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This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
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I was kind of a shy boy, young boy, in those days. It took me maybe a few weeks to get enough courage to go ahead and decide to go to the Sri Chinmoy Centre in Puerto Rico. I'll never forget when it happened. It was my birthday, and I was sitting at the dinner table with my family. I was living with my parents at the time. I was still in high school. I was sitting there having my meal, and from deep inside of me came this affirmation, out of the blue: “I am going to the Centre this week.”
So, I went. The first time I went to meditation, it was Wednesday evening. It was on the second floor in a small apartment, in a very humble area in Puerto Rico. There were between 20 and 30 people in this small meditation apartment.
Now, Guru was not physically there, but when I went in, I was clutching one of those yoga books. It was like my security blanket. I remember we waited in a separate room while they were preparing the meditation room. I was asking one of the older disciples—his name is Ananta and he passed away some years ago—if he thought it was good. He said, “Oh, yes, it’s very good.” They were very sweet. There was a vibration, an atmosphere there that was extremely powerful but also very peaceful. My heart was pounding with excitement.
So, the time came, and they called us into the meditation room, a very small room. In those days they would turn off all the lights and there would just be candles, with the candles on Guru’s chair in the front where Guru would sit when he visited, and candles and different shrines around. So, we were inside this real temple, there was a very sacred, very mystical, very, very inspiring feeling.
Sudha, the first president
of the Puerto Rican
Sri Chinmoy Centre
Sudha was the Centre leader. She was an extremely close disciple to Guru. She was at the time an older woman. She looked like Indira Gandhi—if you ever saw a picture of Indira Gandhi. Sudha had Indian features, although she was a Puerto Rican woman. And many years later, I heard Guru had said that she was his daughter in a previous life.
Sudha started the meditation. She sat on the floor next to Guru’s throne, facing us on the side very humbly, and she read one of Guru’s aphorisms. We chanted and then we all went into silent meditation. But because this was my first time, all I knew about how to meditate was to do some breathing exercises, some pranayama. So, I started doing that. Sudha mentioned that we should look at Guru’s Transcendental photograph because she saw that a few of us were new. So, I started looking at Guru’s photograph and breathing in his breath.
It only took a few minutes for me to calm down, and then such a tremendous force, just a tremendous light came down. I could feel it come down in the room and lift me up.
Actually I felt like it was shooting me up. I felt like a rocket going up into the sky, and I could see the earth like a ball, like you see in some of those photographs taken from outer space of Earth, the green ball. I could see it going away as I was going up. This tremendous force was pulling me from the top of my head, yanking me up.
While that was happening, there were absolutely no thoughts in my mind. I mean, the force was so overwhelming that it completely lacked any possibility of thought. I was just flying upward and completely under the spell of this tremendous power.
I just wanted to keep going. It was so wonderful, so blissful. It was just an incredible experience! But it came to a point where I felt like I had stopped. I was frozen way out there someplace. I kept wanting to go on. But now that I look back, it was like my own fears or my own ignorance or limitations were preventing me. It was like I couldn't go any higher. I was stuck. But up there.
Eventually, at some point, I could hear them chanting AUM. So, I sort of started floating back down into my body. When I finally came to and opened my eyes, I was a little disoriented. But I was absolutely certain, without any trace of doubt, that this was where I belonged.
Meditate, meditate, meditate
Soulfully, sleeplessly and self-givingly,
For meditation is nothing other than
Our supreme ignorance-shattering vision.
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
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I had some other experiences with Guru—twice for my birthday. Guru used to celebrate birthdays, mainly for the close disciples, the inner circle of people very close to him—usually not for people like me. I was not well known on the path.
The first time was during the New York City Marathon. Guru was friends with Fred Lebow, one of the founders of the New York City Marathon. We ran this marathon until the year 2000. Disciples used to meet in New York in November for this race. This is also the time of my birthday. I was born on the 6th of November.
