The heart and soul of Canada
Not only I but also my Canadian students have done so much for the heart and soul of Canada. My Canadian students have really awakened and illumined the consciousness of Canada. Nobody will believe how much they have helped Canada spiritually.
Sri Chinmoy1
Displaying bird drawings in Ottawa
This exhibition was unique, presenting the first 100,000 of Guru’s bird drawings to the public for one month. Those of us who took part will never forget that historical time. Our Centre had rented and renovated a four-story building, and painted it all in the purest white, as if making a special nest for Guru’s birds. And then the 100,000 birds arrived from New York in special transport trucks. To this day, more than 20 years later, when we talk about Sri Chinmoy in Ottawa, some people ask: “Is he the bird man?"
Guru had asked that the building be guarded 24-7, so a group of local boys were scheduled, one night per week, to guard Guru’s birds. Imagine this huge four-story building, after all is closed and doors are locked, and one guard, alone, with all the birds! Those nights, sleep was not an option: we were so energized by all the birds!
While the Ottawa population was in awe of Guru’s birds of Infinity, he was continuing to draw more and more birds, very quickly. Shortly after this initial exhibition of 100,000, he had completed his first one million birds. So, six months after the first grand opening, there was another celebration at this venue, featuring Guru’s latest miraculous artistic achievement.
Needless to say, it was most sublime, a unique world-class display of Guru’s original art. And on both occasions, we had an added treat: Guru came to see his birds and visit our Centre.
Canada - A Peace-Blossom Nation
Montreal 2000: Guru’s Largest Peace Concert
In the fall of 2000, Guru offered his largest concert ever, in Montreal. It was an incredible event, that had been planned and prepared for, for many months. The poster read: The Concert of a Lifetime. Nineteen thousand people attended!
The morning of the concert, I had a call from our Centre Leader, who asked me to introduce Guru to the audience. What an honour! And what a responsibility! Throughout the day, I worked on a text, practiced my intonation and tried to be relaxed and in my best consciousness.
Just before the concert, one of the guards called to me and said: “Utsahi, Guru wants to see you." I then entered a large room adjacent to the concert hall, fully decorated with flowers. Guru was meditating in a nice chair. He called me up in front of him and asked: “How are you, Utsahi"? I couldn’t help but think to myself how much consideration Guru had. He’s the one offering the concert and he asks me how I am! I was in seventh Heaven, but simply replied: “Fine, Guru, thank you."
And then he replied: “Do not worry about anything; everything will be fine. When you are ready, you can do the Introduction."
I was so proud to present our Guru to the public. “Ladies and gentlemen, good evening, and welcome to the concert of a lifetime." I could hardly imagine that Guru would be in front of the blinding spotlights for two hours!
And it was the concert of a lifetime!
- 1. Sri Chinmoy, The world-experience-tree-climber, part 6, Agni Press, 1994
We are all truly unlimited
In the ’80s, I had a serious accident that resulted in a crushed vertebra, a broken wrist and a brain concussion. The specialist told me then: “Because of the damage to your vertebra, you will have back problems for the rest of your life.”
Being stubborn (or determined), I refused to believe this. How to heal a crushed vertebra? Someone had told me that running would strengthen my back. On the other hand, many people warned me that running would ruin what I had left of my fragile spine. Still, an experienced runner told me: If you wear good shoes, and if you run properly, you will strengthen your back. Also, never sit in the usual way because it adds pressure to the crushed vertebrae. I found a kneeling chair to sit on and I started running. Long story!
Between 1991 and 2016, I consistently ran for at least one hour per day, gradually improving over time and completing many races – from two miles to ten miles to marathons to ultramarathons. These included a number of NYC marathons and the Ottawa 24-hour Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Race, which I did many times and of which I am now the director. I have met many ultra-distance runners through all those years and am still friends with many of them.
Running in my case was a real purifier… after a few hours, no more thoughts, only running.
