Songs of the Soul NY

Recently, members of the Sri Chinmoy Centre offered a concert of Sri Chinmoy’s music at the New York Society for Ethical Culture in Manhattan.

songs-soul

The concert featured music from Ghandarva Loka and also contributions from the Russian music legend, Boris Purushottama Grebenshikov. The music was composed by Sri Chinmoy in English or his native Bengali.

songs soul

The concert, which was free for members of the public, was part of the 81st birthday celebrations for Sri Chinmoy. Over 1,000 people visited New York from all other the world to take part in events of meditation, music and sport.

photos: Jaitra

Recording of Bengali Songs

A new recording of 13 significant compositions by Sri Chinmoy, sung by various members of the Sri Chinmoy Centre.

From the publishing of his first songbook (The Garden of Love-Light) in 1972 to his passing in 2007, Sri Chinmoy composed over 22,000 songs — an average of 640 songs per year for 35 years! Of these 22,000 songs, over 13,500 are in his native Bengali and over 8,300 are in English, ranging in length from one-line mantric songs to a 208-line epic.

This recording includes every 1,000th song from the first song (Tamasa Rate Nayan Pate)  to the 13,000th  song  (Shakpura Shakpura).

Sri Chinmoy writes that soulful singing can significantly help a seeker to go deep within.

But when we want to get something very, very deep, something that will help us to climb up high, higher, highest, soulful singing is the right thing.

Many, many times I have seen that when people sing very prayerfully and soulfully—not the songs that are fast and lively and give joy to our vital—but songs like Jiban debata or Bhulite diyona, Mother-Earth or the soul of that particular place receives light. Afterwards, that light spreads like a fountain from any part of the world where people are singing soulfully.

My Heart – Melody

Grahak Wins 3100 Mile Self-Transcendence Race

Grahak Cunningham of Perth, Australia, finished first in the 2012 edition of the 3100 Mile Self-Transcendence Race. Despite four heat waves and other difficulties, Grahak ran the fourth fastest performance in the sixteen year history of the race today, covering the 3100 mile distance in 43 days,10 hours, 36 minutes and 39 seconds.

Grahak finish

photo: Utpal

For the 3100 mile race, Grahak averaged 71.363 miles /114.848 kilometers per day. He becomes the third man in history to average over 70 miles for the duration of the race. The 35 year old has run the race four times now, with each one faster than his previous effort.


Grahak at 2000 miles

grahak

photo Jowan

Grahak with Sri Chinmoy, the founder of the race, in the 2007 edition.

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A Moment’s Peace

A Moment’s Peace is an inspirational project linking the peace dreamers of today with those of future generations.

A Moment's Peace
Unveiling of the ‘World Peace Dreamer Statue’

At a ceremony on Saturday 28 July, the “World Peace Dreamer Statue” was unveiled as part of the ‘Art of Olympians’ – a cultural and artistic contribution to the 2012 London Olympics.

opening
Trumpets mark the opening of the Ceremony

The World Peace Dreamer Statue depicts the founder of the World Harmony Run, Sri Chinmoy, holding aloft the Peace Torch that runners have been carrying for the past 25 years on a mission of peace and harmony.

“Peace does not mean the absence of war, peace means the presence of harmony, love, satisfaction and oneness. Peace means a flood of love in the world family.”

– Sri Chinmoy 1

A close up of the statue

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Ashrita breaks new record at Run & Become anniversary

Last June “Run & Become” the UK based chain of running stores founded by students of Sri Chinmoy celebrated its 30th anniversary. As part of  the celebrations Ashrita Furman broke a new Guinness Book record by popping 170 balloons in one minute. Ashrita, himself a student of Sri Chinmoy, is known for holding the most Guinness Book records in the world.

Ashrita busy at breaking one of his 100+ Guinness Book records

Legendary marathon runner Ron Hill paid a special visit to the London shop to congratulate the staff with their anniversary. “Run & Become” also received special accolades from Barefoot Ted, the barefoot runner made famous by his appearance in Christopher McDougall’s bestseller ‘Born to Run’.

Ron Hill poses with Run & Become owners Shankara and Dipika

“I can tell you with great confidence that the exuberance and aura of good energy that I feel around the people of Run and Become is something I haven’t forgotten and am thankful to have had the opportunity to be exposed to.” -Barefoot Ted

Ashrita and Barefoot Ted met and inspired each other by swapping record ideas. Ashrita says he is able to break world records by using prayer, meditation and visualization.

Ashrita (left) and Barefoot Ted

 

 

New records at the Berlin 12&24 hour race

The Self-Transcendence 12 & 24 hour race organized by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in Berlin honoured its name by registering two new records broken. Ultrarunning legend Yannis Kouros, world-record holder in the 24 hours, 48 hours and the 100 miles, set a new world record in his age category (over 50) in the 12 hours by running 127.984 kilometres – an average of 10.6K per hour.

Yannis Kouros competing in the 12 Hour Race

Dutch ultrarunner Jos Akkermans broke the Dutch national record in his age category (over 60) by logging 177.186 kilometres in the 24 hour race.

