Sri Chinmoy was born in Bengal, India in 1931. Orphaned at the age of 12, he entered the Sri Aurobindo Ashram where he would spend the next 20 years engaged in intense spiritual discipline; his days filled with various ashram responsibilities, his nights devoted to countless hours of prayer and meditation. Whilst still a young boy, he experienced very advanced states of meditation and established a direct link with what he would refer to as, his ‘Inner Pilot’; a guiding hand that would eventually instruct him to leave the peaceful simplicity of ashram life and travel to the West to serve as a guide for other seekers.
Arriving in New York in 1964, Sri Chinmoy immediately began to sow the seeds of what would later become the Sri Chinmoy Centre, offering spiritual guidance whilst asking for nothing in return. Seekers from all walks of life slowly gravitated towards him, sensing something profound in his meditative presence and his ability to bring others’ divinity to the fore. From these humble beginnings in suburban New York, the Centre grew and expanded, eventually becoming a worldwide community where seekers of all faiths and backgrounds were able to discover and share their own spirituality under the loving guidance of Sri Chinmoy.
During his 43 years in the West, Sri Chinmoy explored countless fields in his tireless quest to inspire his fellow citizens of the world. Aside from playing the role of a spiritual guide or Guru for countless seekers in over 140 countries, Sri Chinmoy composed thousands of meditative songs, created thousands of contemplative artworks, excelled as an athlete; first as a decathlete, later on as a long distance runner and then weigh lifter, was prolific as both poet and author, lectured at scores of universities, met with many prominent individuals to share his dreams of a peaceful world, offered hundreds of free concerts of his meditative music and founded a global torch really – the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run. He played a prominent role at the United 
Nations Headquarters in New York, as director of the twice weekly Peace Meditations and would also come to count Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev and Mother Teresa among his closest friends. Describing himself first and foremost as a God-lover and Truth-seeker, Sri Chinmoy approached all his endeavours with tremendous humility, unswerving dedication and the simple hope of inspiring others to look inside themselves and discover the divinity he saw in every single person.
With his passing on October 11th 2007, Sri Chinmoy left behind a vast legacy spanning countless fields of endeavour and anchored firmly in the hearts of all those individuals whose lives had been touched by his. His firm conviction that meditation should always be offered free of charge continues to be embodied today by the worldwide Sri Chinmoy Centres. Whilst it can be difficult to comprehend a life that was truly consecrated to serving the unlimited potential of the human spirit, we can be certain that so long as Sri Chinmoy’s melodies still ring throughout the concert halls of the world, his artworks enchant the eyes of soulful observers and his teachings nurture the minds of peace-lovers worldwide, his is a life that will continue to reverberate.
For more information please visit:
- Sri Chinmoy’s official site: SriChinmoy.org