Up The
World With A Oneness Heart Award.

It was only when we spent 5 1/2 hours driving to where they live did
we realise the distance they enthusiastically travelled to get lifted
in Christchurch. They even brought their family members who glow with
kindness and are all heart.

These trips with Sri Chinmoy every year to a different part of the
world really bring out the best in everyone. It is such a joy and
priveledge to be a part of such an inspiring journey.

I like that, Natabara! As many times as I hear it, I have still not
learned to live in the heart instead of the mind. But I do make it into
the heart now and then. ;-) Here's a whole book of Sri Chinmoy's
writings about the mind and the heart. It's called Mind-Confusion and
Heart-Illumination Part 2:

http://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/part2.mind-confusion-heart-
illumination/

~harmonyvision

--- In Sri_Chinmoy_Inspiration@yahoogroups.com, "natabara1 <
rollosson@m...>" <rollosson@m...> wrote:
> Every once and a while, I read something that gives me a nice jolt
> and opens doors. Here is a short passage from The Divine Hero:
>
> The Mind: Turmoil Surface, Tranquility Depths
>
> The mind has, up until now, been humanity's greatest achievement.
> With its help, science and our physical world have progressed to an
> enormous extent. However, the reasoning mind is really an obstacle
> for the spiritual aspirant. The mind is fond of accumulating
> information, but information is not going to give us an iota of
> inner wisdom.
>
>      Once we are aware that the mind is not being used properly, but
> that it can be used for the service of the Divine, then we have come
> one step forward. The next step is to know what is hidden inside the
> mind -- what capacities, possibilities and potentialities the mind
> already embodies. The surface of the ocean is all turmoil, but when
> we observe the bottom of the ocean, it is all tranquillity.
> Similarly, the mind is full of turmoil, tension and obscurity on the
> surface, but when we go deep inside the mind, we find the higher
> mind, far beyond the domain of doubt. Right now we do not really
> know Infinity, Eternity and Immortality. These are vague terms the
> physical mind cannot grasp. But if we enter into a higher mind, then
> we see these things as the real reality.
>
>
> The Divine Hero
> Winning in the Battlefield of Life
> p. 7

Nayak, your contributions are most moving and soulful. Truly anyone who
has really listened to one of Sri Chinmoy's Peace Concerts has had the
experience of a lifetime. Your description was so heartfelt that it
communicated some of that experience to me. Thank you. :-)

Some people listen so hard to the notes that they miss the
consciousness. But if one gets both the music and the consciousness
together, then truly one is transported to a heavenly realm. It is like
having Krishna with us in this modern time! I feel that Sri Chinmoy
becomes Krishna when he plays his flute.

http://www.myflutebysrichinmoy.com/55

~harmonyvision


--- In Sri_Chinmoy_Inspiration@yahoogroups.com, "akanews <akanews@y...>
" <akanews@y...> wrote:
> Sri Chinmoy offered a significant concert for nearly 800 people in
> New Zealand's Christchurch Cathedral(the main cathedral in
> Christchurch).
>
> This cathedral is the central spot for visitors and residents alike.
> Regardless of religion, the cathedral is a welcoming focal point
> which sees seekers, shoppers, travelers, businessmen, street
> musicians, lively teenagers, lunchtime office folk and just about
> everyone pass by or stay near its spire for a few minutes. To me it
> represents tolerance and the open arms you find in Christchurch. The
> Savior would be proud of the service His little big church is doing
> here.
>
> And I was very happy there to hear a concert by Sri Chinmoy that
> brought all of these people together under one roof to experience the
> quiet through music that this musical master brings.  There was a
> variety of instruments that came to life at his beck, including the
> opening trumpet-like conch, the flute, violin, haunting Japanese
> keyboard, and several others.
>
> There was not one word spoken from the beginning to the end of the
> concert.  The music was a real refuge from the stress of the world,
> and you came away feeling recharged, feeling as if you had been in on
> something special, something that spoke the real language beyond
> words.
>
> I remember seeing kids, old ladies and men, the poor, the rich, sit
> through the generous two-hour offering and come away with a nod to me
> and a smile. We had shared something.
>
> Now, remembering this event, I feel that I had one of the most
> memorable musical meals of my life.
>
> If you can hear Sri Chinmoy, either live or through one of his CDs, I
> do recommend it highly.
>
> Yours,
>
> Nayak

One of our brothers from the group which has been around Sri Chinmoy
for 25 or more years recited something the other night :
"Be not Ashamed of your Past - Be not Afraid of you Future" seems
like the perfect advice for the Divine Hero. Anyone know the exact
reference?
- Adhiratha .
--- In Sri_Chinmoy_Inspiration@yahoogroups.com, "natabara1
<rollosson@m...>" <rollosson@m...> wrote:
> Every once and a while, I read something that gives me a nice jolt
> and opens doors. Here is a short passage from The Divine Hero:
>
> The Mind: Turmoil Surface, Tranquility Depths
>
> The mind has, up until now, been humanity's greatest achievement.
> With its help, science and our physical world have progressed to
an
> enormous extent. However, the reasoning mind is really an obstacle
> for the spiritual aspirant. The mind is fond of accumulating
> information, but information is not going to give us an iota of
> inner wisdom.
>
>      Once we are aware that the mind is not being used properly,
but
> that it can be used for the service of the Divine, then we have
come
> one step forward. The next step is to know what is hidden inside
the
> mind -- what capacities, possibilities and potentialities the mind
> already embodies. The surface of the ocean is all turmoil, but
when
> we observe the bottom of the ocean, it is all tranquillity.
> Similarly, the mind is full of turmoil, tension and obscurity on
the
> surface, but when we go deep inside the mind, we find the higher
> mind, far beyond the domain of doubt. Right now we do not really
> know Infinity, Eternity and Immortality. These are vague terms the
> physical mind cannot grasp. But if we enter into a higher mind,
then
> we see these things as the real reality.
>
>
> The Divine Hero
> Winning in the Battlefield of Life
> p. 7

Dear friends,

I am delighted to join this Yahoo group, which is helping to spread the
light and wisdom of Sri Chinmoy.

The most important activity for a human being is the pursuit of
spirituality, that is, each person's own inner reality-self.  And the
most important helper in this adventure is a spiritual teacher.  The
students of Sri Chinmoy are supremely fortunate to have found in him a
genuine teacher of such tremendous inspiration and great spiritual
capacity.  He has not only helped to chart the course but he also
serves as a loving guide for his students and a beacon of inspiration
to his many friends and admirers.

May Sri Chinmoy's inspiration-light spread to the furthest corners of
the planet so that each and every human being feel inspired to follow
the guidance of his or her own highest Self.

Thanks for setting up this group and for giving us a forum to express
our heartfelt appreciation for this great spiritual teacher.

Always reaching for the light, I remain,

Yours sincerely,

Anneshan Walter Dorn, Ph.D.
Research Professor
Royal Military College of Canada
Kingston, Canada

To the moderator
***************************************************
A delightful surprise!
Inspiration is the dream-seed laden with teeming possibilities of ever-blossoming golden dawns. It is the fuel of hopes and the thrill of existence.
Like the monsoon rains that deluge India and nourish the heart of Nature herself, Sri Chinmoy is an all-embracing source of bountiful, energising, uplifting inspiration for the hearts of mankind.
Thank you for creating this forum to share glimpses of the worlds of inspiration Sri Chinmoy has opened for so many.
I eagerly look forward to reading, devouring, and participating in this rich adventure.
Prachar
Canberra, Australia

Thanks Natabara, that is a great passage and it really inspired me to
remember the possiblities of going to the tranquil part of my mind
instead of the tense and constantly agitated state of my usual mind.
Much appreciated. Thanks.



