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World’s Longest Flower Garland
2011-09-04 12:48:00
Last week I had the good fortune to be involved in breaking a Guinness Record: the world’s longest flower garland. The previous record was 1.6 miles in Tahiti. This was 2.15 miles: an unbroken circle of carnation blooms around Meadow Lake, Flushing Meadow, New York. It took 170 of us to thread the flower heads onto sections of wire, then to drive them around the course, connecting them end to end. It was a joyful and simple task, reminiscent of threading childhood daisy-chains in the long summer grass. Even when the loop was complete, when I had helped make it with my own hands, and could see it with my own eyes, it was still too much to take in. We drove around the perimeter and caught glimpses of it trailing alongside a cycle path or a patch of reeds. On and on it trailed through the grass, passers-by stopping to crouch and inspect it, following it with their eyes, tracing it with their fingers to check that it was real. The garland was the dream of Ashrita Furman, who holds...
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Challenging Impossibility
2011-06-08 12:48:00
Sri Chinmoy The inspirational short film Challenging Impossibility, a documentary on Sri Chinmoy‘s weightlifting, received an overwhelmingly positive response at the Tribeca Film Festival 2011. While the film forms a rich visual timeline of Sri Chinmoy’s weightlifting achievements, it also features a cast of weightlifting and other sporting personalities, such as 21st Century’s Best Built Man Bill Pearl, 9-time Olympic Gold Medalist Carl Lewis, 3-time Mr. Olympia bodybuilding legend Frank Zane, World’s Strongest Man 2002 Hugo Girard and former IFBB Chairman Wayne DeMilia. Each gives a professional and insightful technical viewpoint on Sri Chinmoy’s weightlifting, while speaking candidly on personal experiences with Sri Chinmoy as a spiritual teacher; the inner and outer inspiration he has brought to their lives in the context of their own remarkable achievements. Challenging Impossibility Trailer: How did Sri Chinmoy lift such heavy weights? “As an individ...

The Jewels of Happiness
2011-05-22 20:44:00
“To buy a spiritual book takes ten seconds. To read that book takes a few hours. To absorb that book takes a few years. And to live the truths thereof may take not only a whole lifetime, but a few incarnations.” ~ From “The Supreme Secret of Meditation” by Sri Chinmoy I have bought shelves-full of spiritual books over the last couple of decades, many of them by Sri Chinmoy. This latest release of Sri Chinmoy’s writings, published since his passing in 2007, is already amongst my favourites. One thing I especially love about Sri Chinmoy’s spiritual teachings is their disarming simplicity: one could almost claim them as one’s own existing knowledge… and yet the longer the words unfold and the more sincerely one tries to internalise those truths, the more apparent it becomes that although they are easily read, they are not so easily lived – at least not on a day-to-day or minute-to-minute basis. Then that’s something I love about spirituality: ...
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The Lost Thing
2011-05-01 09:46:00
Shaun Tan’s The Lost Thing is a labour of love – a film of only 15 minutes which took 4 people 3.5 years to make. Anything worth doing is worth doing well, as the saying goes. I love to see any creative work done with such complete commitment, devotion to detail and (most of ALL) heart. The story is set in a retro-future world, where most people are too absorbed in their colourless drudgery to notice anything truly special or unique… even if it is bright red and bigger than a transit van. Ostensibly this is an innocent childlike fable, and yet it has a deeper commentary which is as sad as it is hopeful. It hints at a safe and bright place where individuality is the norm; where specialness itself is harboured and celebrated; where lost things find their home. …but it’s worth watching just for the artwork alone. There are countless endearing details that can easily be missed on first viewing. Download The Lost Thing at iTunes(treat yourself to HD – yo...

