Category: Self Transcendence

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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Samunnati wins the Edinburgh marathon

Samunnati Nataliya Lehonkova from the Sri Chinmoy Centre in Ternopilska, Ukraine, has won the Edinburgh marathon last Sunday May 27th. Under warm conditions and on a hilly marathon course Samunnati completed the race in 2:39:46. It was her second marathon win in her running career, after a win in Poland in 2010. Also it was her second marathon in 6 weeks, after she had placed second in the marathon of Utrecht (The Netherlands) last April in a personal best of 2:39:20. She commented that now she will take some well-deserved rest.

Samunnati breaks the tape in the Edinburgh marathon

Samunnati says that Sri Chinmoy inspires her in her running career. His philosophy of self-transcendence and going beyond one’s own preconceived limitations is a source of constant satisfaction to her. Sri Chinmoy encouraged his students to stay physically fit by running. Samunnati feels that the spiritual energy she receives from her daily meditation helps her in her running life. As Sri Chinmoy writes, “Through prayer and meditation we can develop intense will-power, and this will-power can help us do extremely well in our outer running.”

During the race members of the Sri Chinmoy Centre in Edinburg cheered her on. In the evening they celebrated her victory at their Sunday night meditation.

 

Samunnati (centre) with the trophy and the runners-up

Jayasalini’s Lecture Tour in Brazil

Recently, Jayasalini Abramovskikh from the Moscow Sri Chinmoy Centre, travelled to Brazil for a series of meditation classes focused on the subject of Self-Transcendence. One week earlier Jayasalini had completed the Self-Transcendence 6 Day Race in New York where she ran a total of 600K, averaging 100 kilometres per day.

Jayasalini
Jayasalini running the Self-Transcendence 6 Day Race

According to Jayasalini the 6 Day Race is an opportunity to develop faith, willpower and the necessity of competing only with oneself.

Our philosophy
Is progress.
In our self-transcendence
Is our tremendous joy.

– Sri Chinmoy [1]

Jayaslini lectured in Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro. About 100 spiritual seekers attended her classes.

Jayasalini poses with members from the Sri Chinmoy Centres in Brazil

 

[1] Sri Chinmoy, Excerpt from Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, Part 13

Self-Transcendence 6 – 10 Day Race 2012

The 15th annual Self Transcendence 6 / 10 day race, organised by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, recently started in Flushing Meadows, NY.

start

The two ultra distance races, run concurrently around a loop in Flushing Meadows, New York, have attracted a top field of international ultra distance runners.

 

The races are organised by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team and staffed by volunteers who come to races. Sri Chinmoy was a keen advocate of distance running as a way for people to try and transcend their physical, mental and spiritual limitations.

Continue reading “Self-Transcendence 6 – 10 Day Race 2012”

Christchurch Runner in Commonwealth Trail race

Vajin Armstrong, of Christchurch Sri Chinmoy Centre, finished 8th in the Commonwealth 55Km trail race championship held in Llandudno, Wales. He finished the 55KM race in a time of 03:43:13.vajin


Aged 31, Vajin works as a manager of a Gandharva Loka music store. But, in his spare time he is able to train for marathons and ultra distance races. Previously Vajin won his first 47 mile ultra race in a time of 5 hours 27 minutes. In 2010 he finished 1st in New Zealand’s Kepler Challenge (60km trail race) .

Vajin wrote of his experience racing in the Commonwealth ultra races.

“It has been a inspiring and uplifting experience, and a true demonstration of the power of sport to bring people together in a spirit of oneness and understanding. Spending time surrounded by fellow athletes who all share your love of the mountains and are all aspiring to transcend themselves was a wonderful experience.”

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An Experience of Swimming English Channel

 

On 11 July 2011,, Abhejali Bernardováb from the Czech Republic became the 27th  member of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team  to successfully swim the English channel. ( making a total of 42 successful crossing). She completed the swim in a time of 14 hours and 37 minutes.

This video gives an insight into the experience of swimming the English channel, one of the toughest endurance tests in swimming. It is said fewer people have swum the channel than have climbed Mount Everest.

Intrinsic to a successful channel swim is a good support crew who need to help feed and guide the swimmer through the potentially dangerous lanes of the English channel. Abhejali was assisted by support crew Jayalata Dadkovicova, Ritadyumna Tobolkova, Lenka Svecova, Jana Bernardova (Abhejali’s sister) from Czech Republic and Dhavala Stott from Scotland, on the Seafarer II boat piloted by Chris Osmond.

[jwplayer file=”http://www.srichinmoy.tv/wp-content/uploads/media/abhejalis-channel-swim-2632/abhejali-channel-swim.m4v” image=”http://www.srichinmoy.tv/wp-content/uploads/media/abhejalis-channel-swim-2632/abhejali.jpg” width=”480″ height=”270″] Source: Sri Chinmoy TV

Self Transcendence

Sri Chinmoy taught a philosophy of self-transcendence – the effort and determination to go beyond our limitations and discover our own inner and outer capacities.

What gives life its value,
If not its inner cry
For self-transcendence?

– Sri Chinmoy 1

Through his various prolific activities in fields such as sport, weightlifting, music and writing, Sri Chinmoy is an exampel of how a life of prayer and meditation can increase our inner and outer capacities.

