I find your posting very inspiring, Mahiruha, as I have been experiencing
similar insights since our Master Guru left the physical sheath.

This time I have got the feeling of finding out the meaning for the upcoming New
Year and New Decade while reafffirming my identity as a spiritual seeker.

Out of all the New Year Messages offered by Sri Chinmoy to his students since he
came to the West, I have chosen the very first one with the intention of
thanking you and everyone on this Inspirational Site for their incredible
contributions to the spiritual life:


¨May humanity climb one rung up
In the ladder of divine growth,
and realise in its soul
the Sweetness, Joy, Light and Peace
of the Supreme.

...

The New Year -what can it teach us?
It can teach us the secret of spiritual self-reliance.
It can teach us how we ourselves
can be our masters and saviours.

From the New Year we can learn that God is God
only when God is Our God and not My God.
From the New Year we can learn that truth is truth
only when truth is Our truth and not My truth.

At every moment it is we who can make
ourselves a blessing to ourselves and
to the world at large.

May the universal embrace of the New Year
flower into a permanent Smile of Victory
on the Face of the Supreme.¨

Sri Chinmoy, 1966
(unofficial)

Happiest New Year!
Suchana

Jadranka,

Thank you for your interesting and kind response.  It reminds me of what Sri
Chinmoy once said, that the biography of a spiritual Master is written only in
the inner world.  Maybe it is only sincere spiritual seekers that can even begin
to fathom the depths of a Master like Sri Chinmoy.

Sincerely,


Mahiruha

Hi Mahiruha,

It is interesting that I have had very, very similar experience with Sri
Chinmoy's smile in February 1992.
Before that time I have never felt such a pain in my life and I have never been
so weak that I thought my life was ending, along with my mother's (my mother was
very sick and she died in mid March that year).

I saw Guru's smiling face and it gave me comfort, it gave me a hope and for
weeks I have been seeing Light from his face burning in my third eye. I felt
protected, I felt life is not ending, I felt there is something in this world
that is not darkness and pain.
On March 25th I was initiated in my dream and was outwardly accepted as his
disciple.
Different and strange are God's ways to come and get his dear ones when they are
in need and when they are ready for Him. But those of us who have strong minds
and willpower are difficult to surrender to His Will and we are going through
unbelievable pain to be able to open our hearts for a Higher Light. But God's
Grace is all the time with a sincere seeker who wants to march along His Path,
and it is not easy at all, but it is extremely beautiful. After so many years
our lives proved it.

All the best,

Jadranka, Belgrade

Hello Kamalakanta

I am sitting in my mum's sitting room,surrounded by family members- some
disciples and some not - but all knowing about Guru and respecting him. We are
thousands of miles from New York, but bathed in the beautiful sounds of Guru's
music arranged by you. It is a lovely example of inspiration and oneness.

Thankyou for these great arrangements.

Hoping you all had a very happy Christmas and wishing you all a very happy New
Year wherever you may be.

love from Durga-Mata

Touching story Jogyata, helping people in their crucial moments can change their
lives forever. If we could just know how much one smile can help someone to see
the world and its own situation from totally different angle.

Guru says in "The Wings of Joy" ..."the oneness is holding the universe"
(unofficial), and we all daily forget it and cannot hold it in our minds and be
aware how much it means to all human beings to have a nice word from each other
and feel part of a group or society.

Marry Christmas and Happy New Year to all,

Jadranka, Belgrade

Hi Durga-Mata,
It was fascinating to read about the Village Green from you, a bona-fide expert
on the subject. :-) Only in our spiritual family would we find such a breadth of
experience, geography and background that the choice of the "Village Green" as a
metaphor could be versed in reality, not theory, in your own life.

The genius in that song "The Village Green Preservation Society" featured in
Michael's post is the layers of possible meaning and interpretation one could
bring to it. In one breath it seemed to poke fun and in another it could be said
to be sincere. I guess you felt it was more the former than the latter and
certainly you make a valiant case for its positive attributes.

In New England, our phrase for the village green is the town common. Since New
England has the word England in it, I guess it is only to be expected that this
model of community organization would be replicated in the region first settled
in America. When I lived in Amherst, Massachusetts (near the homestead of Emily
Dickinson), the town common hosted events such as a "Teddy Bear Rally" where
people actually brought their stuffed animal bears to the green expanse in the
center of town for a festive kind of a fair. Here is footage from a Teddy Bear
Rally in Amherst in 2000 that includes the singing of the official Amherst Teddy
Bear Rally song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FmzDlN3BjA

Granted, the teddy bear rally was not exactly the norm...

Branching out from the village green, I do feel that unlike the Village Green
song, my own reply on the subject of Michael's post lacked subtlety and I should
take a lesson from his use of examples like the W. H. Auden poem. There is a
delicate art of offering social commentary in a manner that provokes
self-reflection without being alienating. Again the genius in Auden's poem "The
Unknown Citizen" is that he offers a critique of ordinary and mainstream society
and corporate life (circa 1940's England) without doing it in such a way that
you are absolutely certain it is what he intends.

My own enthusiasm of conviction coupled with a fairly down-to-earth perspective
sometimes is my own best friend and sometimes my own worst enemy. My strength of
conviction can be an ally when I channel it as encouragement and support. If
that same conviction is more of a critique, well we all know that most people
are unable to respond positively to even the most constructively worded
criticism. Adding a dose of humor with tongue in cheek can "preach" better than
utmost seriousness. Hence the further wisdom in referencing Monty Python.

In closing, I am grateful to read your perspective as a mother as well. Your
description of pride in and support of your son's own blossoming within the Sri
Chinmoy Centre is quite touching. I especially like the way that you weave your
perspective as a mother instilling in her child a deep love for God together
with the spirit of child-like enthusiasm and cheerfulness so valuable for a
spiritual aspirant of any age.

I hope you continue to find time for reading and replying here and thanks for
continuing the thread on the topic of feminism, values, tradition/change and
let's not forget strawberry jam and my new addition to the mix - teddy bears.

