|
| Black Rose Spiritual Center, Inc : Belief Systems |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Sri Chinmoy Centres |
|
| ADDRESS: P.O. Box 32433 Jamaica. New York 11432 MEMBERSHIP: Not reported. HISTORICAL ORIGIN: The historical origins of Sri Chinmoy's path can be traced to the spiritual tradition that began in the second millennium B.C. among the Vedic Seers of India, who were the first to experience direct communion and conscious oneness with God. Sri Chinmoy's path incorporates the realizations of the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita into a modern day approach to Godrealization and Godmanifestation. Sri Chinmoy Kumar Ghose (b. 1931) attained Godrealization at the age of twelve. Shortly thereafter, he entered an ashram and spent the next twenty years expanding and perfecting his inner realizations, until an inner command brought him to the West in l964. Since coming to the West in 1964 in response to an inner command, Sri Chinmoy has founded spiritual Centres across the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia. BASIC BELIEFS: Sri Chinmoy's path is based on the Master's own personal experience of God. Basically, it is the oath of the heart. God cannot be mentally grasped or possessed by the mind; rather, He can most easily and convincingly be known through the heart. It is through love, devotion and surrender that He can be supremely realized and soulfully fulfilled. The purpose of life, Sri Chinmoy teaches, is satisfaction within, satisfaction without. The inner goal is to bring to the fore the soul's light so that it permeates all parts of the being and brings us to a state |
| of full illumination, or conscious oneness with the Divine, known as God realization. The outer goal is to reveal and manifest the soul's light and fulfill God by ultimately establishing perfect perfection here on earth (God manifestation). The method that Sri Chinmoy teaches for achieving these two goals is the process of love, devotion and surrender. "We start out by loving God. Then we devote our lives to Him, and finally we surrender our whole existence to Him. Surrender is not a passive or inert state; it is a highly conscious, dynamic confluence, or joining up, with God's Will." Sri Chinmoy encourages spiritual seekers to aspire for something higher, more illumining and more fulfilling in all spheres of life. In the modern era, he teaches, it isn't enough to achieve Godrealization in the seclusion of some Himalayan cave. Divinity must be achieved amid the hustle and bustle of life, and then be brought down into the everyday world. Sri Chinmoy's own life marked by an incredible outpouring of poetry, literature, art, music and athletic accomplishments exemplifies this philosophy. "There is no end to our aspiration, just as there is no end to our Godrealization and Godmanifestation. That's because God Himself is not static but is continuously expanding His own Perfection in His eternal movement toward an ever widening,ever more illumining and ever more fulfilling Beyond. Through man's eternal progress and participation in this movement, he too achieves perfect perfection." Sri Chinmoy has written some 400 books which are used throughout the movement. Of particular interest are: Beyond Within and meditation: Man Perfection in God Satisfaction. PRACTICES AND BEHAVIORAL STANDARDS: Members must listen to their conscience and feel at all times that God is personally observing their action. Members should seek to discover the Will of God, through meditation, and then become one with it. Special Religious Holidays include: August 27 Ù Sri Chinmoy's birthday and April 13 Ù the anniversary of Sri Chinmoy's arrival in the West. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE: The main Centre is in New York where Sri Chinmoy resides. There are also a number of local Centres around the country, whose leaders are appointed by Sri Chinmoy personally. Their tasks are entirely administrative; all spiritual guidance comes from Sri Chinmoy directly. Sir Chinmoy also conducts twice weekly meditations for delegates and staff at the United Nations. The group he leads, named "Sri Chinmoy Meditation at the United Nations," is not organizationally related to the Sri Chinmoy Centre. ROLE OF MINISTERS: There are no ministers. Sri Chinmoy is the sole spiritual leader. WORSHIP: Only Sri Chinmoy may conduct worship services. In his absence, disciples seek to establish inner communion with God on an individual basis. Where Sri Chinmoy Centres are located, the Centre leader will provide an outer format or spiritual structure for this through group singing, readings and other practices. Members should attend the weekly or twice weekly services held in local Centres. Morning and evening meditation is required of all followers. A photograph of Sri Chinmoy in a high meditative consciousness, which the individual uses as an aid for entering into his own meditative consciousness, constitutes the minimum equipment for worship. Members are requested to set aside a small corner of their living quarters as a shrine, where meditation is conducted. Sri Chinmoy Centres also have special areas for meditation, which contain a picture of Sri Chinmoy in a high meditative consciousness. DIETARY LAWS OR RESTRICTIONS: Unless medically prescribed, Sri Chinmoy's followers do not eat meat, fish or fowl. Drugs (non medical) and alcohol are prohibited. Physical activity and exercise are encouraged. FUNERAL AND BURIAL REQUIREMENTS: None. Autopsy and cremation are permitted. MEDICAL TREATMENT: No restrictions. OTHER: In general, the Sri Chinmoy Centre would support the request for conscientious objector status of its members Only in self defense, if one's country has been attacked, or in cases where one is commanded from within to bear arms for a particular divine cause, is fighting permitted. Spiritual directives from Sri Chinmoy whether relating to inner or outer matters, would supersede any military directives. Also, inner commands received during meditation, if they come directly from God or from the individual's own soul, must be obeyed. Sri Chinmoy's path embraces all religions, and members are allowed to maintain prior religious ties if they choose. Sri Chinmoy stresses that while there are many valid paths, only one should be followed at any time. GENERAL SOURCE BOOKS: Chinmoy, Sri. Sri Chinmoy Primer. Forest Hills, NY: Vishwa Press, 1974. 122pp. Meditation: Man Perfection in God Satisfaction. Jamaica, NY: Agni Press, 1978. 304pp. Madhuri. The Life of Sri Chinmoy. 2 vols. Jamaica, NY: Agni Press, 1984. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Sri Chinmoy Centres P. O. Box 32433 Jamaica, NY 11432 |
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