Jos Akkermans on his way to a new Dutch record

Another ultrarunning legend, Madhupran Wolfgang Schwerk, world-record holder of the 3100 Mile Race (the longest certified race in the world) just missed the world record in the 100 miles during the 24 hour race. He completed the 24 hours by running 204.76 kilometres, placing second.

Madhupran Wolfgang Schwerk in the 24 Hour Race

 

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Triathlon in Bristol

In the beginning of July the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in Bristol, UK, organized their first triathlon. The event was targeted to beginning triathletes, combining a 246 meter swim (or 8 lengths of an outdoor pool), a 17K bike ride and a 3K run. One hundred aspiring triathletes competed, which was the maximum number of participants allowed. Despite the rainy weather the event was a great success and will become a yearly feature.

 

 

“I have the deepest admiration for those who participate in triathlons. Swimming reminds us of our spiritual life. Right now we are swimming in the sea of ignorance, but we are praying to our Beloved Supreme and meditating on Him to be able to swim in the sea of Light and Delight. When we are running, we are reminded of our birthless and deathless journey along Eternity’s Road. Then, while we are cycling, we are reminding ourselves of evolution, of how the world is evolving in cycles” (

-Sri Chinmoy [Q. on Triathlons]

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Spiritual Inspiration

A new blog at Writespirit offers a collection of inspiration spiritual quotes and poetry from a range of poets, luminaries and Spiritual Teachers. The blog is a celebration of the diversity of paths that can lead to the same goal. – Write Spirit Blog

If you have inner peace, nobody can force you to be a slave to the outer reality.

Sri Chinmoy, Peace, Agni Press, 1995.

Continue reading “Spiritual Inspiration”

Everest Aspiration 35th Anniversary

During July 1-2oth 1977, Sri Chinmoy gave a series of spontaneous talks on different aspects of the spiritual life, these were later compiled into a book called ‘Everest-Aspiration’.

Everest Aspiration – Spiritual Talks from the Heart of Silence

At Radio Sri Chinmoy, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Everest-Aspiration, there is a new published recording of some of these talks spoken by Sri Chinmoy.

These talks touch on the mysteries of the spiritual life and present a clear and inspiring goal for seekers to follow.

Excerpt from Talk on ‘Satistfaction’

Like us, the soul also deals with life. In the case of the soul, there is the universal life and the transcendental Life. When the soul-bird comes down into the world-arena, it spreads its wings and becomes inseparably one with the universal life. At the end of its earthly sojourn, when the soul returns to its own region, it enters into the transcendental Life. Life is nothing short of God’s Dream, and this Dream is birthless and deathless. This birthless and deathless Dream God fulfils in and through His all-embracing and all-fulfilling reality: man.

– Satisfaction, from Everest-Aspiration, Part 1

Mantras for Meditation

At Radio Sri Chinmoy we have published a popular CD of mantras useful for incorporating into meditation exercises.

mantras

These short mantric songs were composed by Sri Chinmoy and are fairly easy to learn by heart. Sri Chinmoy teaches that music can offer us a real meditation experience. Singing these mantras can help us to leave the mind and enter into the heart.

Sri Chinmoy writes of meditation and music:

“Meditation and music cannot be separated. When we cry from the inmost recesses of our heart for Peace, Light and Bliss, that is the best type of meditation. We cannot meditate twenty-four hours a day, but we can meditate, say, for two hours a day. Then we can play music or we can listen to music for a couple of hours a day. Next to meditation is music. But it has to be soulful music, the music that stirs and elevates our aspiring consciousness. When we play soulful music, psychic music, then immediately we are transported to the highest realm of consciousness. When we play music soulfully, we go high, higher, highest.”

Sri Chinmoy, God The Supreme Musician, Agni Press, 1976.

The mantras were recorded by British music group Ananda

3100 Mile Race 2012

On June 17th, 2012 , the world’s longest certified footrace, the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile race, will begin in Queens, New York. Inspired by Spiritual Teacher, Sri Chinmoy, the 3100 Mile race began in 1997, and provides the ultimate test of physical and mental endurance. The current record for the event is held by Madhupran Wolfgang Schwerk  from Germany with a 2006 best of 41 days 6 hrs – 75 miles per day!

The runners cover the 3100 Mile distance by running around a small loop of less than one mile. The athletes run continuously for up to 18 hours a day from the start of the race, to the finish 52 days later.

Video of Interviews with Runners

“We do it to push our own limits, to realize that we can do more ourselves and help to inspire others to do more, to realize they have more within themselves they can achieve,”

Bipin Larkin, the race director.

Spirit of A Runner

During the 2008 edition, filmmaker Jessie Beers-Altman, made an in-depth documentary about the 3100 Mile Race. The video follows  13-time finisher Suprabha Beckjord as she sought to complete the 2008 edition of the race. Spirit of a Runner challenges our definition of possibility, as it explores the enduring capacity of the human heart. Watch online at 3100 Mile Race

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