There was a kind of celebration at this time and Guru was teaching some songs in the morning. I was seated in the benches beside another French disciple. Guru called the good singers to go down to start learning the songs. I am a good singer, but when Guru teaches songs, you have to write down the words, and sometimes it is difficult to catch the words and then to memorise them. I didn't want to go down. I hesitated to go down and stayed in my seat. But my friend beside me said, "No, no, it is your birthday today. You have to go down. You have to go down and at least participate."
Finally, I went down and joined the group of boys and girls. I was in the middle of the group. We started to write down the song that Guru was teaching us. At one point Guru stopped the practice and asked people to divide themselves, to move to each side. I stayed alone in the middle. He called me to go near him, and I knew that he wanted to meditate on me for my birthday. I don't know how he knew that it was my birthday. It is true that he has a link with everybody's soul. Usually he doesn't call people like me just for the birthday.
During the meditation, I saw some light around Guru's head like an aura, a blue aura. It was the first and only time I saw this blue light around Guru, only around his head. He gave me this experience.
Every time you meditate alone in front of Guru, you really feel his love. You cannot express this love. Nobody can love you like him. It's so strong!
Sri Chinmoy meditates on one of his students for his birthday
The second time was also for my birthday in November, and I was there again for the New York City Marathon. There was a function in the evening, and because it was my birthday, I offered Guru a bouquet of flowers from Kanan's shop, along with a small card. In the card, I said a few words like, “I am all yours.”
During the intermission, a guard asked me to go to Guru. I was surprised. When I went up to Guru, he gave me back the small card that I had given him with the bouquet. The bouquet was on the small table beside him. He gave me back the card but he didn't release it. I kept holding the card too, as he was meditating on me. This was my best experience of feeling Guru's love— so deep, and so much compassion. In the small card, he added his own words, words like blessing, love, joy. He gave me back the small card but he had added his own words... It was a special gift.
My aspiration-heart
Is indeed a gift from God.
My dedication-life
Is indeed my gift to God.
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
Guru always wanted to play at the Sydney Opera House. For Guru, there was something very magical about that building. Guru liked the building very, very much. Guru said whenever he hears the name Sydney, he thinks of the Opera House. We knew that Guru would love to play the organ, so we got permission somehow, I don't know how. It was a miracle that we got permission for Guru to play the organ.
There were about maybe one hundred disciples. It was not for the public. It was only for some disciples. Also, it was being recorded by the national radio. The gentleman who would show Guru the organ was a very famous organ player himself. It was arranged that he would also interview Guru for the radio program. Guru was very excited about playing this organ. It is the largest mechanical action organ in the world. It has ten thousand pipes.
There were many forces coming together. There was the building itself that Guru loved so much, then there was the organ, which was so special, and the occasion. Guru flew especially to Sydney from Melbourne just to play this organ.
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Now, the organ itself with all the pipes is positioned high above the auditorium. So, if you are sitting in the audience, you're looking up almost to the sky to see the organ. The person who is playing the organ, to access, to get to the organ, has to climb up a series of staircases, spiral staircase and ladders to get up to where the organ is.
So, three of us climbed up the stairs. There was Guru, there was David Rumsey, the gentleman who would interview Guru and would show Guru the organ, and myself. As we climbed the stairs, it was like entering into another realm. There was a real sense of something momentous and a real adventure. Something special was about to happen.
When you get to the top of all these stairs, you then have to walk through the body of the organ to reach the place where you sit down and play on the keyboards. There is only one way to get there: You have to walk through all of these ten thousand pipes all around you.
The pipe organ in the Sydney Opera House. (Pictures from wikimedia under Creative Commons licence)
So, then Guru sat at the organ and David Rumsey showed Guru all about the organ and where you can find the bells, where you can find the flutes, where you can find the different ways to make the organ produce all the different sounds. Then Guru was ready to play. Guru leaned over to me and whispered, “I need to be alone now to meditate.”
