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  • World Harmony Run visits Tanzania – The World Harmony Run, founded by Sri Chinmoy in 1986, is also currently running through the British Isles. The latest updates can be seen at the World Harmony Run site.

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Latest Book: My Cycling

sri chinmoy cycling

In August, 2007, AUM publications published a new book. “My Cycling Experiences”

This is a collection of anecdotes about Sri Chinmoy’s experiences of cycling.

These stories range from childhood reminiscences in Chittagong to completing the Pepsi 24 hour cycling challenge in the 1970s.

The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team entered the 24 hours cycle race around Central Park, New York from 1977 to 1979.

Sri Chinmoy’s best 24 hour distance was 230 miles in 1978. 1978 also saw Ashrita Furman, a student of Sri Chinmoy’s, complete 405 miles. This cycling race was a key event in encouraging Ashrita that he could break Guinness World Records, and he now has the distinction of holding more than anyone else on the planet.

Speaking on the significance of cycling. Sri Chinmoy wrote:

“While we are cycling, we are reminding ourselves of evolution, of how the world is evolving in cycles. When we think of our planet, we think of a wheel turning: our life also is revolving like a wheel. So cycling reminds us of the process of evolution and of how everything goes in cycles.”

My Cycling Experiences by Sri Chinmoy, AUM Publications, 2007

The Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team is currently active in the UK.

(Photo of Sri Chinmoy, Pepsi 24 hour Cycling Race, 1978.)

A celebration of all the talents

A diverse festival of of cultural, athletic, musical and spiritual events concluded in Queens, New York just last week. The two-week celebration took place to commemorate 76 years in the life of Sri Chinmoy, who over the past forty years has gained international acclaim for his contributions to philosophy, world harmony and interfaith relations. The wide array of events was intended to serve as a living demonstration that every kind of human talent – including art, music, theatre, athletics, and poetry – has a role to play in bring about a better world.

The two-week festival was graced by the presence of the musician Boris Purushottama Grebenshikov, a household name in his native Russia, and whose band, Aquarium, were involved in many of the landmark steps towards full artistic freedom as Russia emerged from Communist rule. On August 29th, Boris played a solo concert in the United Nations to enthusiastic acclaim (see separate blog entry for more details); a few days earlier, the same building had also played host to an all-female ensemble from the Sri Chinmoy Centre who have performed concerts of meditative music to audiences all around the world for the past 25 years. Many other musical performances took place over the two weeks; one particularly notable performance on August 18th featured an 80-strong orchestra led by Swiss musician Panchajanya Burri, performing a multi-part arrangement of the legendary Bangladeshi composer Kazi Nazrul Islam’s immortal song He Partha Sarathi. A classical music evening took place on August 28th, where performers from all over the world performed classical and folk arrangements from their own countries.

An unmistakeable highlight of the event was the unveiling of the largest pencil ever created, a 76 foot long monster weighing in at an enormous 18,000 pounds, built by an international volunteer team led by Ashrita Furman (see separate blog entry for more details). During the two-week period, Ashrita also set four other Guinness records, including an amazing three in the space of just one day – performing 36 deep knee bends on a Swiss balancing ball without falling off, catching a water balloon thrown from a distance of 64 feet without bursting it, and running a mile in just over nine minutes whilst simultaneously bouncing three balls on the ground! A few days later he also achieved a long-cherished goal of breaking the record for balancing the most glasses on his chin. This record was a particularly gratifying one for Ashrita, as he had been trying unsuccesfully to break it for years.

A selection of Sri Chinmoy’s paintings created between 2004 and 2007 were also displayed as part of an ongoing ‘Art in the Garden’ exhibition series. Sri Chinmoy calls his paintings ‘Jharna-Kala‘, which means ‘fountain art’ in his native Bengali: the name describes the manner in which he composes the paintings in a spontaneous flow coming from the heart. For these particular paintings, Sri Chinmoy first wrote down a quality or ideal such as ‘Compassion’ or ‘Tolerance’, and then spontaneously created acrylic drawings based on his heart’s feeling about that quality. No less than ten of the paintings in the exhibition featured the name ‘World Harmony’ – Sri Chinmoy has been at the forefront of many initiatives to further the cause of world harmony, the most well-known being the World Harmony Run, a global Olympic-style torch relay run which passes through over 70 countries around the world bringing people together in a spirit of friendship and understanding.