Sharani

Hello all,
I wrote a short post over at my blog on Sri Chinmoy and Christmas:
http://www.sharani.org/2009/12/26/tis-the-season-east-meets-west/

If you do some exploring on Radio Sri Chinmoy and in various places on the Sri
Chinmoy Centre websites, you can find a nice gathering of information related to
Christ and Christmas - video of Mountain Silence performing in a church,
Christmas carols being sung on the 2005 Christmas trip, various writings by Guru
on Jesus. May all who take the time to add this perspective to this holiday
season feel a special gratitude from me and everyone else who benefits from
these groupings by topic.

And don't forget food! This year the dinner was at my house and I am secretly
lamenting that I let so many leftovers head out the door as people departed -
the dinner was super if I do say so myself.

Course 1 - Appetizers: crostini, pita chips and artisan crackers with dried
cherries and semolina with spreadable feta, raspberry cheese spread, brie and a
tofu pate. Sparkling Apple-Cranberry drink was pretty much the beverage of
choice...

Main Course: Quorn "Turkey" Roast, Field "Roast" basted with Olive Oil and Herbs
de Provence, mashed potatoes, baked yams with butter and maple syrup, steamed
squash and carrots (together these make a nice dish), broccoli, gravy from a
Harry & David's mix,cornbread muffins, homemade stuffing with onions and celery,
cranberry sauce.

Dessert: squash pie with whipped topping, no-bake Cocoa Peanut Butter Drop
Cookies, hot tea.

I had visitors from as far away as New York. Make your reservations early for
next year...

Sharani
p.s. I did manage to trim the tree but it was the latest yet for me - finished
it last night quite late.

Sweet story, Mahiruha. Which also inspires a sweet recollection for me about the
book 'Beyond Within'.

This wonderful book, which is a compilation of some of Sri Chinmoy's earlier
writings, questions and answers, poems, etc., was also used as the text book for
an evening course in the Philosophy of Sri Chinmoy that we offered as the
University of Connecticut in 1973-74.

There was a disciple named Brihaspati, an associate English professor at Harvard
University who was inspired to organize this book, also writing the brilliant
introduction to it. He then taught this course in Sri Chinmoy's philosophy at
UConn where I was also attending full time along with a few other disciples at
the time.

At the end of the course it was announced that Sri Chinmoy himself would come up
from New York to administer the final exam. I think there were about 15 students
in the class at the time. They must have studied the book fastidiously in the
final week before Sri Chinmoy came up.

Sri Chinmoy traveled over 150 miles to get up there and we were prepared to
receive him with all the students and lots of flowers. We even gave them the
blue exam books that were so common back then. Seeing these books being handed
out always seemed to trigger a Pavlovian nervous reaction to those who had to
take the exam.

To make a long story short, Sri Chinmoy came in, meditated, and then handed a
flower to each student, one by one, walking up to each desk as he briefly
meditated in front of each one, blessing them in silence. And that was it, that
was the final exam!!!

He did not expect from them any memorization of his philosophy or recitation of
any of his poems or writings. Just being there to receive the love and blessings
of the Master was a perfect 'score' to pass the course. This was the essence of
his philosophy, of all the wordy details in the book: Love and Oneness.

To cultivate those qualities in our meditation and spiritual disciplines and to
manifest and share them with others is the essence of his philosophy. To learn
what God's Will is for us and to try to live it in our lives is more important
than intellectualizing any spiritual philosophy or dogmatic creeds.

So to Mahiruha and others who have read this book and other gems of Sri
Chinmoy's  extensive library, we can pass 'the test' every day if we could
assimilate the deep yet simple Truths inherent in the words and gradually grow
into the Reality embodied within its wisdom, ie.,Beyond Within.

Beyond Gratefully,
Arpan

Sri Chinmoy taught me that I am not the mind.  I am the heart.

This sounds like airy spiritual jargon, so let me clarify.

I've written many times here about how I didn't get accepted into the college of
my choice.  That hurt me deeply, because I had always been praised for my good
mind, and if my mind just wasn't good enough to get into Swarthmore (producer of
eight Nobel-prize winners), then what good was I?

I stopped sleeping at night, and spent my time writing poetry that had no soul
in it at all.  I stopped eating regular meals and started to just binge on
Hershey's Kisses and Snickers.  I stayed inside all day, with the blinds drawn.

I had nightmares every night, of being stuck inside this huge subterranean
sewer.  Far off in the distance I would hear two pieces of metal being struck
together, and I knew I had to run, but I didn't know where.  Or sometimes I
dreamt I was locked inside a huge computer, and the owner of the computer had
some sick and evil humorous plan for me.

Then, one day, one of my few remaining friends, Sebastian, came over to my house
to talk.  We had had lots of intellectual conversations, and sometimes our
discussions even touched on spirituality.  We had a short talk and told some
jokes and he invited me over to his house that night.

When I came over that evening, he dimmed the lights, burnt some incense and
played for me some music by Devadip Carlos Santana and also Mahavishnu John
McLaughlin.  I didn't understand why, but the music comforted me.  He also
showed me a poem from the inside cover of one of the CD's.  It was a poem by Sri
Chinmoy and it was about love being mighty, devotion being mightier and
surrender being mightiest (I'm paraphrasing).

Then he picked a book off his shelf called Beyond Within and gave it to me and
suggested that I read it.

I don't know what happened, or how I started reading it.  I just remember going
home and looking on the back cover of the book and seeing Sri Chinmoy's smiling
face.  I had never seen someone smile like that before- with such confidence,
grace, assurance and (I dare to say it) compassion.  His eyes seemed to identify
with all of the hurt and pain I had been going through, and actually
*understood* me.  I mean, I had spoken to lots of adults about my problems; they
listened but they did not understand.  But Sri Chinmoy's eyes, on the back cover
of a book, understood me completely.  I don't know how else to express this.

That night, I slept with the book on my nightstand, and when I felt afraid, or
if I felt a nightmare was coming on, I clutched the book to my chest and I held
it there.  I did this night after night, and finally I started being able to
sleep at night again and I stopped having nightmares.  The book saved my sanity.

Those who Sri Chinmoy has helped with his clarifying and healing vision and
consciousness, will think of him with gratitude, and will carry him in our
hearts forever.

Many, many thanks to Michael for inspiring these sweet and encouraging
recollections.