A little anecdote: At some point during one of these races in New York, a spectator asked me: “Why do you run?” I was then in such a state of non-thinking that I found the question rather awkward, if not funny! I could not even respond to this person!
The 47 mile race
My most special race was the annual 47-mile (75+ km) race in New York, which I first ran in 1994. Around 200 runners, starting at midnight with the “Invocation to the Supreme,” would run until they completed the distance. In my case, finishing would take 9, 10, or perhaps 12 hours. This race brought such special moments!
During one of my first races - As usual, along the track, there were numerous inspiring posters, but one particular aphorism caught my attention:
We are all truly unlimited
If we only dare to try and have faith.Sri Chinmoy1
I was still a young disciple, and did not yet fully appreciate Guru’s vision. For the first three to four hours of this race, every time I ran by this aphorism, my mind was full of doubts. I was in refusal mode, reacting with: It can’t be, we are NOT unlimited, and these words don’t make any sense. Only God is unlimited.
But as the race went on, my state of logical thinking was gradually being replaced by the faculties of my heart. I opened up and began to appreciate the deep meaning of this message. At the end of the race, I was persuaded that we ARE all truly unlimited. I appreciated even more the two “ifs„ that are part of the aphorism: “if we only dare to try and have faith.„ Ah – the miracle of running Guru’s self-transcendence races... and the way this aphorism opened new doors of my little mind and heart!
Tears of gratitude
When I turned 47, I wanted to offer my gratitude to Guru for each year of my earthly existence. The 47-mile race was a perfect opportunity for me to do this. At midnight on August 27th, we started our journey around a local high school. At each mile, I tried to envision how I was at age 6, 8, 12, etc., while offering gratitude for the 47 years of my life. Halfway through the race, I started to cry and cry and cry... for no outer reason.
My helper, seeing me crying and crying, was desperate. He thought I was dying or something, since I could not stop crying, mile after mile, and he was wondering what to do.
I told him not to worry; but how do you explain to someone, while running, that you are simply crying – no pain, no sorrows, simply tears of gratitude. Afterwards, I felt really purified, because for so many years I had not been able to cry at all. Education maybe... “Boys don’t cry..."
Well, now, even big boys can cry! At the time, I did not know Guru’s song In silence-love I cry, but it’s right on!
In silence-love I cry,
In silence-joy I fly,
In silence-song I give,
In silence-dance I live.Sri Chinmoy 2
'Your mother's soul is doing well'
“I had a good life,“ my mother used to say in her later years...
My relationship with my mother was very special, very soulful, especially during the last few years of her life. In my younger years, it was not so easy. I guess I disappointed her: since she was a fervent Catholic, I knew that, in her heart of hearts, she had always wanted me to become a priest. At the age of 13, I had gone to a seminary with that specific goal in mind. This was a strict Order. I ended up, five years later, pronouncing the three sacred vows. But by the age of 21, I could not stand it any longer, and I left the Order. I was not well there. Plus, I had been abused by the priests. After that, I could accept, maybe, that I would lead a spiritual life, but I could not accept the priesthood!
For my mother, after all those years of anticipation, my return home was difficult. I think she felt that all her hopes had vanished. But she never openly expressed this, as was typical in my family and in my culture. There were a few signs here and there... the rest was dealt with in silence.
Years later, when my marriage failed, this was another blow to my mother. She had been proud of this marriage, of our children, of my family. That our marriage could end up in amicable divorce, she did not understand! So for many months after our separation, when I called her, it was clear that she was always hoping for a renewed relationship. Furthermore, when I talked to her about my spiritual Master, she was not at ease either. After all, having been brought up in the Catholic tradition, having an Eastern Guru was not exactly her cup of tea.
