September 13, 2015
Eventual winner
Continue reading “Self-Transcendence Swim-Run ……..Harriman State Park 2015”
Tag: Sri Chinmoy
No End To Our Inner Progress….47 Mile Race
Question: Did you ever run ultra distance?
Sri Chinmoy: My longest distance was 47 miles. I did it twice. Now I no longer do it, but every year about three hundred disciples of mine from all over the world come here on my birthday and run 47 miles. Being the spiritual father of the family, it gives me tremendous joy when I see my spiritual children run 47 miles. The number 47 is very important to me because in 1947 India got its independence. With this run we are celebrating our inner freedom.
Sri Chinmoy, Sri Chinmoy answers, part 29, Agni Press, 2001
On Sri Chinmoy’s 47th birthday on August 27th in 1978, the 47 mile race first began. At the time the distance seemed impossibly long, monumentally challenging, and at the same time just the kind of thing that Guru would do to inspire and motivate we his students.
37 years have now passed and the race continues to be one of the jewels of each August celebration in New York. An event, that by starting at midnight, at the very tender beginning of what is a most sacred day, becomes a unique gift for each who takes part.
One that is received and offered up simultaneously. The runner receives something by taking part while at the same time bringing forward from within themselves the very best of who and what they are.
A fortunate few have run each and every year since then. Garima on the right won the inaugural race in 1978 in 8:00:44. She also won the race in 1981 when it was 50 Miles.
Dipali ran her first race that same year. She was second back in 1981 and this is now the 30th time she has run the race.
The start August 27th 1980
The start August 27th 2015
Continue reading “No End To Our Inner Progress….47 Mile Race”
World’s Largest Tennis Ball Mosaic….Love And Serve
It was big, it was colorful, and it was a fitting tribute to Sri Chinmoy, who so loved playing tennis. The gigantic tennis ball mosaic, made from 10,084 balls, was of course much much more than record breaking. It was a true piece of art, it was a collaboration, it was a soulful offering, and if nothing else it was good old fashioned fun. All those who witnessed its brief display, or took part in the many hours of its construction will have their own list of enthusiastic adjectives.
The creation of the tennis ball mosaic started off weeks earlier as an inspiration managed by Ashrita, who happens to have something like a devoted affection for setting new Guinness book records. Doing a spectacular new record on Sri Chinmoy’s birthday is a tradition that he has been orchestrating now for more than 10 years.
Many, almost impossibly huge things have been hammered, glued, set afire, poured, and blended together each August 27th. Each one is a fantastic project requiring lots of effort but at the same time each new Guinness record is uniquely conceived out of an artful blend of vision, whimsy, love, and devotion.
This August 27th would have been Sri Chinmoy’s 84th birthday and for ideas and inspiration Ashrita consulted with Papaha. That both loved tennis and each had had the opportunity to actually play tennis with Sri Chinmoy may have played a not small part in coming up with the idea. That the completed piece would than be displayed on the very ground that Sri Chinmoy had played so many games was also no coincidence.
The spiritual message of tennis:
Love, serve
And finally surrender
To the Supreme in the winner.
The loser who cheerfully
surrenders
To the Supreme in the winner
Becomes himself a real winner
In the inner world.
Continue reading “World’s Largest Tennis Ball Mosaic….Love And Serve”
Jai Hind Part 2…..An Adaption of Descent of the Blue
We don’t know exactly when this picture was taken but of course we know where. Most likely it was taken shortly before Sri Chinmoy left Pondicherry to come to America in 1964. In it we see a young man paying homage to his late spiritual teacher Sri Aurobindo. With his head bowed and his hands folded he stands in front of the Maha Samadhi in the very heart of the Sri Aurobindo ashram in south India.
Question: You had a teacher?
Sri Chinmoy: I had a teacher in those days. Sri Aurobindo was my teacher. I was at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram for twenty years. But then, when I became fully aware of my inner realities and existence, the Supreme became my Guru. At first, Sri Aurobindo was in the physical body, then he left the body in 1950. But once I got my inner illumination, then I found that the Absolute Supreme is the only Guru — your Guru, my Guru, everybody’s Guru. Only the Lord Supreme is the Guru of the entire world.
Sri Chinmoy, Sri Chinmoy answers, part 34, Agni Press, 2004
It is now late August of 2015. Hundreds of students of Sri Chinmoy have come to New York from around the world to honor their late Spiritual master Sri Chinmoy. It is a gathering that has been going on now for decades and continues to inspire all those who come, even those who never had the opportunity to meet their teacher in person.
