a i l a r t s u A Contents Meetings with Prominent People Visits to Australia Honours and Awards Music Peace Concerts United Nations Activities Art Exhibitions Lectures Literature Relay Events The Oneness-Heart-Tears and Smiles Silent Meditations Sri Chinmoy Peace-Blossoms Lifting Up the World With a Oneness-Heart Athletic Events and Achievements Self-Transcendence Manifestation Events 2 Sri Chinmoy in Australia My Salutation to the Soul of Australia My aspiring heart is saluting you. My illumining soul is loving you. In you, I see a perfect combination of the mind’s height and the heart’s depth. In you, I see a perfect combination of the body’s service and the vital’s dynamism. Your soul is at once the embodiment of the ancient sun and the revelation of tomorrow’s dawn. Your body-consciousness is the expansion of vastness. Your heart-delight is the perfection of illumination. Slowly and steadily your body walks. Dynamically and confidently your vital marches. Pointedly and unerringly your mind runs. Devotedly and unconditionally your heart dives. Eternally and supremely your soul flies. Your life’s greatness-dream is humanity’s transcendental pride. Your life’s goodness-reality is humanity’s universal treasure. – Sri Chinmoy (1974) Sri Chinmoy in Australia 3 Meetings with Prominent People “I have extremely fond memories of my meeting with Sri Chinmoy in 1976.… his work for peace has shown how one person can have such a positive and profound effect on so many people’s lives.” – Ron Clarke World Champion Runner A sharing of faith between the Anglican Dean of Perth Rev. John Cornish and Sri Chinmoy in 1976. “What you are offering is very simple. They aren’t things to learn, intellectual things. It is an attitude of the heart.” – Bishop Phillip Kennedy Catholic Bishop of Adelaide “I think a person such as yourself, who is so humble in himself, giving light to people in so-called prominent positions, probably Running champion Ron Clarke discusses the spiritual significance of sport with Sri Chinmoy in Melbourne, in 1976. reminds them to be more humble and more dedicated to the thing they’re serving rather than themselves.” – The Right Hon. Ernest Lee-Steere Lord Mayor of Perth “I’m glad to have you here for this peaceful moment you have brought.” – John Landy Olympic Athlete Sri Chinmoy meeting with world champion surfer Ian Cairns in Perth in 1976. 4 Sri Chinmoy in Australia Sri Chinmoy in conversation with Bishop Kennedy of Adelaide, in 1976. Sri Chinmoy and Australian UN Ambassador Ralph Harry meet at the United Nations to celebrate Australia Day in 1978. Rev. John Cornish Reverend Ted Noffs Robert de Castella Anglican Dean of Perth Rector of the Wayside Chapel Marathon Runner 2 March 1976, Perth, WA 6 March 1976, Sydney, NSW World Championships Gold Medallist 27 September 1981, New York Ian Cairns Ron Clarke and 15 September 1984, Canberra, ACT World Champion Surfer World Champion Runner 2 March 1976, Perth, WA 11 March 1976, Melbourne, Victoria Tony Rafferty Ultra-distance Runner The Right Hon. Ernest Lee-Steere Bishop Phillip Kennedy 11 September 1984 Lord Mayor of Perth Catholic Bishop of Adelaide Olympic Park, Melbourne, Victoria 3 March 