 

If we believe in our own
Self-transcendence-task
Then there can be
No unreachable goal.

Sri Chinmoy, 2

Self-transcendence-joy
Unmistakably knows
No equal.

– Sri Chinmoy, 3

Related

  1. Sri Chinmoy, Twenty-Seven Thousand Aspiration-Plants, Part 54, Agni Press, 1984. ↩
  2. No Unreachable Goal, Agni Press, 1994. ↩
  3. My Christmas-New Year-Vacation Aspiration-Prayers, Part 30, Agni Press, 2004. ↩

Two New Channel Swims

This summer, two members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team successfully completed  swimming across the English Channel. Since Vasanti Niemz and Adhiratha Keefe completed the first swims in 1985, the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team have now completed a total of 41 solo swims, with Karteek Clarke of Scotland making most successful swims (10).

shaky

Angikar and his helper Ayojan at Shakespeare beach, Dover, by the famous white cliffs.

Angikar completed the swim in 19hrs 24mins on the 8th August, becoming the first Serbian to successfully complete the swim.

Vasanti Niemz

Vasanti Niemz completed her swim on 03/09/2010 in a time of 16 hours 50 mins – 25 years after her first successful crossing in 1985.

After completing her epic swim across the channel, Vasanti proceeded to embark on the next leg of her epic triathlon feat. Running two marathons and cycling 300km to finish in the German town of Aachen. Vasanti’s blog

Channel Triathlon – Vasanti’s blog

List of successful channel swims at Sri Chinmoy Races

Articles on Channel Swims at Sri Chinmoy Races

Sri Chinmoy Multi-Sport Classic

The Sri Chinmoy Multi-Sport Classic is an all-day adventure for teams and individuals combining swimming, mountain biking, paddling and running in, on and around beautiful Lake Jindabyne.

Trophy winners from the 2010 edition.

Set in the idyllic surrounds of Lake Jindabyne in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains, the race is organised by the Australian Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team. It combines water and land-based sports over 12 legs, ranging in difficulty from mild to strenuous. Participants can either form a team for the different stages or aim for a solo effort for all legs.

Sri Chinmoy Multi-Sport Classic, Jindabyne at Sri Chinmoy Races

The Sri Chinmoy Multi-Sport Classic in Jindabyne is one of many different athletic events organised by the global Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team. You can see other events that have been organised at the global site – Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team

World Records Ripped In Two At Impossibility-Challenger

World records were ripped, bent, torn and smashed in Auckland, New Zealand recently, with 7 world records broken in the Impossibility-Challenger world record games.

Albert Walter tears a phone book in two at the Impossibility-Challenger Games

Held November 14 at Auckland’s Trusts Stadium, the first time the impossibility challenging festival has been staged in New Zealand, the event saw two World Records set by Swiss strongman and weightlifter Albert Walter, who first tore a 1440 page phone book in two and then snapped a 30cm long carpenter’s nail, with nothing more than bare hands and steely determination employed.

New Zealander Alistair Galpin, one of the top World Record breakers of the past decade, set nine new records on the day, including the most lit candles in the mouth, and the fastest time to shell a boiled egg. To celebrate, Galpin broke the record for the most high-fives in a minute.

Other impossible feats made possible included the fastest car tyre change by four employees of tire company Frank Allen Tyres, the world’s longest balloon chain, the largest dot to dot drawing, and the fastest mile pushing a person in a shopping trolley.

The 16th staging of the event, Impossibility-Challenger was founded in 1982 by accomplished weightlifter and peace-visionary Sri Chinmoy, upon the ideals of self-transcendence and challenging limits, and was staged by the Sri Chinmoy Centre, a prolific non-profit organisation also responsible for the World Harmony Run—the world’s largest participant torch relay—and The Oneness-Heart Tears and Smiles humanitarian aid programme.

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Inspiration Not Impossible At World Record Games

On November 14th, Auckland, New Zealand, phone-books will be torn, carpenter’s nails broken, giant balloon hats made and shopping trolleys pushed in the name of challenging the impossible, and breaking world records along the way.

Impossibility-Challenger games organised by the Sri Chinmoy Centre

Jumped, thrown and run successfully in Zurich, Switzerland and Munich, Germany since the 1980s, the Impossibility-Challenger festival of record smashing is being staged in New Zealand for the first time, and Director Budhsamudra Knox is confident that success will not be impossible—“We think Kiwis have what it takes to step up to the mark.”

Attempting to cross that mark, and in world record time, is an international field of participants including Alistair Galpin, the New Zealander with the most World Records, Albert Walter of Switzerland, a bench press champion who tears phone books better than anybody else, and a team of mechanics who will attempt the 4-man car wheel change world record.

The impossibility challenging event also encompasses the Self-Transcendence Games, where hundreds of school children will compete together with celebrities in just for fun events like hula-hoop racing and catching an egg thrown the greatest distance.

The Impossibility-Challenger games were founded in 1982 by the late peace visionary Sri Chinmoy, upon the premise that challenging limitations and the seemingly impossible not only brings the individual joy, but inspires others to transcend that which is challenging in their lives as well.

The event is organised by the Sri Chinmoy Centre, a prolific non-profit organisation also responsible for the world’s largest participant torch relay, the World Harmony Run, and The Oneness-Heart-Tears and Smiles humanitarian aid programme.

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