For years following the breakup of my marriage, after I met the house payments and paid the children’s allowances, I was left with no money to buy a newer car. So every season, I would touch up my old one by covering the rusted spots with fiberglass and paint. Life would go on... After I had done this for a few seasons, Julie and her teen-age friends decided to paint my brown Toyota in psychedelic colours; that was fun for them and it was okay with me. But it was not fun when my mother saw it! In my village, a car is, next to God, a sacred object. (I was even stopped by the police, who examined the car, and then asked me my profession. When I told them I was a university professor, they were sure I was lying and asked for evidence. Luckily, I had a business card with me.) So, it did not make my mother very happy, to say the least, to see her divorced son driving an old bumped-up, psychedelic car. She tried to insist on giving me money for a down payment on a new car, but I told her things were fine.
Now that I’ve said all this, the main thing I want to say is that Mom was a very wonderful person. Over the years, our love for each other grew to be very special. We could laugh about the old car. She knew that my ex-spouse and I were getting along well. And I had learned to live my life according to my inner calls and not her expectations, but then to love her for her kind heart.
Her life, and our relationship, had become simple, joyful. As the years went by, I would call her more often. She would give me joy; I would give her joy. I knew that I could share with her the peace and serenity I was getting from my relationship with Guru. By her 80th birthday, she had written more than 60 poems on simple matters like the wind, her family, the next life.
After she turned 80, she started having serious health problems. Many times, I was called to New Brunswick because my brothers and sisters did not know if she would make it. In 2000, I was due to on the Christmas Trip with Guru to Myanmar for two weeks. By the time the departure date arrived, my mother was so weak that her life was in danger. In spite of this, I felt the urge to go on the trip. Once more, with divine intervention, she became well and was full of energy and enthusiasm.
Two years later, things became much more difficult: the oxygen tank, the wheelchair, ... then she became bed-ridden. As she became increasingly ill, she had to be transferred from her home to a nursing home and finally to the local hospital. Many times in these last years, I drove from home in Ottawa to New Brunswick to see her. Plus I would call her two or three times a week. She could not read or write any more, and did not like television, so there was not much of anything for her to do. One evening I asked her what she was doing, to which she responded: “I was waiting for your call."
In July 2003, the family was urged to go see her immediately. Although this had happened a number of times in the previous year, I knew that this time she was really leaving. I prayed for the Supreme to let me see her once more before her departure. And then I left for Grand Falls, a nine-hour drive from Ottawa. I arrived in the early evening and volunteered to stay at her bedside for the night. My wish was to be able to place Guru’s Transcendental Picture beside her, sing her the Invocation, and spend the night beside her. So when everyone had left, I put the blessed photo beside her pillow and, in harmony with Guru and the Supreme, sang the Invocation. I knew these were my last intimate moments with her. I then thanked her for the life, the values, the optimism, the energy and the enthusiasm she had given me. She was serene, outwardly barely conscious, breathing heavily, with the assistance of the oxygen mask. I felt she was attentive to all that I was saying.
After some time, the nurses brought me a cot bed, so I could rest for a while. During the night, they came a few times to check on her, but I did not notice their presence. The next morning, the nurse asked me: “The photo under your mother’s pillow, is it your father?„ I was so happy! I could not believe this question! I answered, “Yes, of course.„ And then she said: “He looks a lot like you!„ What a compliment! That evening, she passed away. She was 83. She had been ill and frail for her last three years. Gradually, she had lost her ability to be independent, but she never lost her faith and her great optimistic spirit. She enjoyed it when I teased her. Always, till her last moment, her words were positive. She had something nice to say about people and about all of us, her children.
As soon as I could after this, I wanted to go to New York to be with Guru. I arrived there late on one Friday night. The next morning, after the Runners Are Smilers race, when Guru offered us prasad from his car, he called me over and asked: “Do you have a photo of your mother?„ “Yes,„ I answered. “Can you please give it to me?„ “Yes, Guru.„ Of course! I was happy to. With Utthal’s help, I prepared and presented to Guru a framed photo of my mother. Guru said he would give it back to me the next day.