--- In Sri_Chinmoy_Inspiration@yahoogroups.com, "natabara1
<rollosson@m...>" <rollosson@m...> wrote:
> Every once and a while, I read something that gives me a nice jolt
> and opens doors. Here is a short passage from The Divine Hero:
>
> The Mind: Turmoil Surface, Tranquility Depths
>
> The mind has, up until now, been humanity's greatest achievement.
> With its help, science and our physical world have progressed to an
> enormous extent. However, the reasoning mind is really an obstacle
> for the spiritual aspirant. The mind is fond of accumulating
> information, but information is not going to give us an iota of
> inner wisdom.
>
>      Once we are aware that the mind is not being used properly,
but
> that it can be used for the service of the Divine, then we have
come
> one step forward. The next step is to know what is hidden inside
the
> mind -- what capacities, possibilities and potentialities the mind
> already embodies. The surface of the ocean is all turmoil, but when
> we observe the bottom of the ocean, it is all tranquillity.
> Similarly, the mind is full of turmoil, tension and obscurity on
the
> surface, but when we go deep inside the mind, we find the higher
> mind, far beyond the domain of doubt. Right now we do not really
> know Infinity, Eternity and Immortality. These are vague terms the
> physical mind cannot grasp. But if we enter into a higher mind,
then
> we see these things as the real reality.
>
>
> The Divine Hero
> Winning in the Battlefield of Life
> p. 7

While it's still the Christmas season I wanted to post this (it would
be good for Easter too!):

Sri Chinmoy on Christ, Judas & Forgiveness

Question: What is your personal opinion of Jesus Christ? Do you
believe he achieved something?

Sri Chinmoy: Certainly. My personal opinion of Jesus Christ is that he
is God's Son. If you feel that he has not achieved anything,
unfortunately I cannot see eye to eye with you. On the strength of my
own realisation, I know that he is a real Son of God and a real world-
Saviour. He was God-realised and fully illumined. He had a heart full
of compassion; his heart was a flood of compassion. He was, he is and
he will always remain a Saviour to mankind.

But if somebody says that he is the Saviour, the only Saviour, and that
Krishna, the Buddha and others are not Saviours, then unfortunately I
cannot agree, because I know these other great Masters as well as I
know the Christ. If we say that the Christ is the only chosen Son of
God, then we are limiting God. These other Masters did exist. These are
all God's chosen children of the highest order. They are brothers and
God, the Supreme, is their Father. How do these Masters become chosen?
They are chosen because they have sacrificed their desires: they have
accepted only the life of aspiration -- divine aspiration and inner
cry.

The achievement of Jesus Christ is extraordinary. No spiritual seeker
of the Truth can deny it. The moment a sincere seeker enters into the
domain of spirituality, which is real reality, at that time he will
immediately see how great, how sublime, how high, how far beyond the
flight of his imagination, is the Throne of Jesus Christ. This I say on
the strength of my own inner experience and realisation.

I see an empty church.
Where is the Christ?
Where has he gone?

I see an empty temple.
Where is Sri Krishna?
Where has he gone?

I see an empty heart.
Where is God?
Where has He gone?

I saw the face
     Of the suffering Christ.
         I cried and cried.

I felt the heart
     Of the forgiving Christ.
         I smiled and smiled.

I clasped the soul
     Of the illumining Christ.
         I danced and danced.

Question: Why was a man like Judas permitted to play the role of
traitor to the Master?

Sri Chinmoy: It is true that a man by the name of Judas Iscariot did
exist and did betray the Christ. But if you think that this betrayal
was something that took place all of a sudden, that Judas did it on the
spur of the moment, then I wish to say that this is not correct. It was
not a sudden temptation that compelled Judas to do this unthinkable
thing. It was preordained in the inner world.

When a spiritual Master enters into the world, there is always a
tremendous opposition to him from the world of ignorance. Sometimes
spiritual Masters are able to overcome this opposition; at other times
they fail. In the case of Jesus, we have to remember that the
opposition of the inner world attacked him twice, not once. When Satan
attacked him on the mountain, thrusting worldly temptations upon him,
it was a tremendous attack. But Christ overcame it; otherwise, he would
not have become the Christ, but would have consented to become the
earthly king of the Jews. If he had become a victim of Satan by doing
this, he would have become an ordinary man.

Who is Satan? He is the embodiment of ignorance, the embodiment of the
lower forces, the vital forces. Lord Buddha was attacked by Mara, the
evil hostile force in the form of the lower vital. Lord Buddha did
conquer Mara; that is why he became the Buddha, the Enlightened One.

In the case of Jesus Christ, he won the battle the first time. But the
second time that ignorance, embodied by Judas, attacked him, he did not
defeat it. This was preordained in the inner world. There is a plane of
consciousness where we see that this outcome was granted by the highest
Supreme. Many circumstances in the inner world led up to this decision.

You have heard of our first Indian Avatar -- King Rama or, as we call
him, Ramachandra. Ramachandra was the Avatar before Lord Krishna. Rama
had an arch-enemy called Ravana, who was the absolute embodiment of
ignorance. Ravana abducted Ramachandra's wife, Sita, and stood totally
against Rama. Ravana was the greatest hostile force incarnated in that
era. You can say that Ravana came into the world specifically to harass
Ramachandra. But this is an understatement. He came into the world with
the purpose of destroying or, if that was impossible, of delaying the
divine evolution on earth. So he stood most powerfully against
Ramachandra, whose purpose was exactly the opposite. Rama did conquer
Ravana, however, and rid the world of him.

In the case of the Christ you may say, "Judas was his disciple. How
could his own disciple get the power to do this tremendous evil?" But
we have to understand that ignorance was able to enter and occupy the
consciousness of a human being who himself wanted to take that role.
Judas wanted, consciously and deliberately, to take that role. In the
inner world there exist some souls that have been totally enveloped by
the destructive vital. They want to become famous or well-known by any
means. In the outer world also, we see human beings who want to become
famous by any means. They want to be known throughout the world for
doing something destructive. They know that people will hate them, but
they accept that hatred as long as their notoriety brings them into the
limelight.

People who assassinate famous political leaders will often say that
their own party or their doctrine is very good and the dead person's is
very bad; this is why they have killed the leader. But in their hearts,
those who have killed the Kennedy brothers, Dr. Martin Luther King,
Mahatma Gandhi and other famous people simply wanted to become well-
known all over the world overnight. In order to do this they had to
kill a person who was well-known. This is how ignorance attacks the
individual. It is for their own personal sake that they do it, and not
for the sake of some belief or doctrine. If they really believed in
some other philosophy, they would work for it in an acceptable way.
When you see that people are being shot supposedly because of a
difference of opinion, it is not really because of the difference of
opinion. It is because an individual has surrendered to wild ignorance.
He opens himself to this force because he feels that this is the way to
make himself known. He realises that his victim will be known as a good
man, and he himself will be known as a bad man. But he feels that as
long as he is known, even as a murderer, that will be enough for him.

Judas deliberately chose to accept ignorance and fight against divine
knowledge, which was embodied in Jesus Christ. He knew that if he
became responsible for the death of the Christ, then he would be famous
and notorious. Individual weakness is such that very often we hope to
do something very great and good, but when it proves impossible, we
say, "All right, then let me do something very bad." We know inwardly
that we can conquer the world only with our love, joy, compassion and
oneness. But when we are ambitious and we see that we do not have
enough capacity, if we do not have the feeling of oneness, what
happens? We become victims of frustration, hostility and destructive
feelings. With these destructive feelings we try to attack the divine
qualities which we secretly admire but do not have.

Jesus as a human being was killed, but the consciousness of the Christ
can never be killed. When ignorance attacks, it kills only the human in
us, not the divine. The divine always remains. But, unfortunately, what
happens is that the divine in us does not get the chance to do its work
at the proper time. The attack delays the divine progress. If the
Christ had not been killed at that time, there would have been another
great step forward in human evolution. This progress did come later as
a result of the whole Christian spirit. But if the Christ had not been
killed, it would have taken a purer form, a more direct and powerful
form. Again, from the highest point of view, we can say that it was all
preordained. We do not blame Judas, the person, but the forces of
ignorance which he allowed to seize him most powerfully. These forces
were responsible for delaying human evolution.

