I prayerfully bow to the soul of Russia
I prayerfully bow to the soul of Russia
I soulfully dedicate this book to my most beloved President Gorbachev and my most highly esteemed sister, Raisa Maximovna
Letter
Sri ChinmoySri Chinmoy Center, New York
Moscow, August 2004
Dear Sri Chinmoy,
From the bottom of my heart I wish you a Happy Birthday, good health and more successes in your noble activities for peace and humanism.
Communicating with you always gives me much joy. It is with great pleasure that I recall our recent meeting in Moscow, our sincere conversations and your readiness to support the work of Russian humanitarian organizations, including our Foundation.
Your recent trip to Moscow and your appearances at well-known centers of learning made a great impression on our public. Your activities, which are buttressed by the United Nations authority, are taking on an increasingly important international significance.
I embrace you, dear friend, and once again wish you all the best.
Yours,
Mikhail Gorbachev
Translated by Igor Korchilov
1. Philosophy
Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia Philosophical Anthropology FacultySaint Petersburg, Russia Tuesday, 25 May 2004 11:00 a.m. — 1:00 p.m.
Before the lecture, Sri Chinmoy received the “Golden Owl” Sign of Honour, the highest award of Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, “For enormous support in the development of sciences about man.” The Award was presented by Professor V.A. Rabosh, Dean of the Philosophical Anthropology Faculty.
Philosophy
My esteemed Professor Rabosh, I wish to express my gratitude to you from the very depths of my heart for blessing me with this signal Award. I wish to say a few words on philosophy in general.Philosophy means wisdom-aspiration, wisdom-revelation and wisdom-manifestation.
If we approach philosophy with the mind, for the fulfilment only of the mind, then it is nothing short of dryness. If we approach philosophy with the heart, for the heart and life proper, then it is most useful and fruitful.
Earth-bound philosophy is afraid of entering into Heaven-free philosophy because Heaven-free philosophy is unbounded. Heaven-free philosophy is afraid of entering into earth-bound philosophy because it may be caught in earth’s quagmire.
Eastern philosophy has tremendous fondness for the ever-transcending Beyond although it does not see the Beyond, not to speak of having a free access to the Beyond. But it feels that there shall come a time when it will be able to see the Beyond, be with the Beyond and be for the Beyond. Uncertainty looms large in the Western philosophy when it has to convincingly and completely accept the Reality-Existence of the Beyond.
Two philosophies: the outer and the inner. The outer philosophy thinks that its source is sound founded upon power. The inner philosophy feels that its source is delight founded upon silence.
The supreme philosophy of the God-seeker and God-lover is the awareness of God-Eternity, God-Infinity and God-Immortality founded upon Omnipresence-God-Oneness.
Philosophy loves wisdom-light. Each human being thinks that he is wiser than others. His wisdom surpasses others' wisdom; therefore, he gives advice, sought and quite often unsought.
We are all self-styled philosophers but our hearts are not vast enough to claim the entire world as our own, very own. Socrates, the philosopher of philosophers, had an all-pervading oneness-heart. Therefore, he was able to say “I am not an Athenian. I am a Cosmopolitan.”
There are two kinds of philosophy: the human philosophy and the divine philosophy. The human philosophy is nothing short of division-mind-supremacy. The divine philosophy is oneness-heart-intimacy.
The human philosophy is a mind-jungle that is all dryness or darkness. The human philosophy likes to dictate and not to listen or embrace.
The divine philosophy is: give wisdom and take wisdom. The divine philosophy is not satisfied just by saying something great and good but by becoming the perfect embodiment of greatness and goodness.
The philosophy of the East and the philosophy of the West. The philosophy of the East tells us: “Go beyond, go beyond! Truth abides in the Beyond, the ever-transcending Beyond.”
The philosophy of the West tells us: “Go around, go around! Spread out, spread out new capacities, quantities and qualities.”
The philosophy of the East: God-invitation, God-expectation and God-union.
The philosophy of the West: God-multiplication, God-revelation and God-distribution.
The philosophy of the East: who I was, who I am and who I shall become. Who was I? God the Dream. Who am I? God the Reality. Who shall I become? A prototype of God.
The philosophy of the West: “Go forward, go forward! Look not behind. Look not sideways. The Merciful God is beckoning you.”
The philosophy of the East and the philosophy of the West have a common goal: satisfaction, satisfaction infinite. This satisfaction comes into existence only from one thing: self-giving, sleepless self-giving and nothing else.
Let us invoke Pushkin to bless us with his nectar-flooded wisdom:
“But, friends, I do not want to die. I want to live, so as to think and suffer.”
Descartes declares his inner awareness and outer assertion:
“I think, therefore I am.”
The seeker in me soulfully proclaims:
I am because God there is. I am an eternal Now, for my Source is so.
What is my Source? God the Eternity’s Cry and God the Infinity’s Smile.
What Plato, the philosopher par excellence, said about philosophy is at once charming, deep and prophetic: “Philosophy is the highest music.”
The philosopher and mathematician Whitehead said, “Philosophy asks the simple question: ‘What is it all about?’” We know the answer. It is either all about God the Creator or all about God the creation.
Plutarch said, “Philosophy is the art of living.” We may safely add, “Philosophy is the art of self-searching and truth-becoming.”
“There are more things in Heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” So said Shakespeare. Indeed, every day, every hour, every minute, every second, God creates countless things, countless thoughts, countless ideas, countless ideals and countless goals for the betterment of the world and the transformation of the earth.
[Then Sri Chinmoy extemporaneously set music to the following poem which he wrote for this occasion.]