Guru needing to be alone meant that David Rumsey and I had to leave, but there was nowhere to go. You’re in this little alcove with the organ. You're 30 meters above. You cannot jump off.
David Rumsey knew the organ very well, so he went back through the organ and disappeared. I don't know where he went. So, I was by myself. I left where Guru was sitting at the organ and went back into the body of the organ. I knew that Guru was already meditating and I was making noise by walking, so I just stopped and sat down where I was.
I was far enough away from Guru that I would not disturb his meditation, but I also did not want to make any more noise. So, I just sat down and closed my eyes, and thought, “This is where I will wait while Guru plays.”
There was absolute silence, and then above me and to the right there was this explosion of sound. I was sitting in the middle of all of the ten thousand pipes, and for the next 36 minutes and 14 seconds, it was like sitting inside a volcano. I could feel every one of those pipes, how thrilled they were to be the instruments, the voices to manifest this unprecedented music into the Earth's atmosphere.
The really large pipes were vibrating and sending this really powerful force right through my physical body. Everything was vibrating and tingling with this, just outwardly, let alone the inner thrill that accompanied the moment.
It was a complete tidal wave of everything that Guru embodies—all of Guru's love, all of Guru's power, all of Guru's passion for everything that he does, everything of Guru’s—he was putting into that performance. The whole organ became like an army. It was like an army of pipes. Every one of these pipes was playing its role, absolutely with such commitment and dedication to achieving this sublime goal.
It was an experience of three-dimensional ecstasy. Well, actually, more like four or five or six or seven-dimensional. When it was finished, David Rumsey came and sat next to Guru. He interviewed Guru for the radio immediately after the performance was finished, and this is an immortal interview. In this interview, Guru said many immortal utterances about the organ.
I find spirituality in the organ, more than I find it in any other instrument. Here I see that the organ is not only the king of all the musical instruments but it is also the queen of all the instruments. It is extremely powerful and it has a very subtle, delicate touch at the same time. When you think of a king, you think of somebody who is very powerful, like a sovereign, and, when you think of a queen, there is softness and sweetness, a delicate touch. So the organ combines both God the Man and God the Woman.
Sri Chinmoy excerpt from the interview
David Rumsey asked Guru if he was satisfied with his performance and Guru said, no, because he felt there was so much more he wanted to offer, which he could not offer. But at the same time, Guru said that there was nothing else that could have been offered, given the limitations of the instrument. So, this was the most Guru could have offered through a pipe organ on the planet Earth. Even then, it was still only a small fraction of what Guru was experiencing and what he wanted to offer. But it was still way, way, way beyond what any of us could actually receive. Many, many times for many years afterwards, Guru would always refer to this performance as his favourite of all of his pipe organ performances. The title is Heart-Power-Victory.
Then we had to walk back down all these hundreds of stairs, the spiral staircase, back down to the earth-plane. I was walking just in front of Guru, which means just below Guru on the stairs. Guru was in such a trance state that I really doubted that Guru would be able to walk himself down this spiral staircase, but he did. On the way down, Guru said that while he was playing, all the beings were coming to him from all the different inner realms and saying to Guru, begging him to play their music, from their realm. Then he would agree. He would go with beings to play with some beings from one realm, but then beings would come from another realm, and then Guru would have to go. He said the whole time he was constantly being pulled by all these different beings to all the different realms.
The next morning, Guru listened to about 10 minutes of the performance on the headphones and again Guru went into trance while he was listening. Guru could not believe that he had played that performance. While he was listening, Guru said, “There are 40 people playing.”
When he plays
When he plays on Heaven-organ
Not only the cosmic gods
But also the Lord Supreme
Admires his miracle music of
Unmeasured height
And
Unplumbed depth.
When he plays on earth-organ
No human soul sincerely dares
To appreciate the soul-breath
Of his life of
Music-flow
And
Music-glow.
