Day 47…I Am Really Happy (August 3)

Yesterday Ananda-Lahari ran 84 miles. A number that represents about double what he has been doing most days. Today he is moving less quickly but the ever present smile brightens his face and as I join him I feel my own smile brightening as well.

Today he says, “is a very good day. Yesterday I ran very fast and today I am falling apart but there is eagerness and hope. The focus is there. So I am happy.”

I mention to him that his surprising performance yesterday lifted the energy levels of practically all the other runners as he flew around the block. “I think it is all God’s work. I just play what I feel.”

“It is not as though I do it to inspire people. If it happens that others get inspired great.”

He says that most often when we are negative that, “it is a matter of choice. We have to want. That is the main thing. We have to want to get out of, let’s say, a state of depression, or sadness, or something else.”

“Many times we subconsciously enjoy it. To be there. To be angry, or be sad. We don’t realize it. The first thing is that we need to want. I know only one way. I am really happy that I practice meditation, under the guidance of Sri Chinmoy. He is teaching me how to throw away negative qualities.”

As we pass through the camp area Rupantar yells out, “he is inspiring the world.”

“In ancient times people were going to monasteries and caves in order to be alone to be able to pray and meditate. To be focused on God.”

“In today’s world I have learned that that was the way of the past. Now we have to bring it to society. We don’t want to cut off the outside world.”

“I practice mediation at home, but then I try and bring the results forward into my daily life. This happens when we are in focus and feel joy.” He says that meditation and exercise can go hand in hand. Even if you are tired. Exercising for him is the best form of meditation.

“It is really nice. You can be falling a part. You can have a bad day and then you can still have a really nice day. It is like bringing it into our daily activities.”