O vast philosophy,
O great philosopher,
Higher worlds’ message-secrecy
Down you bring to offer.
2. Medicine
Pavlov State Medical University of Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg, Russia Tuesday, 25 May 2004 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Dedication
I lovingly, soulfully and gratefully dedicate to-day’s talk to the most glorious Soul of my highly esteemed Sister Raisa Maximovna.
Raisa Maximovna Gorbachev and her daughter Irina
Raisa Maximovna Gorbachev and her daughter, Irina, with Sri Chinmoy at an exhibit of his paintings and drawings in New York City on May 12th, 1992. Sri Chinmoy lovingly and devotedly dedicated his art exhibit to Raisa Maximovna.
Note
Before the lecture, Professor N.A. Yaitskiy, Rector of Saint Petersburg Pavlov State Medical University, presented Sri Chinmoy with a Commemorative Medal on the occasion of his University’s 100th anniversary.
Medicine
I lovingly, soulfully and gratefully dedicate to-day’s talk to the most glorious soul of my highly esteemed Sister Raisa Maximovna.There are four doctors: the medicine-doctor, the prayer-doctor, the faith-doctor and the God-Doctor. The medicine-doctor depends on earth-discoveries. The prayer-doctor depends on God-Compassion. The faith-doctor and the faith-patient work together to establish the satisfactory result for the patient. The God-Doctor decides what is best for the patient and does the needful in and through the medicine-doctor, the prayer-doctor and the faith-doctor.
God gets tremendous joy when these three doctors work together. Alas, it happens so rarely. The medicine-doctor prides itself on its stupendous capacity. The prayer-doctor gives full credit when its prayers are fulfilled to the ultimate Doctor, God. The faith-doctor gives credit to the medicine-doctor, more so to the prayer-doctor and infinitely more to the God-Doctor.
Medicine-doctors are physically visible and available. Alas, the innocent patient-victims pitifully suffer when the medicine-doctors enjoy their utter disagreements. The patient’s life-breath plies between the compassion-medicine-doctor and the indifference-medicine-doctor.
With your kind permission, I wish to narrate a personal experience of mine. My right knee and I have been suffering from severe pain for the last twenty years. Not once, not twice, but thrice I have had sad experiences from my MRI examinations.
The doctors have differences of opinions. The first doctor said it is cartilage damage. The second doctor said that it is water inside the knee, unwanted water. The third doctor gave his opinion that it is rheumatism. My California doctors and New York doctors were in perfect disagreement.
Anyway, because of these three differing opinions I had to take treatment for all these three so-called ailments. To my greatest sorrow, my right knee still suffers unbearably, unimaginably.
There is an Irish saying: “God made time; man made haste.” There are some doctors who are compassion incarnate. They give all their time, energy and concern to cure their patients, while there are other doctors who have no time, no time. Time is fleeing away and their concern is also fleeing away faster than the fastest.
It is true that no matter how much concern, how much love one has as a doctor for his patient, only if it is the Will of God does the patient continue to live on Mother Earth. But the kindness, concern and sympathy of the doctor for the patient give tremendous hope and joy to the patient. This hope and joy are not wasted.
We believe in reincarnation. When the patient goes to the other world, he or she carries with them their inner existence. And when the soul comes into the world with a human body once again, this particular patient of the past, brings down the concern, hope and all the good things that the patient received in his previous incarnations from the medical science. No good deed can ever end in vain. Today’s good deeds are bound to be fulfilled at God’s choice Hour.
I have mentioned the unfortunate negligence and indifference of certain doctors, but again there are many doctors, to my deepest joy, who are aspiration, concentration and dedication incarnate. Their concern for the recovery of the patient can only be felt and never be described.
Spirituality and medicine are two great doctors. Spirituality dives deep within to cure the malady. Medicine explores here, there and all-where to cure the malady. If the divers and the explorers work together against ignorance, the root of all diseases, then it will be remarkably easier to conquer each ailment.
The body suffers from countless diseases. It starts with a headache and ends in cancer. The mind suffers from many diseases. It starts with anger and ends in self-doubt. The heart suffers from many diseases. It starts with depression and ends in insecurity. Life suffers from many diseases. It starts with ignorance and ends in self-destruction.
Physical diseases are difficult to cure. Mental diseases are more difficult to cure. Psychic diseases are still more difficult to cure. Life-diseases, alas, are almost incurable.
Medical science is not the supreme authority on life and death. Spirituality, because of its conscious and inseparable oneness with the Will of the Absolute Supreme, has and is the supreme authority on life and death.
At times, medical science proudly predicts that the patient will die sooner than at once. But, to the greatest happiness of the patient, the patient gets a compassion-life-extension for three or four decades from Above. Spirituality does not and cannot perform this miracle, but spirituality unmistakably knows how the miracle was performed and Who was behind it.
About thirty years ago, I was fortunate enough to offer a soulful talk on medical science to a medical university in Cebu City in the Philippines. Just because it was a medical university, there were quite a few doctors and nurses who were kind enough to be present.
I said to the doctors that if some individuals are in a tug-of-war, and if two are on one side and on the other side there is only one individual, there is every likelihood that the side that has two will win. Similarly, if the man of prayers and the man of medicine are on one side in the tug-of-war and against them there is only one player, ignorance, then naturally the side that has two members is going to win.
We must work together. Prayer comes from the inner world and medicine comes from the outer world. Both are equally important. The inner world and the outer world must work together. Then it will be quite easy for us to conquer the world that stands against us. We must not work independently. We must work interdependently.