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
Sri Chinmoy and Pir Vilayat Khan had a very deep friendship lasting almost 30 years
I was at NYU and I began doing Sufi dancing. At one point, the students that were leading the Sufi dancing said, “Our teacher is coming to give a weekend seminar. Would you like to join? His name is Pir Vilayat Khan.”
I felt Pir Vilayat Khan was very sincere, very spiritual, although I did not have an experience with him the way I did with Guru. But at the end of the two-day seminar, Pir Vilayat Khan said, “If any of you want to meet a real spiritual master, Sri Chinmoy is offering his annual New Year's meditation at Hunter College,” and he gave the date and time.
That is how I found Guru again. Some of you may recall that Pir Vilayat Khan and Guru became good friends. You may have seen a picture of Guru and Pir Vilayat Khan meditating on each other at the United Nations. Pir Vilayat Khan was very, very devoted to Guru.
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So, I became a disciple. I was still a student at New York University, living in an apartment in the East Village in Manhattan, in Greenwich Village. Well, I didn't become a disciple right away. I went to the meditation at Hunter College. At the end, Guru invited those who were interested in becoming disciples or learning more about his path to come up on stage. I knew by that time I was ready. I went up on stage with others and I was so proud of myself. I just went up and I was meditating.
The New Year’s Meditation was a powerful experience. I began attending the Saturday evening meditations for new seekers, which were then held in disciples’ apartments in Manhattan. At one of these sessions, those who wanted to become disciples were invited to have a short, private interview with Guru.
During my interview, I explained to Guru that, although I felt he was my spiritual teacher, I also felt much respect for Pir Vilayat Khan. With great patience, Guru told me, “You have to know who your spiritual Father is, and who your spiritual Uncle is.” Guru elaborated at length how there are many valid paths to the Goal, but how we must follow only the path meant for us. At the end of his answer, I felt a bit mischievous and, only because I knew that my all-loving Father would allow me, I piped in, “But can I still go Sufi dancing?”
“Fine, fine,” he said, realising that although I said I was 22, I still had the emotional make-up of a 14-year-old.
Once I knew that I could go Sufi dancing, I never had the desire to go, and I explored my new spiritual path with enthusiasm and intensity.
Why do I meditate?
I meditate precisely because
My meditation proudly carries me
To the shore I seek.
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
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I got a call on the phone from a disciple, a doctor in Vienna. He was very Austrian, very matter of fact, and he just said to me, “I'm trying to get a message to Guru that Shamita is dying.” Well, that got my attention!
Shamita participating in the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race - the world's longest road race
He explained that Shamita, a musician who plays the cello and is a very good ultra-runner, had run an ultra-race in Austria and had collapsed.
So, I knew that Guru would want as many details as possible. I remember writing them down. Pratush said that her organs were shutting down, which apparently is very, very serious. The doctors thought it was just a matter of time till she died.
Well, of course, I knew how serious that was, so I remember I ran out of the store, just dropped everything and ran out of the store. I remember jumping on my bicycle and pedaling like crazy to Guru's house.
I thought it strange because normally each morning I would come to Guru's house, I would go upstairs and I would show him the video of his lifting from that morning. But that particular morning, I had not been invited. So it was very normal for me to come to Guru's house. I remember knocking on the side door and being let in. I went upstairs to see Guru. He was resting on the porch, sleeping or semi-dozing, and was being massaged by a disciple.
I knew normally never to disturb Guru when he was like that. We think he is resting, but he said he always would be doing enormous number of things occultly, inwardly, and we should never disturb him when he's like that. Well, it was only a few seconds. I was kneeling there before Guru. Really, it was only a few seconds. and Guru just opened his eyes and totally unperturbed said, “Is there anything?”
Well, I gave the message. I gave the details. and Guru literally closed his eyes for just a few moments. Then he opened them and looked at me and said, “Oh, good, you're here, you can go and get the videos from upstairs and show me my lifting.”
It was so interesting how your mind sort of locks, because I knew Guru had done everything in those few seconds. I mean, you feel it, mentally I knew it, but it was actually too much for me to even comprehend that, oh, Guru now wants to see his lifting? I mean your heart always knows that Guru will deal with it. But it was very interesting because one part of my mind was “Well, Guru has dealt with it,” and the other part is “Well, how is that possible?” It was just so quick and instant, and then Guru is, “Okay. that's dealt with. Now we have to do this.”
Then, of course, we found out a few hours later that she had made a miraculous recovery very quickly from that moment onwards, against all medical expectation.
Each divine experience
Is a miracle.
Is there anything special in life
That is not a miracle?
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
Notes from a gallery exhibition of Sri Chinmoy’s art
Our exhibition opening night was special, as is always the case when Sri Chinmoy’s soul-birds and paintings are unveiled to the world. There were the welcoming speeches, a performance of Guru’s music by two vocal/instrumental groups, a video presentation, hot chai and snacks, mingling and befriending, a visitor’s book brimming with thoughtful and appreciative words:
Sri Chinmoy draws birds in Guatemala
Sri Chinmoy – I salute you! Always you disappear over a far horizon where few will ever go, trailing like a comet this long blazing beauty of your achievements, your beautiful words, beautiful worlds, splashes of bright color, this feeling left in my heart. Thank you.
Audience comment
Not only the paintings but the many quotations by Sri Chinmoy touched the hearts of our audience so memorably. We had sprinkled them among the three walls of paintings in large, bold type and these commentaries and insights caused much reflection and thoughtfulness.
Art is the embodiment of the unfathomable dance of the soul.
Art, like love, is a force of oneness with the infinite. When we create a piece of art, we are really re-creating or reflecting some beauty of the Infinite.
The role of art in the spiritual life is first to awaken oneself and then to awaken the sincere seekers around one.
Sri Chinmoy
Beautiful profundities.
I like very much this juxtaposition of art and aphorisms, a complicity of two ‘beautiful worlds’, each medium reinforcing and enlivening the message of the other, inviting the audience into a world of spirit and charming them with an awakening sense of their own sacred life. These birds are the beauty of your own soul, the unremembered self – can you not feel it? The paintings are reflecting that ‘beauty of the Infinite’ which is inside each one of us.
The wall of Guru’s bird sketches was unstructured and free, capturing a sense of bird flight, playfulness, happiness. These were laminated, block-mounted prints uninhibited by framing and glass, flowing across the wall and interacting with the audience in their accessibility. Among their joyful scattering the aphorisms catch your eye, dissolve into the mind, explanatory:
My Lord, a tiny bird claims the vast sky.
Similarly, the finite in me longs to claim
Your Infinite Absolute.
We all want freedom and we all need freedom. The birds teach us to liberate ourselves from earth’s bondage. This teaching of the birds is indeed sublime.
Sri Chinmoy
The avian images tug at your heart: the soul as a bird, ever free; feelings of liberation, joy, Godward flight; stirrings of the unremembered Self.
With the luxury of much space, a second wall of acrylic prints was equally unconventional, two staggered rows, eye-pleasing in their defiance of orderliness and proclaiming their unique beauty. You ponder at the titles – ‘Hope’, ‘Harmony’, ‘Compassion’, ‘Love’, ‘Forgiveness’ – and slowly come to feel how these great abstractions are the banners of our humanity, the lodestars that will always point our way home. Here at the Te Karanga gallery, these lofty works of art have captured that ‘oneness with the Infinite’ that always inspires and awakens, scatters the stardust of the Heavens to a hungry world.
“Never see anything with your mind’s eye,” writes Sri Chinmoy the artist. “See everything with your heart’s eye. Then you will see that everything is beautiful.”
Outside in the sodden city, the perpetual rain falls, a winterscape, but in the warmth of the Jharna-Kala gallery, everything indeed is beautiful. Your heart is filled with flying birds, bright colours, images and words that lift and charm the spirit.