Governer Paterson Recites Poems by Sri Chinmoy
2010-11-10 12:43:00
As part of the 9/11 memorial the Governer of New York, David Paterson, chose to recite three poems by Sri Chinmoy for his speech, on the subject of Hope. Hope Knows no fear. Hope dares to blossom Even inside the abysmal abyss. Hope secretly feeds And strengthens Promise. -Sri Chinmoy
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The Wings of Joy
2010-11-09 19:53:00
“True inner joy is self-created. It does not depend on outer circumstances or outer achievements.” – Sri Chinmoy The Wings of Joy by Sri Chinmoy is a perennial favourite of mine. This is Sri Chinmoy’s best-selling book, and I can easily see why. Each section relates to a particular aspect of spirituality for practical application to daily life: a collection of inspirational anecdotes, parables and aphorisms. Every time I pick it up – whether to seek guidance on a particular topic, or just opening pages at random – I seem to find something new. I have bought several copies over the years as gifts; the timeless wisdom seems to have universal appeal. The is on the suggested reading list at the free meditation courses the Sri Chinmoy Centre offers in my home city of York. “The Wings of Joy reminds all of us what is truly important. It is a blueprint for inner peace and true joy.” – Jack Canfield, coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul You can find out more a...

The Big Silence
2010-11-07 11:47:00
It’s not often I find anything worth watching on telly, and even less often I find anything truly inspiring, but the Beeb have come up trumps for the last 3 weeks with a series called The Big Silence. Benedictine Monk, Father Christopher Jamison, believed he could teach 5 so-called ordinary people the value of silent meditation: first at his own Worth Abbey, followed by a gruelling 8-day hush at a retreat centre, then – perhaps the greatest challenge – making space for it in their everyday lives. Perhaps most interesting and encouraging was the fact that not all 5 volunteers considered themselves religious, or necessarily had any spiritual faith at all – at least not to begin with. It seems silent meditation is the cornerstone of any spiritual practice. While the rituals, songs, garbs and buildings may differ, spiritual seekers around the world set aside time for private communion with the Source: daily or weekly. For the last 13 years, my own daily practice as a student...

Temple-Song-Hearts Go Way Up North
2010-11-01 18:18:00
Seems this site has lain neglected for a whole year now, while I’ve been writing elsewhere. Rather than a tedious round-up or a list of more specific apologies, I thought I’d highlight a favourite event of the last twelve months: singing Sri Chinmoy’s music in Norway and Iceland, with Temple -Song -Hearts. It was my first time in either country. Oslo gave a chance to visit the Eternal Peace Flame and the statue of Sri Chinmoy that I had only seen in photographs (even though I designed its website a couple of years ago). There was also an opportunity to visit both branches of The Fragrance of the Heart (whose website I also had the honour of making a while back too!). Both cafés are far more divine and uplifting than their virtual counterparts, and the photographs of the coffee do it no justice at all. Bizarrely, I was homesick for Iceland when I came back home. There was an otherworldly beauty and freshness that far north, an intimacy with nature, and an unbridled...
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Never Give Up!
2009-11-07 11:32:00
It took 68-year-old Korean Cha Sa-soon 950 attempts to pass her driving test. She finally got her license yesterday, which she needs for her vegetable selling business. It took her four years and the equivalent of £2,600 (US$4,200), but most of all a truck-load of determination. “I believe you can achieve your goal if you persistently pursue it,” she told Reuters news agency. “So don’t give up your dream, like me. Be strong and do your best.” I was drawn to this article because it illustrates one of the key phrases of my meditation teacher, Sri Chinmoy: Never give up! “Never give up, never give up! Even if you lose your way A great many times, You must realise that your destination Is sleeplessly expecting your arrival.” –Sri Chinmoy Twenty-Seven Thousand Aspiration-Plants, 22346 Read the full article at BBC.co.uk
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Ashrita’s Everywhere
2009-08-07 22:55:00
Last night I was telling someone about Ashrita Furman’s Guinness World Record for holding the most Guinness World Records, and within an hour I discovered there were two articles in the UK news about his self-transcendence feats on the very same day. Not sure if that syncronicity, serendipity or spooky coincidence, but it’s definitely something beginning with ‘s’. I’m familiar with Ashrita’s constant stream of record-breaking as he’s a fellow student of my meditation teacher Sri Chinmoy. He attributes his incredible capacity to the daily practice of meditation according to Sri Chinmoy’s teachings. Although I say I’m familiar with his records, it’s pretty hard to keep up, let alone remember all the facts and figures, and each one is more mind-blowing than the next. The Daily Mirror has listed all 98 of his current records in a handy list: Daily Mirror Article 6th August 2009 The Telegraph has this full length article: Telegraph Article 6th August 2009 and Photo ga...