Sincerely,
Mahiruha

I caught the Christmas Spirit about a week ago on December 15th when two moments
converged on the same day. I must admit that this year I have been playing catch
up ever since Thanksgiving and was seriously tardy in my now traditional
activities of adopting a family to buy presents for at a social service agency
for children, participating in the Toys for Tots toy drive, etc.

Then there's the slight problem that the Christmas tree at my house is up but
not yet trimmed - good thing my holiday starts tomorrow afternoon so the tree
will be decorated for Christmas... Can I somehow blame the blizzard last weekend
that left most housebound as anywhere from 15 to 20 inches of snow fell from the
sky, absolutely guaranteeing there will be a white Christmas in New England this
year?

It was not as if I hadn't had opportunities to catch the spirit earlier in the
month with a snowfall the first weekend in December and a festive holiday party
with co-workers early in the month as well. However, my head was still swirling
in Mazatlan, where the temperature was in the mid 80's F and swimming in the
ocean and sitting on the beach sent me home with a slight sunburn.

I certainly left my heart in Mazatlan even though my "body" came home the end of
November. Instead of visions of sugarplums dancing in my head, I had visions of
statues and visions of children running with the World Harmony Run torch and
eating pizza with mustard (!) at the local mall where the Jharna Khala exhibit
was finishing up...

What two things signaled the arrival of the holiday spirit a week ago? The first
aha moment came when I walked down to the Post Office on my supper hour from
work and encountered a line almost out the door and no machine vending stamps in
the lobby. I turned around and walked right back, lamenting that I had not
purchased holiday postage stamps sooner if I wanted to send Christmas cards with
the requisite Christmas stamp. I was commiserating with co-workers when I
returned, seeing if there was anyone who I could beg some stamps from. I kept
hearing similar tales of "woe" from all I approached. One person went to the
Post Office three times before finally relenting and waiting in a line that
seemed never-ending.

Then came the "aha" - as I moaned to one coworker waiting on patrons near my
desk. The customer checking out some library books declared that we must have
just missed each other because she also just came from the post office down the
street. Then she calmly and valiantly held out a book of Christmas stamps and
offered to sell them to me. Hooray! Hooray for random acts of kindness at the
holidays! That put me in the Christmas spirit and as she refused to let me pay
more than they cost her, I wished her to receive much kindness in return.

My visit from the stamp fairy happened the same day I was insanely busy with
preparations for hosting a "Drop In and Decorate Cookie Donation" Event at the
library. The premise is simple but the results are sweet. Bake sugar cookies in
advance in a variety of shapes and sizes with cookie cutters and make royal
icing tinted a rainbow of colours. Then gather together for a cookie decorating
party with the purpose of donating the cookies afterwards to a local food pantry
or other social agency in the community.

Our event featured Christmas music playing in the background with decorating
(mostly) by local high school students belonging to the Honor Society.
Apparently to be a member of the honor society requires more than good grades -
there is a hefty service requirement as well. Our cookies decorated by the
students and others were then donated to the local Senior Center run by the town
as a treat during their annual Christmas Party/Dinner held today.

One person on the dropinanddecorate website calls it "cookie love" because it is
a unique way to offer goodwill to others and having the event during the season
of giving really "helps to make the season bright".

The cookies themselves ended up getting decorated in creative and artistic ways.
The students started writing with icing on the cookies words such as hope and
peace. They made peace symbols and smile faces on the cookies.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dartmouthpubliclibraries/sets/72157623014051804/
Apparently the ghosts of Woodstock past have landed in the hearts of these
youngsters born long after the flower power era had faded into a memory.

This cookie donation event epitomizes Christmas for me and I certainly hope the
seniors enjoyed their helping of cookie love served up today at the Council on
Aging holiday party.

Sharani

I just want to say that acts of faith are really important.  Each time we spend
time in prayer, or sing spiritual songs, or do some kind of desireless selfless
service (nishkama karma), we're performing acts of faith, we're reaffirming our
identity as spiritual seekers.  Since our Master is not in the physical any
longer, I think we need to put more emphasis on our own sadhana and inner
disciplines in order to become open to his guidance and love.

When we dive deep within and try to see meaning and value in life, we act
differently.  We may not want to use harsh language on people who displease us,
because we have come to feel a deep identification and union with all people. 
We try to see God in all, and that informs our actions.  It has to.

I like what Jogyata said, that the best response to repeated harassment from the
so-called "anti-cultists" is to dive deeper within and to continue to love and
serve God in the world as best we know how.

Speaking only for myself, I forgive these people and I hold them no ill-will.  I
am sorry that they have left the spiritual life to go back to an ordinary,
mundane life.  Probably they will find out that joy in material things or in
satisfying egotistical ambitions does not last.  Maybe then they will try to
return to the life of aspiration.

If I ask that we be allowed to live our contemplative lifestyle in peace, then I
don't think I'm making an unreasonable demand.

Sincerely,

Mahiruha

I am inspired by Sri Chinmoy's book, "Yes, I Can, I Certainly Can!" and intend
to share it with you all here....


1 Yes, I Can! ...


"Yes, I can!
I certainly can!!
I can enjoy the infinite bliss
Of a God-surrendered life."

Excerpt from Yes, I Can! I Certainly Can!! by Sri Chinmoy.
http://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/books/1360/1/1

Joy to all!

Kamalakanta

Your post was an inspirational start to get us in the mood for some Holiday
cheer, or should I say 'cheerfulness'. And this cheerfulness does not usually
depend on the amount of or value of the outer gifts we may give or receive, as
you so clearly stated in the outset of your story. Sharing the joys of
meditation and spiritual music is one way to really enjoy the Christmas spirit,
especially when it is with new disciples and seekers.

In New York last weekend we had a Holiday celebration of sorts. In the
Oneness-Heart Centre, which is the name given by Guru for the newest Centre we
established a few years back for the newer disciples in New York, we had a
function for anyone who wanted to come, new and old. The newer disciples and
seekers who have been recently coming to our classes put on a performance of
Guru's music along with some of us, the 'older' disciples.

For me it was a real treat which was very beneficial to my consciousness and
well-being. Practicing Guru's English and Bengali songs with seekers and new
disciples, and then performing them in front of 'a packed house', was a very
rewarding experience. It was lots of fun, inspirational, and got me to practice
my sarod more than I would have normally done.

