In the mid-1980’s, Guru came to Ottawa and offered a public meditation and concert.

There were about 200 seekers in attendance. As was Guru’s habit at that time, at the end of the function, Guru would personally offer prasad, an orange, to each seeker.

Everyone approached the stage in a long line, and one by one, we went up to Guru to receive the orange. The line moved slowly, as Guru spent one or two seconds with each individual.

Suddenly, the line came to a halt as an order gentleman stood in front of Guru. Guru meditated on this man for two or three minutes. This was so unusual that all the disciples knew something extraordinary was going on. We were eager to find out what it was.

Pipasa: My friend Jamini got the idea of doing the hopscotch record. A lot of people were breaking records at that time.

Jamini: People were breaking records for Guru's 50th birthday when we were in New York in August 1981. That was our first celebrations. Many people were doing records so when we came home, we sat down one night with the Guinness Book of Records. We were looking through it trying to figure out what we could do and came across this hopscotch record.

Pipasa: 90 hours was the previous record.

Jamini: Then we had the brilliant idea of doing a hundred hours.

For many years, Guru did of a lot of weightlifting, attempting heavier weights, different kinds of weights. It was a big part of our life as guards to help Guru with the weightlifting, to help with the machines, to help transport things and to help with the Lifting Up the World With a Oneness-Heart lifting ceremonies.

I think every now and then Guru realised that some of us could not relate to the amount of weight that Guru was lifting. We had no way of understanding it. So Guru sometimes would get the guards to lift heavy weights.

One time on Aspiration-Ground in front of everybody, in front of everyone at Celebrations, I was trying to lift a weight, but I was having some serious problems.

Guru gave us two weights. We were trying to lift two weights that were both very heavy, and it was impossible for me. I did my best. It was so much fun to do it, to start to identify with what Guru was doing.

There's a great story. When I was on one Christmas trip, Guru said 'All of the guards, every single guard, has to make a weightlifting machine for me'. The thing is, at that time, it was 1992, I didn't know how to make a weightlifting machine. I'm not good with mechanical things or engineering or construction. I had no idea how to make a machine. I had no money, zero money. We were on this island, Tenerife, which is off the coast of Africa. It was a Christmas trip. I was wondering, “What am I going to do?” I was really getting worried. How am I going to make a machine? I have nothing.

I was what you call a classic unconscious seeker. I was an ordinary person in high school. I was an athlete, but I never heard of spirituality, meditation, yoga or anything like that. I went to university and I was a good student. I didn't do anything crazy, never tried any weird stuff, and was just an ordinary person.
    
I love to read though. I always enjoyed reading. I was an English literature major, and in my last semester I had to choose my courses. I chose a course which I knew nothing about, on Eastern religions.

During the tenure of the first Victory’s Banner Restaurant, 1981-86, I would attend all the Christmas trips, which lasted two to three weeks back then. Sukantika, my spiritual sister who served as manager of the restaurant, would work overtime to cover my absence, so whenever Guru took his smaller European trips during the year, I would make an effort to send Sukantika.

Although the restaurant was always financially strapped, one year we were really hurting and didn’t have enough funds to send Sukantika on the mid-year European journey. I felt badly about this, and one day approached Guru on his porch, explaining that we didn’t have enough money and asking if it was absolutely necessary to send Sukantika. He said, “It is all a matter of consciousness. If her consciousness is going to fall, then she should definitely go. Consciousness comes before money.”

“Okay,” I replied, “I’ll tell her that.”

“Oh no, don’t tell her that!” Guru clarified. “Tell her that if she can keep her same good consciousness as it is and not go, then she doesn’t have to go.” Then he clarified, “The very suggestion that her consciousness may go down will serve as a seed to cause it to go down. Always say things in such a way as to inspire people, not discourage them.” It struck me how careful Guru is, down to the last word.

There is not a single seeker
Who cannot inspire others.
There is not a single seeker
Who cannot be inspired by others.

Sri Chinmoy 1

• 1. Ten Thousand Flower-Flames, part 93, Agni Press, 1983

Five or six years ago I was running in London in front of Kensington Gardens. A car came so close to me that I got frightened and jumped onto the sidewalk. A man came out of the car and said, “We are your disciples.”

Then the whole family came out. It was Kaivalya, Bhavani and their two boys. I did not recognise them, even though they had already come to New York. Now I know the family so well.

Sri Chinmoy 1

• 1. Run and become, become and run, part 17, Agni Press, 1986

I came to the United States from India at the age of twenty-seven. I came to Miami for my higher studies. I had started meditation in India on my own, reading some books. But even though people imagine that everybody in India meditates, that's not the case. I did not know a single person my age who meditated.

I was still hungering for a spiritual community when I came to Miami. There was a friend and classmate at the university who would bring me meditation books. She was going somewhere for meditation. She brought me Guru's books Beyond Within and Father and Daughter and other books that she had from where she went to meditate. The books really connected with me. I felt it was exactly the way I imagined meditation would be. It was focused on the heart. I was dying to go for meditation classes. This was 1993.

Finally in 1994, I started going for meditation classes. It took a while. My first meditation class was exactly what I had imagined. At the end of the meditation, I got to meet with the teacher, who was Durjaya from the Miami Centre. I still remember talking to him after the class. My soul was so happy that I was shaking like a leaf.

Guru visited the running shop Run and Become in London. Many disciples came—too many—and we couldn't get everybody inside. Guru was sitting by the till with the owners Ongkar, Vinodini, and their two girls, Shankara and Dipika. Guru asked that we stop letting people in. I was asked to be the guard at the door.

Then a very famous ultra-distance runner from Scotland called Don Ritchie came to see Guru. Now, how am I to tell Guru that he is here? I just concentrated very hard at the door. I looked at Guru and concentrated. I don't know about the third eye; I was just concentrating. I was very serious, very strongly telling Guru from inside, “Guru, please listen to me. Don Ritchie is here to see you.” Guru looked up and said, “So Don Ritchie is here. Bring him in.”

This happened to me several times during my discipleship and my relationship with Guru. Several times I needed to say something to Guru. I did this very thing [inwardly speaking to Guru], and he always responded in the same way. If I could remember this in my daily life now, I'd be a very high soul.

I wish to hear Your Nectar-Message.
Therefore, I always remain inside
The garden of my heart.
You wish to hear my inner message.
Therefore, You remain inside air all around me.

Sri Chinmoy 1

• 1. My green adoration-gifts, part 2, 1977 (Translation of song Tomar katha shunbo ami)

Whenever I visited Guru in New York, it was usually an escape from my responsibilities in Chicago. With that escape came more opportunity to meditate, and maintain what appeared to be better spiritual discipline.

Therefore, I was surprised when Guru told me that when I am in Chicago, I make more progress. This was exactly contrary to my perceptions. So I said, “Guru, you know, I don’t see it. You say I make more spiritual progress back in Chicago. I don’t feel spiritual progress in Chicago. I feel nothing but struggle, nothing but difficulty.”

And he said, “No, no, no, it’s not like that. Think of the weightlifter. The weightlifter lifts weights. Now, you can take all the weight off the barbell and the weightlifter says, ‘Oh, look how easy it is for me. I can lift the weight so many times.’ Now, put weights on the barbell. Immediately he will see it is much more difficult to lift. But in which way is he developing more strength? When the barbell has weights, of course.” He added, “True, it is more difficult to lift. But at the same time, he is developing more strength. In life, what are your weights? Nothing other than your  life’s responsibilities, or you can call it your duties. Your life’s responsibilities are the weights. So when you go back to Chicago, you assume your life’s responsibilities, and it is these responsibilities that compel you to develop inner strength.”