1976, Perth, WA 12 March 1976, Adelaide, SA Pat Clohessy Charles Smith Sir Mark Oliphant Head Distance Running Coach, Mayor of Nedlands, WA Governor of South Australia Australian Institute of Sport 3 March 1976, Perth, WA 12 March 1976, Adelaide, SA 14 September 1984, Canberra, ACT Jack Davis Ralph Harry Ray Ruffles Aboriginal Playwright and Poet Permanent Representative Tennis Coach, 3 March 1976, Perth, WA of Australia to the United Nations Australian Institute of Sport 27 January 1978, United Nations 14 September 1984, Canberra, ACT Sri Chinmoy is welcomed by running legend John Landy at the 1987 World Veterans Sri Chinmoy meeting with head long-distance running coach Pat Clohessy at the Games in Melbourne. Australian Institute of Sport, 1984. Sri Chinmoy in Australia 5 “I first met Sri Chinmoy in New York in 1981, and have been involved with many of his initiatives for peace co-ordinated by his students here in Australia … most notably as the Patron of their International Oneness-Home Peace Run.” – Robert de Castella World Marathon Champion Sri Chinmoy and world marathon champion Robert de Castella meet at ‘Deeks Drive’, the famous Stromlo Forest running trail in Canberra, in 1984. “Sri Chinmoy is driven, isn’t John Landy Lincoln Hall he? ‘Only the strong can be World One-Mile Record Holder Mt. Everest Climber and Author 29 November 1987, Melbourne, Victoria 6 July 1989, Town Hall, Sydney, NSW fearless.’ These are the words Herb Elliott Barton Lynch my coach, Percy Cerruty, used Olympic Running Champion World Champion Surfer for me. Sri Chinmoy is a hero.” 29 November 1987, Melbourne, Victoria 6 July 1989, Town Hall, Sydney, NSW – Herb Elliott John Konrads Dr. Peter Wilenski Olympic Gold Medallist Olympic Swimming Champion Australian Ambassador to the 29 November 1987, Melbourne, Victoria United Nations in New York at the World Veterans Games 2 September 1990, New York, NY, USA Greg Mortimer Professor David Neath “Your honour to me today, I Mt. Everest Climber International Economist 6 July 1989, Town Hall, Sydney, NSW August 1991 and October 1992, know, is not a personal honour, New York, NY, USA but to the country I represent, Australia, and I thank you very much for that. I am very moved to be here, and I hope that I shall go away inspired to do better.” – Dr. Peter Wilenski Australian Ambassador to the United Nations Sri Chinmoy meets with Herb Elliott (right) and John Konrads (centre) at the World Veterans Games in Melbourne, 1987. 6 Sri Chinmoy in Australia One of Australia’s greatest mountain climbers, Greg Mortimer, chats with Sri Inventor of the sprinting blocks Charlie Booth on the track with Sri Chinmoy at Chinmoy after being lifted at Sydney Town Hall in 1989. Olympic Park, Melbourne, in 1995. Senator Sid Spindler Peter Norman Kay Elson Federal Greens Senator Olympic 200-metre Silver Medallist Liberal Member for Forde, 26 June 1995, 28 June 1995, Australian House of Representatives Parliament House in Canberra, ACT Olympic Park, Melbourne, Victoria January 2003, Beenleigh, Queensland Charlie Booth Tony de Domenico Greg Welch Inventor of the Sprinting Blocks Former Deputy Chief Minister of the ACT Triathlon World Champion 28 June 