We had over 20 people in our choir and ensemble performing a number of Guru's
English songs followed by about four Bengali songs. It was quite powerful as the
newer people, some of whom have not even become disciples yet, were totally
enjoying performing and listening to these immortal songs.

We then were treated to special performances from some one 'month old' disciples
who sang for us in their specialized style. Rezaul, from Bengladesh originally,
sang devotional Tagore songs for us as he also played the harmonium. Elena sang
some beautiful operatic songs like 'Ave Maria' in Latin and another famous song
in German.

We were then served a wonderful meal with delicious dishes from various newer
disciples mostly. As we ate we enjoyed a video of some of the performance of the
Songs of the Soul Concert by Ghandarva Loka Orchestra and other singers and
performers from Bengladesh last week.

The snow started falling just as we were beginning our 'Holiday Function', which
made it seem even more like a joyous celebration coinciding with Christmas.
Although we did not have a Christmas Tree  or any of the traditional customs
such as Christmas music or gift exchanges, the true spirit of the holiday was
very much alive and present.

Sharing the joy of spiritual songs and celebration, especially with new friends,
seekers and disciples, certainly adds a very meaningful and charming dimension
to the Holidays. The Christmas spirit is ironically not what the commercial
world has sold us on but instead the simple sharing of that pure and simple
Truth that the Christ embodied and represented. Celebrating the birth of Christ,
of this new hope for the future founded upon our faith and devotion, brings much
spiritual benefit and joy to all those who choose to celebrate in this
spiritually meaningful way.

May all those who wish to really enjoy this festive time have the time to
reflect on the joy and peace that this Holiday Season is really meant to offer
us. Allowing the 'Christ' of Christmas to shine through all the more modern and
commercialized rituals and celebrations we see all around can truly bring new
life, new hope and a much needed joy and peace to this weary and struggling
world.

Gratefully wishing a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah and Happy New Year,
Arpan

I love Christmas. Not so much for the Christmas presents – like my mum's annual
handknited jumper, and that plastic indoor golf set I'll never use beyond boxing
day. It certainly isn't because of the interminable piped music beaming  Slade's
Merry Christmas every time I step inside a shop, cafι or petrol station. Nor is
it even for the joy of inundating my friends with poor Christmas cracker jokes
like (What does Santa do with fat elves? He sends them to an Elf Farm!) I love
Christmas for other reasons.

Last weekend the British and Irish and French centres met in London for a
Christmas party. Carols, songs, meditation, food, comic skits. A great mix of
activities that put a smile on your face in one way or the other. If I might
just add Premamrita is really excellent with his Tommy Cooper routine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhMRJMEJW2k(Tommy Cooper)

     "You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left
a little note on the windscreen, it said 'Parking Fine.' So that was nice." -
T.Cooper

Guru always knew that when we were happy we'd make the great progress. When we
are happy we can inspire others, and even the smallest act of kindness can make
such a difference (see: Jogyata's recent post:
http://www.srichinmoyinspiration.com/forums/24250

It was my own Guru, Sri Chinmoy, who helped me understand the true meaning of
Christmas. In particular I love the Christ songs he composed in a song Book –
Jesus The Seeker, Christ The Saviour. So powerful and soulful, these songs
capture the essence of Christmas more than any long speech ever could.

We put together a collection of Christ songs at Radio Sri Chinmoy for you to
enjoy.

http://www.radiosrichinmoy.org/radio/407/


God bless, Mountain Silence. How much I would like to visit a church or sacred
space to hear them performing this kind of Music live over Christmas. - Who
knows, perhaps in a hundred years time, this kind of music will be replacing the
ersatz we hear so often these days….

Despite the rampant commercialism and ersatz Christmas festivities, I think
everyone can relate to this Christmas spirit which encourages us to offer some
good will to others and think of nobler ideals. This spirit may often appear
drowned amidst the roar of commercialism, but, this inner message of Christmas
can also be unexpectedly powerful – a spirit that caused a truce in the trenches
(http://www.srichinmoyinspiration.com/forums/9891) or just helps people to see
the brighter side of life.

Hope everyone has a good Christmas. Now, I must go off and brush up on my
Christmas cracker jokes....


Tejvan



p.s. Did you know that Santa's not allowed to go down chimneys this year? It was
declared unsafe by the Elf and Safety Commission.

Dear Jogyata,

Thank you for this story. Quite sad, indeed! There are many similar stories like
this in the world. I wish I had the literary height to share my own experience
that differs from the original story.

Definitely I will share my own story to family members on the roundtable.



Doris

Hi, Rathin!

You know, for the last few years I have been arranging Sri Chinmoy's songs in a
particular "style". Sometimes I may have three or even four melodies by Sri
Chinmoy at the same time.

This style is outwardly complex, but inwardly simple. Basically, I am having Sri
Chinmoy's melodies play with each other!

But even after I have made an arrangement, I am amazed at how complex it sounds,
as I use different tempos for each melody, so things are "floating", as it
seems, in an ocean of music.

But one arrangement I am really fond of, and it has only one melody all the way
through. I called it "Eternity".

It is the last track on the CD "Determination", which we published on Radio Sri
Chinmoy recently.

Here is the link:

http://www.radiosrichinmoy.org/radio/401/

it is track 11, the last one.

The melody stands alone, with its pristine beauty and majesty...

Kamalakanta

Interesting comments, Michael. I think they serve to illustrate how certain
people are always likely to misunderstand spirituality. If you don't believe in
the inner life, then of course those who follow a Guru must be seen as wasting
their time.

However, we can be comforted by the belief that all souls will eventually find
the spiritual path! The search for God-realisation is not an exclusive club. We
have many lifetimes to reach the goal and no one will be left behind forever.



"God wants everyone to study
And win
The God-realisation-title."

Excerpt from Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, Part 15 by Sri Chinmoy.

Tonight we had our regular Sunday evening meditation at the Sri Chinmoy Centre.
It is customary for one person to volunteer to provide prasad and flowers.