Other events that took place included a stirring talk on the ideals of Thomas Jefferson, and a virtuoso theatrical production by American director Natabara Rollinson. The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, the sporting organisation founded by Sri Chinmoy in 1977, also held a marathon on August 25th which attracted almost 1,000 people; Sri Chinmoy has long been a believer in sport as a powerful instrument for bringing people together and creating a better world.

The organisers hope that the range of events have inspired the people who saw them to pursue their own dreams in life. “I feel inspiration is of paramount importance.“, Sri Chinmoy explains. “If I can inspire someone, and if that person also can inspire me, then we can do many good things for the betterment of this world. If I am inspired, you are inspired and he is inspired, then we shall be able to work together. When we are not inspired, we find fault with other human beings; we quarrel, fight and do many deplorable things. But if we are inspired, then we do many good things for the improvement of this world.”

World’s largest pencil unveiled in New York

World's largest pencil

An international group of volunteers led by multiple Guinness world record holder, Ashrita Furman, have just constructed a 76 foot long pencil in Queens, New York, the longest pencil in the world. The pencil was unveiled to coincide with a commemorative function celebrating 76 years in the life of Sri Chinmoy, the internationally respected artist and humanitarian.

The pencil weighs in at over 18,000 pounds, with a 2 1/2 foot long eraser at its end. The ‘lead’ alone weighs over 4,500 pounds, and is made using a graphite core 10 inches thick, which had to be sharpened at the end using a powerful Sawzall reciprocating electric saw instead of your average pencil sharpener. A whopping fifty gallons of paint were needed to finish off the outside of the pencil. In all, an estimated two million regular pencils could be made out of the materials used in the construction.

Forty volunteers from twenty different countries spent two weeks constructing the pencil, working from 7am to 8pm every day with the occasional night shift as the project neared completion. For the project leader, Ashrita Furman, this record will be added to the 70 Guinness records he already holds. Ashrita, a health food store manager from Queens, has held the Guinness ‘versatility’ record for holding more Guinness world records than anyone else on the planet for the past twenty years. Ashrita first began breaking records way back in 1979, and since then has performed feats such as somersaulting the entire length of Paul Revere’s ride in Massachusetts, underwater pogo sticking in the Amazon, performing almost 10,000 situps in an hour under the Eiffel Tower, and bouncing the fastest mile on a pogo stick in Antarctica! In fact, he led a team to break this very same record back in 1996, building a 20 1/2 foot pencil which weighed 560 pounds, and which currently resides in the Guinness Record Museum in Niagara Falls, Canada. This record was shattered in 2002 by the famous stationery company Faber-Castell, who built a giant 64-foot pencil to adorn their offices in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Ashrita’s motivation in breaking records is to show people what is possible if they truly believe in their own potential. ”We should always push ourselves to do something greater“, he says. “What I love about the Guinness Book is that I can just go through it and choose something that I’ve never done before, train for it, and become the best in the world at that event. In a way, that’s also a challenge for me: to figure out how to train, the best way to train. The underlying principles are the same in my case, because in the end I’m going back to the inner stream, to the principles of discovering your own inner resources.”

Ashrita credits Sri Chinmoy with teaching him this philosophy of always transcending ones outer limits, and the record-breaking pencil is a token of appreciation for the tireless service Sri Chinmoy has performed in the cause of making people aware of what they are truly capable of. “I am not a natural athlete, but Sri Chinmoy has shown me that if one can be in touch with one’s inner spirit, anything is possible.”, reflects Ashrita. For over forty years, Sri Chinmoy has been making prolific contributions in the fields of art, music, poetry and athletics – all to give a glimpse of what we are capable of if we but aside the mind’s hesitations and pursue our dreams. Interestingly enough, a significant portion of Sri Chinmoy’s artistic ouevre is comprised of pencil and marker drawings – many of them form part of his ‘Soul-Birds’ series, in which he depicts the unfettered human soul in the form of a bird. To date, he has drawn over 15 million of these birds ever since he began the series back in 1991. “For me, birds have a very special significance on a spiritual level.”, Sri Chinmoy comments on his drawings. “They fly in the sky, and the sky is all freedom. So when the birds fly in the sky, they remind me of the soul’s infinite freedom. I feel that if people come here to view these birds, their inner hunger to fly in the sky of infinite freedom will be fed.”

Blog entries on the world largest pencil:

Boris Grebenshikov at the the United Nations

Listen To Concert at Radio Sri Chinmoy

On 29 August 2007, the United Nations headquarters played host to a concert by an artist whose striving for inner and outer freedom in his music exemplifies the goals of that august Organisation. Boris Purushottama Grebenshikov is a household name in his native Russia, and in particular he is widely credited with helping to usher in a new wave of artistic freedom in perestroika-era Soviet Union.

