“…Luminaries are those who spread light and knowledge — and since God the pre-eminent Illuminer is spreading His light through every human life — each of which is His own life — it follows that we are all luminaries. It is really only a question of to what extent… (From Jogyata’s Travels in Iceland.)

• Read online – Inspiration Letters vol. 24 | Download PDF version

Pranavanta became a meditation student of Sri Chinmoy in 1985. Studying under the tutelage of Sri Chinmoy (who himself was an artist) gave Pranavanta artwork a renewed spiritual energy. A tribute to his life was recently published in the Sydney Morning Herald.

…Montefiore was an aficionado, someone who could wax lyrical on many aspects of the world: not just the beauty that he strived to portray in his artwork but also the sweet sounds of music, the aroma of a flower, even the joy of a terrible pun. Montefiore’s altarpiece in Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle.

When people say ”Words can’t express it”, they obviously never accompanied their words with the enthusiasm of Montefiore. His marathon artworks were best accompanied by his own commentary, as he guided you through the story he was telling with his work. Every dot of paint, its position and shape, had profound significance…

Read more at  Sydney Morning Herald

Statue of Sri Chinmoy, Vaasa

Kaivalya is actually a trained scientist who worked as a physics teacher in London. However, encouraged by his Guru, Sri Chinmoy, he become more involved in sculpting several years ago. In this interview he explains how he feels Sri Chinmoy’s inspiration as he works on his art.

• Life-Voices 33 Statues of Sri Chinmoy, produced by Kedar Misani.

Related

• Nepal Statue of Sri Chinmoy

You can visit his site: At The Feet of My Master, where it is possible to order.

We asked him a few questions about the process of writing.

Why did I write the book?

If you would allow me, I would prefer to re-word the question to “Why was the book written?” At the time of writing it, there was no intent…no purpose beyond offering something nice to Guru. In fact, the book evolved as a result of a series of experiences I had with Guru

As you know, “sitting at the feet of the Master”, historically speaking, is a position of great honor and opportunity. But I never felt that this was a reflection of me or my own inner capacity. There was nothing about me that “earned” this role. It was, frankly, a boon given to me. I was a piece of fruit that Guru chose. He could easily, and in fact, did choose many others for this role. I felt, therefore, that the role didn’t belong to me and it was my responsibility, or even mandate, to share the experience with others.

This “experience sharing” would typically only take place privately in front of a few friends or spiritual-family members and always in the form of story-telling.

The very first time I formally wrote a story down on paper, I did so only because I thought Guru would enjoy it. I knew that if he liked it, he’d have me read it, but if not, no harm. It was on a Christmas trip in Tenerife. I wrote about an experience which I called NOAMS: No outer attention misery syndrome. It was very frank. It’s easy for me to be frank about my own personal experiences, so here I wrote about how my life changed when Guru first asked me to work on him, how I became very attached to the role, and how I received a very lovely public “blessing-scolding” because of that, etc, etc. So, I was delighted when Guru told me at a group function, “I read your story. Please read it aloud. You have a copy?” I replied that didn’t but I could easily tell the story.

After I told the story, which was well received by the disciples, Guru very kindly invited me to his feet and quietly told me, “You can’t imagine how many people you helped by telling this story.” Thus began both my careers as a writer and public story-teller.

Pradhan Balter

I would regularly submit stories to Guru, and he would equally regularly follow-suit with a “Pradhan, tell that story.” After 3 stories or so, he very nicely told me that I don’t have to submit the stories to him (for pre-approval). He did not have to read them. And on a regular basis, on my birthday and on Christmas trips, Guru would have me tell a story.

For my 31st disciple anniversary, on a Christmas trip, I told Guru I wanted to write a book of 31 stories. Guru enthusiastically encouraged me…really! Sometimes, I would be sitting with Guru and he would call for someone else to sit with him and then tell me, “Go and write,” which I did.