If spirituality and medical science play their roles interdependently, like inhaling and exhaling, then God’s Heart-Garden will be inundated with earth-beauty and Heaven-Fragrance.
I shall deeply appreciate it if the audience would kindly join me in singing a short song that I have composed for this occasion. As I said, we must work together, together. With our prayers, with our songs, in all our activities, if we work together then we are bound to be successful in our lives.
Four doctors, four:
Medicine-doctor, prayer-doctor,
Faith-doctor, God-Doctor,
I bow to you four.
You give me health-preservation-lore;
You show me health-perfection-shore.
In all sincerity, I wish to say that this particular University has given me boundless joy and boundless satisfaction. I bow to the medicine-world. I bow to the medicine-world. I bow to the medicine-world. I pray to God for your continued success and progress to elevate the sufferings of humanity.
3. Science
Smolny College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Saint Petersburg State UniversitySaint Petersburg, Russia Wednesday, 26 May 2004 11:00 a.m.
The Philological Department of Saint Petersburg State University and the Smolny Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences awarded Sri Chinmoy the Commemorative Medal of Babel. The Award was presented by the Director of the Smolny Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Assistant Professor V.M. Monakhov. The Award presentation took place on 24 May 2004 at the opening of Sri Chinmoy’s Jharna-Kala Art exhibition at the Dyagilev Centre of Arts Exhibition Hall, located in St. Petersburg State University.
Science
Dear brothers and sisters, I bow and bow and bow to the soul and the heart of this great University. I wish to offer you my heart’s soulful gratitude for giving me this signal opportunity to be of service to your august University.With your kind permission I wish to say a few words on science from the spiritual point of view. I am a man of prayers. From deep within, the messages that I have received from my prayers with regard to science I would like to share with you.
Science is
The indomitable power
Of the mind.
Science is
The invincible light
Of the mind.
Science is
The division-capacity.
Science is
The union-quality.
Science is
The distance-conqueror.
Science is
The world-success-noise.
Science is
The world-progress-voice.
Science is
Victory’s rapture-dance.
Science was
Yesterday’s dream-boat.
Science is
Today’s reality-shore.
Science has given humankind
Countless treasure-gifts
And will continue to do so
In the ever-approaching future.
Science is the breathtaking vision
Of the Unknown
For humanity.
Science is the greatest builder
Of the unparalleled
Opportunity-fulfilment-roads.
Science is the bravest server
Of all God the creation-servers.
Each scientific research
Is at once
An earthly duty
And
A Heavenly reward.
Science is the finisher of the old
And the welcomer of the new,
In the same breath.
Science is not only a dream-boat,
But also a dream-fulfilled boatman
Of humanity’s life-river.
No sooner said than done:
What science precisely is.
Science journeys
From newness to fulness
And from fulness to self-transcendence.
To me,
Einstein’s Theory of Relativity
Is at once
Multiplicity’s roar
And
Unity’s shore.
Science and the modern life: they are interdependent. Science is the doer. The modern life is the action. Science is. The modern life has. Science is creativity. The modern life has receptivity.
Science has two specific roles: creation-birth and destruction-death. Alas, at times it happens that the greater the scientific progress, the stronger our despair and fear. The science that can surcharge us with power can also make us utterly hopeless and helpless. Science is our invaluable friend and unthinkable enemy alike.
Science is the mind-glory. If it listens to the heart-story, science will be only for good deeds and for the betterment of the world. Science can easily awaken us from sleep-indulgence-life. It can show us and give us a happiness-heart and a fulness-life.
Matter and spirit are two eternal players. Together they play, together they fulfil each other. Matter takes help from spirit for its complete transformation. Spirit takes help from matter for its dream-manifestation upon earth, here and now. Science takes help from matter and spirit both, to perform its stupendous task.
Perfection will dawn here on earth only when the man of prayer and the man of science can establish a genuine friendship and walk side by side towards the self-same goal: humanity’s happiness, humanity’s satisfaction and humanity’s fulfilment both in the inner world and in the outer world. If both the worlds are not happy at the same time, there will always be a tug-of-war between the world within and the world without.
Self-giving: the inner world’s sacred joy. Self-advancing: the outer world’s powerful joy. If they go together, they will give birth to Infinity’s Peace and Bliss in humanity’s heart, mind and life.
Science and religion must go together. Religion brings down the message-light from Above, and science spreads this light throughout the length and breadth of the world. Science and religion are interdependent. What the great scientist Einstein proclaims about science and religion is absolutely true: “Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind.”
India’s great philosopher S. Radhakrishnan speaks extremely highly of science, comparing it with the wisdom of the sages who voice forth about God and the inner life: “Science has achieved more for the emancipation of masses than the wisdom of sages.”
The great thinker Bertrand Russell makes a most significant distinction between science and philosophy: “Science is what you know; philosophy is what you do not know.”
The students of science-mind-school and the students of prayer-heart-school must develop reciprocal appreciation and admiration. O students, first become a oneness-fulness-song. Then God the Creator and God the creation will proclaim His absolute Vision-Fulfilment-Victory here on earth.
[Sri Chinmoy invited the audience to join him as he sang one of his own compositions:]
I find, I find, I find, I find
Science is the power-tower of the mind.
I know, I know, I know, I know
Science is the cosmic energy-flow.
[Sri Chinmoy then performed on the sitar before offering his final words.]
My dear brothers and sisters, my friends who are connected with this University, and those who have made it possible for me to be here today, please accept gratitude from the very depths of my heart for having given me the golden opportunity to be of service to your august University.
4. Health
National Health InstituteSt. Petersburg, Russia Thursday, 27 May 2004 9:00 a.m.