Flower arranging is something I would like to be good at, but all too often I
buy flowers only to be totally disappointed when I place them in a vase, and
sometimes nothing can rectify a "bad bunch". They looked so different all
wrapped up in a bouquet.

I like to believe that less is more with floral arrangements. Mainly because the
more flowers I am dealing with, the more likely the final result will be a
many-hued jungly chaos. Another thing I used to believe was that, in the floral
world, you can't go wrong with gerberas. Well, a couple of months ago, I was
attempting to arrange a particularly unsatisfactory bunch of gerbereas in a vase
before meditation. I eliminated the flowers that were displeasing me, one by
one. Alas, I was left with an empty vase!

Anyway, tonight I bought a bunch of white flowers. I'm pretty sure they were
lilies. Some of the pollen was staining the petals, so I got rid of two flowers.
I arranged the remaining three. I was taking the vase to the meditation room
when I noticed that two of these flowers were also stained with pollen. So I
removed them. I placed the remaining stalk, with one flower and two buds, into a
more suitable vase, tall and slender. This I placed in the meditation room. And
how did it look? Simple, elegant and beautiful! I was most pleased.

And this all reminded me of a story about the famous Japanese tea master, Sen
Rikyu. One of Rikyu's guest knew that Morning Glories grew on the hedge in the
tea-master's garden. Wishing to see these flowers opening in the morning sun, he
came to the tea party early but was dismayed to find that all of the flowers had
been cut down. However, on entering the tea hut he found that Rikyu had placed a
single Morning Glory in a simple bamboo vase in the alcove. He was transfixed by
the beauty of the solitary flower and by the realization that Rikyu had
deliberately shifted the focus away from the massed flowers of the hedgerow to
this isolated specimen.


Simplicity's sweetness

And simplicity's fruitfulness,

Alas,

Always remain underestimated.

-Sri Chinmoy

Life is full of charming and also poignant moments. Yesterday for example I was
buying a few vegetables at my local Asian supermarket, a ramshackle and unkempt
affair bustling with Thai, Korean, Chinese and Polynesian people jostling over
bargains and loose pallets of apples, mandarins, grapes, fresh coconuts from the
islands. I managed to add a last enormous bunch of perfect and cheap bananas to
my basket  then queued up at the checkout. Behind me an Indian lady was
wrestling with armfuls of groceries and dropping first a bag of apples then her
money then a whole bag of Chinese gooseberries to the floor. They burst from
their bag and spilt across the aisle like golden marbles and several of us began
to help the poor lady recover them. To reassure the lady that all was well I
said to her 'Where are you from?' She said 'My name is Farina and I have just
come from India.' Then she asked me if there were any more bananas in this
place, they were her favorite fruit, but I said there were not.

Outside in the street I saw Farina waiting for a bus and she called out to thank
me for helping her. Referring to the spilt fruit she said 'I have had a bad day.
I arrived here to find my husband has left me and I know nobody. I am frightened
for the future and I keep dropping everything.' Then she began to cry. I felt
sad and we sat there for a while. I said to her 'Farina it is not really a bad
day. I want you to have my bananas too, just to prove it.' I was remembering
what Guru said, that anything worth having is worth sharing as well. Farina
started to laugh, and I put the bananas in her bag. I told her, 'Endings are
also beginnings - today is a great day that you will remember.'

Then another lady who had been at the checkout came and began talking to Farina.
I said goodbye and told her, if you get into trouble you can call me. The bus
stop was adjacent to the front entrance of the Centre and I lifted up the grill
and went inside. Next morning when I went out, there inside the grill was a
large bunch of bananas and a note from Farina that simply said 'Since yesterday,
so much kindness everywhere - thank you for helping in my new beginning.'

The more we pause to reflect and look behind the veil of appearance and seeming
in life, the more we see the Supreme's little game unfolding and how touching
everything really is.

Supremely well said Sharani!

As I'm packing to leave this afternoon  for a special trip, I am anxiously
awaiting being with our spiritual family again; to share divine light and love
once more.

As someone who works in the outer world, you know the joys and the difficulties
of that duty.  Attempts at oneness and mutual support are often seen as
weakness.
I too see people in the outer world who are struggling with their lives, but yet
don't understand the way I live, and want to drag me into their world to "help"
me. It's comical, and rather sad really. I think it's somehow an attempt to
validate their own life and choices rather than face whatever might be their own
difficulties.

I am so grateful to know that no matter how difficult the outer life gets
sometimes, I can come home to my shrine, and leave everything in God's hands,
and let him take care of the details.
It sounds simple, but in reality, it truly is.

Take care Sharani, and you can send me those "divine road" songs anytime. I'm
planning to do some recording in January.

Purnakama

Hello everyone,


I have not had the time to check out this site for ages. I have just spent a
fascinating hour and more reading all the posts in this thread. There is much I
agree with and much to which I feel inspired to comment on.

The first thing is the Village Green, preservation and change.

I grew up on a farm, deep in the English countryside, surrounded by villages so
I know quite a bit about villages.
The Village Green originated as common land in the middle of the community where
all the local people could graze their animals free. It symbolises the best in
community qualities like oneness, fairness, sharing and working together for the
common good. It is a sacred space which belongs to noone but is available for
the good of all.

In villages where the Village Green remains it is a real asset for all the
community. It is the place where village cricket is played, school sports days
and summer fetes are held, a place where children play and the elderly can sit
in the shade of the trees to watch the day go by, catching up on the news from
all who pass by. Long live the Village Green, God Save the Village Green.

My home village is Hempstead, in North Essex near the borders of Cambridgeshire
and Suffolk. Our village green once ran as a wide strip of grassland right
throught the village, beside the stream and along the main road one side with
its main width on the other side and fringed by houses.

Some if it was swallowed up in the years after the second world war by greedy
residents whose homes bordered on it, incorporating pieces into their gardens.
Slowly the gardens encroached and as they copied each other more and more was
eaten up until now most gardens border right onto the footpath and road.

More was lost, right in the heart of the village (where our road turns up
towards the church. opposite the village pub (which took the spread of land in
front of it as a car park,)  when the village shop (now closed) extended its
premises right up to the road - and more was lost by the widening of the road,
building of a bus shelter and memorial garden until eventually there was no
Village Green left. In this way so many villages have lost their character and
their strength. Much has gone that once brought people together and wove them
into a real community.