Irish Joy
2009-08-04 21:12:00
I spent last weekend in a country house just outside Dublin, an international gathering hosted by the Irish Sri Chinmoy Centre. As always we were treated like kings and queens, or at least lords and ladies of the manor in this case. The bucolic scenes, the healthful feasts, the air full of sweet green aroma, were all welcome condiments to the staple of meditation, games and singing to which we all look forward at Joy Weekends. Pavitrata Taylor took some very classy photos as always, a larger selection of which you can see at Pavitrata.com. Joy Weekends are an integral part of life as a student Sri Chinmoy; a chance to get together with people from other Sri Chinmoy Centres, to share inspiration and a lot of fun. OTHER JOY WEEKENDS: A Day of Joy in the South of France A Day of Joy in the North of France A Day of Joy in Ireland A Day of Joy in Scotland A Day of Joy in Wales A Day of Joy in England In Celebration of Celebrations

World Heart Beat
2009-07-29 02:14:00
I recently had the good-fortune of creating a website for a new venture in London: World Heart Beat Music Academy. Check out the finished site here. The project is the dream of my dear friend Sahana Gero, and I’m really proud to play even a small part of making it a reality. The motto is an excerpt from Sri Chinmoy’s writings: “We are all truly unlimited, if we only dare to try…” — Sri Chinmoy Sahana’s dauntless enthusiasm and inspiration has for many years been the driving force behind the 51st State Band; a huge orchestra for children and young people in West London. The band performed last month at the Royal Festival Hall with jazz legend Julian Joseph. You can see videos and photos at 51stStateBand.org. “The World Heart Beat Music Academy envisions a world where music, as a universal form of communication, bridges cultural, political, economic and linguistic barriers. The Academy aims to bring the myriad of the world’s cultures together through music, ...

Home Is Where The Heart Is
2009-06-14 23:00:00
A long time ago I sold most of my things, packed the rest in a case, and sank my savings on a one-way ticket to somewhere far away. It was by no means the first time I’d done it, not to mention the countless times I’d nearly done it, but it was the last. I was a dreamer, and an impulsive one at that, always looking for what other people called “home”. Had there been affordable tickets to the moon, I might have tried there. As it was, I planned to start in Thailand and work my way around Asia, as that seemed the likeliest continent. I have mentioned a certain car accident in previous musings, and it’s perhaps worth mentioning again, as it was really far from accidental, or incidental. I was visiting another city to say some farewells, a week before my Asian departure. The drive almost prompted a departure from my earthly frame instead. Not only was my life miraculously saved though, it seemed replaced by a brand new one: new eyes, new ears, a new heart and new aspir...
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The Princess and the Pirate
2009-02-15 16:07:00
During a recent trip to Bali a few friends and I performed a play for some of Sri Chinmoy’s students, based on two stories by Sri Chinmoy: The Sailor and the Parrot, and Light is the Only Wealth Worth Having. Since we had a lot of fun with the performance, I thought I’d at least post the script here in case anyone is in the mood for humour (with a soulful twist of course) Please note that no animals were harmed in this production. Katy the canary in fact stole the show, and should probably win some sort of award for being cute on demand, and for ‘playing dead’ when such was required. THE PRINCESS AND THE PIRATE CAST: Pirate Venturo King Queen Princess Fortuna Duchess Fifi Duchess Mimi Prime Minister Prince Admiral Alphonse Sailor 1 Sailor 2 Monk 1 Monk 2 Angel * * * ACT 1, SCENE 1: AT THE PALACE [Enter Pirate Venturo, secretly, hides behind thrones] [Enter King & Queen, followed by Prime Minister] KING: Prime Minister, wh...