The Scientific Board of the National Health Institute conferred the degree of Honorary Doctor of the National Health Institute upon Sri Chinmoy “for his outstanding contribution to the maintenance and strengthening of the health of the peoples of the world.” The Diploma of Honorary Doctor was presented to Sri Chinmoy by the Rector of the National Health Institute, Professor P.P. Gorbenko.
Health
The National Health Institute: this very name is so inspiring, aspiring, illumining and fulfilling. Health is of paramount importance and the nation pays all attention to health. I am extremely happy and deeply honoured to be here to offer my dedicated service to this great Institute.
Man’s health
Is
God’s Wealth.
Man’s health-perfection
Is
God’s Heart-Satisfaction.
The body is the temple.
The soul is the shrine.
The body is the dreamer.
The soul is the fulfiller.
No health,
No journey forward,
Upward
And inward.
Health-infirmity
Is
Death-proximity.
The body fears;
Death nears.
National Health Institute,
To your vision-light
I bow and bow.
National health-smile is
Nation’s victory-adventure
Guaranteed.
Health-perfection
Defies
Disease-intervention.
Stark poverty
Is not the only cause
Of ill health.
Health-attention-discipline-bankruptcy
Is the main cause
Of poor health.
Health-imperfection
Is the order of the day.
Therefore, military-disease-army
Ruthlessly attacks and damages
The body-fort.
Man’s body-perfection
Is God’s
Dream-Harvest-Satisfaction.
Man’s body-perfection
Is God’s
New creation-inspiration,
New creation-aspiration
And new creation-manifestation.
I pray to God,
Not for the body of a boxer,
Not for the body of a wrestler,
But for the body of a God-believer,
God-lover and God-server.
I pray to God to bless me
With perfect body-fitness,
So that I will not be cowed down
By the buffets of disease-dragons.
I pray to God to bless me
With a Divinity-Illumination-surcharged body,
So that I can manifest here on earth
God-Infinity’s Peace
And God-Immortality’s Bliss.
Not body-comfort-indulgence,
But body-competence-effulgence,
Humanity's singular need.
There is an Indian saying from the hoary past:
Nayamatma balahinena labhya
The soul cannot be won
By the weakling.
The soul can be won only
By the brave.
[Sri Chinmoy invited the audience to join him as he sang one of his own compositions:]
Man’s health
Is God’s Wealth.
Man’s health-perfection
Is God’s Heart-Satisfaction.
I wish to offer my prayerful and soulful gratitude to the authorities of the National Health Institute for having given me the golden opportunity to be of service to the soul, the heart and the life of this Institute.
I shall pray for the stupendous success and enormous progress of this great Health Institute, for the outer success and inner progress of this inspiring, aspiring and self-giving Health Institute.
[Sri Chinmoy received the award of Honorary Doctor. During the award presentation ceremony, Professor P.P. Gorbenko read out the following slogan of the National Health Institute:]
Healthy world to your family members.
Healthy world to all peoples of our planet."
The body's health is essential. Inside the body is the soul, our inner existence. What we need is physical fitness, not physical supremacy to defeat others and glorify ourselves. We need health, physical fitness, which is of paramount importance. When we are physically fit, we can achieve the things that we need most in our life. It is only through physical fitness that we can achieve what we desire and fulfil our lofty aspiration. Therefore, we must keep our body always fit to love God and to serve God in humanity.
5. United Nations
International University (in Moscow) The University Great Conference HallMoscow, Russia Friday, 28 May 2004 11:00 a.m.
Dedicated to the International University in Moscow and to the Soul of the United Nations at United Nations Headquarters in New York
Following the lecture, Sri Chinmoy was presented with the Medal of Honour of the International University (in Moscow) by Dr. S.N. Krasavchenko, Rector of the University.
United Nations
Highly esteemed Rector of this International University, you have said so many kind things about me and you have lavished such praise upon me. I do hope that in this lifetime I may deserve even an iota of your most compassionate appreciation.I bow to the soul of this august University. I bow to the soul of the United Nations. With the blessings of these two souls, I wish to say a few words about the United Nations.
Every day, countless world-progress-dreams are being born in the heart of the United Nations.
Not a division-independence, but an illumining and fulfilling interdependence is the sublime ideal of the United Nations.
Once a country joins the United Nations, there is no exit from the soul of the United Nations.
The soul of the United Nations at once inspires, energises and treasures all the countries alike, in the same breath.
Every day is a fresh world-service-perfection-satisfaction-attempt at the United Nations.
Every day the United Nations is bravely clearing stark world-ignorance-division-jungles.
From the world-illumining heart of the United Nations, we come to learn that certain unfortunate countries do not succeed in improving their quantities, qualities and capacities, not because of their unconscious foolishness, but precisely because of their conscious selfishness.
Each country can offer a unique experience-delight to all the members of the United Nations.
The outer sound-speeches at the United Nations at times may not produce satisfactory results, but the inner silence-speeches from the heart of the United Nations do illumine the minds and the lives of all the countries.
The United Nations is not a mere whisper of world-oneness-hope, but an ever-strengthening and ever-spreading promise for the transformation of humanity's mind.
The United Nations is an unmistakable adaptability-assurance.
The United Nations is a world-division-fire-extinguisher-aspiration.
Every day God cheerfully and proudly lengthens the tolerance-breath of the world-transformation-dreamer: the United Nations.
Every day the heart of the United Nations goes everywhere, lovingly and genuinely, to establish a war-free world. Alas, the adversary-forces ruthlessly bring the well-deserved UN expectation-fulfilment to a standstill.
