Sri Chinmoy

Read more about the article Sri Chinmoy’s birthday August 27th 2016

Sri Chinmoy’s birthday August 27th 2016

Sri Chinmoy was born 27th August, 1931 in Shakpura, Chittagong, India (now part of Bangladesh).

For disciples of Sri Chinmoy, August 27th is a special day, which we mark with a race, meditation and musical performances. This year, there were perhaps 1,000 people from all over the world who came to meet in Jamaica, Queens, New York.

August 27th is one of the few days a year where I feel I have no outer obligations or responsibilities. The phone and computer is switched off; it is simply a day for meditation and being at peace with the world.

I start off by meditating at 5am. Usually, getting up at 5am to meditate would be a difficult task, but the energy of a spiritual celebration seems to help reduce the need for sleep. (Plus jet lag from UK works in favour of getting up early.) (more…)

Continue ReadingSri Chinmoy’s birthday August 27th 2016

The Dance of Life by Sri Chinmoy

When I joined Sri Chinmoy’s path (back in 1999), I read poetry series like the Dance of Life and didn’t always appreciate them. I preferred reading question and answers, and talks like ‘Everest Aspiration‘. Many years later, I dipped back into the poetry series Dance of Life and, at this point of time, the poems seemed to hold much greater understanding and resonance. Sri Chinmoy said he never wrote an autobiography, but in many of these early poems, I feel he wrote autobiographical incidents about his life. These autobiographical incidents were also visionary – in that many seemed to occur and develop after he wrote them in 1973.

tree-shadow-2
(more…)

Continue ReadingThe Dance of Life by Sri Chinmoy

Peace Run meeting with Oxford Mindfulness

oxford-mindfulness-peace-run

Last week, I helped organise the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run on the day it was in Oxford. In the morning we visited the Oxford Mindfulness centre at the Warneford hospital in Headington, within the Oxford University Department of Psychiatry.

The Mindfulness centre have been offering courses in meditation and mindfulness to help people deal with stress, depression and other life issues. Four years ago, we met with the founder of the Centre – Mark Williams when the Peace Run last went through Oxford. (more…)

Continue ReadingPeace Run meeting with Oxford Mindfulness

Meditation – self effort and grace

An interesting feature about meditation is that sometimes, when you make a lot of effort, it feels like nothing really happens.

Yet, at other times, you make no seeming effort, but you can have a very good meditation.

This is an experience I remember from Oslo in June 2001. I was late for a talk by Sri Chinmoy. My mind was anything but calm and tranquil. I was physically uncomfortable – squashed at the back – without anywhere to sit. Yet, despite everything working against a good meditation – I had a very powerful experience of peace. It was a sense of peace that was very tangible; something that belonged to everyone and you felt a sense of gratitude for being able to experience. (more…)

Continue ReadingMeditation – self effort and grace