Question: How do you receive God's Forgiveness?

Sri Chinmoy: You receive God's Forgiveness only by reminding yourself -
- constantly, consciously, sleeplessly and breathlessly -- that God is
Forgiveness Itself. You should not think of God as Justice or as
infinite Light or Peace. You should not think of any other aspect of
God. You should only think of God's Forgiveness or of God the
Forgiveness. You have to inundate your mind and your heart with one
thought: forgiveness, forgiveness, forgiveness. Instead of thinking of
God's Justice-Light, you should just repeat, "My Lord is all
Forgiveness, my Lord is all Forgiveness." While repeating, "My Lord is
all Forgiveness," you must not think of all the countless undivine
things that you have done: "Oh, I have told a lie, I have struck
someone, I have done so many other things wrong." No, you will see only
the positive side. You will think only of God's Forgiveness before you,
around you and within you. If hundreds and thousands of times you can
repeat most soulfully, "My Lord is all Forgiveness, my Lord is all
Forgiveness," then all your Himalayan blunders will be washed away. All
the mistakes that you have made over the years, all the ignorant things
that you have done, will be annihilated. At that time, you will not
only feel that you are forgiven, but you will feel that you yourself
are God's Forgiveness. If someone asks you your name, you will say, "My
name is my Lord's Forgiveness." If someone asks who you are, you will
say, "I am my Lord's Forgiveness."

This will be your only credential. In the ordinary life people have
many credentials. They have this university degree, that degree and so
on. But a spiritual seeker will say that he has only one credential. He
will say either "I am my Lord's Forgiveness," or "I am my Lord's
Compassion," or "I am my Lord's Love." So, if somebody asks what your
credentials are, immediately you will say, "My Lord's Compassion is my
only credential," or "My Lord's Forgiveness is my only credential." It
is not just false humility, for in the inmost recesses of your heart
you do feel that your only credential is God's Compassion or God's
Forgiveness. That is what all seekers must feel.

*  *  *

© Sri Chinmoy

These passages were taken from the following books by Sri Chinmoy:

The Avatars And The Masters
http://avatars-masters.srichinmoylibrary.com/15

Brother Jesus
http://www.ely.anglican.org/parishes/camgsm/sermons/S2002l/
bm1sermon.html

Simplicity, Sincerity, Purity And Divinity
http://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/simplicity-sincerity/10

What I Need From God
http://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/need-from-god/5

I was moved by your story, Pradhan. It reminded me of a problem I have
in my spiritual life, which is that I want to run away from the Light
at exactly the times when I should be running toward the Light. Also, I
realize that sometimes I have faith in God as a Divine being, but not
as a human being. It's like I want to keep God at a distance so that I
do not really have to listen to him. Or I am afraid that if God is a
human being, then maybe he will hurt me or abandon me. Strange...

~harmonyvision

--- In Sri_Chinmoy_Inspiration@yahoogroups.com, "pradhan_balt <
pradhan@v...>" <pradhan@v...> wrote:
> Greetings from New Zealand! When we were in Hamilton, the chat went
> to parents and how our own spiritual lives impacted our parents. Sri
> Chinmoy asked me to tell the story of my father. It seemed that so
> many people commented that they were touched by the story that I
> decided to post it here. Forgive its length!
>
>     When my father passed away, it was not completely unexpected. He
> had already experienced 5 heart attacks and 2 bouts of congestive
> heart failure. On March 17, my younger brother called me from New
> York about 10 am with the news, and I immediately made 2 phone calls…
> one to my friend Ashrita to inform Sri Chinmoy, and a second to make
> a flight reservation. Within an hour or so, I received a message back
> from Ashrita that Sri Chinmoy said to come to his home and to please
> bring a photo of my father. Sri Chinmoy added that I could come
> anytime until 2:00 am.
>      Now my father's passing occurred at a time in my life when I
> felt a little shaky, spiritually speaking. I was just opening my
> chiropractic office, spending a lot of money in the process, and
> perhaps my meditation time was sacrificed a bit as all this was
> happening. The net effect was that I wasn't feeling particularly good
> about myself spiritually.
>      As a result of this, I was not exactly prepared to stand in
> front of my spiritual Teacher. At this point, I must add that this is
> a completely wrong attitude. I've learned this since. There is no
> more important time to stand in front of your spiritual Teacher as
> when you are feeling least worthy. But that was not my wisdom at the
> time of this significant occurrence and now Sri Chinmoy himself told
> me to come down to his home.
>      My flight arrived late in the evening, about 11 pm-ish. I made
> my way to Hartsdale where my brother and father lived, showered and
> then drove down to Jamaica. It was 1:00 am when I finally found
> myself standing on the street in front of Sri Chinmoy's home. The
> lights were for the most part off.
>      I stood there for a few minutes, with a photo of my father,
> affectionately surrounded by his 4 sons. It was clear which one was
> my father, both from an age standpoint and also from a focal
> standpoint. He was clearly the source of all the family vanity.
> At this point, all my insecurity came forward. I knew I wasn't in a
> particularly good consciousness. I thought to myself, "Gee, the
> lights are out. Maybe I should go home, get in a good morning
> meditation and then come back in the morning." In this way, I could
> say to Sri Chinmoy that I was actually there, but because the lights
> were out, I didn't want to bother him. Very fortunately, my stupidity
> was corrected by another thought, "Your father has passed away. For
> God's sake, this is for him not for you!"
>      I gathered my courage and went to the side door and knocked…very
> gently, and I mean very, very gently. I thought that if no one
> answered, then I could definitely go home and be able to tell my
> teacher the next day, "I even knocked!" There was no answer.
>      If I knocked a second time and there was no answer, I was free,
> so I knocked again, this time just a little bit harder. With that,
> the lights came on, the door at the top of the stairs opened and I
> could see Sri Chinmoy looking out at me.
>      I could hear him as he descended the steps, "Oh I am so sorry,
> good boy, so sorry." Then as he opened the door, "Did you bring a
> picture?" "Yes" as I handed him the picture feeling it needed no
> further explanation as anyone would know which of the 5 men was my
> father.
>      I was so surprised when Sri Chinmoy asked, "Which one is it?" I
> shrugged off my surprise, and simply pointed to the man in the center
> of the photo. "This one," I clarified.
>      "Which one?" again he asked. "This one" with a bit more
> emphasis.
>       "Which one?" "This one!"
>       "Which one?" "This one!!"
>       "Which one?" At this point, I no longer understood why it
> wasn't obvious. Then it occurred to me that maybe Sri Chinmoy had
> received a message that my brother has died and perhaps that was the
> source of his confusion. With that, I finally clarified…
>       "This one. That's my father!"
>      At long last, it became all clear. With his eye's closed,
> soulfully, lovingly and softly Sri Chinmoy repeated over and over, "I
> am your eternity's father. I am your eternity's father. I am your
> eternity's father. I am your eternity's father. I am your eternity's
> father." Perhaps 20 times he said it, and with each utterance all my
> inner insecurity-angst dissipated to be replaced with my teacher's
> unvanquishable love. Then he opened his eyes and said, "I will do
> everything for your father that I can."
>      As I was left, he put the porch lights on, waved, and smiled at
> me most compassionately and lovingly…a smile I will never forget.

"Today is a good day for my Real Self to come
to the fore."

This is the kind of aphorism I really love.
It was composed by Sri Chinmoy on 20 Dec in
Christchurch, NZ. All that day it echoed:

"Today is a good day for my Real Self to come
to the fore."

Soulful regards,
Jagrata

I'm just wondering if there has been anyone in history to accomplish
so much in so many fields. We hear about Leonardo Da Vinci being an
artist as well as a scientist, however you rarely hear of someone
excelling in multiple fields.

Sri Chinmoy has written a large wall of books, painted many
galleries of paintings, composed more individual songs than some
famous musicians can play in their lifetimes, and the list goes on.
From weightlifting unbelievable weights to writing poetry that
surpasses the volumes of the epics put together. I'm just wondering
if this has ever been done before, because I couldn't fathom it in
one person, unless I saw it myself. And I have had the great
opportunity to witness it myself, and it is truly a marvel.