The following April, I submitted the manuscript to Guru with a cover. The original cover was, At the Feet of the Master, subtitled ‘One insignificant disciple’s stories, experiences, recollections and lessons with his Supremely significant Master’. Guru returned the book with a corrected cover, crossing out “the” and replacing it with “my” and then replacing the subtitle with his own written one, “The oneness of an ascending heart-cry and a descending Soul-Smile”. I couldn’t believe it! Then Guru added 2 birds, and picked out a picture of him and me to use on the back. I felt so blessed and honored.

When it came time to offer it to the disciples, Guru set the price and gave it a (still unbelievable to me) endorsement, “Every disciple should read this, and then read it again!”

Now back to your question. I did not write it with an intention. But in hindsight now, I feel the reason I was given the role of working on Guru was because I was gifted with the necessary skills to share the experience with others. So writing the book was simply the culmination of that responsibility.

How did you find experience of writing about the ups and downs of your own spiritual life? Was there anything you found particularly difficult to write about?

I’ve been told by others that they would find it difficult writing about their own ups and downs…exposing themselves, as it were. But for me, honestly, that’s not a problem.  My most joy-filled and pain-filled moments were always a result of my own actions. Who doesn’t go through these things, so where is the cause for embarrassment? (I honor others feelings about it…we all have our own things to deal with.) But in fact, the multitude of weaknesses that I carry have made it so completely obvious that the only reason I survived some 40 years was by Guru’s Grace~Patience~Forgiveness~Love for me.

I was not unique in receiving this. When I would sit with Guru, I would witness this same Love~concern directed to all of his disciple-children. Not only would I witness it first hand and up close in how he spoke with others directly, but sometimes I could not help but overhear a phone call, or sometimes, Guru might even mention or discuss things with me. That was always a little funny–discussing a problem that another disciple had, that I also had…and Guru knew it! I think it was another way Guru used to convince me that I could transcend my own difficulties.

The process of writing down one’s experiences is really important. Guru encouraged it. There is something about the process of writing that forces one to be more precise about the recollection than simply talking about it. So, I would encourage all of the disciples to do it, both for posterity’s sake and for their own inspiration’s sake!

After the mahasamadhi of Sri Chinmoy how do find the Master-disciple relationship?

This is a little question with a big answer. In human terms, Guru’s departure from the earth plane was immense for me and a pivotal experience in my spiritual life. I am sure it was that for everyone but let me explain how it played out in my own life.

Sri Chinmoy October, 2007 photo by Projjwal

Guru allowed me to be outwardly close to him. I believe we all get precisely what is required for own spiritual development. I wrote about this in one of my stories. For whatever reason, Guru saw fit to share his outer life with me in a most sacred way.

More than a year before Guru’s leaving, I was sitting with Guru alone. He was in his reclining chair, and I was sitting at Guru’s feet facing him directly. Guru fell asleep, and I remember putting my head down, closing my own eyes, while I simply massaged Guru’s feet, gently, so as not to disturb him. At a certain moment, I looked up at Guru and he was just rousing, but for a brief moment his inner consciousness had not yet fully permeated his body, and I was shocked to see what I interpreted to be his physical by itself without his wakeful consciousness operating. Guru looked over 100 years old! Shocked, and may I admit, dismayed is the right description. Then as Guru more fully awoke, the youthfulness of his ever-present divinity brought life to his physical.

I went home and shared this experience with only one person and told this person that I would be spending every moment I could with Guru because I could see Guru aging. So, in the last year of Guru’s life, I found myself in New York almost 2 weeks a month. I went on every trip so as to be of service should Guru want. (I missed one trip-an overnighter to New Orleans, and received a phone call the next day “Where are you? Why are you not here?!”)

For me, the time I spent with Guru that last year was more intimate, more special. I would typically go to New York and spend 5 hours a day with Guru…2-3 hours in the afternoon, sometimes alone…2-3 hours in the evening. I didn’t receive any “special” or “ruthless” scoldings that year, perhaps an occasional gentle reprimand. And it seemed to me that Guru was pulling everyone in, inviting people in to be closer to him that year…some people whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, friends of the Centre…were all invited to come closer. For every second of Guru’s life, he fought on behalf of his disciples, to the very end. Believe me, if I sensed Guru’s time was coming, he certainly knew.

