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The Stranding

Past things lie about like fallen leaves from some long ago summer, rustle underfoot in later years and random recollections. Why, sitting in my chair early this morning did I suddenly remember this uninvited trifle? These light-hearted lines are not serious, no , just the rustling of a few tiny leaves from a far off time when whales and we – a companion and I – all crossed paths, sadly, on an east coast beach...

    When you were nineteen
    You smoked Gauloises
    And dressed up for rebellion.
    Apostasies flowered on your tattooed skin.

    Travellers, at Mahia we stopped awhile
    From rambling's discontent,
    Waited out the rains in a cottage by the sea.
    All day long I dug fence posts
    On that high-up wind-swept ridge
    A far-off pencil sketch against the winter sky
    While you put in a garden.
    Green-fingered,
    Everything flourished where you touched.

All night the tide murmured in our sleep.

    We floated there sometimes
    On that uneasy frontier, face down
    Where the reef fell away
    Into inky depths and darkness.
    Whales sang from the deep
    Such mystic, mournful songs
    And a pod of calves one night beached.
    The Maori wailed and brought tractors, buckets, ropes...
    Oh how we toiled and heaved in that freezing sea.
    You knelt by a huge round eye, prayed and wept.
    Our hands, heedless, were bloodied from barnacle welts.
    The listless tide rose at our beckoning,
    Then pitiless, withdrew.

Gulls and mongrels connived
With the indifferent falling swells.

    You bought a straw hat, noticed
    Other kinds of strandings, lamented our own.
    I joined Greenpeace, tried yoga, dreamed of whales
    With pleading eyes in my restless sleep.

– Jogyata.

Cross-posted from jogyata.srichinmoycentre.org

Acorns

Our parklands are carpeted with autumn's acorns at present, lovely fields of them spreading away under the deep aerial greens of towering oaks—you pick them up in handfuls and marvel at how perfect they are, how different each is from any other. A little seasonal miracle. Out jogging this morning, writing a little jubilatory acorn ode in my head—back home, searching for a pen before I forget.

Acorns

In drifts and banks
of burnished gold
they mass, those tawny
roly-poly nuts
that crunch and crackle
underfoot in glades you stroll,
weaponry in the warrior feuds
of boys. When pigs
can fly they'll flock
squealing into this parkland paradise
gorge, fossick, glut,
pig-heaven, utopia of nuts
hand painted each by autumn's
lovely brush, a palette
of browns and bronzes, coppery hues
hardened in the kiln of sun.
All night long they tumble down
rattle and patter, clutter
my eaves, bounce and clatter
like playful garden gnomes
lie winter long
in the nurseries of my gutters
and while I sleep
burst quietly into leaf
take root in loam
next spring march out
reclaim their sylvan dynasty.
Go forth my leafy legions
repopulate the barren vales
those former hills of home.

– Jogyata.

Cross-posted from jogyata.srichinmoycentre.org

Post-Op

    Here, calm nurses reign
    and sagacious doctors, majestic in white
    confer and scurry about.
    Green lines track and blip across the screens
    that measure breath, groans, heartbeat,
    evidence of this, your latest resurrection.
    Outside, a pastoral scene
    meadows bursting upwards
    jubilant with spring, seed-heavy,
    fragrant with a million
    scarlet flowers, haven of finches
    and twittering, earth-bound things.
    Your own sap blooms
    through scars and crimson bandages
    and leaking rivulets, missed by errant nurses.
    A clock ticks softly
    reminding us what’s left
    and other certainties of time
    that all must pass this way and be bereft.
    Beyond the window other lives
    unfold in play
    and idle cattle stand
    then nomad clouds, a caravanserai
    in convoy voyage aimlessly across indifferent sky.
    The white sheet immaculate
    hides your grief and wounds.
    A pulse flutters briefly in your neck
    a trapped insect trying to get out.
    You lie, waiting
    inert upon the bed,
    pale Lazarus, companion-friend,
    returning from the dead.

– Jogyata. (Source)

Cross-posted from jogyata.srichinmoycentre.org

Interfaith and Religious Tolerance

Sri Chinmoy's view of religious unity is not just an intellectual belief, but is based on an inner life of prayer and meditation experiences the common source at the heart of different religions. Sri Chinmoy's life-work also included participating in and initiating interfaith activities to promote religious tolerance and understanding.

Video: Sri Chinmoy conducts the opening meditation at the World Parliament of Religions, Barcelona, 2004. From: Sri Chinmoy TV

Quotes on Religious Tolerance

by: Sri Chinmoy

"I fully agree that all religions lead to one truth, the Absolute truth. There is One truth. There is only one Goal, but there are various paths. Each religion is right in its own way."

- Sri Chinmoy 1

"No religion is absolutely perfect. Yet not only do we fight for religion, but also are we often willing to sacrifice our lives for it. And what we hopelessly fail to do is to live it. A true religion is that which has no caste, no creed, no colour. It is but an all-uniting and all-pervading embrace."

- Sri Chinmoy 2

"Man-made religions find fault with one another, whereas God-made religion is eternally a oneness-song — God-manifestation through human aspiration on earth."