Village Greens are priceless. We need to recognise the things that are of real
value and protect them. True, change is inevitable. Without change life would
end, but there needs to be discernment. There are sacred trusts, passed to us
from previous generations, which - as the Native American Philosophy reminds us
so eloquently – are like the earth which `was loaned to us by our grandchildren,
and is not something which belongs to us' to use for our own selfish desires.

You can play with satire and criticise those who resist change but do not ever
lump silly things like Donald Duck together with sacred things like the Village
Green!

Reflecting on this in relation to our spiritual progress I can see that we are
also changing and that this is right and good. But in our spiritual lives also
there are sacred qualities which, like the Common and Village Green in our
communities, we should also cherish and defend.

`Be like a child' is a message found at the heart of all the religions. I
remember that Guru once said something to the effect that that everyone who had
been a disciple for more than two years and was under 80 years of age should
participate in Circus, during Celebrations, because it brings forward and
strengthens the 'divine child' in us.

One of his favourite ways of describing the Absolute Supreme was as The Divine
Child.

Guru asked us to sing the `seven year old' song every day. That was because he
wanted us to make good progress, not go backwards. So what are the important
qualities of a child which we need to cherish and develop, not abandon or
destroy?

I think that being like a seven year old child does not mean staying small and
weak, helpless and innocent. It does not mean being childish, self-centred and
inclined to 'throw a tantrum when we loose our toys.' I think it means being
free from the intellectual and judgemental mind and always open to new things.
It means seeing the world with fresh eyes, appreciating beauty and being able to
look with wonder and not be ashamed to cry - as well as being quick to smile. It
means possessing and valuing qualities like purity, simplicity, sincerity,
eagerness, enthusiasm etc while still striving to develop all the divine adult
qualities such as knowledge of the unknown wider world, wisdom and the inner and
outer strength and confidence which children still need to find.

Reflecting on the need to become like a child reminded me of my own son. He has
is in Bangladesh for the concert. That is a real miracle.  We knew he must go,
we both gave it our total focus - but until the goal is won everything is
unsure. It was a great experience of the power of faith and refusal to even
consider the possibility of giving up. And I was very proud of my son because
not only was he a member of the famous orchestra choir but he was so strong, so
focussed and we were able to encourage each other. It's a privilege to know such
a good disciple, never mind to be his mum.

On the way to the airport my son was thanking me for helping him reach this
particular goal. I thanked him. He may not be great in the way that the wider
world understands, they may look down on him because he is not `university
educated' or `earning a regular salary' in some `prestigious profession' and the
`mainstream world' may blame me for 'ruining his life' by encouraging him to get
to New York twice a year and be available for things like the Bangladesh concert
instead of 'getting a steady job and saving up for a house and family' etc. But
he has something else far more valuable than wealth or outer-world prestige.

Like all the great disciples, he has the love for Guru, the faith in Guru, the
divine aspiration to serve Guru, the readiness, the eagerness, the willingness,
the determination, and the focus – which Guru spoke about so often. In the
spiritual life these qualities are infinitely more important than money and
social position.

The day when Guru put him in Kanan's Group and said he must always sing with the
'Excellent Singers' was perhaps the proudest day of my life. You need a golden
voice to be in Kanan's Singing Group but you also need something else- your
inner, spiritual qualities to be shining bright. If he had won an Olympic Gold
Medal I would not have been more proud.

So he is one of the great singers - but without the willingness and
determination that he has showed in the past weeks he could have had the finest
voice on the planet and he would not have made it to Bangladesh.

Some people writing here spoke on the subject of 'feminism' and I am so grateful
that my own 'feministical needs for motherhood' could be used and blessed by
Guru in such a divine way to be mother of such a great disciple. But as so many
disciple girls have shown we do not need to physically give birth to children to
offer the mother-qualities in the service of the Supreme. Our Centre Community
is real family - and beyond that Guru came to offer love and light to all the
world. I guess this is why so many great Centre Heads are women.

There is endless scope for satisfying our 'maternal instincts' with or without
our own children - and as all those who have been mothers know well, our kids
grow up 'real fast' so we have to look more widely if we are endowed with
maternal riches.

My name is Durga-Mata. The Mata bit means mother and the meaning includes 'The
compassion to embrace the whole world.' Years before I knew my soul's Name I was
in India where through Guru's grace I met Manju and her granddaughter Amrita who
became Guru's first (and so far only) disciples in Kolkata and I became Amrita's
'second mum.' at that time she was 9 years old and she is now 22.

I am so proud of Amrita and delighted that she is staying with me at the moment.
We are looking for ways of strengthening her outer situation as well as her
discipleship. She is such a fantastic kid. It is a great source of joy to be
able to give Amrita some motherly friendship and support.

But there are many other ways in which we can use our motherly skills for the
wider world. One member of our centre is unwell at the moment and I have been
able to visit and bring her to the Centre sometimes, glad for once that I am not
in full time work. At a time when many are finding it hard to maintain the
discipline of being on the Path, and who may be lonely or stressed, we have a
special responsibility to use our motherly qualities to care for each other and
make sure our family is strong and our brothers and sisters are given the
support they may be needing.

Some people, not physically close, one can support just by finding time to
phone, to listen, to share. I think that Maternal instinct is a fire-bright
capacity for love, self-giving and concern it has little to do with bringing
one's own offspring into the world. And it is not just my son and daughter of
whom I am proud. The spiritual life is not easy for any of us. Maintaining our
focus and faith through and beyond the time of our Guru's Passing has been
difficult for everyone. It still is. I am proud of all my brothers and sisters
around the world who are still giving their best efforts and love to their
spiritual lives and Centre activities.

Maintaining the beauty and purity of Guru's Divine Vision and Mission and taking
His Light to all the people of the world is something that we can all only
achieve when we work together. When Oneness becomes a reality and not just a
word. I feel so proud of all my brothers and sisters who embrace Guru's teaching
and discipline wholeheartedly, who remain true and will always remain true to
Him – even though the whole world may not understand.