Immortality’s Flame-Waves
2009-01-17 12:25:00
Okay, I’m talking about work again, but when work is this much fun you’ll have to let me off. I’ve just finished a website for IMMORTALITY’S FLAME-WAVES — an all-female theatre company based in London. They have been exclusively performing the stories of Sri Chinmoy since 1993, around Europe, the US and Canada. I’ve been lucky enough to see quite a few of their performaces in past years, and have found them spell-binding. The stories chosen by director Dipika Smith are not the easiest to convey, often covering a broad gamut of human and Divine experience, but the result is always spectacular, moving and colourful; creative while remaining transparent enough to allow the original story to shine through. So designing and bulding the website was a captivating project, and great fun. I hope you have time to visit and leave your comments. I still keep visiting from time to time, even though I know what’s in there like the back of my hand — I just can’t get eno...
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Photography Website: Unmukta.com
2008-12-17 14:41:00
I know it’s the most overused intro to a blog post, but I’ve resisted it this long, and it’s true… sorry I’ve been too busy to post lately! So in an attempt at combining leisure with occupation, here’s what I’ve been busying myself with this week: UNMUKTA.COM This is my latest website: a portfolio for amateur photographer Unmukta Gerretsen of the Netherlands. It was a very enjoyable project, as I love good photography, especially travel photography. So far it covers 18 different countries, but there will probably be more in future. Hope you have time to visit; it’s a really relaxing and beautiful collection of portraits, landscapes and unusual slices of life from around the world. See my web and print portfolio at purewebdesigns.co.uk
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Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
2008-12-05 10:59:00
Miyamoto Musashi is Japan’s most famous swordsman. The account of his life, meticulously researched and documented by Eiji Yoshikawa in the 1930s, was carefully crafted into English by Charles S Terry 50 years later; a work transparent enough to preserve Yoshikawa’s exquisite poetic style. This is ostensibly a book of swordsmanship, and includes its share of martial combat, but that element is neither gratuitous nor glamourised – it serves to support rather than blemish the story’s purpose. Musashi transforms himself from a brute and selfish thug, to a hero of great depth and honour. Through the teachings of Takuan Soho and through his own self-discipline and one-pointedness, he transcends his natural capacities in the pursuit of his life’s mission. Although Musashi was the maven of martial arts in his time, Yoshikawa portrays his many human aspects so as to bring his character into real and living relief – not a mere legend, but a man struggling with failings and weakne...

The Scent of Green Papaya
2008-11-17 11:32:00
I revisited one of my favourite films last week. Every time I see it I love it more. Masterfully directed by Tran Anh Hung, it follows the life of a Vietnamese servant girl in 1950s Saigon. The characters are subtly contrasted — male with female, young with old, decadent with diligent, selfish with satisfied, exposing the wide gamut of human experience. This film heightens the senses — the attention to detail is exquisite. The photography is a feast in itself, like visual poetry, and with not a word wasted. Each sound is carefully placed, whether evoking the refinement of eastern culture or the simple elegance of nature. It thus invokes my reverence for nature and my empathy for humanity. It awakens me to the flow of life and to my surroundings, however simple — after all, the whole set of the film is little more than a few rooms. These ingredients are more than enough for me to return to the feast again and again, but what I love most is its message, like a constant heartbeat...