Yet the spiritual life is filled with many wonders and mysteries that cannot be entirely observed, only felt within and experienced in a way unique to each and every seeker. Kaivalya Torpy once received a phone call in February of 1999 from Sri Chinmoy, asking him to produce a full length version of the play he had written about the life of Sri Aurobindo.
‘Descent of the Blue’ was a play that Sri Chinmoy had painstakingly worked on for nearly 2 years while living in the ashram in Pondicherry. Eventually it was published serially over a period of 4 years between 1958 and 1962.
When Kaivalya was asked to produce the play in 1999 it had never been performed in its entirety. At the time of his phone conversation with Sri Chinmoy he was asked to take as many hours as necessary to perform the play and also to include as many of his students as was necessary. He was very enthusiastic about seeing the play at last reaching the stage. “I want a nice big play”, he told Kaivalya.
Continue reading “Jai Hind Part 2…..An Adaption of Descent of the Blue”
August 4: You Are Guided By Your Heart
“All I can say is that this race you don’t do alone. You are never alone out there on the course. You have so many hopes and dreams and inspirations of everybody, who is following the race. It is just amazing how even though you are not really in contact with humanity. You are not in contact with newspapers and whatever. You really feel how the race is somehow percolating out there, and inspiring people.”
The sound of Nirbhasa’s Finish:
“Life is hard for everybody. Everybody is running their own version of the 3100 mile race. Everybody has their own difficulties. Definitely I felt that if I could inspire even one person to stick it out one more day. To never give up. To just push your way through the tunnel. Than that is somehow really worth it.
“Nirbhasa you did something remarkable, you finished the race on your first attempt. You have become the first Irishman to ever finish the race.”
“I think the race is really Sri Chinmoy’s philosophy in action. The mind can’t really comprehend the distance. It can’t comprehend the enormity. It can’t even comprehend doing a full day, never mind, it is just trying to get to the next break. That is about as far as the mind can handle. It is only when you live in the heart, and only when you have tremendous eagerness. A tremendous feeling of being in the moment, and just being happy, and letting it happen.”
Click to Play Nirbhasa’s Speech:
Sahishnu announces Nirbhasa’s time and data.
“Finishing in 8th place in a time of 51 days, 12 hours, 12 minutes which is an average of 60.1 miles a day or 96.8 km. He is now ranked 32nd on the list of 38 finishers.”
“We are so proud of you. It is so hard to do this race.”
Click to Play Speech:
*It is with the deepest respect and gratitude that I thank all those who have followed the race here along with me these past 52 days.
No matter whether your visits were long and rambling or that you came for just a quick click now and then. I hope you have felt even an iota of the enormous blessing that this race is to me. That you are drawn even one step closer to your own perfect perfection……..Utpal
August 3: There Is Only One Power
“I would like to thank the race directors. The undying enthusiasm from morning until eve, for so many days. Unbelievable. The cooks, unimaginable. Better and better from year to year. I don’t know how they do better but they do better every year.”
https://vimeo.com/135313678
“I wish to thank the Enthusiasm Awakeners. I would like to thank my family, Alakananda and Atandra. My fellow runners they are the best people in the world, and of course my deepest gratitude goes to my Guru, Sri Chinmoy. The one power behind every body and every thing.”
Stutisheel speech:
“Ladies and gentlemen, Stutisheel Lebedev finishes in 7th place today. His 9th finish in 11 attempts.”
“Stutisheel finishes in 50 days 12 hours and 52 minutes. Which is an average of 61.34 miles per day or 98.72km. He is ranked 16th all time.”
“Stutisheel is the consummate athlete because he is involved in every aspect of the sport. He has written books about his experiences. He has helped other runners. He helps to get them organized so that they can do well. He keeps a blog to show the reality of this race. But only he can experience the reality.”
“He has done this race and covered almost 28,000 miles. It is a staggering amount. I think he could go another 1000 miles right now. Thankyou for your inspiration it is wonderful. It is glorious, please come back again.”
Click to Play Speech:
August 2: It Is All Grace
“I just want to say that standing here with this record is really hard to believe. It is hard to believe because I had doubts until the beginning of this race. Because I always felt that I was not strong enough. That I am too weak and too tired. But there were always good persons who said, no, no!”