The following day, before I left for Ottawa, I checked to see if I could have the photo back. Guru answered that it was still at his house and that he would give it back to me the next time I came down. I was in no rush to get it back. A few weeks later, one night at Guru’s house, I noticed that it was in a very prominent place right beside Guru’s seat. I was so happy. I was all joy. In what better place could my mother be?
One Sunday morning the following September, when we were at Aspiration-Ground, Guru called me over to him and said: “I have kept your mother’s photo for a long time in my house. Many times I have looked at her and many times I blessed her. Your mother’s soul is doing well."
Guru gave me back the framed photo, along with a huge smile. I was delighted. What a caring, compassionate Father we have! How much time and attention he gives to us all! When I returned home, I placed my mother’s photo on my altar, where she still is.
Growing on the spiritual path
Before I started the spiritual path, I thought I was doing okay: yoga in the morning to relax and energize, and the rest of the day to pursue my outer activities. My wife and I had been blessed with two beautiful children; the perfect family – one boy and one girl – plus a relatively stable marriage. And, since I was the Director of the School of Social Work, I could envision a promising career. I was already serving on national committees and boards, sharing my little knowledge in the sphere of the intellectual world. I was a career man, investing a lot in my work. The icing on the cake came when I published my first book in 1985.
My parents were so proud of their little boy, born and raised in a farming community, in the francophone village of St-André, New Brunswick. On a farm, the oldest boy’s traditional destiny is to continue the family enterprise. The other boys have to look somewhere else, because there is no room for more than one on a family farm. So it was that I received the education that had brought me, after a few detours, to this position. A professor’s job, a stable marriage, two children, a house and two cars, what else could I ask for? A few promotions maybe? The rest was perfect... From farm boy to professor, everyone considered this to be success.
But my inner voice was echoing my yoga teacher’s words and the running guy’s spiritual Master’s message: look inwards – inner progress rather than outer success. The real journey has nothing to do with outer success. The ego’s trip is, from a spiritual point of view, useless, meaningless, and utterly false. Do you want to continue with your illusions and delusions? Or do you want to abandon all this and explore the inner journey?
As I began to immerse myself in it, Guru Sri Chinmoy’s message was putting into another perspective all my desire for name, fame and material wealth. According to his philosophy, the outer life is nothing compared to the unimaginable joy, bliss and delight of the inner life. To him, formal education is worth little if we don’t have an inner life, a life of love, devotion, surrender. What? Love? I thought I knew what it meant. Devotion I could accept, to some extent, maybe, on Sunday! But surrender? No way... I did not make all this effort over the years simply to let everything go. After all, this was my life, and I was not ready to accept a life of surrender.
Meeting the Peace Runners
When I joined Sri Chinmoy’s path in 1987, I was still in Eastern Canada, and a professor at the University of Moncton in New Brunswick. There were hardly any spiritual communities in the area, let alone in the city. One vegetarian restaurant had opened recently, but it was for wealthy people who could afford the food and the scenery of the place. A vegetarian store, The Corn Crib, was selling the basics for vegetarians. The store also had a bulletin board where customers could read about or post information about community activities. Moncton also had no specialized running store or information about the world of running.
When the first International Sri Chinmoy Peace Run arrived with two teams of runners from the world over, carrying the Peace Torch step by step the 5,500 km from the east coast to the west coast of Canada, I had the privilege of hosting these elite runners. This was, for me, a heart-opener!
One little incident: A neighbour and friend of mine owned a restaurant, The Pizza Delight and we had arranged for one complimentary meal for every runner. Those runners tell me that they still remember that evening, on Mountain Road, feasting on all-you-can-eat spaghetti, pizza, delicious breads toasted on a special bread bar, and more! Having been on the road for weeks, these amazing runners – so humble, so full of joy, simply running for peace – gave me a beautiful introduction to the world of Sri Chinmoy. Such an unforgettable moment!