So, Guru’s departing was shocking to me, as I am sure it was to all of us. And now everything moved inward. Massaging Guru was like being force-fed. It was like taking a bone-dry sponge and putting it in a pan of water: the sponge expands as it absorbs the water. That’s what it was like massaging Guru. I could feel his spiritual force enter into me, and my consciousness could not help but expand. And that is now gone. I can only imagine what those who spent every moment of their day around Guru must have gone through.

Yes, everything moved inner. It had to. There was no choice. And along the way, I had to re-affirm all my faith. It is now 3 years and I feel that perhaps I am coming to grips with it. At the end of this past year, I felt like I was hanging by a thread, but the Christmas trip allowed me to re-consecrate myself again…to deepen my meditation, to run, to read, to do the things that Guru always encouraged us to do. And, I am grateful to say, I feel Guru’s presence very, very strongly and solidly, perhaps the most since that fateful day in October, 2007.

As I look at the world, I realize that, really, Guru’s light such a wonderful solution for a hurting world population. And, as his disciple, it is incumbent upon me to be a vehicle to spread that light. I have to honor Guru’s investment in me. I use the term “investment” here, but it was really his sacrifice.

In this regard, I think spiritual family is so important. Ask anyone else how they view you, and they will always you something which is higher, better, more inspiring than how you see yourself! So, I’ve been keen on living up to others expectations of me. Guru had a higher expectation yet, so this helps!

Guru always said we should claim him, his light. As a disciple, this is our responsibility, and then we should spread it, lovingly, compassionately, as he did with us.

Any plans for a second book?

More than plans…it’s just about done. It’s a book based on the classes I’ve given over the years. It can serve as a guide for anyone teaching a class, or it can actually serve as a seeker guide book. It is now in the final stages of editing and being checked that Guru’s writings are being accurately referenced. I am hoping it will be done and available by the end of February. It’s called A 21st Century Seeker.

Related

• At the Feet of My Master.com
• At the Feet of My Master at Amazon.com
• Interview with Pradhan at Sri Chinmoy TV

Adhiratha with Sri Chinmoy in early 1970s

• Adhiratha – actively seeking in New York

Adhiratha also shares some of his experiences as a student of Sri Chinmoy, including participating in the World Harmony Run and being involved in other initiatives for peace.

• Adhiratha Home page

The World's Largest Seesaw by 164 Street, Jamaica Hills, Queens. A new Guinness World Record set by Ashrita Furman dedicated to his spiritual teacher, Sri Chinmoy August 27th 2010

In a recent New York Times article, the area was described as a great melting pot  – ‘whose residents cite harmonious diversity as a defining element.‘

Three storefronts stand shoulder to shoulder: a modest grocery, whose sign declares Indian-Pakistani-American roots, selling Indian DVDs, two for $5, and asking 75 cents for a microwave-warmed vegetable samosa; Annam Brahma, a new Indian vegetarian restaurant with the motto “Food Is God,” one of several businesses with exteriors painted a light blue to signal devotion to Sri Chinmoy, the late Bangladeshi spiritual teacher who made his home in the area; and St. Gerasimos Greek Orthodox Church.

That stretch goes some way toward capturing a neighborhood whose residents cite harmonious diversity as a defining element… (NY Times article)

The 3100 Mile Race

For the past 14 consecutive years, in June, July and August, the neighbourhood also plays host to the world’s longest certified race the 3100 Mile Race. The race can last upto 52 days. One of the most remarkable things of the race is that it is run around a single block. Local Residents and local school children have become accustomed to this remarkable race which has been one of the features heralding the start of the summer.

Local residents explain how they have come to appreciate the presence of this unique race which occurs between 6am and 12pm every day for those 52  days of summer.