Check out http://www.srichinmoy.org and you will see for yourself.
It really says a lot about the power of meditation.

Every once and a while, I read something that gives me a nice jolt
and opens doors. Here is a short passage from The Divine Hero:

The Mind: Turmoil Surface, Tranquility Depths

The mind has, up until now, been humanity's greatest achievement.
With its help, science and our physical world have progressed to an
enormous extent. However, the reasoning mind is really an obstacle
for the spiritual aspirant. The mind is fond of accumulating
information, but information is not going to give us an iota of
inner wisdom.

      Once we are aware that the mind is not being used properly, but
that it can be used for the service of the Divine, then we have come
one step forward. The next step is to know what is hidden inside the
mind -- what capacities, possibilities and potentialities the mind
already embodies. The surface of the ocean is all turmoil, but when
we observe the bottom of the ocean, it is all tranquillity.
Similarly, the mind is full of turmoil, tension and obscurity on the
surface, but when we go deep inside the mind, we find the higher
mind, far beyond the domain of doubt. Right now we do not really
know Infinity, Eternity and Immortality. These are vague terms the
physical mind cannot grasp. But if we enter into a higher mind, then
we see these things as the real reality.


The Divine Hero
Winning in the Battlefield of Life
p. 7

Sri Chinmoy offered a significant concert for nearly 800 people in
New Zealand's Christchurch Cathedral(the main cathedral in
Christchurch).

This cathedral is the central spot for visitors and residents alike.
Regardless of religion, the cathedral is a welcoming focal point
which sees seekers, shoppers, travelers, businessmen, street
musicians, lively teenagers, lunchtime office folk and just about
everyone pass by or stay near its spire for a few minutes. To me it
represents tolerance and the open arms you find in Christchurch. The
Savior would be proud of the service His little big church is doing
here.

And I was very happy there to hear a concert by Sri Chinmoy that
brought all of these people together under one roof to experience the
quiet through music that this musical master brings.  There was a
variety of instruments that came to life at his beck, including the
opening trumpet-like conch, the flute, violin, haunting Japanese
keyboard, and several others.

There was not one word spoken from the beginning to the end of the
concert.  The music was a real refuge from the stress of the world,
and you came away feeling recharged, feeling as if you had been in on
something special, something that spoke the real language beyond
words.

I remember seeing kids, old ladies and men, the poor, the rich, sit
through the generous two-hour offering and come away with a nod to me
and a smile. We had shared something.

Now, remembering this event, I feel that I had one of the most
memorable musical meals of my life.

If you can hear Sri Chinmoy, either live or through one of his CDs, I
do recommend it highly.

Yours,

Nayak

Thanks Pradhan, I love this story. Waiting for the book!





--- In Sri_Chinmoy_Inspiration@yahoogroups.com, "pradhan_balt
<pradhan@v...>" <pradhan@v...> wrote:
> Greetings from New Zealand! When we were in Hamilton, the chat went
> to parents and how our own spiritual lives impacted our parents.
Sri
> Chinmoy asked me to tell the story of my father. It seemed that so
> many people commented that they were touched by the story that I
> decided to post it here. Forgive its length!
>
>     When my father passed away, it was not completely unexpected.
He
> had already experienced 5 heart attacks and 2 bouts of congestive
> heart failure. On March 17, my younger brother called me from New
> York about 10 am with the news, and I immediately made 2 phone
calls?> one to my friend Ashrita to inform Sri Chinmoy, and a second
to make
> a flight reservation. Within an hour or so, I received a message
back
> from Ashrita that Sri Chinmoy said to come to his home and to
please
> bring a photo of my father. Sri Chinmoy added that I could come
> anytime until 2:00 am.
>      Now my father's passing occurred at a time in my life when I
> felt a little shaky, spiritually speaking. I was just opening my
> chiropractic office, spending a lot of money in the process, and
> perhaps my meditation time was sacrificed a bit as all this was
> happening. The net effect was that I wasn't feeling particularly
good
> about myself spiritually.
>      As a result of this, I was not exactly prepared to stand in
> front of my spiritual Teacher. At this point, I must add that this
is
> a completely wrong attitude. I've learned this since. There is no
> more important time to stand in front of your spiritual Teacher as
> when you are feeling least worthy. But that was not my wisdom at
the
> time of this significant occurrence and now Sri Chinmoy himself
told
> me to come down to his home.
>      My flight arrived late in the evening, about 11 pm-ish. I made
> my way to Hartsdale where my brother and father lived, showered and
> then drove down to Jamaica. It was 1:00 am when I finally found
> myself standing on the street in front of Sri Chinmoy's home. The
> lights were for the most part off.
>      I stood there for a few minutes, with a photo of my father,
> affectionately surrounded by his 4 sons. It was clear which one was
> my father, both from an age standpoint and also from a focal
> standpoint. He was clearly the source of all the family vanity.
> At this point, all my insecurity came forward. I knew I wasn't in a
> particularly good consciousness. I thought to myself, "Gee, the
> lights are out. Maybe I should go home, get in a good morning
> meditation and then come back in the morning." In this way, I could
> say to Sri Chinmoy that I was actually there, but because the
lights
> were out, I didn't want to bother him. Very fortunately, my
stupidity
> was corrected by another thought, "Your father has passed away. For
> God's sake, this is for him not for you!"
>      I gathered my courage and went to the side door and knocked…v
ery
> gently, and I mean very, very gently. I thought that if no one
> answered, then I could definitely go home and be able to tell my
> teacher the next day, "I even knocked!" There was no answer.
>      If I knocked a second time and there was no answer, I was
free,
> so I knocked again, this time just a little bit harder. With that,
> the lights came on, the door at the top of the stairs opened and I
> could see Sri Chinmoy looking out at me.
>      I could hear him as he descended the steps, "Oh I am so sorry,
> good boy, so sorry." Then as he opened the door, "Did you bring a
> picture?" "Yes" as I handed him the picture feeling it needed no
> further explanation as anyone would know which of the 5 men was my
> father.
>      I was so surprised when Sri Chinmoy asked, "Which one is it?"
I
> shrugged off my surprise, and simply pointed to the man in the
center
> of the photo. "This one," I clarified.
>      "Which one?" again he asked. "This one" with a bit more
> emphasis.
>       "Which one?" "This one!"
>       "Which one?" "This one!!"
>       "Which one?" At this point, I no longer understood why it
> wasn't obvious. Then it occurred to me that maybe Sri Chinmoy had
> received a message that my brother has died and perhaps that was
the
> source of his confusion. With that, I finally clarified?
>       "This one. That's my father!"
>      At long last, it became all clear. With his eye's closed,
> soulfully, lovingly and softly Sri Chinmoy repeated over and
over, "I
> am your eternity's father. I am your eternity's father. I am your
> eternity's father. I am your eternity's father. I am your
eternity's
> father." Perhaps 20 times he said it, and with each utterance all
my
> inner insecurity-angst dissipated to be replaced with my teacher's
> unvanquishable love. Then he opened his eyes and said, "I will do
> everything for your father that I can."
>      As I was left, he put the porch lights on, waved, and smiled
at
> me most compassionately and lovingly…a smile I will never forget.

Congratulations on starting this group! I am proud to call myself a
friend of Sri Chinmoy Centre. I'm glad I will be able to keep up with
what you all are doing by checking here for updates. A very merry
holiday season to you all!

~harmonyvision

P.S. Here's another article about Sri Chinmoy's New Zealand lifts:

Sri Chinmoy Advocates World Harmony

"No miracle on earth will help any human being realise God. Miracles
the Christ did, but it is not because of his miracles that the world is
appreciating and admiring and worshipping him. If you think that it is
just because he came back after his death that the world is
appreciating him, you are absolutely wrong. He came to the world with
the message of Compassion, Peace and Love in infinite measure. He is
being worshipped by the world not because of his miracles, but because
of his Peace, Light and Compassion, because of the Reality that he
embodied, that he still embodies and will eternally embody."