Things that helped me
How to describe my early life on this spiritual journey? In a culture where the term “Guru” raised suspicion and doubt? In an academic world where spirituality was not well accepted, to say the least? It was not always easy.
Of course, there was the “Inner Hand,” the “Inner Voice” that was always present, in various forms, to guide me. But there were also certain circumstances and strategies that helped me, including the following:
- Meditating daily. In those early days, I meditated for only 20 to 30 minutes. In addition, I would read a short passage from one of the daily meditation books. Each morning, this reading would give me a spiritual message from our Guru. I did not want to miss my morning meditation, so I would make sure I got up before my early-morning son, because after he was up, it was too difficult, if not impossible, to meditate!
- Singing sacred songs. One of the first songs I was introduced to after I joined Sri Chinmoy’s path was the one called The Invocation. Over the years, I have learned to cherish this song. It is a long, meditative mantra. It has a haunting effect that is extremely powerful, divine. And when Guru sang it with us, on special occasions like April 13th or August 27th of every year, the experience I had was beyond words. Roofs and walls were vibrating, hearts were radiating, and souls were beaming with light... Fifteen years later, I still remember moments such as the one that happened in 1999, when one thousand disciples sang the “Invocation" with Guru at a college auditorium on the occasion of his birthday. Many times have I said to myself that living this incarnation was well worth the trouble, if only for any one of the unique moments when we sang this special song with Guru.
Two others also helped me tremendously at the beginning: I must never give up and Smile, my soul, smile! - Diplomacy. The dear members of my family had been educated in the Catholic faith and were not open to even discussing the concept of a Guru, let alone the fact that I claimed one as my master! So I was very discreet and did not talk about my spiritual practice with my parents or relatives for a few years.
- Trips to visit Sri Chinmoy. During my early days after 1987, I would try to go down to New York at least twice per year, for our international celebrations in April and August. Although this was most difficult on the home front, between the family life and my work obligations, these trips helped me in so many ways: reconnecting with our Guru, seeing friends from all over the world, being inspired by all the spiritual events. Eventually I rented a little room in the house of a local disciple, so I could stay close to Aspiration-Ground, the place where most of our activities were held.
- Having a sympathetic boss. At some point in my early career, a colleague and I created a program in Social Work at the university. This colleague was open to spirituality and to alternative methods of helping people. I wanted to offer meditation classes, so that other people could benefit as I was benefitting from meditating. His response: “Sure. It will create good vibrations in our building.”
- Moving to a city with a larger Centre. In 1990, I was invited to move to Ottawa, the capital of Canada, and establish a School of Social Work at the University of Ottawa. So my wife, our two kids and I moved to this new city, which had a large meditation centre and many more meditation opportunities than where I lived before.
- Opening my profession to spirituality. My boss did not like to travel, and I never said no to travel! In 1992, he asked me if I would go and represent our School at an international conference in San Diego for our profession. Of course, I was happy to go. It was a huge conference, with many thousands attending. I attended a special event called “Spirituality in the caring professions” and discovered that there was quite a network of professionals interested in spirituality all around the world. Wow! What an opening!
Nothing is impossible
Years ago, when I was fairly new on the path: I was talking to another disciple who was performing in a play that evening at Aspiration-Ground; it was already after 5 p.m., and nothing was ready.
“This is impossible", I told him! To which he responded: “On this Path, nothing is impossible!" That really impressed me. Nothing is impossible! And now I agree with him. I have experienced it many times since our conversation.
Seven Mantras
Another Ottawa disciple and I were driving down to New York for a weekend. Wanting to be in our best consciousness to meet our Guru, we decided to recite the mantra Purity, and we did, for a couple of hours. Upon hearing about this initiative, Guru suggested: No! Not one mantra, but seven mantras.
And he gave us seven mantras to recite: Purity, Faith, Determination, Compassion, Concern, Gratitude, Devotion.