Members of the Sri Chinmoy Centre have a strong presence in the area with a number of business enterprises painted in a defining blue. Some of these local stores include:

• The Smile of the Beyond – a breakfast and luncheonette diner on Parsons Boulevard
• The Divine Robe – A specialist clothes shop
• Guru Stationary – Small independent stationary store
• Guru Health Foods – a busy independent health food store managed by serial Guinness World Record Breaker, Ashrita Furman.
• Annam Brahma – a popular vegetarian restaurant.
• Panorama Cafe of My Silence-Heart

Report by Standa Zublaty, Czech

Over the weekend of 22-23 May, members of the Sri Chinmoy Centre met up for three days of sport, music, meditation, games and above all – the beautiful nature of Austrian Alps near Salzburg. Evening programs included a few musical performances, meditations and comic quiz games. During the day various activities such as running, hiking and boat trips were organised – giving people the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of nature.

Outdoor games

True inner joy is self – created.
It does not depend on outer circumstances.
A river is flowing in and through you carrying the message of joy.
This divine joy is the sole purpose of life.

- Sri Chinmoy

World's Largest Lollipop - Photo by Jowan Gauthier

The 6,706 pound (3041 kg) lollipop is 10 feet (3 m) in diameter and 10 inches (25 cm) thick. The huge red candy is made of sugar and corn syrup, which was melted in hundred 100-gallon (380 litre) pots. Including the stick it has the height of 25 feet (7.50 m). This size ensures Ashrita Furman a new entry into the Guinness Book, because the previous largest lollipop was 4,759 pounds (2158 kg).

To put it in perspective this single lollipop would be the equivalent of 165,070 regular-sized lollipops!

Ashrita at work - Photo by Jowan Gauther

Created in his Queens, New York neighborhood, the giant lollipop was hoisted into the air briefly on Sri Chinmoy’s birth anniversary, August 27th, 2009.  Onlookers included some of the 1,500 visitors from 50 countries gathered in New York to observe Sri Chinmoy’s birth anniversary. The lollipop’s colourful happy birthday message to Sri Chinmoy together with a reproduction of one of Sri Chinmoy’s soul bird drawings came into view as the lollipop lifted into the air.

In honour of Sri Chinmoy’s birthday, Ashrita dedicated the record to the late philosopher, poet and athlete who inspired him and humanity with his weightlifting world records and the World Harmony Run. “We know Sri Chinmoy for his compassion, kindness and sweetness and for that reason we are celebrating his birthday by making the largest lollipop,” commented Ashrita.

Airborne - Photo by Sharani Robins

Ashrita has set Guinness World Records on Sri Chinmoy’s birthday on several occasions. In 2005 and 2008, he set a record for the most lit candles on a cake. In 2007, he dedicated the world’s largest pencil to Sri Chinmoy. 2006 saw the creation of the largest popcorn sculpture and in 2004 he set a record for the largest flower bouquet.

This Joy Weekend was in a place called Sommieres – a medieval town, complete with castle, next to the Vidourle river. While walking around it’s narrow alley-ways it was not too difficult to imagine life many hundreds of years ago. Is all of France this beautiful or are our French brothers and sisters just good at finding wonderful locations? Even the weather was perfect…

After our huge meal (I lost count of how many courses there were) we had our function. Manjula had just returned from the Harmony Run, so we saw a slideshow of some pictures she had taken. Then we played all kinds of games until it got quite late.

In the morning we had our usual early meditation followed by 2-mile race (this time thankfully it was not up and down a huge hill!)

The afternoon function featured numerous French singing groups including Ashcharjya’s group and the newly-formed Bhashini’s group, and an amusing play featuring Bhashini speaking in French and Natashira and Helene? speaking in English. This was all topped-off by an amazing performance of magic from Oindrajalik who had doves appearing from all kinds of places and many other tricks that astonished us all.

Many thanks and gratitude to the French disciples for organising this Joy Weekend which was inspiring, aspiring, amusing, stomach-filling, dynamic and yet relaxing and well organised. It is amazing how much you can receive from one weekend.

By: Suswara Payne

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:

• Ashrita’s personal blog – what are we going to do with the pencil now? The blog includes a funny story about how the pencil was so big it showed up on satellite photos….
• Video of Pencil Being Made at Sri Chinmoy TV
• S. Neil Vineberg’s reaction to the pencil