"It is not under the branches, but at the foot of the tree that one
gets full protection. Therefore human souls, wherever they may be
scattered, return to their families to breathe in serenely the
Universal Humanity and Peace on Christmas."

--Sri Chinmoy

When the public hears that Sri Chinmoy has lifted 1,000 New Zealand
lambs at Christmastime, they may get innocent joy and amusement. They
may also be inspired to ask themselves: Who is Sri Chinmoy? What is his
purpose in visiting our nation?

Perhaps Sri Chinmoy's feats of weightlifting are intended to call
attention to his deeper spiritual message, a message of inner progress,
world harmony, and love for God. Sri Chinmoy has received many awards
for promoting world harmony, including:

The Matsunaga Peace Award:

http://www.hinduismtoday.com/1994/2/1994-2-03.html

The Jesse Owens Humanitarian Award:

http://my-tamil.com/cgi-bin/n/viewnews.cgi?newsid1037593246,44735,

The Pilgrim of Peace Award:

http://peace-pilgrim.srichinmoylibrary.com/7

The World Peace Literature Award:

http://archives.thedaily.washington.edu/2000/031000/nF3.weight.html

The Gandhi Universal Harmony Award:

http://www.bhavanus.com/past.htm

Since no weightlifters have received any of these awards, it would seem
that Sri Chinmoy has been quietly offering a non-political message for
world harmony which has received less publicity than his weightlifting,
but which, in the eyes of history, may prove a more significant
achievement. Sri Chinmoy does not lift only lambs, but also world
leaders. He has a program called "Lifting Up The World With A Oneness-
Heart." The symbolic value of these lifts should not be underestimated,
because when he meets with world leaders, ostensibly to lift their
physical frame, the power and sincerity of his message for world
harmony is deeply felt and warmly embraced:

Respected Sri Chinmoy,
Excellencies, Members of the Royal Government of Cambodia
Ladies and Gentlemen,

As we enter the third millennium, we still witness wars, terrorist
acts, tensions and hatred, caused by religious and other differences,
especially the horror of 11 September. Therefore, more than ever we
really need many more Sri Chinmoys to unite the people on Earth to live
in harmony, peace and friendship. We still need more Peace Runs, Peace
Blossoms and Peace Meditations, especially the arts of sharing and
mutual concession to breed the value of tolerance and mutual
understanding among different countries and people. In this regard, I
express my deep respect and sincere gratitude to Excellency Sri Chinmoy
for his dedication to world peace.

Accepting the "Lifting Up the World With a Oneness-Heart" award, I am
more and more committed to an endless duty. I humbly pledge that I
shall give the rest of my life to safeguard and enhance the
achievements reached in Cambodia in national reconciliation and to
foster solidarity and cooperation of Cambodians from all walks of life
with the view to promoting democracy, the respect for human rights, and
especially pulling Cambodia and Cambodians out of the shackles of
poverty. This is also a valuable contribution to world peace.

His Excellency Samdech Hun Sen
Prime Minister of Cambodia

http://www.camnet.com.kh/ocm/government107.htm
----------------------------------------------

SRI CHINMOY: WRITINGS ON WORLD HARMONY

We Are The World

Unless and until we have peace deep within us, we can never hope to
have peace in the outer world. You and I create the world by the
vibrations that we offer to it. If we can invoke peace and then offer
it to somebody else, we will see how peace expands from one to two
persons, and gradually to the world at large. Peace will come about in
the world from the perfection of individuals. If you have peace, I have
peace, he has peace, and she has peace, then automatically universal
peace will dawn.

There are two wars: the inner war and the outer war. The inner war is
the war that our soul fights against limitations, ignorance, doubt, and
death. The outer war is the war that man fights against man, that
nation fights against nation. The outer wars will come to an end only
if the inner war stops first. We fight because deep inside us there is
disharmony, fear, anxiety, and worry. When we have peace, joy,
plenitude, and fulfillment, we shall not wage war.

*  *  *

Invitation

In this great assembly of the universe
I invite those to have peace
Who are suffering most miserably.
To them I say
That the most precious wealth
Is the silent Smile of the Mother Divine,
And in Her Hand is the world-enchanting flute
    of Lord Krishna.

*  *  *

Sri Krishna came into the world with a Mission, and his Mission was the
manifestation of Universal Harmony. The Buddha came into the world with
a Mission, and his Mission was the manifestation of Universal Peace.
The Christ came into the world with a Mission, and his Mission was the
manifestation of Universal Compassion.

Here at the United Nations there are many missions representing
different countries. To me each mission is like a river flowing into
the ocean, and the ocean is the United Nations. Each mission is a
flowing river entering into the ocean with hope, with eagerness and
with a willingness to become part and parcel of the ocean. At the
United Nations the Divine Mission flows not only in the ocean but also
through each of the rivers. The Divine Mission of Light exists not only
in the infinite Vast, but also in the tiniest drop of consciousness...

When we are really great we care for the small, for the poor, for the
invalid. The mission of the great is to become one with those who are
less great than they, and to lift them up to a higher standard through
self-giving. The mission of those who are not yet great is to feel that
the great ones are only the more evolved extensions of their own
aspiring consciousness.

*  *  *

Song-Offerings

The song of the mountain
Gives me peace.

The song of the sea
Gives me bliss.

The song of my heart
Gives me love.

The song of my soul
Gives me life.

The song of my earth-gratitude
Brings God to me.

The song of God's Heaven-Plenitude
Carries me to God.

*  *  *

© Sri Chinmoy

These writings by Sri Chinmoy were taken from the following books:

Reincarnation And Evolution
Brother Jesus
The Wings of Joy
The Garden of Love-Light
The Tears of Nation-Hearts
God The Supreme Musician

We Are The World excerpted from The Wings of Joy, published by Simon
and Schuster, available from fine booksellers everywhere.

Many other books by Sri Chinmoy may be read online at:

http://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/

For further information about Lifting Up the World With a Oneness-
Heart:

http://www.srichinmoyliftinguptheworld.com/

For more on interfaith activities, please see:

http://www.peacerun.com/usa_2001/notes_pages/july_29.htm

Greetings from New Zealand! When we were in Hamilton, the chat went
to parents and how our own spiritual lives impacted our parents. Sri
Chinmoy asked me to tell the story of my father. It seemed that so
many people commented that they were touched by the story that I
decided to post it here. Forgive its length!