Almost half of his 35-year music career was spent creating and performing music with his “peaceful guerrilla” band Aquarium in the face of heavy restrictions from the Soviet state. Aquarium began life in Soviet-era Russia producing records out of a studio disguised as an engineer’s club, and holding underground concerts in private apartments; the intimacy of these secret concerts can still be felt in Grebenshikov’s lyrical singing style twenty years later, and has often led to his being termed the Russian Bob Dylan.

Despite the restrictions, Aquarium’s music found its way to every corner of the Soviet Union via pirated tapes passed on from hand to hand, which meant they were universally well known by the time restrictions finally began to loosen, and Aquarium – with Grebenshikov as the creative force behind the helm – were invariably involved in many of the landmark steps which paved the way for full musical freedom in Russia.

The goals of affirming “the dignity and worth of the human person” expressed in the United Nations Charter are echoed in Grebenshikov’s lifelong musical search for inner freedom and happiness. “The world is a perfect place.”, he enthuses. “The problem with us humans is that we don’t see it, we’re not being taught to see it. There is a great silence inside of everybody, the source of all inspiration, of everything.” For Grebenshikov, music gives a window into this source, and points the way to a better and higher way of living. “It’s a living feeling.” he explains. “When I sing I just feel alive, only more alive than for example now. Now I’m sort of fifty per cent dormant, but when I sing that’s when I really live”.

His search for inner meaning has also led to a long-standing interest in Eastern mysticism, spending much of the last 20 years travelling in India and Nepal and translating several important Hindu and Buddhist texts into Russian. The Eastern influence can also be seen in the name Purushottama, which was given to him by his friend and meditation teacher Sri Chinmoy, and which means “the one who goes beyond all limitations”. The concert was a wonderfully blissful experience for all who attended it, and Sri Chinmoy remarked afterwards that the performer had “brought down Heaven on earth”.

Related links:

  • Video report on concert from Russia’s NTV station (in Russian)
  • Official website of Grebenshikov and his band, Aquarium
  • Boris Grebenshikov: beyond all limitations – article on shanemagee.com

3 Guinness world records in one day

A New York health food store manager and student of Sri Chinmoy, Ashrita Furman, holds over 60 Guiness World records, and seems to be increasing his tally more rapidly as he gets older. Last Sunday, he attempted the remarkable feat of breaking three records in one day. First, Ashrita attempted to break his own previous mark of 30 deep knee bends performed on a Swiss balancing ball in one minute. This is a very demanding record, requiring both balance and stamina, but Ashrita managed to get his record-breaking day off to a good start with a total of 36.

Then off to the local baseball park to break the second record – the longest distance a water balloon can be thrown or caught without breaking it. Ashrita stood at one end of the park, trying to catch the balloons thrown by his friend and frequent record collaborator Bipin Larkin. After a couple of attempts which resulted in burst balloons (and a dripping wet Ashrita!), they managed to set a new mark of 65 and a half feet, eleven feet longer than the previous mark.

Now for the final record of the day – the fastest mile whilst simultaneously bouncing three balls on the ground. Unlike the previous two records, there was no existing mark to transcend, as the category had only just been approved by Guinness for inclusion in their book. Nonetheless Ashrita was determined to inaugurate the record with a bang, and he set a new mark of just over nine minutes – a tough act for anyone to follow.

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Asprihanal wins the world’s longest race for a record fourth time

Earlier this week, Asprihanal Aalto from Helsinki, Finland entered the record books as he crossed the finish line of the 3100 Mile Self Transcendence race in a time of 43 days and 4 hours, making him the only person to have won the race four times. The second and third place finishers, Ayojan Stojanovic from Nish, Serbia and Pranab Vladovic from Bratislava, Slovakia will both finish today after 46 days on the road. The race is still continuing for the other intrepid runners, and they will gradually be coming in over the next two weeks.

Asprihanal finished at around 10 a.m. in front of a cheering crowd of friends and wellwishers. During the ensuing celebration, an enthusiastic choir sang the song that race founder Sri Chinmoy composed in honour of Asprihanal after his completion of the race last year. His time is the third fastest in the history of the race and a personal best for him. Sri Chinmoy once said something to the effect that for Asprihanal, running was like drinking water; this certainly seems to have been borne out in his performances over the last year – he has finished first in both the San Franscisco 24 hour race and the Self Transcendence Six Day Race in April.