What a gift from Guru! In our Centre, many times we have recited these seven mantras.
'For the good of your soul'
In 1992, my wife decided to end our 25-year marriage. It was very tough for me and it was also quite a challenge for our two children. Furthermore, in my culture, when one separates, he or she soon finds another partner. At that point, our Guru Sri Chinmoy told me: “You can do what you want, but for the good of your soul, it is better to lead a celibate life.” What a message coming from our Guru! All gratitude to Sri Chinmoy!
Our 6 day race in Sofia
For over 40 years, the Sri Chinmoy Marathon team has been putting on ultradistance races in the USA. Sri Chinmoy saw these races as a way to go beyond your boundaries, and also we get a lot of joy by serving the ultrarunning community in this way.
Since the 1990's we have been holding a 10 and 6 day race in Flushing Meadow Corona park in Queens, but we were not able to hold it in 2020 or 2021. This year, a smaller 6 day race took place in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The race was won by Andrea Marcato from Italy. Andrea also won the 3100 Mile Race last year.
Another runner, Ananda-Lahari from Czech Republic, stayed behind for a little while and gave a very well-recieved class on meditation and spirituality titled The Jewels of Happiness.
Later in the year, we also had another very special running-related event - Klaus Tiefenbrunner from Salzburg, Austria came to Bulgaria and gave a TEDx talk about his experiences in the previous years' 3100 Mile Race.
Other news from Bulgaria:
Television programmes about Sri Chinmoy's life Bulgarian National Television broadcasted two episodes of the program called “Paths” that featured Sri Chinmoy’s life. The program focuses on the spiritual, psychic and physical health. The production team aims to give to the viewers more information about the healthy lifestyle, about spiritual and physical well-being practices that will help them overcome stress on daily basis. The team puts focus on man’s virtues and values, good deeds, good people and man’s significant missions, nature and the environment, each person’s engagements with life-important causes. The first episode talked about Sri Chinmoy’s childhood life, his arrival in America, his lifelong mission and the activities of the Sri Chinmoy Centres in Bulgaria and around the world. The second episode presented the musical heritage that Guru left to the world and the connection between meditation and music.
Running for Peace We celebrated the 34th anniversary of the Peace Run by running a distance of 8,5 km by writing “PEACE 34”, following the streets in the city centre of Sofia. During this one hour run, we met so many happy citizens; it was inspiring to see how encouraging they were and how many people with smiley faces were happy to see the burning flame. People were stopping us to find out what was happening and wholeheartedly were supporting the ideal of peace.
Sudarshana On 29th May we had a musical concert of the new Bulgarian boys group Sudarshana.
During their first public concert they performed meditative compositions woven from the melodious sounds of harmonium, Indian flute bansuri, Persian santur and guitar.
Spring book fair 31st of May – 6st of June We took part in the Spring book fair organized by the “Bulgarian Book” Association. The event is part of the Cultural events Calendar of the capital’s municipality for 2021. We had the opportunity to talk to more people about Sri Chinmoy, to sell quite a few of his translated works and to talk about the benefits of meditation and the Path of the heart.
Musical tour Wife-and-husband duo Shamita and Dohai are musical geniuses from Vienna; they came to Bulgaria to give a tour as part of our programme of the International day of Yoga.
The enchanting music of the unparalleled old cello and the virtuoso tunes of the violin took us on a unique melodious journey in the cities of Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna. A special guest to the concert in Sofia was the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Bulgaria, the Indian professor in Sofia University and the general coordinator of the International day of Yoga. The Ambassador Mr. Shri Sanjay Rana was deeply impressed by the activities of Sri Chinmoy Centre. In his speech he said: “This is a beautiful mixture of good music, yoga and the teachings of ancient India and world harmony. Yoga is not only a physical exercise, it is also something which builds community and builds unity. In a simple terms it means that it joins us to ourselves and it joins us to our society, it joins us in a world harmony, which Sri Chinmoy propagated.”
