Biography Of Sri Chinmoy

 

Sri Chinmoy

Sri Chinmoy (1931-2007) is a spiritual teacher who promoted selfless service and meditation as the path to both inner and external peace. He was the founder of numerous programs to promote global peace, including the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run. Sri Chinmoy also believed in a system that emphasized ‘self-transcendence which means the determination to continue to progress physically, spiritually, and holistically. He also created the worldwide Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, which organizes a variety of ultra-distance running events.

Early Life

Chinmoy Kumar Ghose was born on 27 August 1931, in the small Bengali town located in Shakpura, Chittagong. The village was part of India but Chittagong is now part of modern Bangladesh. As a child, Chinmoy also known as “Madal” as his nickname was was energetic and very active, and not too reckless. But, at a young age, he had an intense vision of mystical nature that led him to devote many days to meditation.

After his experience, he joined after the experience, he enrolled in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram which is where the ashram allowed him to study the practice of meditation and religious studies. It was at the Ashram that his brother Chitta gave him the name Chinmoy meaning “full of divine consciousness.” The Chinmoy stayed in the ashram for a total of twenty years and spent a lot writing poems and practicing meditation. He relates how, after waking up early, he was completely absorbed in meditation for hours. Chinmoy also took part in Ashram activities and was an excellent athlete and footballer. He won the Ashram Decathlon twice and was also the fastest sprinter at 100 meters for several consecutive years.

The year 1964 was when Chinmoy was guided by an inner request to travel to his home in the United States to teach his beliefs and methods. In the latter half of the 1960s America had been undergoing a social transformation, and young people were beginning to question the established beliefs. At this time there was a significant attraction to Eastern ideas as well as practices like the Yoga of India. Perhaps the best example of this was The Beatles traveling to Maharishi’s ashrams in India.

Biography Of Sri Chinmoy

 


 

Teaching the spirituality of the East in a way that is accessible, Sri Chinmoy quickly attracted followers and was able to establish one of Sri Chinmoy Centers, in which his followers gather for meditation and meetings. More than 350 centers are currently in operation across the United States, Europe, Australia, South Africa, and the Far East. For many years Sri Chinmoy, with his followers created AUM Magazine. AUM magazine was solely dedicated to publishing Chinmoy’s speeches and writings and served as an important introduction to his philosophical thought.

The first issue of AUM was delivered to the Indian president, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. He gave him rousing praise for its spirituality and clarity. AUM magazine has ceased to be printed, however Sri Chinmoy the prolific writer’s output has been published in more than 1500 books. The majority of these books were released by AUM publications. However, some titles were published by publishers of the mainstream, such as Wings of Joy by Simon & Schuster

Sri Chinmoy has been spreading his spiritual message through lecturing at universities across the globe. In the years since his inaugural lecture tour, the year 1968, Sri Chinmoy has spoken at Oxford University, Cambridge University, Harvard University, Dartmouth College, Princeton University, as well as many other universities. The lecture tour he gave across the country in 1974 brought him to universities in all 50 states.

The fifty lectures were then compiled to be published with the name Fifty Freedom-Boats for one Golden Shore. From 1970 onward, Chinmoy has served as director of the United Nations Meditation Group at the U.N. headquarters in New York City. He began his meditation in the United Nations at the invitation by the secretary general at the time, U Thant. The year 1972 was the year that U Thant paid this praise on Sri Chinmoy:

“I have heard about you from numerous people. Everyone who talks with me on your behalf has full of admiration and appreciation and I believe that you’ve been performing something significant in the name of this organization, the United Nations. It’s been an honor and a pleasure to be able to visit you. I would like to express my deep gratitude and respect for what you’re doing for humanity.” The 29th of February, 1972.

 

Biography Of Sri Chinmoy

 

Sri Chinmoy led twice weekly mediation sessions twice a week for U.N. delegates and staff members. He also gave each month the Dag Hammarskjold lecture. He also was an official representative of the U.N. for the Sri Chinmoy Centres. Sri Chinmoy considered his involvement in and for the U.N. as a significant step towards the development of peace and understanding among all nations around the world. His usual style of presentation during lectures as well as during his work at the U.N. began with an hour of silence and is often followed by a repeating of Sanskrit mantras. kg In recent times In recent years, Sri Chinmoy has been increasingly favored in giving concerts with meditative music, instead of giving lectures. So far, he’s performed over 700 times.