I will end this post - which is getting quite long enough now - with the words
of my esteemed brother Jogyata; words which I and so many other disciples will
be moved to write in gold on the tablet of our hearts and claim forever as our
own. I love you all as my real spiritual brothers and sisters. We are a
fantastic family and I will always do my best to support and encourage you all….
Now, here is Jogyata again, speaking so eloquently as he always does and getting
right to the heart of the matter -

`Personally I always pray to be true to my teacher and my path to the end. And
the inner challenges such as doubt, fear, anxiety and flagging aspiration -
these are really our greatest threat rather than the enemy at the gates - plus
the innumerable outer challenges of the world will finally strengthen us, for we
cannot make progress in a vacuum, nor ever realize God unless through the trials
of life we develop strength and faith and fortitude.

Our prayer life and meditations also keep us on track, even if the way forward
seems sometimes a little murky - for the deeper into meditation's silence we can
go, the more we can feel our inner promises and purpose, the light of our soul,
the living omnipresence of our Guru....

Guru's own words are always encouraging': "A seeker must feel that he is all
duty. The more you take your life as a life of divine, supreme duty to the
Supreme, the more your body, vital, mind, heart and soul will spread beauty ...

Spiritual history will bear witness to what we are doing. Each of you is of
paramount importance. In spiritual history our love of light, truth and oneness
will be inscribed in golden letters. If we dedicate ourselves consciously to the
supreme cause with our aspiration, prayer, meditation and service, then in and
through us will grow a better, more illumining and fulfilling world." - Sri
Chinmoy (unofficial)

Thanks Jogyata, thanks to all who have contributed to this inspiring and
insightful thread.

All my love,

Durga-Mata

Choices, Values and Roses

It would take a very long reply to spin off musings on all the points you raise
here, yet they are myriad and well-worth the yarn. Your very first link off your
post shows how the scholarly and legal world has debunked the tiny minority who
tried to equate brainwashing with belonging to a nontraditional religious or
spiritual group...

Your quote from and link to this article details the mentality and failings of
the anti-cult movement. I recommend people taking the time to read it and find
out the "literal" and figurative bankruptcy rife in their actions.
http://www.cesnur.org/testi/melton.htm

However, with this noteworthy historical overview alone you are just getting
started in your post. I humbly admit to never having read a poem by W. H. Auden
(that I recall at least) even though he is considered one of the greatest
English poets of the 20th century, to never having watched the lion tamer skit
or to even precisely knowing what chartered accountancy as a profession
involves!

These admissions (and I am sure there are more but I will save myself the second
helping of humble pie) aside, I especially resonated with the whole issue of
choices, values and traditions that you explore from the village green right
down to hellion escapades.

I especially like your position that just because entering the spiritual life
means one might not be as disposed to certain future or concurrent choices in
life hardly equals abuse. Or just because certain choices in the spiritual life
might not mirror convention and tradition, change and difference from
conventional dictates of society hardly equate abuse.

You wrote,
"Does that make it a bad choice for someone who is a spiritual seeker in her
soul? Does that make the spiritual community in question "abusive"? Of course
not! In the secular world, people make millions of choices every day which
overrule other choices, limit other options, or court disfavour from one camp or
another. (I had a cousin who married out of his faith and was disowned by my
aunt and uncle.)"

Apparently to some, the socialization of mainstream society and time-honored
traditions are some kind of a priori truth with a capital T instead of
situational, ethnic and culture specific norms that vary from country to country
and generation to generation.

I guess they cannot help proclaiming "God Save the Village Green" but instead of
criticizing anything that deviates from their definition of normal why not look
inward and ask - using the U.S. where I reside as an example - if ten percent of
all Americans are taking prescription antidepressants as of 2005 (27 million
people) and half of all marriages end in divorce and we are the most medicated
nation in the world using prescription drugs and an estimated 438,000 people a
year die of smoking related illnesses, can they really uphold these traditions
as the right and proper recipe for happiness and healthy living? If mainstream
society all around me was the very portrait of satisfaction and wholesome
living, they might have more than a wooden leg to stand on. But this is hardly
the case. These statistics have real faces and names on them too. In my
workplace of about 20 people alone, nearly all of them are on anti-depressants,
even ones in their early twenties. If conventional society was something to
emulate and follow, why do so many people require drugs just to tolerate living?


Conversely, my lifestyle of prayer and meditation inspires me to try to see that
spark of the divine in the world and people around me. It inspires me to try to
feel it is entirely possible to live harmoniously with respect and kindness
towards others. It inspires me to try a little harder to become less selfish and
self-serving. Refraining from drugs, alcohol, smoking and meat-eating surely
improves my health. I don't feel I need anti-depressants in order to be happy.

I can only feel that proponents who wish us to return to a more conventional
lifestyle are playing the game of smoke and mirrors because if they really
stopped and looked at the life of striving for material possessions, people
possessing, constant mood altering with drugs, etc., they would have to ask and
answer to themselves some hard questions about why if the preservation of the
village green, custard and strawberry jam are so fulfilling then why aren't the
statistics a little different than what I touch on here.

Hearkening back to Bread & Roses, I quote from the lyrics,
"Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses!"

For me, the spiritual life as a student of Sri Chinmoy makes true in my life on
a figurative level the actual Guinness World Record set by Ashrita of the
world's largest rose bouquet, offered in honor of his teacher Sri Chinmoy.

The fragrance of the roses outweighs any and all stigma as a result of straying
from the straight and narrow. Meditation and the cultivation of the inner life
bring a satisfaction that can never be trumped. If some insist on finding fault
in it to deflect attention away from the failings of tradition, the rose smells
just as sweet and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Sharani

Imagine someone in prison for 35 years - and then it appears all the accusations
were baseless. What would you do? Throw stones, kill? Here an amazing attitude:

"No sir I cannot feel angry. I put all that in God's hands," he said.

"Well, once again I have to think about my family and God, and friends that I
knew in prison as well - that inspired [me] to move forward and not backwards."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/18/2776408.htm?section=justin



We can move forward
To a greater freedom
Only after we have established
Our oneness-peace
In the heart of the world.