     When my father passed away, it was not completely unexpected. He
had already experienced 5 heart attacks and 2 bouts of congestive
heart failure. On March 17, my younger brother called me from New
York about 10 am with the news, and I immediately made 2 phone calls…
one to my friend Ashrita to inform Sri Chinmoy, and a second to make
a flight reservation. Within an hour or so, I received a message back
from Ashrita that Sri Chinmoy said to come to his home and to please
bring a photo of my father. Sri Chinmoy added that I could come
anytime until 2:00 am.
      Now my father's passing occurred at a time in my life when I
felt a little shaky, spiritually speaking. I was just opening my
chiropractic office, spending a lot of money in the process, and
perhaps my meditation time was sacrificed a bit as all this was
happening. The net effect was that I wasn't feeling particularly good
about myself spiritually.
      As a result of this, I was not exactly prepared to stand in
front of my spiritual Teacher. At this point, I must add that this is
a completely wrong attitude. I've learned this since. There is no
more important time to stand in front of your spiritual Teacher as
when you are feeling least worthy. But that was not my wisdom at the
time of this significant occurrence and now Sri Chinmoy himself told
me to come down to his home.
      My flight arrived late in the evening, about 11 pm-ish. I made
my way to Hartsdale where my brother and father lived, showered and
then drove down to Jamaica. It was 1:00 am when I finally found
myself standing on the street in front of Sri Chinmoy's home. The
lights were for the most part off.
      I stood there for a few minutes, with a photo of my father,
affectionately surrounded by his 4 sons. It was clear which one was
my father, both from an age standpoint and also from a focal
standpoint. He was clearly the source of all the family vanity.
At this point, all my insecurity came forward. I knew I wasn't in a
particularly good consciousness. I thought to myself, "Gee, the
lights are out. Maybe I should go home, get in a good morning
meditation and then come back in the morning." In this way, I could
say to Sri Chinmoy that I was actually there, but because the lights
were out, I didn't want to bother him. Very fortunately, my stupidity
was corrected by another thought, "Your father has passed away. For
God's sake, this is for him not for you!"
      I gathered my courage and went to the side door and knocked…very
gently, and I mean very, very gently. I thought that if no one
answered, then I could definitely go home and be able to tell my
teacher the next day, "I even knocked!" There was no answer.
      If I knocked a second time and there was no answer, I was free,
so I knocked again, this time just a little bit harder. With that,
the lights came on, the door at the top of the stairs opened and I
could see Sri Chinmoy looking out at me.
      I could hear him as he descended the steps, "Oh I am so sorry,
good boy, so sorry." Then as he opened the door, "Did you bring a
picture?" "Yes" as I handed him the picture feeling it needed no
further explanation as anyone would know which of the 5 men was my
father.
      I was so surprised when Sri Chinmoy asked, "Which one is it?" I
shrugged off my surprise, and simply pointed to the man in the center
of the photo. "This one," I clarified.
      "Which one?" again he asked. "This one" with a bit more
emphasis.
       "Which one?" "This one!"
       "Which one?" "This one!!"
       "Which one?" At this point, I no longer understood why it
wasn't obvious. Then it occurred to me that maybe Sri Chinmoy had
received a message that my brother has died and perhaps that was the
source of his confusion. With that, I finally clarified…
       "This one. That's my father!"
      At long last, it became all clear. With his eye's closed,
soulfully, lovingly and softly Sri Chinmoy repeated over and over, "I
am your eternity's father. I am your eternity's father. I am your
eternity's father. I am your eternity's father. I am your eternity's
father." Perhaps 20 times he said it, and with each utterance all my
inner insecurity-angst dissipated to be replaced with my teacher's
unvanquishable love. Then he opened his eyes and said, "I will do
everything for your father that I can."
      As I was left, he put the porch lights on, waved, and smiled at
me most compassionately and lovingly…a smile I will never forget.

Greetings, Prabhakar!
Thank you so much for both of your extremely inspiring postings
about Sri Chinmoy's lifting 1000 lambs and 100 cows! I was also
extremely inspired by your own enthusiasm in being part of the
lifting, specially how you helped the cows up to be lifted and what
it was like to have one almost step on your foot!

I also had tremendous joy helping with the lambs, lifting them up
once they had been lifted by Sri Chinmoy. They seemed much more
gentle, mild and sweet, because they had been loved and lifted by
Sri Chinmoy and everyone present!

Sri Chinmoy always picks the finest in every country he travels! In
this case, he brought forth the sweetness of all the New Zealanders
through their lambs, plus their direct sacredness with the cows!

Thank you once again!

    Agraha

--- In Sri_Chinmoy_Inspiration@yahoogroups.com, "prabhakar_jts
<prabhakar_jts@y...>" <prabhakar_jts@y...> wrote:
>
> I thought the lamb lifting was incredible, 1000 lambs hoisted
> overhead, but the cows!!!! It is hard to imagine the difficulty of
> something that you do not do yourself, and it is easy to think
that
> something is easy because it may look that way, but having played
a
> small role in manouvering the cows into position on the platform
gave
> me a very very distinct impression of their weight! When a cow
> decides to move there is really nothing you can do but get clear
out
> of the way! The sheer mass and strength combined together in any
> direction can be a humbling experience for our much smaller
> capacities. This brings me to the most important aspect of these
> lifts for me, who would dare to lift such a weight? Not just once
but
> 100 times over, this is staggering to my mind, since a couple of
> close calls when a cow almost stepped on my foot was enough to
> intimidate me very thoroughly, I can barely imagine voluntarily
> getting under the entire weight of these - 100 of these- beautiful
> animals! I just think of how many times in my life I am willing to
> challenge the limits of my strength, just to go to the maximum on
the
> bench press is a huge ordeal that I rarely , rarely undertake! And
> this is a conceivable weight, not something way beyond the dreams
of
> my strength and yet Sri Chinmoy not only challenges this
limitation
> but time and again dares to go beyond his own previous
achievements!
> I am hugely honored to be given the oppourtunity to take part in
> these increbible achievements and can only recognize that the way
is
> being shown to me, and to all of us, not neccesarily the way to
lift
> cows or lambs but most certainly the way to lift our own lives!

-------------------------

A few links as a reminder to some sites containing more writings by
Sri
Chinmoy and about Sri Chinmoy:

The official site of Sri Chinmoy:
http://www.srichinmoy.org

A huge library, containing more than a thousand books by Sri Chinmoy:
http://www.srichinmoylibrary.com

This lady is very impressive, and Sri Chinmoy lifted her.  She was
the first woman to climb Mt. Everest without oxygen, and she climbed
during a period when others died in the attempt.  Lydia Bradey (New
Zealand)--a brave soul--was honoured by Sri Chinmoy in his
programme "Lifting up the World with a Oneness-Heart". Lydia summited
in 1988, and since then has kept up her quest of the high and
beautiful.  She established a firm that specialises in taking people
to spiritual places in the wilderness.  One of her special places is
Mongolia.

It was quite something to see this enduring woman with a radiant face
and noble bearing stand atop Sri Chinmoy's special lifiting
platform.  We knew that she had stood on the top of the world, and
this height seemd to stand there with us as we watched the
distinguished Sri Chinmoy bear her weight and lift her up to a summit
of honour.

She spoke appreciatively of this honour after the lift, and we knew
that she understood the meaning of it and added lustre to the roll of
others who had been honoured, such as the great Nelson Mandela.

The date of the lift: 22 December, 2002, in the Grand Chancellor
Hotel Ballroom, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Recently it hit me as we were watching Sri Chinmoy lift cows what a feat it is.
I
was in a gym this morning standing next to a calf-raise machine, noticing the
weights were about 10lbs each and there was a stack of about 20 weights all
totaling about 200lbs. It was only a few days ago that I watched Sri Chinmoy
calf-raise a platform containing a cow and 3 other people for a total of over
1200 lbs!!!

So I stood next to this calf machine in the gym thinking this would be about six
times the stack of weight...

There is something very special happening at these liftings on many levels. It
is so fun to see and be a part of -- a recent posting mentioned what a team of
people it takes to coordinate the set up and actual lifting. A rush of activity
is
followed by silence and then the entire platform being raised up about 2
inches with a cow looking on above it all. Unforgettable.

I thought the lamb lifting was incredible, 1000 lambs hoisted
overhead, but the cows!!!! It is hard to imagine the difficulty of
something that you do not do yourself, and it is easy to think that
something is easy because it may look that way, but having played a
small role in manouvering the cows into position on the platform gave
me a very very distinct impression of their weight! When a cow
decides to move there is really nothing you can do but get clear out
of the way! The sheer mass and strength combined together in any
direction can be a humbling experience for our much smaller
capacities. This brings me to the most important aspect of these
lifts for me, who would dare to lift such a weight? Not just once but
100 times over, this is staggering to my mind, since a couple of
close calls when a cow almost stepped on my foot was enough to
intimidate me very thoroughly, I can barely imagine voluntarily
getting under the entire weight of these - 100 of these- beautiful
animals! I just think of how many times in my life I am willing to
challenge the limits of my strength, just to go to the maximum on the
bench press is a huge ordeal that I rarely , rarely undertake! And
this is a conceivable weight, not something way beyond the dreams of
my strength and yet Sri Chinmoy not only challenges this limitation
but time and again dares to go beyond his own previous achievements!
I am hugely honored to be given the oppourtunity to take part in
these increbible achievements and can only recognize that the way is
being shown to me, and to all of us, not neccesarily the way to lift
cows or lambs but most certainly the way to lift our own lives!