Peace we desperately need. War we unscrupulously, nay, shamelessly declare. War-declaration is aggression-supremacy-assertion. War shall eternally remain empty of real joy, the joy that unites, elevates and fulfils humanity’s heart.
What does the soul of the United Nations precisely want? It wants to build war-free oneness-joy-bridges between all human hearts.
Alas, on earth,
To our deepest sadness,
The United Nations
Is ruthlessly ridiculed;
But high in Heaven,
The United Nations is most lovingly
And fondly cradled
By the cosmic gods and goddesses
And by the Absolute Lord Supreme.
My truth-searching mind
Is speaking of the United Nations.
My God-crying heart
Is speaking for the United Nations.
God’s choice Hour has struck.
The United Nations —
The hidden Heart-Treasure of God —
Shall be found at the Golden Shore of the Beyond
For the world to appreciate, admire,
Adore and finally become
The Beauty and Fragrance of God’s
Supremely unparalleled Treasure
Here on earth.
President Gorbachev, a supreme leader of the world whose mind is openness and whose heart is oneness, most eloquently tells the world what the United Nations stands for and what it can do for the establishment of a universal oneness-heart: “The United Nations blends together the interests of different states. It is the only organisation capable of merging into a single current their bilateral, regional and global efforts.”
Can there be any world-illumining message better and higher than this?
President Gorbachev to quote again: “What we need is Star Peace and not Star Wars.”
The vision-flooded proclamation of Trygve Lie, the first Secretary-General of the United Nations, runs thus: “The United Nations is the Supreme Law of the world ” How I wish this brave pronouncement of Trygve Lie would be manifested as an undisputed reality here on this earth-planet!
Dag Hammarskjold, the second Secretary-General, whose mind was all illumination, offered a most significant message for the betterment and enlightenment of this world: “Our work for peace must begin within the private world of each one of us. To build for man a world without fear, we must be without fear; to build a world of justice, we must be just. And how can we fight for liberty if we are not free, in our own minds?”
The third Secretary-General, U Thant, who was at once pious and self-giving in silence and deeds, voiced forth this most prophetic utterance: “We have already begun to realise that in modern war there is no such thing as victor and vanquished: that there is only a loser, and that loser is mankind.”
Sleeplessly the soul of the United Nations is exercising its adamantine willpower to found a world completely empty of destruction-dream, a world flooded with the unprecedented beauty of harmony and the unparalleled fragrance of peace.
Let all the world-citizens pray to God in unison for all the lofty and loftier and loftiest dreams of the United Nations to blossom as world-transforming realities.
I am extremely fortunate to be blessed by the soul and the heart of the United Nations. Long thirty-four years ago, U Thant, the third Secretary-General, made a request to me to offer my prayerful service to the United Nations. Since then, every Tuesday and Friday I have been going to the United Nations to offer prayers and meditations. All the diplomats, delegates and staff are welcome to take part. We have a well-established Meditation Group at the UN Headquarters to love and serve the United Nations: the Body of the World and the Soul of the World.
[Sri Chinmoy invited his students who work at the United Nations to sing some of his songs dedicated to the Organisation. The words of these songs follow:]
UN; UN!
With you began
A fulness-cry in oneness-sky.
For you I see a flood-ecstasy.
O Dream of God,
O dream of man,
Your soul smiles with perfection-plan.
O love of Truth, O truth of Love,
I see your flood of dance above.
O Body of the World, O Soul of the World,
In you the nest of cosmic oneness-rest.
Yours is the nectar-role,
Our soul's desire to grow
In your duty’s vision-glow.
6. Freedom
Lomonosov Moscow State University Center of Public InformationMoscow, Russia Monday, 31 May 2004 11:00 a.m. — 1:00p.m.
I bow to the soul and heart of this august University. I also bow to the most illustrious student of this University, President Gorbachev.
And today, my talk on freedom I am dedicating most lovingly and most gratefully to President Gorbachev, the greatest leader of humankind.
Photograph
On March 4th, 1998 Sri Chinmoy welcomes President Gorbachev and Raisa Maximovna to a celebration of the President’s 67th Birthday at the Waldorf-Astoria Towers in New York, Sri Chinmoy was delighted and honoured to have Raisa Maximovna present the birthday cake to the President on this joy-flooded occasion.
Photograph
During the finale of Sri Chinmoy’s private concert for President Gorbachev and Raisa Maximovna on March 4th, 1998, at the Waldorf-Astoria Towers, President Gorbachev exuberantly sings “Moscow Nights” in his sonorous voice as Sri Chinmoy accompanies. On display was a collection of the President’s published writings in addition to Sri Chinmoy’s many writings about the President and his family.
Photography
Sri Chinmoy offers his lecture on “Freedom” at the Lomonosov Moscow State University on 31 May 2004. This lecture was given at the invitation of the Centre of Public Information of the MSU.
Note
Following the lecture, Sri Chinmoy was presented with a Letter of Gratitude from the Centre of Public Information of Lomonosov Moscow State University. The letter was presented by the Chairman of the Board of the Centre of Public Information, Professor V.Y. Paschenko.
Freedom
I bow to the soul and heart of this august University. I also bow to the most illustrious student of this University, President Gorbachev. And today, my talk on freedom I am dedicating most lovingly and most gratefully to President Gorbachev, the greatest leader of humankind.Now I am asking my students to sing a song which I composed on President Gorbachev many years ago.
[Sri Chinmoy’s students sing the following song in English and Russian.]
Freedom-grower, Freedom-giver, Freedom-delight!
The liberator-sun of the world’s division-night.