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Temple-Song-Hearts Tour of France
2008-11-09 15:50:00
Last week I was fortunate to join Temple -Song -Hearts on their tour of France . Temple-Song-Hearts is an all-female ensemble solely performing the music of spiritual master Sri Chinmoy. We gave concerts in Montpellier, Paris and Nancy, and enjoyed a very warm reception at each venue. Here is a photo from a Temple in Nancy. There will be a full report soon at Temple-Song-Hearts.org C’est moi 4th from right MORE… Listen to Temple-Song-Hearts at Temple-Song-Hearts.org Buy the latest CD at CDbaby.com or iTunes See more photos of the latest tour at Picasa Listen to more of Sri Chinmoy’s music for free at Radio Sri Chinmoy
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English as a Fecund Language
2008-06-08 11:19:00
A Chicken and Egg Situation I spent a while teaching English as a second language in Thailand many years ago, and had a splendid time. Not only did I find the language (especially the written characters) more beautiful than my own English equivalent; the culture, the etiquette, the people, the weather, the food, everything beguiled me and I felt entirely at home, as if remembering a Heaven where I once belonged. I’ll tell you more about it another time, but I will say two things for now: My grasp of the Thai language extended barely beyond the basic pleasantries and the buying of food. This was mainly due to the importance of inflections and polite appendages, which English has no care for. The word “khai” could sound from me at random as the verb “to sell” or the noun “egg” or the noun “chicken” depending on its delivery. Vegetarian as I am, my linguistic state was precarious. Explaining English to other people made me extremely glad that it is my first language,...
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Digging For Victory: Sky Farmers and Guerrilla Gardeners
2008-06-01 11:13:00
Old News: Gardening is In Once again in the UK it has been suggested that we are behind the eco-friendly times, now caught red-faced and red-handed with basket-full of imported vegetables. The production and transportation of food is responsible for 23% of our carbon footprint; above home energy, personal travel, and running shared services like hospitals and schools. [source] China, Japan and Cuba are way ahead of us in their responsible actions, but being a tiny, densely populated island with horrible weather is no excuse, according to the more heroic amongst gardeners. No, gardening, especially growing vegetables, is not just for your granddad, a left-over habit from the War. It’s possibly the coolest pastime of now. To be caught with compost under your fingernails and a faint whiff of Brussels sprouts, rather than an air-freighted fistful of Zimbabwean mangetout, may be your ticket to unimaginable kudos. The Urban Farmer Take Fritz Haeg for example. The architect and design ac...
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Boris Purushottama Grebenshikov
2008-05-25 13:16:00
The Song-Bird of St Petersburg pays tribute to Sri Chinmoy at the Royal Albert Hall Boris Purushottama Grebenshikov is a living paradigm in the world of music and poetry, justly lauded in his Russian homeland and throughout the world. Tapping the ‘infinite silence’ within as a source of his prolific creativity, his songs are his direct interpretation of the universal musical consciousness. No wonder then that he found in Sri Chinmoy a profound inspiration. With almost 1600 books to his name and over 21000 songs, here was a Spiritual Master who shaped his own life’s service from the very fibre of music and poetry, singing the songs of Heaven into the ears of the earth. Sri Chinmoy was born in East Bengal, 1931. Following an inner calling he moved to New York in 1964, to be of spiritual service and inspiration to the west. From then until his passing in October last year, his meditation brought forth a wellspring of creativity in many fields. Sri Chinmoy met Grebenshikov in 2005...