When Sri Chinmoy lifted a thousand lambs in New Zealand over the last
few weeks it was a rare priveledge to be involved in what i feel is a
unique expression of dynamic oneness. It was amazing to be lifting
the cages full of lambs up to the platform while someone else posted
the number of lifts and someone then posted the weights while others
picked up the lambs from the pens and then placed them gently into
the lifting cages, meanwhile others were singing and still others
were weighing in the lambs and then more were wiping off the bottom
of the cages!!!!! All of this practically at once!!! It was like
grand central station , this person going that way and that person
waiting for the next to finish in order to do their job, and most
amazing, throughout it all Sri Chinmoy sat implacable amidst all this
movement around him , above him, behind him...then
silence....stillness, then lifting !
    Again I would like to express my utmost appreciation to Sri
Chinmoy for the great chance to be a part of this living , breathing,
moving expression of exhilirating oneness. Gratitude. Gratitude.
Gratitiude.

Taupo is extremely, extremely beautiful. I have just finished my
morning meditation and am feeling very grateful to be here with Sri
Chinmoy and so many aspiring friends from all over the world.

Sri Chinmoy is soon to complete lifting 100 cows and, of course, he
has already completed lifting 1000 lambs.

After lifting the lambs, he said, "The Saviour Christ had a very
special affection, love and fondness for the lambs...As soon as we
say lamb, all our divine qualities come forward: innocence,
softness, tenderness and mildness. Lambs invoke all our own good
qualities."

Sri Chinmoy explained that he is lifting cows because, "Cows not
only give us milk, but make sacrifices right from the dawn of their
lives." Cows are also the most sacred animal to all Hindus and Sri
Chinmoy refers to the sacred cow in his song for the cows.

When Sri Chinmoy lifts, he reveals new worlds of possibility and
potentiality that are accessible only through our prayers and
meditations. He also brings forward the oneness of all faiths by
honouring the animals sacred to different faiths.

One of Sri Chinmoy's sayings on interfaith harmony I treasure very
much: "Spirituality is not merely tolerance...Our spiritual life
firmly and securely establishes the basis of unity in diversity.
Spirituality is not hospitality to the others' faith in God. It is
the absolute recognition of the others' faith in God as one's own."

Fostering loving oneness between the human and the animal kingdom,
between all the faiths and, indeed, between all of God's creation is
to me one of Sri Chinmoy's precious contributions through his
Lifting Up the World With a Oneness-Heart programme.

Thank you again for this wonderful forum for INSPIRATION!

     Agraha

Greetings,

Recently, a book called "The Divine Hero"
by Sri Chinmoy was published. I read a
very nice section "Guided by the Unseen Hand."
It expresses that one becomes very secure
in life when we are aware of our Source.

The section ends with this poem:

"Though I do not know
Where this next step leads,
I do know
An unseen Hand
Will guide me blessingfully
To my destination."

Regards,
Jagrata

I can't tell you how nice it is to read the messages about Sri
Chinmoy from the eyewitnesses down in New Zealand.  I see that he is
inspiring people in the same humble but joyful way that he pursues
anywhere in the world.  I hope that the internet will become a more
rewarding place by having news about his lifting and other activities
posted.

I understand that Sri Chinmoy has now lifted 1000 lambs.  That is an
achievement, both as a very large weight to have borne aloft, but
also in the unique choice of animals.  Everyone loves lambs, and they
have such good qualities, so that these lifts bring those qualitites
to our attention, and then there is a good smile to be had over the
never-before-seen spectacle of a man lifting so many cute anaimals.
Who else would lift so many creature overhead except one who sees
something special in every living creature?

I have enjoyed telling my friends about these lifts, and everyone has
gotten a lift from it.

And, I have to share one of my favorite aphorisms by Sri Chinmoy:

Leave behind
Not your words
But your deeds for mankind.

---#11239 from Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees

From Nayak

Hi to everybody!

This is priyadarshan writing. I am not a good writer, especially in English,
so I would like to share with you over the following months writings by Sri
Chinmoy that inspired me tremendously, and helped me so much.

The folowing talk, by Sri Chinmoy, is about Concentration.

Gratitude
----------------------------------------------


Dear seekers, I wish to give a short talk on concentration. In the spiritual
life concentration is of paramount importance. Without concentration we
cannot make any satisfactory progress With concentration we can run like a
deer. Concentration accelerates our progress toward the Golden Beyond.

Concentration in the physical is attention.
Concentration in the vital is penetration.
Concentration in the mind is observation.
Concentration in the heart is assimilation.
Concentration in the soul is illumination.
Concentration in God is perfection.
Concentration is a seeker's capacity. His capacity is reality, his reality
is divinity and his divinity is Immortality.
Concentration is the connecting link between man's aspiration and God's
Compassion, between earth's excruciating pangs and Heaven's liberating
Smile.
Concentration is at once the power of rejection and the power of acceptance.
A seeker, on the strength of his concentration, rejects the superficial body
substance. On the strength of his concentration, the seeker accepts the
inner soul essence. Concentration is the seeker's unfailing companion. It is
the seeker's commanding captain and his illumining liberator.

In the morning, when we concentrate on God, we come to realise where God is:
God is in the inmost recesses of our hearts. In the afternoon, when we
concentrate on God, we come to learn why God exists: He exists precisely for
our satisfaction. In the evening, when we concentrate on God, we come to
learn who God actually is: God is our unrealised depth; God is our
unmanifested height.

Concentration is at once the evolving man's triumphant success and the
manifesting God's continuous progress here on earth and there in Heaven. Man
concentrates on God. He fights against his teeming doubts and brooding
ignorance; therefore, he is a divine hero warrior. God concentrates on man.
In spite of knowing man's weaknesses, imperfections, limitations and
ignorance night, God concentrates on man with His infinite Love, eternal
Compassion and immortal Life; therefore, God is the Supreme Lover.

When we concentrate on the past, the past awakens our sympathy, our concern,
our love for our old life. But a seeker of the highest Truth says that the
past is dust. He says so precisely because he sees that the past has not
given him God realisation, so he feels that the past is of no avail. But
again, the seeker feels that he needs a solid foundation. If the past had
something special to offer him and if he still carries that momentous,
precious wealth, then that wealth adds to his present capacity.

When this same seeker concentrates on the present, if he has a free access
to his heart and soul, then his spiritual journey is safe. But if he still
remains most of the time in his mind-his doubting, suspicious mind, his
earth bound physical mind- then this seeker is suspected by the present
itself. The present questions his motives for meditating on the present. The
present examines his sincerity to see if he really wants to see the face of
Reality in the heart of the present.

Finally, the seeker concentrates on the golden future. This future is in the
immediacy of today's aspiration and tomorrow's realisation. The future tells
the seeker that in today's heart God is his Dream boat, and in tomorrow's
heart God will be his Reality shore.

Concentration has two brothers: meditation and contemplation. Concentration
paves the way for the seeker to walk along the path. This path is sunlit,
for concentration does not permit any shadow of doubt, any iota of thought
to enter in as we proceed to our transcendental Goal. Meditation makes our
mind calm and quiet and empties our heart so that the Inner Pilot can have
free access to His Throne. Contemplation tells the seeker to play the cosmic
Game together with the Supreme Pilot. Concentration is the first rung on the
ladder of highest realisation. Meditation is the second rung on the ladder
of highest realisation. Contemplation is the last rung on the ladder of
highest, supreme realisation.

Each seeker has a specific way to concentrate. Each seeker has a specific
thing to concentrate on. Each seeker has a specific way to offer his
concentration power to the world at large, to aspiring humanity. Each seeker
has the power of concentration to give constant, dedicated, devoted and
unconditional service to God.