Love-peace-fountain, Mikhail
Earth and Heaven’s oneness-thrill.
Gorbachev, Gorbachev,
All-where the peace-blossom-tree.
The master-key of the global heart,
Bondage world-free.
Freedom is happiness. Freedom is fulness. Freedom can be otherwise, as well. Freedom can bring about untold miseries.
Human beings need freedom — freedom from tyranny, freedom from slavery, freedom from bondage, freedom from ignorance. Some human beings want freedom in creation, while others want freedom in destruction. Still others need freedom in aspiration and dedication.
Freedom can be a sea of peace. Freedom can be utterly empty of peace.
The outer freedom wants to enjoy Himalayan supremacy. The inner freedom wants to enjoy singular ecstasy.
The outer freedom quite often leads us nowhere. The inner freedom safely takes us all-where.
The freedom of the body is shockingly limited. The freedom of the soul is unimaginably unlimited.
The freedom of the mind is earth-bound. Why? Because it wants to enjoy happiness by division. The freedom of the heart is Heaven-free. Why? Precisely because it wants to enjoy happiness by union and multiplication.
Each thought has the capacity to carry either freedom-immensity or bondage-intensity.
The freedom-hunger to conquer and dominate the lives of others is founded upon utter stupidity and ultimately ends in self-destruction. Again, the freedom-hunger that aspires to win the hearts and lives of others — the world-heart, in a sense — by virtue of unconditional self-giving embodies happiness in infinite measure.
Desire-freedom and aspiration-freedom. Desire-freedom wants to be millions of miles ahead of the rest of the world. Aspiration-freedom longs to be with the world, in the world and for the world, sleeplessly and self-givingly.
Desire-freedom ultimately ends in happiness-bankruptcy. Aspiration-freedom is happiness-multitude-multiplication forever.
Freedom with no wisdom-light is an unconscious danger-invitation. Freedom with wisdom-light is a de-light-heart-song and a delight-life-dance.
Sound-freedom has a very short breath, therefore, a very short life; while silence-freedom has a ceaseless breath, therefore, an immortal life.
Sri Aurobindo, India’s spiritual Master of the highest Height, enlightens us: “Only when one is free can one free others.”
Rabindranath Tagore, India’s greatest poet, tells us: “We gain freedom when we have paid the full price for our right to live.”
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, India’s greatest freedom-fighter, tells us: “The road to freedom is not strewn with roses, it is a path covered with thorns, but at the end of it, there is the full-blown rose of liberty awaiting the tired pilgrim.”
It is not that we never had freedom but, unfortunately and to our great sorrow, we misused it. President Gorbachev enlightens us: “Society was given freedom, became liberated politically and spiritually. It is the main accomplishment which we did not yet realise fully as such because we did not yet learn how to use freedom.”
America’s great President Abraham Lincoln tells us: “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.”
Equanimity in possession and equanimity in renunciation is, indeed, Infinity’s freedom-bliss. I pray to God to free me from likes and dislikes, to free me from possession-greed, to free me from the dire world-domination-necessity.
I pray to God, I pray to God, I pray to God and I shall forever pray to God only for one thing: a sleepless and breathless God-obedience-freedom.
Now I am inviting my singer students to come up once again and sing a song which I composed in 1990 for Raisa Maximovna. My most highly esteemed Sister Raisa Maximovna was also a most brilliant student of this University.
[Sri Chinmoy’s students sing in English and Russian.]
Raisa, O rainbow-queen
Of culture-light,
The soul-wisdom giver
Of summit-height.
Indeed, a thunder-roar
And flower-fragrance,
And effulgence-glow,
Empty of ignorance
Russia's seed, Raisa,
A cosmos-tree,
Snow-white fondness, oneness
And fullness free.
Once more I offer my soulful gratitude to this great University and this gratitude comes from the inmost recesses of my heart.
7. Music
Russian Gnesins’ Academy of Music Great Concert HallMoscow, Russia Monday, 31 May 2004 7:00 p.m. — 9:00 p.m.
Before the lecture, Sri Chinmoy received a Medal of Honour from the Russian Gnesins’ Academy of Music. The Award was presented by Professor D.K. Kimarskaya of the History of Music Department.
Music
My dear friends, my dear brothers and sisters, I am extremely, extremely, extremely grateful to you for inviting me to be of service to you, to the Supreme Musician in you and the Supreme Singer in you.I love music. I love song. Music is the beauty of God’s Creation. Song is the fragrance of God’s Creation.
Music awakens us to a sublime height. Song delights us, our life within and our life without.
Each human being is a musician. He either plays on his mind-drum or he plays on his heart-flute or he plays on both. He himself plays, hears, appreciates and admires his own creations that come from an unknown Source.
Each human being is a singer. In his thoughts, in his ideas, in his actions, in his words and deeds, in his sound-life and silence-life, he carries sweetness, tenderness and soul-stirring or heart-rending melodies of the Unknown. He himself is a singer, listener and admirer of his own songs.
God is the Supreme Musician. God is the Supreme Singer. He created the Universe from His Vision-Music. He feeds and nourishes the Universe with His Revelation and Manifestation-Songs.
A musician pilots his large and powerful music-reality-boat confidently and majestically to grandeur's splendour of the plenitude-multiplication-shore.
A singer sails his dream-boat-songs soulfully and self-givingly to beauty's shore of the ever-transcending Beyond.
When I play music, I feel that I have become greatness incarnate. When I sing songs, I feel that my life has become the sweetness of my heart and the fulness of my soul.
My music and I barter life-fulfilment-confidence-might. My songs and I barter newness-journey-oneness-delight.
