Tribute To Sri Chinmoy - Congressional Record - Hon. Gary Ackerman
Tribute To Sri Chinmoy - Congressional Record - Hon. Gary Ackerman
Tribute To Sri Chinmoy - Congressional Record - Hon. Gary Ackerman
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1568-E1569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov
The Centres are dedicated to the twin goals of public service and
personal spiritual growth through the use of meditation. The students
of Sri Chinmoy include individuals from all faiths and walks of life
who seek to cultivate harmony and goodwill both in themselves and in
their communities. They also compose the community of volunteers who
carry out, at the grass-roots level, Sri Chinmoy's vision of loving
service through such varied projects as humanitarian aid and the
sponsorship of musical concerts and athletic events.
Considered one of the world's foremost authorities on Eastern
philosophy, which is a systematic method of expanding consciousness
through meditation, prayer and selfless service, Sri Chinmoy has
lectured on this topic at many of the major universities in the United
States. His first lecture tour began at Yale on December 4, 1968 and
included talks at all 8 Ivy League Universities. In the early 1970s he
lectured at 20 universities on topics of Indian wisdom and philosophy.
In 1974, he spoke at universities in all 50 states.
He continues to lecture here and around the world. In his writings
and speeches, he endeavors to share eastern light for the western mind.
A prolific writer and poet, Sri Chinmoy has written over 1,550 books of
essays, poems and short stories. The largest university library
collection of his works is at Harvard Divinity School.
Meditation classes under Sri Chinmoy's guidance are always provided
free of charge. He offered his first public meditation at Columbia
University on April 23, 1971, and his first meditation in Congress at
the Rayburn House Office Building on May 23, 1979, under the
sponsorship of my former colleague, the distinguished late New York
Congressman Joseph P. Addabbo.
Mr. Speaker, Sri Chinmoy believes that sport is a powerful instrument
for promoting global harmony. He has long found that athletics can be
an invaluable source of motivation and enrichment for thousands of
people, young and old alike. In 1976 he was recognized with a
commendation from the President's Council on Physical Fitness for his
role in inspiring young Americans to run the 50-State, 9,000-mile
``Liberty Torch'' relay held in honor of the U.S. Bicentennial. He
founded the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in 1977. In 1982, several of his
students organized ``America's Freedom-Ride,'' a 50-State public
participation bicycle relay that celebrated the 200th anniversary of
the U.S. Constitution.
The lessons of these early 50-State American relays became the
foundation for the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team to organize a global torch
relay. Now known as the World Harmony
[[Page E1569]]
Run, it was held from April to August on a biennial basis from 1987 to
2001 and resumed as a yearly event in 2005. The World Harmony Run seeks