“It is always good when people try and inspire you.” Ananda-Lahari is evidence of one who seems to have inspiration as a constant companion in his life. He had walked a lap with another runner very early this morning who had been trying to encourage him on this his last day at the race. He continues, “there is no end to inspiration, you can have more and more inspiration. We think we have enough inspiration and 2 years later and we look back and think. O this inspiration now is so much more than then.”
“Now we think that we know but it is actually that we know 
nothing.” One thing that is crystal clear and has no philosophical overtones is that this afternoon, after Ananda-Lahari completes another 42 miles he will have finished his 5th 3100 mile Self-Transcendence race.
In the great scheme of things it will not be his fastest race but it will still nonetheless be 6 hours faster than his effort last year. Sahishnu will say at the award ceremony, “5 times is no joke. That is 15,500 miles. You have tremendous capacity. You can do 70 miles on any given day. If it is God’s grace you will come back and transcend yourself even more, not by hours but by days and days. We all see your capacity. We all know your smile and your heart, but now you have to show the world that you are great as well as good.”
Inspiration is the first step. The second and final step towards God-realisation is aspiration. He who has no inspiration is no better than a dead man. He who has inspiration, soulful inspiration, is constantly running towards and crying for the Beyond.
Rupantar had asked Ananda-Lahari yesterday whether he was excited about finishing this years race. He said, “no, I am grateful. And I did not mean for the last day, or the last 3 days or the last hour. But I feel grateful for the whole experience of being here and doing the race over 2 months.”
“When you finish it is just a moment.” He says that all spiritual philosophies essentially come back to the same conclusion when trying to understand how to approach and truly appreciate the race experience and that is to try and,” live in the moment here and now. I try and experience this fully.”
We have a discussion about ego. I am puzzled at how the subject can still exist in this world in which so much of the outer personality is buffeted by adversity that it can still even possibly exist to be contended with. He jokes at the inanity of this particular subject and says, “I spoke with other boys about this. O yes you are spending all summer running around a concrete block, year after year,” and then laughs. He says, “I think you can do it once or twice like this with a strong ego.” Eventually you cannot keep coming back if the ego is too strong he suggests. “The race is too long.”
It is a world here that is now showing so much change and yet in one respect it remains the same.
Suprabha continues to shoulder a burden that for a brief time seemed just too difficult to carry and now she makes the impossible look effortless. She is not alone of course in many ways. There are many who come and cheer and support but none can really grasp the magnitude of her journey.
There are a few of course who know a little better how hard the path is before her. Yet they are all gone now. Their journeys complete, and they take part in simple things that were not available for o so long. Maybe they have yet to dream of the next big race a long year away. Then again perhaps they are simply understanding what the journey meant to their lives and gathering a harvest of inspiration to come back again for even more self-transcendence.
Ananda-Lahari is the 10th finisher in this years race. His time was 55 days, 10 hours, 12 minutes, and 7 seconds. When asked to give he speech he responded with but one sentence. “Never give up.”
Inspiration-flood
Is my mind’s beauty.
Aspiration-sea
Is my heart’s duty.
Excerpt from Ten Thousand Flower-Flames, Part 19 by Sri Chinmoy.
Now I know the meaning of blue/gold Satisfaction-Sky. Congratulations Ananda-Lahari.