(Un)limited opportunities in uncertain times
The following article was written by Vyavasaya from our Belgrade Centre, Serbia - it captures what many of our Centres around the world are experiencing during this time...
At the moment, we, disciples of Sri Chinmoy here in Belgrade, and Serbia, like our spiritual brothers and sisters around the world, are trying our best to keep our individual and Centre spiritual lives and manifestation going in the midst of prolonged uncertainty. The situation is still that no matter what gathering or event one may be planning in the outside world, in a week or two it may prove too complicated/impossible to carry out.
Outwardly, we live in uncertain times. Inwardly, many of us felt this as an extraordinary opportunity to renew our inner life, aspiration and dedication.
I am convinced that many of my spiritual brothers and sisters share in my personal experience that in those moments when our usual activities, Centre meetings, Joy Days, Celebrations and Christmas Trips were all but out of our reach, we experienced an extraordinary strong inner presence of our Guru, Sri Chinmoy – as if he was inwardly compensating us for what we cannot get in the outer world. To accept these unfavorable external events as they come and inwardly do our best to make progress – that is an extraordinary gift and an extraordinary opportunity which these uncertain times place before us, if we can only use them properly.
In any case, here in Belgrade we focused our outer efforts on projects which seemed possible to continue regardless of the outer circumstances. In 2020, our official publisher Hema-Kheya-Neye published a bilingual edition (English/Serbian) of Guru’s book The Caged Bird and the Uncaged Bird. We planned to have a fitting promotion, yet restrictions made it infeasible back then. Maybe we’ll make it happen by the end of this year, if circumstances allow.
This year Hema-Kheya-Neye also published the bilingual edition (English/Serbian) of the very first book Sri Chinmoy published after he came to the West - Meditations: Food for the Soul. The books are available in bookstores.
Beside this, we finished the Serbian translation of Guru’s book - Samadhi and Siddhi: The Summits of God-Life, and intend to publish it by the end of the year.
During the entire last year and until this July, public gatherings were restricted to up to 5 people and we did not gave talks and meditation classes. As a kind of compensation, we renewed and improved our meditation website Meditacija.org. Apart from adding relevant texts and meditation instructions, we posted several guided meditation exercises the way we do them in our classes, recorded by our Centre members in Serbian. We encouraged our website visitors to use these for meditation practice at home.
Individual projects by our members
After his excellent first book titled On Traveling and Searching, published in 2018, Pedja Predrag Knezevic finished and published his second book, On Peace and Friendship, during the restrictions. This book, written in the third person, speaks of his experiences while preparing for a 10-day ultradistance race.
During the restrictions, Tyagananda, Sri Chinmoy’s first disciple in former Yugoslavia, and certainly one of the first ones in Eastern Europe, finished his book My Life on Sri Chinmoy’s Path.
Highly motivating and inspiring, it preserves historical memory for coming generations of seekers. The book is in print now and we expect it published quite soon. This first edition was written with fellow disciples in mind, with the view of also making future editions available for the public.
Pleasant surprises
In March this year we were delighted to see an article dedicated to Ashrita in Politikin Zabavnik, a leading magazine popular with Serbian schoolchildren and youth. None of us had anything to do with it, so it was a complete surprise. The article praises Ashrita’s relentless effort in accomplishing Guinness World Records, and speaks about Guru as a spiritual teacher, philosopher, artist and athlete.
(Ashrita Furman is a student of Sri Chinmoy in New York who uses meditation to break Guinness World Records; he currently holds over 200, more than anyone else on earth. You can find out more on his website)
Sport, our savior
While we were unable to have regular Centre gatherings due to restrictions (we did at some points organize meetings in shifts, with groups of 5 maximum), the regular two mile Self-Transcendence Races gave as a precious opportunity to meet and share inspiration and experiences.
