Biography of Sri Chinmoy

Sri Chinmoy is a spiritual teacher who has guided many students on the path of meditation and spirituality since his arrival in the West in 1964. He teaches a path of the heart and the philosophy of self-transcendence.. Sri Chinmoy also advocates an integral path based on the inner discipline of meditation and prayer combined with outer work (selfless service), sports, music and artistic endeavours.

Brief Biography

Sri Chinmoy was born in India in 1931. At the age of 12, he went to live in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry in South India. Here he had the opportunity to spend many hours in meditation. And at an early age he experienced the rare state of spiritual consciousness known as Samadhi. He spent the next 20 years in the ashram and as well as meditation he took part in athletics, music and wrote many poems. In the 1960s he felt an inner command to come to the West and so on April 13th 1964 he arrived in New York, US where he has resided until his physical passing in 2007. He established centres around the world. The first UK centres were established in London and Glasgow in 1971-72

Sri Chinmoy's life was an expression of boundless creativity. His output spans the domains of music, poetry, painting, literature and sports. His contributions in each of these fields have been unique and far-reaching.

Sri Chinmoy frequently travelled throughout the world to offer free concerts, lectures and public meditations, to meet with his students, and to meet and discuss spirituality with world and community leaders. Sri Chinmoy did not charge a fee for his spiritual guidance, concerts, lectures and public meditations.

Sri Chinmoy in the UK

Sri Chinmoy visited the UK on several occassions. In the 1970s, he offered several lectures at Universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol and York. From the mid 1980s, he offered several free peace concerts, including nine concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Sri Chinmoy entered Mahasamadhi - the mystic process through which spiritual Masters leave the body, on the morning of 11 October 2007.

Activities of Sri Chinmoy

Sri Chinmoy himself was very active in many diverse fields. These include:

• Music. Sri Chinmoy composed over 18,000 songs and gave 777 free concerts. He has dedicated these concerts to promoting and advancing world harmony.

• Sport. Sri Chinmoy was a keen sportsman since his early ashram days. Since arriving in the West he completed several marathons and ultra marathons. In the evening of his life he took up weightlifting, demonstrating how it is possible to transcend the limitations of age and of the mind. His lifts have been striking in their difficulty. The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team has also become one of the world’s leading organisers of multi day events. Sponsoring the worlds longest certified race – The 3100 Mile Race.

• Art. Sri Chinmoy began painting in the 1970s, he painted spontaneously using the expressive capacities of the heart. His output was prolific, producing many 1000s of paintings and over 13 million Soul Bird drawings.

• Poetry. Poetry was one of Sri Chinmoy’s favourite mediums for expressing the spiritual experiences and spiritual concepts. His poetry strikes a profound chord with those seeking to glimpse the realms beyond the mind. His short instructional aphorisms give guidance to aspiring seekers in an easy to read accessible way.

• Literature. Sri Chinmoy has written over 1,500 books. They can be viewed at Sri Chinmoy Library.

Sri Chinmoy dedicated his life to the pursuit of world harmony and created many new initiatives to foster this ideal. These include the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run which seeks to spread friendship and harmony through a global relay torch run.

Links

• Sri Chinmoy.org - Official site of Sri Chinmoy
• Sri Chinmoy TV - watch videos about Sri Chinmoy's activities and also about the Sri Chinmoy Centre