Excerpt from Twenty-Seven Thousand Aspiration-Plants, Part 198  by Sri Chinmoy.
http://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/books/0966/42/

As many of you no doubt know, for those of us who work in Sri Chinmoy Centre
enterprises, Sri Chinmoy asked that we meditate for five minutes before we start
work, and for three minutes after finishing. No doubt this helps us be more
aware of the spiritual nature of our work, and the significant role our work
plays in our greater life-journey.

Our little cafe, My Rainbow-Dreams, does not have a meditation room, like many
larger enterprises do. So we have to meditate in the kitchen. We use little
electronic timers to time our meditations. These are also the same timers we use
for cooking. We have three timers, so don't ask me why I can never seem to find
a spare one when I need it. Today, when I wanted to meditate before leaving, one
timer was timing a batch of cookies, and another was timing a cheesecake. The
third timer? I don't know where that was. I was about to set the alarm on my
mobile phone (that's cell phone for North Americans, and "handy" for Germans and
Austrians), to time my meditation. Somehow I was inspired to look at the cookie
timer, in case its remaining time and my needs coincided. The timer read three
minutes and a couple of seconds! I promptly began my meditation. And when I was
done, the cookies were ready.

Serendipity? Coincidence? The strange thing is, the same thing happened last
week...

Thanks Chanakya,
   Nice to hear from you. Hope all is well out there.
It truly is a beautiful building with many wonderful attributes. Here is a link
to a site about the D'Angelo Center for those who may be interested in checking
it out. I will post some photos of it from start to finish on the Sri Chinmoy
Gallery as soon as I can organize my photos. I will send the link here when I
do. Until then, try this link:
http://www.stjohns.edu/about/news/items/pr_uni_091207b.news_item@digest.stjohns.\
edu%2fabout_us%2fpr_uni_091207b.xml

Gratefully,
Arpan

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Please see instructions on how to hide email address here.
http://www.srichinmoyinspiration.com/content/joining-sri-chinmoy-inspiration-gro\
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Hey Arpan,
             Nice post I remember seeing that building going up while I ran on
Union Turnpike. Great to hear how it turned out and how it became very personal
to you.

Chanakhya

Much gratitude to the faithful writers on this site.  Sharing the miraculously 
transforming spiritual writings of our Guru is a life-saver for many. Joy and
thanks to all.

Yes I was also listening to the song: real clarity and crystalline simplicity in
it. I can feel how your mother really wanted to give you a ground, where your
spiritual growth and musical talents can come to the fore. Your mother knows,
that earthly parents bring not only the child to earth but also back to Heaven,
they are our first teachers.

Nirmala

[Posted on behalf of t_mcguire27. Please see posting instructions at
http://www.srichinmoyinspiration.com/content/joining-sri-chinmoy-inspiration-gro\
up]


I wonder why meditation is perceived as non-masculine when so many saints, sages
and yogis are male?

There seem to be two rival forms of masculinity. One emphasises expansion of the
ego - the posturing parade of self-assertion. The other masculinity upholds the
strength of inner conquest, the thrust of ego transcendence and the adventurous
pursuit of soul-victories.

From one perspective the peaceful, kind nature of a Jesus Christ, Buddha or
Chaitanya may be seen as weakness. When the Buddha was born, it was foretold
that he would either be a world-conqueror or a world-saviour. He was born into a
powerful royal family and could have easily ruled a vast empire, but instead he
became the Enlightened One. To those who measure strength and boldness in the
size of an army or the flags to ones name, it is weak to refuse the mantle of
unbridled power. To the seeker of ultimate truth, there is no victory without
surrender to the infinite power of God.

It makes a crucial difference whether you apply your strength and vigour towards
expansion of the lower self or expansion of the higher self. It is these two
extremes separate the Napoleons of the world from the Krishnas and Buddhas.

For me, masculinity is about pushing limits, smashing boundaries, and never
giving up. These are essential qualities for success in the spiritual life.

"Who says that gentleness
Is not real strength?
Who says that strength
Is not oneness-satisfaction?"

Excerpt from Ten Thousand Flower-Flames, Part 40 by Sri Chinmoy.



t_mcguire27


--- In Sri_Chinmoy_Inspiration@yahoogroups.com, jogyata <no_reply@...> wrote:
> >
> > It has been interesting to see the topic about women growing spiritually on
Sri Chinmoy's path being revisited recently. May I propose widening the
discussion a little as well, since in various ways discipleship and spirituality
for men present obstacles of a different kind, but certainly no less
challenging. In reading the comments of the women disciples, the relevance of
these to the men is also quite striking and reminds us of a common and
transcending humanity that overreaches the issues of gender. We're all in this
together!
> >
> > In Auckland I am involved in meditation classes for the public – 80% of all
those attending these free workshops are invariably women. Men are perhaps
culturally disadvantaged here – meditation is not perceived as a very masculine
pursuit, and our professed commitment to a path will cause a long silence at any
dinner party. There is also the virtually inescapable expectation of careers and
families as well – and dropping out of college or university to wander the globe
in the absence of any other sense of purpose, or to seek a teacher, will always
doom you to  a gauntlet of family, peer and social disapproval. I remember
fronting up to an interview with the Foreign Affairs department in Wellington
half a lifetime ago – God help me, a junior diplomat – wearing a borrowed suit
and shoes so large I slithered across the carpet, knowing when the usual
questions came and inducements offered that I was never, ever going to walk that
barren road to riches. At 60'ish I'm still deciding on what I'd like to be, but
with the calm of one who knows with deep certainty that all those other things
have been left far behind – now it is not a choice of career or country but a
choice of self.
> >
> > Of course having a teacher like my own wonderful guru has been the one
immeasurable blessing of my life – here was and is someone who saw to my very
heart in a flash, and it only required that I ready myself to accept this
knowledge and his guidance, believe in his belief in me, gather courage to take
the road less traveled. But we all have to prove ourselves – indeed every day –
and this is what makes the cosmic game so much fun. It would be interesting to
hear of some of the stories and trials of the men disciples too.
> >
> > Jogyata
> >

Dear All,

Here's a little light distraction should you need some, Guinness are inviting
people to vote for their favourite records of the last decade.

http://2010.guinnessworldrecords.com/top100.asp

Ashrita is one of the candidates in a section called 'claimant'