“You just have to come to the starting line and everything will be okay. Good that I listened to her. So I registered very very late.”
https://vimeo.com/135203193
“It is hard to believe because you cannot capture it. Because it is all grace. It is all grace, grace, grace. That I could do it at this age (56 years old).
“So what more can I say than gratitude. All gratitude to the great Sri Chinmoy Marathon team, because they are working so hard. Very very hard, and still they are all very nice. I admire this really very much.”
“Than of course I want to thank all my helpers.”
“You can be a good runner and you can accomplish nothing. You always need a team. Otherwise you will do nothing. Than of course I want to thank Nirjharini and the great cooks. They also working very hard. I also want to thank the counters and those who came around, and of course Parvati and the Enthusiasm Awakeners.”
“They give us so much joy.”
Click to Play Speech:
“Surasa Mairer from Vienna what an extraordinary performance. 3100 miles in 49 days, 7 hours, and 52 minutes. You averaged 62.84 miles per day, or 101.1 km a day. The fastest women’s time in history. You move from 26th to 21st place. You have gone 6 hours and 38 minutes faster than the previous record held by the immortal Suprabha Beckjord.
“I really thought that Surasa’s career had peaked in 2001 and 2002 when she set numerous records. She vanquished her opponents in every race for the women and sometimes the men. She has such a sweet child like nature about her.”
“I remarked when she finished her first 3100 mile race at the awards ceremony I said, I only wished that she was 10 years younger. Just to see what she could do. Now I am the one with the egg on my face.”
“She has done something extraordinary at age 56.”
“I must say she runs with lightness, with power, and with determination. Like all the great champions. They run not only because they can but they feel as though they are running towards the greater horizon. We all become better as they better themselves.”
Click to Play Speech:
August 1: Good to Have Goals
The practical world has lots and lots to offer us. It has countless comforts and many many remarkable things but it is missing something that is most significant to all of us. The practical world does not have dreams of transcendence.
https://vimeo.com/135147980
photo by Alakananda
The practical world has boundaries and dimensions that can be measured and recorded and kept safe. Human beings need to have firm structures in order to pursue the things that matter to them. But spiritual seekers feel the call and pull of the divine world that exists within us all. A realm of light that has no dimensions or boundaries.
The practical world doesn’t want or feel the need to look within. The divine world however is compelled to express itself continuously in the outer world in and through those willing to transform themselves. In this same process the outer world is as well transformed. In so doing, the divine creation evolves into the perfect perfection of what the creator intended.
Today 37 year old Atmavir Spacil from the Czech republic completed the Self Transcendence race for the 8th time. He came in 5th and his time was 48 days 7 hours and 13 minutes. He did something that no practical person would do.
He won nothing. His name will not appear on the news tonight and other than the few hundred people who follow the race, most of the world will not even know what a remarkable thing he has done here today.
His distance over 8 years (24,800 miles) is enough to take him around the world. Atmavir has run now 45,192 times around a school in Queens New York in a time span that would take up a full year of his life. What he has done and what he actually has accomplished cannot be explained or understood by the practical world.
Spirituality expresses itself in and through him with each of the countless steps, laps, and miles that he has completed here. Is the world changed by it in ways that we can see and understand?
Only our hearts can feel and understand this. Atmavir however has no questions of this as he crossed the finish line of Self transcendence yet again. As he truly sits down for the first time in many many days. A large cake is placed upon his lap and he promises to the few happy souls gathered around and about him, to come back next year and do it all again.
Click to Play the Sound of his finish:
July 31: This Is My Life
She has run with exceptional courage and tenacity. 44 year old Kaneenika Janakova is an incredibly gifted multi day runner, but now with just 5 days to go, it looks as though she will not make it to the peak of the 3100 mile mountain.
She is heart breakingly close, and all those who care and support her are as one. All collectively feel the ache of watching a champion just miss what she has set out to do.
https://vimeo.com/135097113
But like all great atheletes and also, like all exceptional spiritual seekers, Kaneenika every day now demonstrates a bravery and volcanic tenacity that is truly inspiring and uplifting. On this bare stage of hard concrete she just keeps going forward.
We who watch cannot really imagine just how much effort she puts into each painful stride. Each step now though taking her further into the illumining realm of self transcendence. Where the true goal is not about something outer, like numbers but is something instead that is discovered and revealed only within us when we seriously strive for it. Something attained only when we give our all, like Kaneenika has for the past 47 days.
