Martin Fryer sets new 24 hour M50 world record

In his first race representing the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, Martin Fryer, established a new World Record for men over 50 in a 24-hour track race of 247.59 km (153 miles, 1487 yards) in the invitational Soochow 24-Hour track race in Taiwan. Continue reading “Martin Fryer sets new 24 hour M50 world record”

Ravi Shankar

Ravi Shankar, the widely revered Indian Sitar Maestro, recently passed away aged 92.  George Harrison said of Ravi Shankar that he was the ‘”godfather of world music”‘. Ravi Shankar delighted audiences for many decades with his soulfully uplifting performances. His music and life helped provide a bridge between the devotional music of India, and new audiences in the West.

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Ravi Shankar and Sri Chinmoy – an early meeting.

Ravi Shankar first met with Sri Chinmoy in 1973; and in later years, the two friends met on a number of occasions. In September, 2002, Sri Chinmoy offered Ravi Shankar the U Thant Peace award. An award Sri Chinmoy gave to inspirational people who had promoted peace and harmony in the world. On giving the award, Sri Chinmoy said of Ravi Shankar:

“Every single day, your colossal music soul swiftly travels the universe and prayerfully gathers a huge bouquet of twinkling stars to place at the Feet of the Absolute Lord Beloved Supreme … Ravi Shankar the musician and God the Supreme Musician sleeplessly communicate with each other through the language of love.” (Pilgrims of Eternity)

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Sri Chinmoy, Ravi Shankar Oct 2002

Continue reading “Ravi Shankar”

Inspiration News

On Sri Chinmoy TV, we have just published the latest episode of Inspiration News, a video collection of inspiring stories from around the world.

inspiration news

The latest edition features an interview with Channel Swimmer Vasanti Niemz from Heidelberg, a visit to an orphanage in Vietnam, a dedication of a statue for World Harmony in Cardiff, and an athletics events from Russia.

statue

Inspiration News is inspired by Sri Chinmoy, who promoted many initiatives for world peace and world harmony. This episode includes recent projects inspired by this vision – such as the World Peace Dreamer statue of Sri Chinmoy in Cardiff Bay (photo above).

The presenter of Inspiration News is Utpal Marshall from Queens, New York.

View: Inspiration News at Sri Chinmoy TV

Songs of the Soul tour in Mongolia

Musicians and artists from all over the world played four concerts all over Mongolia as part of the Songs of the Soul series of concerts, which aim to share Sri Chinmoy’s musical legacy.

Agnikana’s Group performs along with Mongolian singers

The concerts took place in Ulanbataar (2 concerts), Erdenet and Darkhan, drawing approximately 2,500 people between them.

Closing performance by Sahadeva’s group

Among the performers were Agnikana’s Group from Czech Republic, Mandu and Visuddhi Trummer from Austria, Pavaka Ritchot from Canada and a final performance conducted by Sahadeva Torpy from London.

Related links

Play about Sri Ramakrishna

Recently, members of the Sri Chinmoy Centre in Prague, Czech Republic performed a play about the lives of Spiritual Master, Sri Ramakrishna and his disciple Swami Vivekananda.

The play was based on passages from the original book “Drink, Drink My Mother’s Nectar” by Sri Chinmoy. This short play captured some key moments from the life of Sri Ramakrishna, and his disciple, Swami Vivekananda.

ramakrishna

Sri Ramakrishna (Thakur) is one of the greatest spiritual figures of modern times. He taught the essential unity of all religions – illustrating, though his own sadhana, that each religion could take you to God.

Swami Vivekananda (Naren) become the living embodiment of Sri Ramakrishna’s vision. In 1893, he travelled to America and captivated the audience at his address of the World Parliament of Religions, in Chicago.

THAKUR (to himself) : The synthesis of all religions, the union of East and West, self-dedication, self-sacrifice: these are all big, big words, big theories, big ideas, big ideals. But where are they, Mother? Mother, you are talking to me about all these things. These are such high ideals. But where are your dedicated soldiers? Mother, you never tell me lies. Where are they? Where are your chosen children? O chosen children of my Mother Kali, my heart is crying for you. Come. Come. Do Mother’s work. You have to fulfil the Mother. You have to manifest the Mother on earth.

Excerpt from Play

THAKUR (Sri Ramakrishna) (with all affection and love) : Ah, Naren, you have come. You have come to me after such a long time. I have been talking to worldly people for so long. I have become practically deaf from hearing the complaints and unaspiring chatter of ordinary people. People are throwing all their worldly desires into me. Now I have nobody I can speak to about my inner life. I have nobody to tell what is going on in my heart. Naren, tell me, when are you going to come again?

NAREN (Swami Vivekananda): The moment I get an opportunity I will be back again. Why do you think of me so much? Why do you speak to others all the time about Naren, Naren, Naren? Don’t you know the story in the Puranas about King Bharata who always thought of his deer? Then, in the following incarnation, he became a deer.

THAKUR: You are right. But what can I do? I can’t keep my mind away from you. All the time I think of you. When I don’t see you I feel miserable. (Closes his eyes and speaks to Mother Kali.) Mother, listen to what Naren is telling me. (After a few moments he opens his eyes and speaks to Naren.) I will not listen to you. You are not saying the right thing. Mother says that I see you as Narayan, I see you as the incarnation of God. The day I don t see you as the incarnation of God, I will not even look at your face.

