Sri Chinmoy’s 47 Mile Race 2017

It has taken me a lot longer than I hoped to gather up all the bits and pieces of the 47 mile race this year and I apologize to all those who have patiently waited to see pictures and listen to the voices of those who took part that wonderful night.

For me the race holds so many precious memories, particularly of course in the years when Sri Chinmoy not only came to watch and inspire the runners but also on those 2 historic occasions when he actually ran himself.

In 1980 Sri Chinmoy ran the race for the 2nd time with a time of 11:27, which transcended his time from the previous year. I also ran the race that night for the 3rd time. I was able to complete the race in 6:19 and then get out my film camera to record this footage.

New generations of runners have come and found their own love and inspiration for an event that is like no other.

They are building upon their own memories and yet the core of inspiration that compelled us to stand on the dusty track for the first time, to head off into the unknown 39 years ago remains intact and continually transcendent. To honor our beloved spiritual teacher on his birthday in a profound and tangible way.

To take part means one sets off running at midnight. To complete those sacred 47 miles means for most the necessity of calling forth all of who you are and all that you have within. To uncover and reveal all of your heart’s dedication and perhaps step up even one tiny rung on our timeless self transcendence journey.

Pratyaya and Mantrita

It is a perfect night

Tarit directing traffic

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Searching For Optimism

Remain not unrealised
In the sunlight of optimism.
Remain always realised
In your quiet and sweet optimism.
Optimism is the only ladder
To climb up God’s
Ever-transcending Height.

Sri Chinmoy At Circus April 1988

Question: I consider myself a tennis player, not a runner. On the one hand I get more joy from playing tennis, but on the other hand I get more satisfaction if I run a marathon. Why is this?

You can play tennis for hours and hours. It is easy for you to do well and you enjoy it. But people get more satisfaction from doing the thing that they find most difficult. On the one hand, we like to do things that are easy. On the other hand, we also want the joy that comes from doing whatever is most difficult.

The grass is always greener on the other side. To accomplish something that is more difficult for us to do gives us much more joy. If we have a tennis ball to play with, we will start looking for a basketball, just because we do not have one. But if we had a basketball, we would start looking for a tennis ball. Again, some people will say that they need both a tennis ball and a basketball.

There is also another aspect to this. Even though we may want to run only 100 metres, we want to get the glory that comes from running a marathon. When somebody runs a marathon, he is appreciated and admired. So we feel that a marathon is more important than a 100-metre run. The most difficult thing impresses us most. This is human nature.

72,000 Burning Candles: A Celebration and A New Guinness World Record

In was in 2005 when Ashrita first came up with the idea of setting a new Guinness world record in order to celebrate Sri Chinmoy’s 74th birthday. At the time it seemed like an impossibly difficult if not dangerous thing to do.

All of the above of course were true but in the end it turned out to be an amazing and inspiring success.

Of course great records can never last for ever and a few years later Ashrita assembled another large team in order to try and take back the record this time with 48,000 candles.

Fast forward 11 years and once again the record is broken and the goal is to break the new record of 50,000 burning candles

“It was very exciting all the candles merged into one single huge flame. It was very exciting.”

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Swim Run Trio: Harriman State Park 2016

Video of the event

Registration

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Sri Chinmoy’s 47 Mile Race 2016

The footage is less than 2 minutes long. A mere fragment of much greater event that probably could never be captured adequately by a super 8 film very well anyway.

Yet it shows Sri Chinmoy completing the 47 mile race in 1980 for the 2nd time. A performance that took him 11:27:24 to complete and which surpassed his previous best by 74 minutes.

*photo by Bhashwar

Now there is a new generation following in those same footsteps as their late spiritual teacher 36 years later.

Many who have never even had the opportunity to see Sri Chinmoy little alone remember how powerfully he once used to run

Pratyaya the race director remembers those early days

Petra gets ready for a long night

There is a profound sense of calm as people register

Most have a clear sense of why they do this most difficult thing of running 47 miles starting at midnight on August 27th.

The time of quiet does not last long

Know that as much as it is gift to their teacher it is also something that will offer much more in return. A dedication.

Even for those who do not run tonight but who instead help there is a sense of purpose and dedication.

The race is an opportunity for all to feel part of something great and beautiful that lies both within and without.

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August 27th: Sri Chinmoy’s 74th Birthday 2005

This is a short film that captures some of the highlights of Sri Chinmoy’s birthday celebration in 2005

*Photo by Prashphutita 2003*

O my rainbow-heart-sky,
In you I see
The beauty of the Unknowable,
In you I feel
The silence of the Unknowable.

28 August 2005
New York

My Guru’s Smile

In February I heard Uddipan speak about those very precious early days, when he and his family first became students of Sri Chinmoy. It all took place more than 20 years ago, yet he made it sound timeless and fresh.

His experience is one that is instantly recognizable to all those who have found and continue to maintain a deep inner connection to Sri Chinmoy.

Please click on the link to see a short film on his talk….*apologies for the poor sound quality*

Do you know
What you will eventually see?
You will see
The invisible power of love.
Something more:
You will see
Inside the invisible power of love
The Hour of God
Which unites earth’s crying heart
And Heaven’s smiling soul.

12 Hour Walk 2016

A Photo taken at midnight on the 11th of April 1982. Sri Chinmoy along with a large group of his students participated in the 12 hour walking race on the Jamaica High School Track

In 1980 he participated in the 12 hour walk for the first time. The date was April 20th. He completed 45 1/4 miles

Footage courtesy of Abakash:

God wants you to do Him a favour
Before He does you a favour.
He wants you to keep
Your heart-door open
For a few fleeting minutes,
And then, what He will do,
You know:
For hours and hours
He will walk on your life’s shore.

Sri Chinmoy walking in 1980

One person will run the marathon in two hours and another will have to exercise patience and run it in 10 or 12 hours. The race goes to the swiftest; that is one theory.

But in the inner world, the race goes to the one who has utmost patience. Because of our infinite patience, our hope of realising God will one day be manifested into reality.

— 27 October 1983

Footage Courtesy of Abakash:

Start of the North American Peace Run….2016

Sri Chinmoy once said of the Peace Run, “It is the beginning of something unprecedented and it is the beginning of something ever transcending.”

The Peace Run is now in its 29th year, it was first inaugurated in New York in 1987. Beginning on a day that looked and felt much like it did today. Then on a cool bright April morning as an enthusiastic band of runners set off across America carrying a torch and attempting something new and unique..

Its’ goal being, only to inspire and include all those, young and old alike, who wanted more peace. Not just in themselves but also in the world around them.

Salil has been organizing the Peace Run for many years now. At this mornings ceremony, he introduced a number of people who gave highlights of the Peace over the past 29 years. Arpan read a quote from Sri Chinmoy that he said at that first ceremony. The ceremony at time was carried live on the Today show.

“Let us pray to God to grant us the capacity, out of his infinite bounty to sleeplessly serve the Peace aspiring world.”

“Let us pray to God to give us the most beautiful face of a oneness world family.”

“Let us pray to God to give us the most powerful heart of a Oneness World Home.”

“Let us pray to God to make us clearly see and soulfully feel that this world Peace Run is his own hearts inner choice and his own eye’s outer voice.”

Click to Play:

Highlights

Today the run will only go about 15 miles. As far as the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

But in just a few days the real journey out and across America and Canada begins. It will only arrive back in New York in August.

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