Entries from July 2007 ↓
July 29th, 2007 — weightlifting
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.
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July 23rd, 2007 — art
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.
Over the years, Sri Chinmoy has used a great deal of imagination in his chice of artistic ‘canvas’ – as well as a wide variety of paper, he has painted birds on sheets of fabric supended 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.
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 thir own inner flight, and they have met with much praise and admiration over the years from art critics all around the world.
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July 16th, 2007 — 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…
July 9th, 2007 — poems, poetry
Her Face O earth! but once behold her Face,
Then all for you is sun-vast Grace.
Your brave despair, your hopeless cry,
Your prison of mortality
Her gaze of Power will break the maim
Into a thousand fragments of Her Name.
Sri Chinmoy first began writing poetry in earnest during his adolescence. First he began writing in his native Bengali, then later moved to writing poetry in English. His early poetry is much more structured and metricized than his current output, which mainly consists of short haiku-like aphorisms.
The above poem is a typical example dating from 1958, referring to the mother aspect of the Divine.
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Photo: Prabhakar Street on Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
July 2nd, 2007 — Sri Chinmoy lifting, weightlifting
At the beginning of June Sri Chinmoy lifted the world’s smallest horse, Thumbelina, weighing just 57 pounds. On Saturday, the last day in June, the 75-year old fitness champion and harmony leader went to the other end of the scale, lifting 2540 lb Radar, who is the Guinness world record books as the tallest horse in the world. In this lift, Radar stood on a platform as Sri Chinmoy performed a calf raise lift as shown in the photo above. Then his handler, Charles Wood, stood on the platform with Radar as Sri Chinmoy performed a second lift – including the apparatus, the total weight for this lift came to 3966 pounds.
Sri Chinmoy frequently honours men and women who have been an inspiration to the world by lifting them as part of an award program called ‘Lifting up the World with a Oneness-Heart’ – in the same way, Sri Chinmoy also says that Radar has been an inspiration to him: “Radar is the tallest, so Radar gave me the inspiration to set my goals to the highest”, said the 75-year old fitness champion. Sri Chinmoy also wrote 2 songs in praise of Radar which were performed at the event.
The very next day, Sri Chinmoy was in Philadelphia at the Liberty Strongman Classic, where many of the world’s strongest men were gathered for a unique ‘Team USA’ versus ‘Team World’ strongman competition. To show his appreciation for the contestants on both sides, Sri Chinmoy lifted eight of them overhead with his right arm, as one by one they stood on an overhead platform. Then all the members from each team ascended onto an overhead platform as Sri Chinmoy lifted them all together using a calf raise. In this photo we see all the Team USA members being raised in this manner.
In total Sri Chinmoy lifted 5948 pounds in the space of half an hour. “Today was one of the highlights of my weightlifting career“, he reflected after the event. “These great strongmen have inspired countless people on earth, and I am so happy I could offer them my most sincere appreciation from the inmost depths of my heart.“
The honorees themselves were very impressed by the lifting. The world’s number 1 strongman, Zydrunas Savickas of Lithuania exclaimed, “It is fantastic for this little man to do these magnificent lifts!” His fellow team member Andrus Murumets of Estonia, ranked number five in the world, concurred. “It was amazing this little dude could lift me. It was very, very impressive!“