- Sri Chinmoy 3

"If we live in our oneness-heart, we will feel the essence of all religions which is the love of God. Forgiveness, compassion, tolerance, brotherhood and the feeling of oneness are the signs of a true religion."

- Sri Chinmoy 4

World Parliament of Religions

In 1893, the first World Parliament of Religions was held in Chicago, USA. This was a unique event which invited people from the main different religious traditions. The Parliament was a resounding success; in particular, Swami Vivekananda, touched the hearts and minds of the participants through his clarion call for religious unity and religious tolerance.

"As different streams, having their sources in different places, all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee."

- Swami Vivekenanda 5

In 1993, the World Parliament of Religions reconvened in Chicago to revive this spirit of religious tolerance and religious oneness. Sri Chinmoy was chosen to lead the opening meditation. Sri Chinmoy feels that through silent meditation and prayer, we can most effectively feel the underlying unity of different religious teachings. He said of the event:

“During my Opening Meditation I am praying for the oneness of all religions.”

- Sri Chinmoy 6

Sri Chinmoy, also led the opening meditation at the Parliament of world Religions in Barcelona, 2004. There is a video of the opening meditation here at Sri Chinmoy TV.

Interfaith at the United Nations

Sri Chinmoy at the United Nations interfaith event at St. Bartholomew's Church.

Sri Chinmoy meditated at the United Nations twice weekly for 37 years - offering prayers and meditations for peace.

Religious beliefs of Sri Chinmoy

Question: If you were comparing your religion to Islam, Christianity or Buddhism, which one is nearest to your belief?

Sri Chinmoy: Being a spiritual man, I must say that there is only one religion. You call it Christianity, I call it Hinduism, somebody calls it Judaism and somebody else calls it Islam. But there is only one religion. So when there is one religion, there cannot be nearness or distance. There are many branches of the religion-tree, but there is only one religion, and that religion is God-realisation. The ultimate Goal of all religion is God-realisation.

Religions may fight on the way to the goal, but at the end of the journey they become most intimate friends, and then they feel that they were all the time together on the same journey, only following different paths. True, sincere followers of any religion, either Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism or Judaism, will never find fault in the truths of other religions. They know that the ultimate Truth exists in each religion.

- Sri Chinmoy 7

Sri Chinmoy Centre and interfaith

Members of the Sri Chinmoy Centre continue Sri Chinmoy's legacy of interfaith oneness. Through initiatives such as the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run

View: Experiences of interfaith from within the Sri Chinmoy Centre

References

1. Sri Chinmoy, Earth's Cry Meets Heaven's Smile, Part 2, New York: Agni Press, 1974.
2. Sri Chinmoy, Mother India's Lighthouse: India's Spiritual Leaders, New York: Agni Press, 1971.
3. Sri Chinmoy, President Premadasa: Nectar-Bliss-Heart, Lion-Roar-Soul, New York: Agni Press, 1990.
4. Sri Chinmoy, World-Destruction: Never, Impossible! Part 1, New York: Agni Press, 1994.
5. Swami Vivekananda, Response to Welcome, World Parliament of Religions, Chicago, 11th Sept. 1893
6. Sri Chinmoy, I Bow To the Soul of the Parliament of Religions Barcelona 2004, New York: Agni Press, 2005.
7. Sri Chinmoy, The Spiritual Journey: Oneness In Diversity, New York: Agni Press, 1977.

Temple Song Hearts

Temple Song Hearts are an international group of musicians who perform the music of Sri Chinmoy. Founded in 1998, they have offered concerts in many cities throughout Europe.

You can visit their new website here - Temple Song Hearts

Photos French Tour

Article on Temple Song Hearts concert in France

Photos from French Tour at Sri Chinmoy Centre

Cross-posted from jogyata.srichinmoycentre.org

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Flower Flames Anniversary

Miracles Worth Seeing

Only two miracles are worth seeing: The miracle of loving And The miracle of forgiving.

- Sri Chinmoy

Ten Thousand Flower Flames part 66

Sri Chinmoy completed his series of 10,000 Flower Flames on July 3rd, 1983. Yesterday was the 25th anniversary of this remarkable poetic output.

Selected Flower Flames

Cross-posted from jogyata.srichinmoycentre.org

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Sri Chinmoy's 23rd Weightlifting Anniversary

Sri Chinmoy lifting pyramid of 15 men

June 26 was the 23rd Anniversary of the beginning of Sri Chinmoy's serious weight lifting and the 20th Anniversary of the `Lifting Up The World' program. There was a function in New York to commemorate this significant anniversary.

Arpan kindly wrote a function report, which you can read here - Weightlifting anniversary

"It was and still is obvious that Sri Chinmoy's weightlifting was not really about a strong man trying to get stronger. It was really about a great Spiritual Master who had a dynamic approach to faith in God and tried to include as many people as were inspired to participate in his efforts to show how important and real this faith is for all of us in our own lives. His lifting of seemingly impossible weights, objects and subjects was a dramatically convincing way to show us how any of us, even a small Indian Yogi, can work toward achieving what only seems impossible to our minds if we use our faith and hearts of Oneness."

You can also view a new site on Sri Chinmoy's weightlifting - Inspiration Lifts

Cross-posted from jogyata.srichinmoycentre.org

Contact the Sri Chinmoy Centre

The Stranding