--Sri Chinmoy

April 23rd, 1974
10:30 p.m.
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming

-------------------------

A few links as a reminder to some sites containing more writings by Sri
Chinmoy and about Sri Chinmoy:

The official site of Sri Chinmoy:
http://www.srichinmoy.org

A huge library, containing more than a thousand books by Sri Chinmoy:
http://www.srichinmoylibrary.com

And finally, one of my favorite poems by Sri Chinmoy:


-------

A sea of Peace and Joy and Light
Beyond my reach I know.
In me the storm-tossed weeping night
Finds room to rage and flow.

I cry aloud, but all in vain;
I helpless, the earth unkind
What soul of might can share my pain?
Death-dart alone I find.

A raft am I on the sea of Time,
My oars are washed away.
How can I hope to reach the clime
Of God's eternal Day?

But hark! I hear Thy golden Flute,
Its notes bring the Summit down.
Now safe am I, O Absolute!
Gone death, gone night's stark frown!


--------

  From ‘My Flute’ by Sri Chinmoy.



Thank you

Priyadarshan

Sri Chinmoy gave the following aphorism to his students  currently
staying in New Zealand.

God is God's highest hope
For every sincere seeker.

Thank you for starting this group and for the wonderful article!

I was at 5 of the 6 lifting programmes and they were extremely,
extremely inspiring! The lambs are incredibly sweet and mild. Sri
Chinmoy offered a silent meditation for a long time before lifting
each group of lambs. Sri Chinmoy's love and concern for the lambs,
plus his gratitude to the lambs and for the positive qualities they
offer to humanity, I could feel very, very strongly.

It was a profoundly uplifting experience!

Thank you again for this group of positive inspiration about Sri
Chinmoy, his activities and the most significant uplifting vision
for world-oneness which Sri Chinmoy is offering!

Sincerely and gratefully yours,
    Agraha

--- In
Sri_Chinmoy_Inspiration@yahoogroups.com, "srichinmoyinspiration
<srichinmoyinspiration@y...>" <srichinmoyinspiration@y...> wrote:
> We are now in Taupo, New Zealand with over 200 students of Sri
> Chinmoy from all over the world. As his special offering to New
> Zealand, Sri Chinmoy completed lifting 1000 lambs yesterday. This
> article from New Zealand's The Daily Post appeared today on the
front
> page:
>
> Uplifting performance
>
> By Laurilee McMichael
> in Taupo
>
> The seated man in the yellow jersey closes his eyes in
concentration
> and places his gloved hands on the handles beside him.
>
> He is quiet, focussed. Above him, the lambs peer out of the crates
> uncertainly. The crowd breaks into song.
>
> "Lifting Up the World With a Oneness-Heart," they intone.
>
> Then the air goes quiet. Everyone seems to hold their breath.
>
> The man raises the lamb crates into the air, holds them there for
a
> brief moment and then lowers it again. Four lambs down, 996 to go.
>
> After only a couple of minutes' recovery time while the next crate
of
> lambs are hoisted up, he will repeat the action.
>
> Lifting 1000 lambs may seem an unusual approach to inspiring
people
> but to 71-year-old Sri Chinmoy, it's part of his life's work of
> encouraging people to believe there are no limits to their
potential.
>
> Born in what is now Bangladesh, the American spiritual guru
travels
> the world performing unusual feats of strength. It seems there is
> nothing he hasn't lifted.
>
> Sheep, cows, horses, an elephant. Famous people. Cars, trucks,
> helicopters. People playing pianos. A Canadian Mountie, complete
with
> horse.
>
> His sports team followers reel off a staggering list of everything
> from farm implements to human pyramids. All these at an age when
many
> people would be enjoying a leisurely retirement.
>
> He's accompanied on this visit by around 150 members of the Sri
> Chinmoy Marathon Team which sees its aim as bringing people
together
> through sports and cultural activities.
>
> On this visit, his fourth to New Zealand, he set himself the goal
of
> lifting 1000 lambs overhead and yesterday completed the feat in a
1-
> hour session at the Kiwi Tahi Land Company Farm 18 km west of
Taupo.
>
> He originally set himself three weeks to achieve the goal but has
> lifted 100 or 200 lambs per session so quickly that he has reached
it
> after only eight days and lifted a total of 36,936 kg. Each lift
> constitutes roughly double his own bodyweight.
>
> But he's not stopping at lambs—he plans to move onto lifting 100
cows
> next during his Kiwi visit.
>
> As well as the feats of strength involving farm animals, Sri
Chinmoy
> is also a writer, musician and composer and has given concerts in
> Auckland.
>
> "He really wants to inspire people to do their best and to do good
> things in life," explains Ashani Pluchinot, a member of his
marathon
> team.
>
> Shardul Dillican, who organised the lamb lifting, said it had not
> been difficult to arrange because farmers had been ahppy to be
> involved.
>
> "I think essentially rural New Zealand has a big heart, so they
> reacted to this project in a nice way, because it is all about
> inspiring people. Sri Chinmoy really likes to inspire people to
feel
> that within each of us there's tremendous capacity. If we can
bring
> that forward we can increase the beauty of our own lives and also
the
> world, and that's the main reason for his activities."
>
>
> Copyright The Daily Post, 2002.

We are now in Taupo, New Zealand with over 200 students of Sri
Chinmoy from all over the world. As his special offering to New
Zealand, Sri Chinmoy completed lifting 1000 lambs yesterday. This
article from New Zealand's The Daily Post appeared today on the front
page:

Uplifting performance

By Laurilee McMichael
in Taupo

The seated man in the yellow jersey closes his eyes in concentration
and places his gloved hands on the handles beside him.

He is quiet, focussed. Above him, the lambs peer out of the crates
uncertainly. The crowd breaks into song.

"Lifting Up the World With a Oneness-Heart," they intone.

Then the air goes quiet. Everyone seems to hold their breath.

The man raises the lamb crates into the air, holds them there for a
brief moment and then lowers it again. Four lambs down, 996 to go.

After only a couple of minutes' recovery time while the next crate of
lambs are hoisted up, he will repeat the action.

Lifting 1000 lambs may seem an unusual approach to inspiring people
but to 71-year-old Sri Chinmoy, it's part of his life's work of
encouraging people to believe there are no limits to their potential.

Born in what is now Bangladesh, the American spiritual guru travels
the world performing unusual feats of strength. It seems there is
nothing he hasn't lifted.

Sheep, cows, horses, an elephant. Famous people. Cars, trucks,
helicopters. People playing pianos. A Canadian Mountie, complete with
horse.

His sports team followers reel off a staggering list of everything
from farm implements to human pyramids. All these at an age when many
people would be enjoying a leisurely retirement.

He's accompanied on this visit by around 150 members of the Sri
Chinmoy Marathon Team which sees its aim as bringing people together
through sports and cultural activities.

On this visit, his fourth to New Zealand, he set himself the goal of
lifting 1000 lambs overhead and yesterday completed the feat in a 1-
hour session at the Kiwi Tahi Land Company Farm 18 km west of Taupo.

He originally set himself three weeks to achieve the goal but has
lifted 100 or 200 lambs per session so quickly that he has reached it
after only eight days and lifted a total of 36,936 kg. Each lift
constitutes roughly double his own bodyweight.

But he's not stopping at lambs—he plans to move onto lifting 100 cows
next during his Kiwi visit.

As well as the feats of strength involving farm animals, Sri Chinmoy
is also a writer, musician and composer and has given concerts in
Auckland.

"He really wants to inspire people to do their best and to do good
things in life," explains Ashani Pluchinot, a member of his marathon
team.

Shardul Dillican, who organised the lamb lifting, said it had not
been difficult to arrange because farmers had been ahppy to be
involved.

"I think essentially rural New Zealand has a big heart, so they
reacted to this project in a nice way, because it is all about
inspiring people. Sri Chinmoy really likes to inspire people to feel
that within each of us there's tremendous capacity. If we can bring
that forward we can increase the beauty of our own lives and also the
world, and that's the main reason for his activities."


Copyright The Daily Post, 2002.