Also, to mark Guru’s 90th birthday, we are now holding 10km races biweekly - there will be nine in total. And they really give us enormous joy!
In place of a conclusion, kindly allow me to express a personal impression about the period we are experiencing. I feel that in spite of these new limitations in the outer world, unlimited possibilities are opening to us in the inner world. This might mean that the emphasis in our spiritual life is shifting from outer manifestation to inner improvement, and we could indeed feel grateful to our Guru for giving this to us, versus complaining on outer circumstances for not allowing us to do things the way we used to.
Vyavasaya,
Belgrade Centre, Serbia
I wanted a conscious connection to the Source
Sringkhala became a disciple of Sri Chinmoy in 1975. She is an artist, living in London.
"When I was little, I loved Jesus. My family were Baptists who lived in Italy and I grew up there until I was 12. I remember one day when I was about 7, sitting on a wall in the village where we lived. A wave of complete happiness overwhelmed me, I felt a sense of love and belonging that I never forgot.
After that, through my younger years, the search for that sense of deep love would rise to the surface occasionally, but it mostly remained in my subconscious. I am an artist and looking at my work from that period I can see a sense of yearning there. There is a darkness in some of the work, sometimes a sense of feeling lost.
I found myself deeply affected by the suffering of others; I protested wholeheartedly against the Vietnam war and other military actions. I painted the atrocities of war, and cried. In the early 1970s, just after the birth of my daughter, the dormant search within me for the Divine roared to life and everything in my outer life fell apart. My health suffered, I separated from my husband and moved across the world back to the UK with my child. I was desperate for answers: where is God? How can I reach Him? To me, God is divine love, infinite love and I desperately wanted to have a conscious connection to that Source.
Some old college friends introduced me to alternative healing methods. I met a colour healer called Alice who lived in Willesden, who helped me greatly with my health. I went to faith healers in the Christian Science church in Richmond. I had a dream one night where Alice stood in front of me, pointing to an Indian man dressed in a track suit. Shortly after that one of my friends recommended Yoga classes, and I started going to a class in Ealing.
The yoga teacher was lovely and one day she invited all of us to a “Joy Day”. What’s that? I thought. I was the only one to take her up on the invitation, and one day found myself at a meeting hall, ready to meet this enlightened group who were so advanced that they had a living Guru. But instead of mung bean stew and home-made organic bread, there were white bread sandwiches and Coca-Cola. Rather than sitting solemnly and chanting for an hour, there was a play, and some musical performances, and even a couple of games. I was confused; this wasn’t the picture of a “spiritual group” that I had in my mind, these people were having more fun than I could remember seeing without alcohol. But at the same time, I was home. I felt it in my heart, and in my bones. I was finally home.
Later I saw a picture of Sri Chinmoy, and he was the man I had seen in my dream. I was accepted as a disciple in 1975, and started coming to centre meditations. It was a year later that I met Sri Chinmoy in person for the first time, and I remember feeling a bolt in my chest, like an electric shock!
In the next few years I continued painting, and I noticed my art changing. Instead of focusing on war, I was painting angels, and peace. My imagery changed to include angels, and other-worldly beings, often blessing an oblivious human. The people in my paintings were serene, or searching. The colours were brighter and more harmonious. In 1979 I produced a solo exhibition that I called “Shadows into Smiles”. It showed my work from the early 1960s through to 1979, and the shift in the consciousness of my paintings, and my own focus, was obvious. I knew I was benefitting from being a student of Sri Chinmoy, but seeing my work like that really spelled it out for me, and I realized how deeply my spirit had healed.
Many years later, I was given the opportunity so show my art to Sri Chinmoy. He said, “she is a great artist! Definitely she is manifesting my teachings through her art.” This encouraged me to continue, and I have done many artworks that are directly influenced by my experiences with Sri Chinmoy, as well as by his poetry, music and other activities".
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