A Lot of Hot Air
2008-05-15 20:15:00
It’s been hot in England. That’s newsworthy enough, but you know how we Brits love to talk about the weather. It seems like summer is just around the corner, (perhaps somewhere in Spain or Portugal). The tulips are big as goblets, the birds compose new rhapsodies until bedtime, and new-mown lawns send out their familiar green perfume, which itself acts like a happy pheremone on me. All these triggers lay forgotten in my mind through winter, as they always do, to be rediscovered like a perennial gift each year, never losing their thrill. Another sure sign of summer is the flight of hot air balloons in the morning. The long roar followed by soft silence tells me they are coming near, and I rush to the window to find them in the sky. I have never flown in one, but so love to watch them, strangely fast and graceful for their imposing dimensions. I lived in Bristol for a few years, and always looked forward to the annual Balloon Fiesta. Up to 100 balloons gather together from around ...

The Spirituality of Emily Dickinson
2008-05-10 19:25:00
Emily Dickinson referred to herself as a pagan. Some biographers would go so far as to label her a druid for her worship of nature. But was this apparently stubborn heathen life really built on atheism? On the surface what seems a blatant rebellion against the Christian reforms sweeping New England in the 19th Century could be misinterpreted as a lack of spiritual inclination. If we look beneath even a single veneer we will undoubtedly find true spirituality at the heart of her endeavour; far from snubbing God, but simply insisting on no less than a first-hand experience of Him. The poet shunned religious doctrine, but did she shun religion? Certainly not as a whole, and even then it may be merely a matter of syntax. The words ‘religion’ and ‘spirituality’ may at times be used interchangeably, and at others a fine distinction must be made. Charles Anderson chooses to make no distinction, using the word ‘religion’ in its broadest, and perhaps most primal sense: “The fin...
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Cowfish Out Of Water
2008-05-03 18:18:00
I was in the sea, snorkeling I think, or maybe diving. It was a long time ago. The sun heaved magnificent light into an already magnificent ocean, and all was bathed in lucid unearthly beauty below. I was very fond of cowfish. They were like cartoons, little horns like raised eyebrows, boxy bodies puffing happily in and out as in a fit of laughter, big dark eyes, two arms fluttering—seemingly too small to do for anything but decoration. They always looked young, with childlike curiosity, as if so sure their own cuteness would keep them out of danger. Their colours varied like all things in the sea, wearing different shades even when a cloud passed overhead. They were always brilliant, as if generating their own light, and always in such complex detail as if embroidered with a very fine needle and silk. Someone caught one in one hand. The hand broke the surface and there she lay on the broad of the palm, in the raw blades of the sun, with no significant fins or tail to flip her bac...
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The Eye of the Beholder
2008-04-27 09:46:00
I don’t mind admitting that beauty is crucial for my inspiration: in itself, and as a context for other experiences. Beauty owns a door through which I reach the vestibule of love for God, from which I can (potentially) access doors to other spiritual qualities: service, patience, trust, carefulness, willingness, (et al, ad infinitum). If I return through the door to beauty having experienced love for God in that central vestibule, that beauty is augmented. Colours are nutrients. I crave them and forage for them. When I see a new combination or ingenious use, I gorge and am replete. A visual clash or lack of care unnerves me like an ugly noise. Like sounds or scents colours harbour harmony or dissonance; they breathe or bleed life and energy. On the balance of my life’s priorities, it was the relative weight of beauty that enticed me to study art. It was not glamorous. Socks, books, hair, fingernails all betrayed my occupation. Everything I owned was ink-smirched or bore a stray...

Sumangali.org On Holiday
2008-04-06 14:39:00
I’m taking a short break, but I’ll be back by the end of the April. Thanks to all visitors for dropping by. See you again soon…
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The Railway People
2008-03-25 20:17:00
There was an earthquake in England last month. It was a small one, but our biggest in a quarter century, so it caused due commotion. It woke my friend in town, and in her half-sleep she thought the wind had got up and was buffeting her house. It woke me too, I remembered later. “It’s just a train,” I told myself, but was troubled by how long it was, and how very silent. My semi-conscious decided it must be a ghost train, and (most disturbingly of all) I went back to sleep. Funny how the mind takes pains to account for unusual things, but only in familiar terms, however implausible. I almost didn’t arrange a viewing for my current home when I was house hunting; on the map it’s practically on the railway. I think it was always meant to be mine though, and the trains have become my fond neighbours. Rusted bunkers of coal squeak and trundle by, fringed with graffiti, open to all weather. InterCities slither past in festival colours. They all grind on the railway s...
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Good For Your Health: 7 Surprises
2008-03-21 20:16:00
MOZART IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH Mozart’s music lowers stress, heightens intelligence and relieves heart disease. It could even improve your eyesight, and doctors may soon prescribe it for epilepsy. According to Roger Dobson in The Independent, Mozart is a Medical Maestro: “Mozart soothes the beating heart. A study at Oberwalliser Hospital in Switzerland on the effects of music on heart-rate variability in 23 adolescents showed that listening to music may be helpful in heart disease. The study showed that listening to Mozart or Bach resulted in reductions of heart rate and variability.” [source] It seems the benefits are not only available to connoisseurs of classical music, indeed it’s not even necessary to be conscious of the music for it to work its magic. Proof comes from the Agricultural University of Athens where scientists played Eine Kleine Nachtmusik to carp for 30 minutes at a time. The fish grew more and showed fewer signs of stress. You might not recognise...
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Plumbing The Deep
2008-03-18 19:51:00
By far my greatest fear when I was younger was one of deep water. I suppose as fears go that’s quite a rational one. It was perpetuated by Jaws—a movie surely unavoidable by anyone alive in the late 1970s. At the time, Jaws served as confirmation that fear of the sea was absolutely justified and almost constituted common sense. Those who ventured beyond the shallow end of a pool I crowned in my mind as heroes, and as veritable demigods those who would dive head first from a board. Those who would wade out far enough to lose their footing in the ocean however, I labeled as reckless dolts who did not properly value the life they had been given. When harboured and reinforced for twenty years, even the most rational fear can reach irrational proportions and formidable strength. It seemed God had to carefully engineer an opportunity for its final dismantling, starting with a phone call from a friend—out of the blue so to speak. My friend had planned and paid for a scuba diving holi...
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