Learning to Meditate

Question: How can we learn to meditate?


Sri Chinmoy: The best way to begin to learn how to meditate is to associate with poeple who have been meditating for some time. These people are not in a position to teach you, but they are in a position to inspire you. If you have some friends who know how to meditate, just sit beside them while they are meditating. Unconsciously your inner being will be able to derive some meditative power from them. You are not stealing anything from them, but your inner being is taking help from them without your outer knowledge…..

(Continue reading excerpt from Meditation: Humanity’s Race And Divinity’s Grace, Part 2 by Sri Chinmoy)

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Jharna Kala Collection

During his lifetime, Sri Chinmoy created many beautiful artworks, he termed these Jharna Kala or ‘Fountain-Art’ paintings.

jharna kala

In the late 1970s, Sri Chinmoy gave 200 Jharna Kala paintings to the Zurich centre in Switzerland. These are often displayed at galleries in Switzerland and throughout Europe.

To view a selection of these paintings, you can view them here – Jharna Kala Zurich collection

Continue reading “Jharna Kala Collection”

Global Harmony and World Records

Ashrita continues to break a diverse range of Guinness World Records, in his latest blog post you can read about the challenges of balancing on a circus ball and 100m frog jumping by the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Ashrita – stilt walking in a record attempt for fastest 100m on stilts.

Read: ‘Discovering Global Harmony’ – Ashrita’s recent record attempts – including longest time standing on a rolling globe barefoot – over 40 minutes

    “….Back to the record attempt. The time flew by. When Steve called out, “40 minutes”, I suddenly remembered that there were only 4 minutes of tape left. Vinaya made a frantic search for another video camera and tape but, amidst all the hubbub, I lost my concentration and fell off the ball with only a few seconds left on the tape. It didn’t matter. I was elated and so grateful to have been blessed with such a powerful experience of self-transcendence….” – from Ashrita’s blog

Inner Peace

Question: How can we find lasting peace?

Sri Chinmoy: My first poem in English runs thus: “A sea of peace and joy and light/Beyond my reach I know.” (1) Almost every aspirant feels at the dawn of his spiritual life that peace is beyond his reach. The mind is always bothering us. The mind is constantly taking us from one place to another, from one object to another in the inner world and in the outer world. But a day comes when we feel in our inner life that there can be nothing worth achieving but peace.

It is peace that operates in the inner world and the outer world in the life of an aspirant. Eventually a day comes when he cannot separate himself from peace. Now he is crying for peace. He does not have peace here, there or anywhere. But as the mounting flame of aspiration within him gets the opportunity to reach the highest, the inner peace starts functioning most intensely and most powerfully in him. Then one day he notices that he abides in the sea of peace; he can never be separated from peace. His existence, inner and outer, is flooded with peace. For that experience, what we need is aspiration. Aspiration is the key.

Excerpt from Perfection And Transcendence by Sri Chinmoy

(1) The Golden Flute by Sri Chinmoy

Related

6 and 10 Day Race 2010

The Self-Transcendence 6 and 10 day race, organised by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team is well under way with  many runners clocking up big mileages.

6day
Photo by Jowan. The sleepless action of the race.

The race was initiated by founder Sri Chinmoy, who himself ran several marathons and ultra-marathons. These ultra day races offer competitors and helpers an opportunity to transcend their own limitations – both physical, mental and spiritual.

“Self-transcendence gives us joy in boundless measure. When we transcend ourselves, we do not compete with others. We do not compete with the rest of the world, but at every moment we compete with ourselves. “

Excerpt from The Vision-Sky Of California by Sri Chinmoy.

6day
Photo by Alakananda. – Smiling through the rain and miles. The 10 day race never stops

Continue reading “6 and 10 Day Race 2010”

Songs of the Soul Concert NY

On April 14th, 2010, a near capacity audience enjoyed an evening of soulful music dedicated to the music of Sri Chinmoy at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center in Manhattan, NYC.

The international Gandharva Loka orchestra offer a rousing finale to the concert

Paree’s International singing group open the concert with a soulful peace song composed by Sri Chinmoy.

Continue reading “Songs of the Soul Concert NY”

US World Harmony Run 2010

On April 12th, 2010, the US World Harmony Run was launched at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, United Nations with members of the United Nations diplomatic community and local World Harmony Run co-ordinators.

whr
World Harmony Run 2010

Some of the runners from the many countries involved in this international event.

Guests from the United Nations and international community at the start of the World Harmony Run.

Further pictures and reading at World Harmony Run site.

About World Harmony Run

The Run was founded by Sri Chinmoy in 1987 and seeks to promote international friendship and peace.

“Right now fear, doubt, anxiety, tension and disharmony are reigning supreme. But there shall come a time when this world of ours will be flooded with peace. Who is going to bring about that radical change?”

– Sri Chinmoy (1)

Related

(1) Heart’s Salutations to Australia

Sri Chinmoy’s 46th Anniversary in the West

On April 13th, 1964,  Sri Chinmoy, aged 32, arrived in New York from India. Sri Chinmoy came to the West to be of service to aspiring seekers interested in meditation and the spiritual life. During his life in the West, Sri Chinmoy travelled extensively offering concerts, lectures and founded Sri Chinmoy meditation centres in countries around the world.

Sri Chinmoy in the early 1970s in Jamaica, Queens, New York.

During his time in the West, Sri Chinmoy was prolific in many areas showing how ancient spirituality could be combined with a modern dynamism.

Sri Chinmoy founded many new initiatives from  long distance running events, to a global harmony run. More aspects of Sri Chinmoy’s service in the West

The fulness of life
Lies in dreaming and manifesting
The impossible dreams.

– Sri Chinmoy

Excerpt from Arise! Awake! Thoughts Of A Yogi by Sri Chinmoy

Meditation Festival in NYC

Recently, the New York Sri Chinmoy Centre offered a week long programme of events as part of a meditation and spirituality festival.

nyc

Events in the week long programme included:

  • The Power Within: Spirit of a Runner – A talk by the only woman (Suprabha Beckjord) ever to finish the 3,100 mile race & “Guinness Record Breaker of the Decade” Ashrita Furman.
  • Siddhartha Becomes the Buddha:  A play about Lord Buddha’s journey to enlightenment.
  • A three day Meditation Workshop.
  • Talks and workshops on art and consciousness
  • Music and Mantra Concert.

Read More at Sri Chinmoy Centre

World Harmony Run Spain

Recently, the World Harmony Run passed through Spain as part of the European year long relay run.

World harmony
Carries the message
Of world peace

– Sri Chinmoy (1)

The run has visited the beautiful Spanish countryside and has also visited many local schoolchildren and others who have come to support the ideals of the run.

Read More: Spain World Harmony Run

(1) Seventy-Seven Thousand Service Trees no. 48,445