Kaneenika has received lots of help this race. She freely admits that all her helpers have been indispensable. “Definitely the helpers are very essential in a race like this. This race is not just about the runner. It is team work. You really need a team of people to do this race. They are definitely running with me.”
“I knew it would be hard. I never thought it would be easy. They are never easy these races. I didn’t think it would go this way. What happened happened. I just have to surrender.” (she smiles)….she ran 54 miles yesterday and now has 2779 miles
“I am getting all kinds of emails from people, since the beginning of the race. Maybe people don’t realize, but each message that people send is almost like a magic pain killer, and energy booster. Every time I read an email, particularly when I was in trouble for example. ( my foot or blisters or I had no energy)
“After I read the message I just went on. Definitely people who are sending or even if they are not sending messages. I know they are thinking of us and they are praying for us. That is very important.”
When asked how she views the course which she has circled 5064 times in the past 47 days. “I think it is already different. In the morning when I am approaching the course in the car. I just feel……it is just so sacred. You cannot really describe it. It is definitely special and divine. There is so much happening on each level.”
“I had a really hard time after my fall, and the injuries that came. It was hard for me to get back to my source. Than Guru actually tricked me. Somehow I thought I shouldn’t be listening to any other music than Sri Chinmoy’s music.”
Kaneenika than describes an incident when she was listening to her mp3 player and accidentally hit the wrong button and something else began to play.
“Different music came on, and I started laughing. I think that was the point when I released whatever was inside that I was holding to. So I thought that Guru had tricked me. Than I realized that it is okay to also listen to other music.”
Than I was listening to something else and I had an experience. I saw a screen with a movie playing and it was showing when I first came to become a student of Sri Chinmoy. I saw the poster. I saw the first function with Sri Chinmoy when I came to New York. Everything was playing in front of me. I just felt so much gratitude. Since than I think something really changed in me.”
“I know that the numbers are not important. What is important is what consciousness we are in.”
When asked what she will feel about day 52. “I think I will be happy but at the same time there will be sadness. Because this is my life now. Every morning I am thinking. My God I hope this is the last morning. But once it is over there will be something missing in my life.”
Click to Play:
July 30: Deep Inside My Heart
With just a little more than an hour remaining in the day, a very joyful Yuri Trostenyuk crossed the finish line of the Self Transcendence 3100 mile race for the 3rd time. After songs had been sung and a cake and flowers offered to him Yuri had this to say.
https://vimeo.com/134999037
“Today a very important job has been done by me. Heaven has sent a message. The earth is happy that it has received the light of the heaven. Every one of the runners of the 3100 mile race is a winner.”
“I have transcended myself. (21 hours faster than last year) I have conquered my inner imperfections. I have dived deep inside my heart and I saw God himself there. I saw joy and happiness there. I am very grateful to all of your kind hearts and prayerful hands for all the help that has been offered to me.”
“And I have special words of gratitude for Souls from the Oneness Dream Boat Shore. This achievement came from the power of their soul’s love. That was the source of my energy. My energy and my power I took from the Oneness Dream Boat Shore heart power.”
“Today my heart is all about joy, happiness, and love. I want to share all of this with you.” (Throws his heart again and again out to the crowd with wide sweeping gestures of his hands.”
Click to Play Sounds of Yuri’s Finish:
“This year was Yuri’s 3rd consecutive finish. He ran it in a personal best of 45 days, 16 hours, and 45 minutes. Taking 21 hours and 55 minutes of his previous best.”
“If you consider last year he took 3 days off his previous best. It is not easy to do this, to keep getting faster and faster.”
“Another ironic thing that he did with all the personal bests. He started the race in 9th fastest all time and he ended up in 11th place thanks to Ashprihanal, Galya, and Vasu. They all ran extremely well as did he. The first 4 finishers have all set personal bests. This is an incredible race.”
” Yuri you are nothing but heart. When you run you run with the heart. You run with the heart of not only Oneness Dream Boat Shore but of all the seekers of the world.”
“You are 50 years old. But your are more like 5 years old. You run with a sweetness and a subtle intensity is also there. You are trying to please your Supreme in his own way. It is a beautiful thing. We are all so grateful that you are such a shining example for all other seekers, for decades to come. Age is no barrier. You are the proof.”
Click to Play Sahishnu’s Speech: