“You must always be prepared to receive the presence of your Master.”
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
When I first moved to Queens, I was doing carpentry work. One day after my job, I was going to the Guru Health Foods store. I parked my car just on the corner below the block, just off 86th, 87th Avenue.
So, I bought my stuff, and as I was coming out of Guru Health Foods (which was right in the middle of the block, further down the hill, not at the corner the way it is now) …as I walked outside, I looked up and saw that Guru was walking down the hill. This was a summer day, and he was wearing shorts and a polo shirt. I just stood there with my hands folded. I was trying to be devoted.
As Guru was walking down the hill, he saw me there. He stopped in front of me and said, “Sal, (at that time my name was Sal) …do you have your car here? And I said, “Yes, Guru.” He said, “Go bring it. bring it.”
But I had just gotten off my carpentry job, and the car was basically my work place. It was where my equipment was; all my tools were there. There was sawdust on the seat. There was sawdust on the floor. There were pieces of wood scraps everywhere and tools.
It was a bit of a mess, so I tried to clean it up quickly. I was really working as quickly as I could. I threw everything that was on the front seat into the back, and I brushed off the seat the best I could. I was doing everything. I was working feverishly to get it ready.
Before I could get it ready, I saw Guru at the door, knocking at the window on the passenger side. I reached over to open the door and let Guru in. Guru got in the car, and I said, “Guru I'm sorry. The car isn't quite ready for you yet.”
Then Guru said back to me, “You must always be prepared to receive the presence of your Master.”
It was like Guru basically branded those words on my soul. I never forgot what he said. Not that I lived up to it all the time, but at least Guru made me aware of what it was to be a true disciple.
You always have to feel that your Master is there, always there. He's always observing you, always with you, always ready to help you, whatever. He is always present for you.
Then I just drove Guru home.
God does not care for my perfection.
He does not care even for my preparation.
He cares only for my readiness
And willingness.Sri Chinmoy 1
- 1. Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, part 35, Agni Press, 2004
The day I recieved my spiritual name
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
On the day of getting our names, Guru had told us that we would be getting them, so to come prepared and to be in our best consciousness.
We were all wearing white. One by one, Guru called us up. He would stand there and place his hands on our head. When I came up, he put one hand on my third eye and the other hand on the top of my head. As I was standing there, Guru kept one hand on my third eye and then he put the other hand directly on my spiritual heart.
The force was so powerful, I actually felt a physical electricity going into my third eye and in my heart centre. It was electric. It was so strong. I could physically feel this buzzing energy and my mind was completely blank. There were no thoughts, nothing. He was in complete control of me, of whoever I was. He completely took me out into this absolute, beautiful, wonderful, luminous, blissful state. That’s all I can say.
Then he started chanting my name. My name is Banshidhar. He chanted Ban…shi… dhar, Ban…shi… dhar. He kept chanting this many, many times. I felt like he was pulling something from way, way, way deep inside of me. I never had that experience ever. He pulled something from way inside and it was coming out.
Then he started to say what it means. He went on and said many things but the most important is that Banshidhar means Lord Krishna, who plays the divine cosmic melody on the flute and awakens the universal consciousness.
Guru wrote some songs with banshari bajao which means the flute player. The banshi or banshari is the flute and banshidhar is the flute player.
That changed everything. It changes everything when your Master does this with you and you become his disciple. Guru says that once he accepts you as his disciple and you accept him as your master, it's forever. It is FOR..EV…ER. Every day of this life and for every other life that we have, Guru is always with us. From that moment, Guru has been with me every single step of the way. Whether I was running or stumbling, sleeping or going backwards, sidewards, forwards or upwards, Guru has always been there, present no matter what state of consciousness I've been in.
As seekers, we are going to go through all kinds of states of consciousness, all kinds of experiences—ups and downs and ins and outs. But Guru is always, always here with us, always. It never changes. He is always there, always here.
While He plays on His Flute,
My Lord Krishna brings down
His own Divinity’s Summit-Peace
And Summit-Bliss.Sri Chinmoy 1
- 1. Enthusiasm, part 6, 2004
A disciple re-incarnates
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
Some souls do have two lifetimes with Guru, like Nivedita. Nivedita was a Canadian disciple who passed away as Guru was speaking to her on the phone. Paramita, a fellow Canadian disciple, described it like this:
Nivedita’s passing, many years ago, was absolutely spiritually spectacular. She was in the hospital in a two-bed room, and the spiritual energy at her bedside was so powerful that you absolutely could not NOT meditate. You HAD to meditate, and the meditation was just going rocket-high. Even the lady who was the patient in the next bed was sitting up meditating and praying.
Around Nivedita’s bed were her children and a number of disciples from the Ottawa Centre. For hours we were there with her, just meditating and meditating in this absolutely incredible energy. Nivedita’s physical body was moving through the last stages of taking a breath or two, and then there would be quite a long pause, and another breath or two.
Somewhere during the afternoon, the telephone rang and Kritagyata answered. It was Ashrita, who said, “Guru is asking you to put the phone on Nivedita’s ear.” We could then hear Guru singing to Nivedita the song he had composed for her. And with Guru singing or speaking in her ear, she breathed her last.
I told her to sing. I said, “I will take full responsibility.” I gave her the full description of Heaven, and I said, “Today, as I am here, I am also in Heaven.” I was talking with her for two or three minutes, and while she was listening to me, she passed. What an experience!
Guru
About six or eight years later, my daughter Lisa was attending nursing school in Ottawa, and in her senior year they were being taught how to nurse people through the process of dying. The nursing professor wanted to describe the most beautiful death that she had ever experienced in her nursing career, and she proceeded to describe Nivedita’s death. Lisa went up to her afterwards and said, “I know that lady that you were describing.” The professor said, “No, Lisa, you couldn’t possibly. It happened many years ago.” But Lisa said, “Oh yes, I do. That was Nivedita Johnston.” And the professor said, “You’re absolutely right!”
About ten years after Nivedita had passed away, I was in New York at a function in the school. Guru gave out Prasad and a little girl of about five years old passed in front of Guru with her mother. Guru was looking at her and looking at her very intensely.
When everyone had passed by, Guru called the little girl back again. Guru wrote on a piece of paper and put it on her head. A friend of mine sitting next to me said, “I bet that Nivedita has come back again.” He was absolutely right.
Guru gave a little speech about what a great victory it was for the soul. Guru said, “Our Nivedita had found us again.” She had incarnated in what was then East Germany. The little girl remembered all the pet names she had had for her disciple friends in New York. She remembered them all very, very well. She remembered working in the Divine Enterprises in New York and all her friends. All the connections were very strong. She remembered them all very clearly.
Life is a journey.
Death is the continuation of the journey.
Heaven is a temporary rest
For the commencement and fulfilment
Of a new life, a new hope
And a new promise.Sri Chinmoy 1
- 1. My Christmas-New Year-Vacation Aspiration-Prayers, part 4, Agni Press, 2001
Celebrating birthdays at Guru's house
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
Guru was very, very kind to us and lavished food on us. If it was a guard's birthday, there would be a big celebration with Guru at his house. We'd all go.
Those were my favourite moments. If I look back at my favourite moments in my discipleship, it was sitting with Guru on the porch of his house with all the boys, the guards, and Guru just lying on his couch, sitting back, relaxing and just telling a story. Stories from the ashram days or stories about when he first came to America, or a story about some famous person.
Guru was in a sweet mood, a happy mood, a comfortable mood, and he could just relax with the boys and tell stories. Those are my favorite moments, because you felt Guru was happy and he was comfortable with us. He could just tell these stories and they were like golden moments and you didn't want them to end. You just wanted to sit on that porch for days and days and days and listen to these stories.
And of course, while Guru is telling you these stories, food is coming all the time. There's food, American food, which usually is big desserts and big cakes and big this and big that and a big drink. Then there would be someone's birthday, one of the boy guards’ birthdays. Then there would be birthday cake for the boy, a big birthday cake. Guru said it's an insult not to eat a piece of the cake for the birthday boy. So you had to eat the cake, the piece of cake you got.
Then Guru would have prasad, which would often be lots of pastries and sweet things in a big array. So you would want to take every piece of prasad because it was at Guru's feet as you would go by.
This would be in the morning. Then Guru said, "Go over to the court and I will come over soon." Then Guru would come to Aspiration-Ground and he would give another prasad for everybody and you would have to eat that too.
Guru is offering all the time that love and that compassion and that kindness. And it's up to us and our receptivity to be aware of it and to receive it.
Empty your heart;
God will fill it
With His Abundance.Sri Chinmoy 1
- 1. Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, part 39, Agni Press, 2004
Saved by a simple request from my Guru
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
In 2006, a crisis started happening: I could not make any progress. I could not pray or meditate. At one point, impossibility became real. It was so powerful that I could inwardly see a wall between me and my shrine, like a one-foot-thick wall of impossibility had manifested in my room. At this moment, I 'knew' that my spiritual life was over, so I gave up. Basically, you know how in the movies, they surrender ? (he waves a white flag) I went like that inwardly. I said, “Okay, it's over.”
I do not remember if it was exactly the same day or one of the next days. I became upset and I inwardly screamed at Guru, “Guru, you have to do something because I cannot do it anymore.” Well, after I did that, as I was leaving my house, I said to Guru in my mind: “If you do not help me, people will say in the future that you abandoned your devotee who asked for help.” I kept going to functions and doing everything normally, but inwardly I thought it was over.
Then a few weeks later, exactly on the fortieth anniversary of the Puerto Rico Centre, July 22nd, 2006, Guru asked me to massage his feet. With that one simple request, he saved my life one more time.
From that day on, Kamalakanta would regularly be requested to sit at his Guru's feet and massage him. This next experience took place the following year, in May 2007, while Kamalakanta was massaging Guru:
Just before the trip to Mongolia, we were at Aspiration-Ground, and it was raining lightly. I felt two things very strongly. First of all, that I wasn't touching Guru’s feet—his feet were touching me!
The second thing I felt was because people were staying. They didn't care if it was raining. Guru was looking at them, very proud that they wanted to stay and be with him. Then I felt that Guru’s feet not only were touching me but were touching all the disciples. Because his feet of compassion are not his physical feet. His physical feet represent his compassion, but his feet of compassion are infinite. They cannot be contained in the physical.
So, the one thing I wanted to tell say is that whenever you think of Guru, whenever you pray to Guru, whenever you meditate on Guru, his feet are touching you at that moment. You cannot separate his compassion from his other qualities. They are all infinite and they are all what he is, so that compassion is always there, always there.
I am seeking shelter,
My Lord,
In the haven
Of Your Compassion-Feet.Sri Chinmoy 1
- 1. Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, part 20, Agni Press, 2001
A spiritual name is the name of our soul, and what we can become
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
This was November 6, 1977. I was told the day before that Guru was going to give me my spiritual name. Guru was playing tennis at the school there, at the Jamaica High School track.
When he finished, he sat down and called “Lincoln” to come over. That was the last time he used my outer name. I kneeled down in front of him. As you might imagine, it was very emotional, very emotional.
He put his hand on my head and spoke the name. Then he gave an explanation as well. He described what and who Nayak is, what my soul is. I’ll just read briefly. Guru started: “With my heart's soulful love and my life's blessingful gratitude, I offer you your soul's name.”
He said a few more things and then he said the name: “Nayak, Nayak.” Then he gave the meaning. I’ll just read the first part: “Nayak is the one who leads, guides, illumines, and fulfils the seeker divine.”
You have to remember that this is the name of the soul, and the outer aspects are trying to become like that. That is the name of the soul, and that's what we can become. Of course, where we are now is not there yet.
Self-mastery
Is
My spirituality's present name.Self-discovery
Is
My spirituality's future name.Sri Chinmoy 1
- 1. My spirituality, Agni Press, 1999
My first conversation with Guru
This is one of the stories in our Story-Gems project, a collection of our experiences with our Guru, Sri Chinmoy. Project homepage »
Before I came down to Los Angeles (to see Sri Chinmoy for the first time), I got the idea that I needed to bring Guru a gift. So at the time, I was living in a house with a friend who was like a hippie. Because I couldn't make up my mind what to get Guru, he took me to a place to make a necklace. What you do is you get this necklace string and you put different beads and things on the necklace yourself. I got the idea to use little birds and letters that spelled out part of a poem that Guru had written.
At this point, Nayak mentioned to Guru that I had come down from Seattle just to meet him for the first time. He replied, “Oh, really?”
Nayak had told Guru that I had a gift to give him. So I pulled the necklace out of my pocket and handed it to Guru. Guru immediately said, “Oh, it says something. What does it say?”
Everyone was listening at this point. I said, Guru, “It says, ‘My soul-bird wants to fly in Infinity's sky with you.’”
Some people laughed a little bit and some girls kind of smiled. After I told Guru what the necklace said, “Really? Well, how old are you?”
I said, “Twenty-two.”
Guru smiled and said, “No problem.”
So everyone laughed with joy, and it was a beautiful moment.
What can I give to God
In return for His precious Gifts:
Compassion and Forgiveness?
I can give Him
My aspiration-life
And my gratitude-heart.Sri Chinmoy 1
- 1. Twenty-Seven Thousand Aspiration-Plants, part 97, Agni Press, 1984
- ‹ previous
- 15 of 125
- next ›
Except where explicitly stated otherwise, the contents of this site are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. read more »
SriChinmoyCentre.org is a Vasudeva Server project.