1995, Melbourne, Victoria November 1999, New York, NY, USA November 2004, New York, NY, USA Sri Chinmoy’s Australian students sing for Australian UN Ambassador Dr. Peter Wilenksi after Sri Chinmoy had lifted him at Aspiration-Ground in 1990. Sri Chinmoy also played tennis with the ambassador. Sri Chinmoy in Australia 7 Visits to Australia First Visit : 1–13 March 1976 Perth, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide. Highlights: -ARCH s3RI#HINMOYMETWITHTHE!NGLICAN$EANOF0ERTH THE2EV*OHN#ORNISH s3RI#HINMOYDELIVEREDANEVENINGLECTUREAT3T'EORGES#ATHEDRALIN0ERTH -ARCH s3RI#HINMOYMETWITHTHE,ORD-AYOROF0ERTH THE2IGHT(ON%ARNEST,EE 3TEERE s3RI#HINMOYPLANTEDAROSEBUSHFORWORLDPEACEWITH-AYOR#HARLES3MITHOF.EDLANDS s3RI#HINMOYDELIVEREDANEVENINGLECTUREANDGAVEHISlRSTPUBLICCONCERT performance of the esraj at the University of Western Australia in Perth. -ARCH s3RI#HINMOYCREATEDJharna-Kala paintings in Perth, which he presented to the Perth Centre. s3RI#HINMOYSPONTANEOUSLYPLAYEDHISlRSTEXTEMPORANEOUSKEYBOARDIMPROVISATION WHICH later became Side A of the LP album, ‘Improvisations’. s3RI#HINMOYVISITED9ANCHEP.ATIONAL0ARK NORTHOF0ERTH -ARCH s3RI#HINMOYDELIVEREDANEVENINGLECTUREATTHE3YDNEY4OWN(ALL -ARCH s3RI#HINMOYANSWEREDSPIRITUALQUESTIONSATTHE3YDNEY#ENTRE s3RI#HINMOYMADETHElRSTRECORDINGOFHISESRAJMUSICAT4IN0AN!LLEY-USICSTUDIOS in Sydney. He was the first person to record an album there. The LP album, also containing VOCALTRACKS WASSUBSEQUENTLYRELEASEDAS@0EACE ,IGHT $ELIGHT s3RI#HINMOYVISITEDTHEHOMEOFlLM46ACTORANDSINGER"ARRY#ROCKERIN3YDNEYFORA picnic with his students. s3RI#HINMOYMETWITH2EV4ED+NOFFS RECTOROFTHE7AYSIDE#HAPELIN3YDNEY s3RI#HINMOYDELIVEREDANEVENINGLECTUREATTHE7AYSIDE#HAPELIN3YDNEY -ARCH s3RI#HINMOYCREATEDJharna-Kala chalk sketches in Sydney, which he presented to the Above: Sri Chinmoy in Sydney. Sydney Centre. Opposite page, clockwise from top left: s3RI#HINMOYTOOKANEVENINGBOATCRUISEON3YDNEY(ARBOURONTHE#APTAIN#OOKFERRYAND 1. Charming a kangaroo with the gave a talk on the ‘Golden Boat’, which was recorded by a radio station. The captain Western flute at Healesville Sanctuary. allowed Sri Chinmoy to steer the ferry for a time. 2. Playing the bamboo flute at a picnic -ARCH s3RI#HINMOYDELIVEREDALECTUREATTHE!USTRALIAN.ATIONAL5NIVERSITYIN#ANBERRA in Sydney. 3. Meditating at Barry -ARCH s3RI#HINMOYCREATEDJharna-Kala pen drawings in Melbourne. Crocker’s home in Sydney. 4. Practising s3RI#HINMOYDELIVEREDALECTUREATTHE3TATE#OLLEGEOF-ELBOURNEIN-ELBOURNE the Western flute. 5. Enjoying a roller- -ARCH s3RI#HINMOYBEGANLEARNINGTHE7ESTERNmUTEDURINGABUSTRIPTO(EALESVILLE3ANCTUARY coaster ride at Luna Park, Sydney. 6. With a kangaroo at Taronga Park from Melbourne. Zoo, Sydney. 7. Walking by Sydney s3RI#HINMOYVISITED/LYMPIC0ARKnHOMEOFTHE/LYMPICSnIN-ELBOURNE Harbour. 8. Stretching at Olympic Park, s3RI#HINMOYDELIVEREDALECTUREATTHE-ELBOURNE!SSEMBLY(ALLIN-ELBOURNE Melbourne. 9. On the starting line at -ARCH s3RI#HINMOYMETWITHONEOFHISATHLETICIDOLS THECHAMPIONRUNNER2ON#LARKE IN-ELBOURNE Olympic Park. 10. At the Beaurepaire s3RI#HINMOYDELIVEREDALECTUREAT-ONASH5NIVERSITYIN-ELBOURNE Centre swimming pool, Melbourne. s3RI#HINMOYDELIVEREDALECTUREAT"ROUGHAM0LACE#ONGREGATIONAL#HURCHIN!DELAIDE