Art is humanity’s
Ascending,
Awakening aspiration-cry.
Art is Divinity’s
Descending,
Flowering manifestation-smile.
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
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Hello. I’m Niko and I’m in Puerto Rico at the moment, renovating the Centre with other disciples for about a month now. I’m going to tell a nice story. I call this story, “Three times Guru helped me snap out of it.”
Here’s the first time. It was on my very first Christmas Trip in Sicily. For whatever reason, I was having a bad evening. I said, “I’m not going to the evening function. I’m going to go to bed and sleep early.”
For whatever reason, I was just having a hard time. Then I remembered that I was going to be in a play that night. I thought, “I don’t want to just not show up for the boys, because we’ve practiced.”
Oh God, I was feeling that I wanted the earth to open and swallow me, but I have this play thing I had to go to. So I made a game plan. I will come when I think the play is starting, do the play, and then go right back to my hotel room.
I came a few minutes before the play started, and Savyasachi caught me. He had a big list, and it was close to departure day. He asked me, “Are you already signed up for a taxi or for a bus?” or something like that. He does this thing where when he talks with you, he gives you his attention uninterrupted. I talked with him for a while, and he said, “How are you?” I said, “I’m sick, I have a sore throat.” “Are you taking medication? Who are you rooming with?” Just chit-chatted. Such a nice guy. I thought to myself, “If a disciple of Guru’s has so much genuine concern, then Guru’s concern must be a thousand times more.”
Then the play started, and it was one of these plays that completely brought the house down. Every five seconds everyone was in stitches. It was a very small function room, completely packed. First time I was in a play on the Christmas Trip. I experienced that feeling where you make a huge amount of people laugh all at once. The play was a big success. So I came home, and my heart was open again. When I left, I wanted to disappear. And when I came back, my heart was open again.
The second time Guru helped me to snap out of it was on Guru’s birthday. It was my first Celebrations ever. It was the morning function. As I was sitting down, I was getting negative, and heavier and heavier. I was sure it would go away, but it didn’t. About 2 ½ hours must have passed. The girls were doing the flower-offering to the shrine. By the time I went in line to do the flower offering, I was at rock bottom and just like a zombie.
When it was my turn to be in front of the temple to pass by, this entire heaviness was just lifted away in an instant and replaced by peace and vastness and a very, very nice feeling. For the rest of the day for Guru’s Birthday, it was the exact opposite once again.
The third time Guru helped me to snap out of it was at another Celebrations. For whatever reason I was once again at rock bottom and walking around like a ghost. Bipin said, “Can you help me for 20 minutes?” I said, “Sure.” We got into his car and drove to Jamaica Avenue. He opened the gate of Perfection-Surprise and we went downstairs.
When I got there, I saw that Guru’s life was basically down there. When I saw his weights, his weight-lifting apparatus, his paintings, his books, it was just like falling into an ocean of Guru, his compassion and joy and concern. Just seeing these items of Guru’s completely made me snap out of it. Not just snap out, but open my heart.
That’s my story of three times Guru helped me snap out of it. Thank you.
There is not a single seeker
Who cannot inspire others.
There is not a single seeker
Who cannot be inspired by others.
Actually I felt like it was shooting me up. I felt like a rocket going up into the sky, and I could see the earth like a ball, like you see in some of those photographs taken from outer space of Earth, the green ball. I could see it going away as I was going up. This tremendous force was pulling me from the top of my head, yanking me up.
Here’s the first time. It was on my very first Christmas Trip in Sicily. For whatever reason, I was having a bad evening. I said, “I’m not going to the evening function. I’m going to go to bed and sleep early.”
When I got there, I saw that Guru’s life was basically down there. When I saw his weights, his weight-lifting apparatus, his paintings, his books, it was just like falling into an ocean of Guru, his compassion and joy and concern. Just seeing these items of Guru’s completely made me snap out of it. Not just snap out, but open my heart.