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Yoga of Sri Chinmoy
As a young child Sri Chinmoy was brought up in a Hindu family.
The family was of Brahmin caste but they did not adhere to the
rigid caste rules and often helped those of other castes. At the
age of 12 Sri Chinmoy left his village in Chittagong, East
Bengal and travelled with his 3 sisters and 2 brother to join
his eldest brother Hriday Ghose in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in
Pondicherry. Sri Aurobindo was a pioneer of "Integral Yoga"
This was a modern form of yoga that did not renounce the world
but sought to bring the divine into all aspects of life. For
over 20 years Sri Chinmoy lived in the ashram spending many
hours in meditation, achieving elevated states of spiritual
consciousness. These states of self realization led to some of
Sri Chinmoy's
most profound poetry. In poems such as Immortality and The
Absolute we get a glimpse of the deathless state beyond mind and
form.
"My eternal days are found in speeding time; I play upon His
Flute of rhapsody. Impossible deeds no more impossible seem; In
birth chains now shines Immortality."
- From Immortality by Sri Chinmoy
In 1964 Sri Chinmoy travelled to America to offer the ancient
spiritual traditions of India in a modern and dynamic form to
aspiring seekers in the West. He has lived in New York since
1964 and has been offering meditations at the United Nations for
over 30 years. Sri Chinmoy has lectured on spirituality, yoga
and meditation at many universities in both America, Europe and
other parts of the World. He teaches that all religions lead to
the same goal and fundamentally share common values.
Sri Chinmoy's path encompasses all 4 of the principle types of
Yoga;
Bhakti Yoga - yoga of devotion Jnani Yoga - yoga of Wisdom Raja
Yoga - Yoga of Philosophy Karma Yoga - Yoga of Divine Action.
Sri Chinmoy teaches that love is the most direct way to
approach God. Sri Chinmoy often says that his path is in essence
the path of the heart. If we cry from the depths of our heart
the Supreme will respond. If on the other hand, we try to
meditate using the mind, we will achieve only very limited
peace. An important element of Bhakti yoga is the use of
devotional music. Soulful singing is a powerful way for a seeker
to approach the divine. Great Bhakti yogi's such as Sri
Chaitanya and Mirabai spent many hours singing Bhajans
(devotional songs), through this singing they were able to enter
into the Divine Consciousness. Sri Chinmoy is one of
the most prolific composers of devotional music. Since coming to
the West he has composed over 12,000 songs in his native Bengali
and over 5,000 in English. Most of these songs are devotional in
nature; appealing to different aspects of the Supreme or
identifying with different stages of a seekers spiritual journey.
Sri Chinmoy writes on Bhakti Yoga
"Ask a man to speak about God and he will speak endlessly. Ask a
Bhakta to speak about God and he will say only two things: God
is all Affection, God is all Sweetness. The Bhakta even goes one
step further. He says, "I can try to live without bread, but
never can I live without my Lord's Grace. A Bhakta's prayer is
very simple: "O my Lord God, do enter into my life with Thine
Eye of Protection and with Thy Heart of Compassion." This prayer
is the quickest way to knock at God's Door and also the easiest
way to see God open the Door."
As well as composing many songs Sri
Chinmoy is also noted as a prolific writer and poet. He has
published over 1,400 books which nearly all relate to some
aspect of the spiritual life. Some books take the form of
Question and Answer sessions. Sri Chinmoy is able to offer
advice from the deepest spiritual perspective. Often these
writings expound on common themes essential to genuine
spirituality. These include disciplining the mind so that the
seeker does not become beholden to negative ideas the mind can
become attached to. This is a short extract from a talk entitled.
"What is Yoga"
"What is Yoga? Yoga is the language of God. If we wish to speak
to God, we have to learn His language. What is Yoga? Yoga is
that which discloses God's secret. If we wish to know God's
secret, we have to launch into the path of Yoga. What is Yoga?
Yoga is the Breath of God. If we wish to see through God's Eye
and feel through His Heart, if we wish to live in God's Dream
and know God's Reality, if we wish to possess the Breath of God,
and finally if we wish to become God Himself, Yoga will beckon
us."
From: Yoga and the Spiritual Life by Sri Chinmoy
Karma Yoga
Sri Chinmoy leads an active life showing that an inner life of
prayer and meditation can offer inspiration and help to increase
our own capacities. Sri Chinmoy says that spirituality does not
involve retreating from the world. Instead he advocates
acceptance of the world and the inner fruits of meditation he
says can be used to guide and illumine outer activities. At the
age of 74 Sri Chinmoy is still very active demonstrating that
age is not a barrier to continuing achievements. Sri Chinmoy is
a noted weightlifter and continues to lift heavy weights saying
that he does so to offer inspiration to others. Sri Chinmoy also
travels extensively offering concerts of meditative music in
different locations.
About the author:
Richard is a cyclist and economics Teacher. He is a member of
the Sri Chinmoy Centre in Oxford UK
Written by: Richard Pettinger
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