I unmistakably appreciate the musicians and the singers of the outer life. I sincerely admire and adore the musicians and the singers of the inner life. I dearly love and love and love the musicians and the singers who only play God-music and only sing God-songs to gladden God the Supreme Musician and God the Supreme Singer.
India's greatest poet and literary figure, Rabindranath Tagore, tells the world, “The noise of the moment scoffs at the music of the Eternal.” Alas, when a tiny drop makes fun of the vast ocean, it is at once ridiculous and painful.
True, eternally true, absolutely true, what the great philosopher Nietzsche says, “Without music life would be a mistake.” The outer music we hear. The inner music we become. The outer music thrills us. The inner music drills us to be absolutely perfect instruments of God.
“Music is well said to be the speech of angels,” so says Carlyle. Music is Divinity's Breath that expresses itself through humanity's heart and life. Carlyle's utterance embodies truth beyond measure.
To me, the music that shatters our ears descends from God's dynamic Thunder-Feet-Power.
To me, the song that sweetens our heart and enlightens our mind descends from God's Bliss-flooded Heart-Home.
I equally applaud the music that revolutionises my inner sleep-life and the song that harmonises my outer conflict-life.
[Following Sri Chinmoy’s lecture, he offered a musical concert. He performed on a number of different instruments, including the Academy’s organ.]
8. Oneness-heart
Russian Pediatric Clinical Hospital Conference HallMoscow, Russia Tuesday, 1 june 2004 2:00 p.m.
Photograph
Sri Chinmoy meets with President Gorbachev’s granddaughters Ksenia and Anastasia in the Moevenpick Hotel in Muenster, Germany on August 7th, 1999.
Note
The Scientific Board of the Research Institute of Pediatric Hematology conferred upon Sri Chinmoy the title of Honorary Professor “for his outstanding contribution to the development of pediatric hematology and oncology in the Russian Federation”. The Diploma of Honorary Professor was presented to Sri Chinmoy by the Director of the Research Institute, Professor A.G. Rumyantsev before Sri Chinmoy delivered his lecture at the Russian Pediatric Clinical Hospital.
Oneness-heart
[Sri Chinmoy was delayed in arriving and offered his deepest apology.]Please forgive me for being so late. Punctuality is of paramount importance; we should be always on time. Luckily, I am not a doctor. If a doctor had arrived so late, the patient could have died.
You have blessed me with so many invaluable gifts. It is easy to receive, but it is not so easy to deserve such gifts. In my case, it will be very difficult, extremely difficult for me to deserve the blessingful honours that you have bestowed upon me.
Over the years, I have been to many places to share my thoughts and to offer my prayerful service to my sisters and brothers of the world. I go here, there and everywhere to give joy and receive joy. When I was entering into this sacred place, I was first shown by the directors a few photographs of my most highly esteemed sister Raisa Maximovna. She was all kindness, all compassion, all love and all concern for me. When I saw how affectionately, compassionately and self-givingly she was offering her heart’s pure breath to the little children, my heart was swimming in the sea of tears. I was so deeply moved. Those who, like Raisa Maximovna, love the suffering world can pray to God to save and cure their dear ones.
There are three worlds. The first is the world of love, concern, sympathy and the feeling of oneness. In the second world, we quarrel, we fight, we strangle and we destroy our enemies. The third world is the world of suffering, suffering and suffering — unimaginable suffering. Most of us, if not all, live at different times in these three worlds.
This Research Institute represents the suffering world. Here we know, we see and we feel what the suffering world is. But again, we can bring into this world the world of love, the world of prayers. The doctors who are all compassion and affection, like these three1 , can do so much for the improvement of the suffering world, and they do it most devotedly.
This Institute deals with blood. People give blood, which is of paramount importance, on the physical plane. Again, we can offer blood on the inner plane also. We can offer blood through our prayers. The outer world and the inner world always go together. As we sow, so we reap, for ourselves and for others. Physically there are many, many who are unable to offer their blood to the needy; but spiritually, by virtue of their prayers, they can offer their inner blood to these sick children. Our prayers can be of tremendous help to these helpless children.
I am a man of prayers. I started praying consciously, sincerely and seriously at the age of seven. Then I started doing other spiritual disciplines: concentration, meditation, contemplation and so forth. But I still pray and pray. I pray for the improvement and betterment of the world. Like me, there are many people who pray to God for the betterment of this world. I am not the only one — far from it! There are countless people who pray to God most sincerely.
Sometimes God does not listen to our prayers. That does not mean our prayers are not sincere. Our prayers are sincere, but God knows what is good for us and what is good for the suffering patients. He knows what is really best for the patients. The human in us suffers hopelessly when our dear ones are snatched away by death. But if we pray and meditate, we clearly see that God has a special purpose when He takes away our dear ones from this world. After all, nobody can be as dear to the patients as God.
We live in the physical world. There is another world which is right now invisible to us. Again, by virtue of our prayers and meditations, we can establish an access to that particular world. Here on earth we work. After some time we become tired and then we take rest. We have a living room and we have a bedroom. We work very hard in the living room. Then we need to take rest in the bedroom before we can again enter into our outer activities. In exactly the same way, after we end our journey here on earth, we go to another place, which we call Heaven. There we take rest.