NAREN: If that is true, then why have you ignored me for such a long time? I have come to you and you have avoided me, ignored me mercilessly. You have shown me such contempt the past few times.

THAKUR: Mother, Mother, listen to this fellow! (To Naren.) Can I avoid you? Can I ignore you? Can I show contempt to you? Impossible! You do not know; you cannot fathom my inner workings Naren, tell me one thing. Granted, I have not been nice to you. I have been very unkind, very rude to you. So why do you keep coming to me?

NAREN: I come here to listen to you. I adore you. I worship you. I want to see you, Thakur, even if you are unkind to me. I love your presence. I love your meditative mood. I love your trance. I love everything you do because I love you.

THAKUR: My son, I have been testing you. I wanted to see what would happen if I didn’t show you affection and love—whether you would stay with me or not. It is only you who can bear such indifference and contempt from me. Had it been somebody else, he would not have come to my place anymore. Nobody else would have stayed with me. Whoever got that kind of treatment from me would have hated me to the end of his life.

NAREN: It is all due to your compassion, to your love, that I stayed. You know that my anger is of the quickest. But you gave me shelter in your heart. You brought me into your soul and made me your true son.

Members of the cast from the play about Sri Ramakrishna

Related

World Harmony Run at the European Parliament

The World Harmony Run was invited to the European Parliament in Brussels today. During a special program the runners shared Sri Chinmoy’s vision of world-peace and harmony with European politicians from different countries.

Ten MEPs (Members of European Parliament) from Ireland, Finland, Estonia, Slovenia, Luxemburg, Austria and Denmark participated in the program which took place inside the Parliament building. The MEPs held the Peace Torch and gave glowing speeches praising the initiative of running for peace. The ceremony was hosted by Angelika Werthmann, MEP from Austria.

One MEP told the runners, “You are the living embodiment of the motto of the European Parliament, ‘unity in diversity’.” It was the sixth visit of the World Harmony Run to the European Parliament since 2006.

A photo exhibition with photographs from the Run in Europe was presented together with the ceremony. The photo’s will be displayed in the European Parliament for the rest of the year.

Recording of Bengali Songs

A new recording of 13 significant compositions by Sri Chinmoy, sung by various members of the Sri Chinmoy Centre.

From the publishing of his first songbook (The Garden of Love-Light) in 1972 to his passing in 2007, Sri Chinmoy composed over 22,000 songs — an average of 640 songs per year for 35 years! Of these 22,000 songs, over 13,500 are in his native Bengali and over 8,300 are in English, ranging in length from one-line mantric songs to a 208-line epic.

This recording includes every 1,000th song from the first song (Tamasa Rate Nayan Pate)  to the 13,000th  song  (Shakpura Shakpura).

Sri Chinmoy writes that soulful singing can significantly help a seeker to go deep within.

But when we want to get something very, very deep, something that will help us to climb up high, higher, highest, soulful singing is the right thing.

Many, many times I have seen that when people sing very prayerfully and soulfully—not the songs that are fast and lively and give joy to our vital—but songs like Jiban debata or Bhulite diyona, Mother-Earth or the soul of that particular place receives light. Afterwards, that light spreads like a fountain from any part of the world where people are singing soulfully.

My Heart – Melody

A Moment’s Peace

A Moment’s Peace is an inspirational project linking the peace dreamers of today with those of future generations.

A Moment's Peace
Unveiling of the ‘World Peace Dreamer Statue’

At a ceremony on Saturday 28 July, the “World Peace Dreamer Statue” was unveiled as part of the ‘Art of Olympians’ – a cultural and artistic contribution to the 2012 London Olympics.

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Trumpets mark the opening of the Ceremony

The World Peace Dreamer Statue depicts the founder of the World Harmony Run, Sri Chinmoy, holding aloft the Peace Torch that runners have been carrying for the past 25 years on a mission of peace and harmony.

“Peace does not mean the absence of war, peace means the presence of harmony, love, satisfaction and oneness. Peace means a flood of love in the world family.”

– Sri Chinmoy 1

A close up of the statue

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Everest Aspiration 35th Anniversary

During July 1-2oth 1977, Sri Chinmoy gave a series of spontaneous talks on different aspects of the spiritual life, these were later compiled into a book called ‘Everest-Aspiration’.

Everest Aspiration – Spiritual Talks from the Heart of Silence

At Radio Sri Chinmoy, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Everest-Aspiration, there is a new published recording of some of these talks spoken by Sri Chinmoy.

These talks touch on the mysteries of the spiritual life and present a clear and inspiring goal for seekers to follow.

Excerpt from Talk on ‘Satistfaction’

Like us, the soul also deals with life. In the case of the soul, there is the universal life and the transcendental Life. When the soul-bird comes down into the world-arena, it spreads its wings and becomes inseparably one with the universal life. At the end of its earthly sojourn, when the soul returns to its own region, it enters into the transcendental Life. Life is nothing short of God’s Dream, and this Dream is birthless and deathless. This birthless and deathless Dream God fulfils in and through His all-embracing and all-fulfilling reality: man.

– Satisfaction, from Everest-Aspiration, Part 1

Joy Day in Melbourne

Recently the Sri Chinmoy Centre in Melbourne hosted a Joy-Day. Students of Sri Chinmoy from all over Australia and New Zealand came together to enjoy group meditations, singing spiritual songs together, acting out spiritual plays and participating in lots of fun and games.

Enjoying a game of Ultimate Frisbee
A play on Shiva and Parvati
An illumining and entertaining play by the boys