(Photo: Asprihanal (right) with his brother Antaraloy immediately after the race)

Related links:

There are regular updates on the race on multidays.com blog…

Sri Chinmoy lifts six light aircraft and a glider in New York

Earlier today, Sri Chinmoy continued his recent run of amazing weightlifting feats, this time lifting an assortment of aircraft. The lifts included four light aircraft which were placed overhead on a modified calf-raise machine and lifted, two stunt planes which were placed on a platform and lifted also using a calf raise technique, and a glider which was lifted overhead using the right arm.

(Photo: Sri Chinmoy lifting light airplane – total weight including apparatus comes to 980 lb. The height of the lift can be seen in the small gap between the white lines on the apparatus above Sri Chinmoy’s head)

Over the years Sri Chinmoy has lifted many aircraft as part of his effort to demonstrate the power of the human spirit. At the beginning of June, he lifted an ultralight plane and a Stearman biplane as part of a lifting program that also included cars, motorcycles and boats. Lifting airplanes also sometimes form a part of the weightlifting program that often takes place on the anniversary of when he started lifting; as part of this program he lifted airplanes in 2002 and 2004. In 2003, Sri Chinmoy celebrated the centenary of the first manned flight by the Wright brothers by lifting over 100 pilots overhead using a special apparatus – this program was part of the Lifting up the World with a Oneness-Heart award program, in which Sri Chinmoy recognises the achievements of men and women who have been of service and inspiration to the community and the world by lifting them. To date, he has honoured over 8,000 individuals in this way.

Related links:

Also on this site:

Sri Chinmoy’s Soul-Bird drawings

soul-birds

In 1991, during a visit to the island of Malta, Sri Chinmoy began a new phase in his artistic career, by drawing the first of what he called ‘Dream-Freedom Peace birds’. The birds are often popularly known as ‘soul-birds’ by virtue of the fact that they represent the boundless flight of the human soul. “For me, birds have a very special significance on a spiritual level.“, says Sri Chinmoy. “They fly in the sky, and the sky is all freedom. So when the birds fly in the sky, they remind me of the soul’s infinite freedom. The soul has come from Heaven. When we think of birds, we are also reminded of our Source, and this gives us enormous joy. ”

To date, Sri Chinmoy has drawn over 15 million of these birds, either in single drawings or in vast artworks that contain hundreds of different birds. As well as his other ‘Jharna-Kala’ paintings, his bird drawings have been exhibited in many prestigious locations around the world such as the Louvre and the Sydney Opera House. There have been several exhibitions with large numbers of soul-birds, including an exhibition of one million birds in Ottawa in 1994 and another exhibition of 200,000 birds in Augsburg.

soul-birds
Over the years, Sri Chinmoy has used a great deal of imagination in his choice of artistic ‘canvas’ – as well as a wide variety of paper, he has painted birds on sheets of fabric suspended from a line, and also used a wide variety of everyday objects to draw birds on – plates, cups, seashells, even clocks and children’s toys! He will often do a series of drawings using one particular medium – for example, in late 2004 whilst visiting China, Sri Chinmoy drew a series of birds on Chinese rice paper using traditional calligraphy brushes, whilst in November 2006, he drew another series of birds on black paper which when scratched reveals the coloured paper underneath.

soul-birds

Drawing these birds is something that always gives Sri Chinmoy great joy. “When I draw a bird, I think of the soul — new creation, new hope, new promise, new peace, new bliss and new perfection on earth“, he says. He will often use what other people would consider ‘dead time’ – time waiting for something to happen or travelling between places – do draw a few more of these beautiful birds, exemplifying his philosophy of never wasting a moment. Such is the speed at which he draws these creations that one feels the artist is not so much creating something as setting something free that was already there. For many people, viewing Sri Chinmoy’s birds evoke a spontaneous sense of their own inner flight, and they have met with much praise and admiration over the years from art critics all around the world.

Related links:

Inspiration-Letters: premium writing from Sri Chinmoy’s students

The Sri Chinmoy Centre has more than its fair share of good writers, and there are many wonderful articles put there by members describing their own inner experiences and reflections on life. One special section of the website is Inspiration-Letters, a periodical ezine edited by New Yorker Mahiruha Klein featuring articles from our very best writers. Each edition of the magazine usually contains submissions on a particular topic, and past editions have been themed on such diverse topics as meditation, humour, great poets, and extreme sports!

The most recent edition came out only yesterday, and is themed on the rather interesting topic of …miracles! The entries are not restricted miracles of the dramatic variety (although there are a few in there!), many of the writers take great joy from finding miracles in art, music, exploration and the simple incidents of everyday living. Enjoy…