Here on earth when we lose our dear ones, we are heartbroken. In this world there are a few things that give us comfort or reassurance so that we can live on earth. With money-power we sustain our earthly life. We cannot put money-power inside a coffin; we cannot take it with us to Heaven or send it to our dear ones there. But our prayers, our goodwill, our concern, our self-giving breath: these currencies our dear ones can carry to the other world. There, these currencies are valued. The souls receive our love, our concern, our feeling of oneness. When the souls leave this world, they carry our goodwill, our love, our compassion, our concern and our self-giving will to Heaven. There they can use it. Our self-giving, in a sense, is a currency, and this currency they carry with them to use in Heaven. Our self-giving is of tremendous, tremendous need and tremendous help at the same time.
Sympathy, sympathy, sympathy: sympathy is our oneness-power. Sympathy can inundate us with the feeling of oneness. This Research Institute, which is all sympathy, has the capacity to bring to the fore our most precious quality: the feeling of oneness.
God is the Patient and God is the Doctor. It is God the Doctor who is trying to cure the God the Patient, or God the Doctor who wants the God the Patient to go to the other world, the higher world. Unfortunately there are human doctors who may not be aware of God’s constant Presence. They may not feel that God Himself is acting in and through them. But if they have a sympathetic heart — which these three doctors right beside me have in boundless measure — then God becomes extremely, extremely proud of His medical children.
I have come here, not to speak; I have come here only to sympathise. I have come here to offer the tears of my heart. The little drops, the little tears that I have, I am offering to this vast ocean of tears. Again, when my tears, your tears and everybody else’s tears are put together, our tears, which are founded only upon sympathy, become sweeter than the sweetest. Our oneness-heart-tears become sweeter than the sweetest. These tears do not break our hearts; these tears unify us. Our hearts sing God’s Victory and pray for God’s Victory to be manifested in and through each human being on earth. Our oneness-heart-tears are sweeter than the sweetest, and these tears make God truly proud of us.
My doctor-brothers and doctor-sister, I am offering you my love, my appreciation, my admiration and my adoration for what you are doing to cure the suffering world. In silence we pray. Our prayer is our service. Again, our devoted service is our prayer. We try to cure the patients with our medical discoveries and medical capacities. We try to cure the suffering world. To your noble and self-giving hearts, my oneness-heart I am offering, along with my gratitude and gratitude from the inmost recesses of my heart. My prayers shall be always with you. I have been praying for you in all sincerity since I first came to learn about this Institute.
This Institute is an Institute of sympathy, an Institute of oneness. When there is oneness, we feel that fulness looms large. We are full, we are complete, on the strength of our sweeter than the sweetest oneness.
Raisa Maximovna, with my soulful prayers I am invoking your blessingful presence. You visited this place many times to offer your heart, your life and your life-breath. May my gratitude-heart and the gratitude-hearts of all present here be one with you, with your soul.
1 Director of the Research Institute of Pediatric Hematology, Professor A.G. Rumyantsev, Head Doctor of the Russian Pediatric Clinical Hospital, Professor N.N. Vaganov, and Deputy Director of the Research Institute of Pediatric Hematology, Professor E.B. Vladimirskaya, who have been cooperating with Sri Chinmoy for over 13 years in connection with “Oneness-Heart Tears and Smiles” Humanitarian Service offered by Sri Chinmoy Centres worldwide.↩
List of Sri Chinmoy's Concerts dedicated to President Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev and Raisa Maximovna Gorbachev
List of Sri Chinmoy's Concerts dedicated to President Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev
1. December 20, 1991 University of Malta Msida, Malta 600 attended2. December 21, 1991 St. Aloysius College Birkirkara, Malta 500 attended
3. January 2, 1992 Sheraton Hotel Catania, Sicily, Italy
4. January 12, 1992 Hotel Riu Bonanza Puerto De La Cruz Tenerife, Spain 400 attended
5. January 17, 1992 Teatro Guimera Santa Cruz, Tenerife, Spain 850 attended
6. March 10, 1992 Nippon Budokan Tokyo, Japan 12,000 attended
7. March 21, 1992 Cultural Palace Warsaw, Poland 2,500 attended
8. October 10, 1992 Deutschlandhalle Berlin, Germany 6,800 attended
9. December 25, 1992 French Cultural Exchange Institute Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 300 attended
10.January 2, 1993 Manila Cathedral Manila, Philippines 400 attended
11. October 12, 1993 Miyazaki Prefecture Medical Association Hall Miyazaki Japan 300 attended
12. December 28, 1993 John Williams Building Apia, Western Samoa 200 attended
13. January 5, 1994 Suva Civic Centre Suva, Fiji 230 attended
List of Sri Chinmoy's concerts dedicated to Raisa Maximovna Gorbachev
1. October 23, 1999 Central Park New York, USA 5,000 attended2. November 17, 1999 York College Queens, New York, USA (After the weightlifting demonstration) 500 attended
3. November 20, 1999 Corel Centre Ottawa, Canada 7,000 attended
4. December 21, 1999 Sheraton Hotel Rio De Janeiro, Brazil 300 attended
5. January 19, 2000 Ita Enramada Hotel Asuncion, Paraguay 150 attended
6. January 29, 2000 Santuario Dom Bosco Brasilia, Brazil 450 attended
7. March 13, 2000 Sala Palatului Bucharest, Romania 2,500 attended
8. March 14, 2000 National Palace Of Culture Sofia, Bulgaria 5,000 attended
9. September 10, 2000 Harvard University Science Center Boston Massachusetts, USA 600 attended
10. September 23, 2000 Molson Centre Montreal, Canada 19,000 attended
11. September 27, 2000 Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium United Nations New York, USA 200 attended
12. October7, 2000 Old Pine Street Church Philadelphia, USA 550 attended
13. October 21, 2000 Xcel Energy Center St. Paul, Minnesota, USA 8,000 attended