When he meets people, he usually begins by playing a short amount of music that is meditative, typically playing his favorite instrument which is that of the Indian Esraj. The silence allows Sri Chinmoy to enter into a state of meditative awareness. Through his numerous actions and teachings, Sri Chinmoy states his primary objective is to increase spiritual awareness among seekers.

His theory is loosely based on the Hindu religion. He has written a lengthy analysis of the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads. But, he has also developed a style that is his own. Particularly, he’s employed a lot of brief instructional Aphorisms. These short poems or aphorisms are intended to serve as a reference to spiritual practice. Sri Chinmoy affirms that his spiritual path is based on a clear approach to simplicity.

“Our path is the path of the heart and not the path of the mind.”

– Sri Chinmoy

Ruth S. Haas in Library Journal noted that Chinmoy “emphasizes the centrality of love to higher states of consciousness,” however, Chinmoy “does not present a systematic philosophy as such, but concentrates on his practice of meditation and spiritual discipline.” Sri Chinmoy himself believes that by focusing on the center of his being, one can bring God’s love to the forefront, which is the most direct route toward the final goal.

“How do we get the Truth out from its prison? And, again, I’m forced to declare that it’s by love. Who is it that you love? Love for God. And who is God? God is the most illuminated part of our lives. God is nothing and no one other than God.”

– Sri Chinmoy

A characteristic of the life of Sri Chinmoy is that no matter what pursuits he chooses to pursue, he desires to integrate the idea of self-transcending strikingly. Through a deep state of meditation, Sri Chinmoy can tap into the source within him of inner inspiration, which has resulted in the development of an unimaginable amount and diversity of sports and artistic activities. The many achievements of Chinmoy are more than 17,000 songs, and more than 700 performances.

In the athletics field, Sri Chinmoy ran several marathons as well as ultra marathons. But it’s in the weightlifting discipline that he has managed to demonstrate the most strikingly physical strength that is the result of the inner discipline of meditation and prayer. Nearing the age of 74, Sri Chinmoy continues to perform lifts that amaze the weightlifting community. A lot of his lifts have been documented as they were performed during weightlifting events with a lot of individuals and dignitaries in attendance.

Biography Of Sri Chinmoy

 

When Sri Chinmoy began to be inspired to start painting, he created 100,000 pieces of art in just an entire year. Some of these were then shown in museums and art galleries. In the 90s the artist began to draw his unique and distinctive soul birds. They have become the symbol of his artistic, spiritual work, which he calls ” Jharna Kala” or fountain art. Chinmoy is especially fond of drawing birds because he believes they symbolize the ascending soul that is seeking to transcend the physical limitations of the body. In 2006, the number of Soul Birds drawn reached more than 15 million. These artworks have been shown in art galleries all over the globe including shows at the United Nations in New York as well as the Louvre in Paris.

When asked about the pace of his work Sri Chinmoy replies that there is no contradiction between quantity and quality. His ability to create at a rapid pace stems from the fact that he tries to tap into the spontaneous, intuitive capacity of his heart instead of his brain. Sri Chinmoy has stated his belief that he is the instrument used by God. Meditation allows him to be a conduit to the inner flow of inspiration. Chinmoy describes his work of art as Jharna-Kala or “Fountain-Art,” because of the quantity.

Chinmoy has said that:

“My spirituality and my art, my poetry and my books, as well as my music, and all of my creative expressions make up the family of one that is spiritual. The members of my family will be with me wherever I’m needed to serve the aspiring humanity. Whatever type of spiritual expression that a seeker is most comfortable with to enhance his ambition, he will find it through me.”

– Sri Chinmoy

Sri Chinmoy was admitted to mahasamadhi in October 2007 at the age of 76.

 

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