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Many distinguished guests from the city of Pokhara (2nd largest in Nepal) came to take part in this ceremony - to join in with an international team of runners from several countries around the world.

The shrine of Shanti Stupa features four statues of the Buddha facing in four different directions.

The runners also met with schoolchildren and locals who were moved to see the Peace Run pass through their city.

Previously the Nepal Peace Run had started at the Sri Chinmoy Statue in Nagarkot in the foothills of the Himalayas.

During his lifetime, Sri Chinmoy visited Nepal on a few occasions, meeting with His Majesty Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, King of Nepal in Feb 1998. Sri Chinmoy considered himself a student of peace and by travelling around the world sought to inspire others to follow a more peaceful approach to life.

How I wish I could tell
The whole world
That I wish to live only
At one place:
The foot of peace-mountain.

Sri Chinmoy [1]

After the event, Ashrita Furman endeavoured to break a Guinness World Record for flipping a lit sword in the air in as many times as possible in 30 seconds. He managed 28 in the allotted time!

More coverage of the Peace Run at

• Peace Run in Nepal 2018

Short video of the concert

This video offers a few selected highlights from the concert and includes a song dedicated to Saraswati. Purushottama composed this song shortly after meeting Sri Chinmoy for the first time in February 2006. Sri Chinmoy was deeply impressed with the singer's soulful composition and offered a few Sanskrit words to help complete the song. 1

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In 2007, Sri Chinmoy invited his good friend Purushottama to offer a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London and the United Nations in New York. Both venues were of great significance to Sri Chinmoy as he offered meditations at the United Nations since 1970; 2 and several Peace Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.

Related

• Interview with Purushottama at Sri Chinmoy TV
• Purushottama's United Nations concert at Radio Sri Chinmoy (tracks can be downloaded)

• 1. Sri Chinmoy, I thank You, Agni Press, 2014
• 2. United Nations at Sri Chinmoy.org

“The pure and uplifting tunes of these songs are characterized by deep inwardness and joyfully ascending dynamics... They allow the listeners to feel the peace and beauty of their own heart to be free to get carried away or dive deep in the enchanting melodies.”

"And it is on that note that the group strives to use this heartfelt music as a channel to promote harmony, oneness and understanding among all countries and cultures because there is far more that unites us than divides us. These are essentially the core principles that the United Nations is built upon and which we fully and proudly support.”

 

The celebration was held in the halls of the UN World Intellectual Property Organisation, with about 700 guests and friends in attendance. Sponsored by the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva, the evening aimed to celebrate the spiritual, cultural and economic strengths of India as it looks forward to the future.

Sri Chinmoy was born in 1931, in Bengal (then part of India) and grew up in south India, before moving to the West in 1964. Sri Chinmoy often spoke of his love for India and in 1997 he offered 50 peace concerts around the world to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of India’s Independence. Speaking on the divine mission of India, Sri Chinmoy wrote:

“Our Bharat Mata always beckons the length and breadth of the world. She inspires the seekers. She elevates the consciousness of those who sincerely thirst for a higher life, a life of illumination and perfection.

India, in its purest sense, is neither a matter-hungry nor a world-shunning country.

An indomitable will is energising Bharat Mata. Progress, both material and spiritual, is being effected with lightning speed." 1

Audio: A sample of Mountain Silence's music from one of their many recordings over the years. More available at Radio Sri Chinmoy (see link below)

Related

• Mountain Silence - listen and download their music for free at Radio Sri Chinmoy
• Article At ip-watch.org

• 1. India, my India. Mother India's summit-prides, Agni Press, 1997.

“Running helps us considerably. Running is continuous motion. Because of our running, we feel that there is a goal — not only an outer goal but also an inner goal.”

– Sri Chinmoy [1]

Editor of Inspiration-Letters, Mahiruha Klein offers a suitable introduction - remarking on some of his memories of being inspired by running on Sri Chinmoy's Path.

"The longest race in the world is the Sri Chinmoy 3,100 Mile Self-Transcendence Race, held every summer in Queens.  The runners need to complete at least sixty miles a day (more than two marathons daily) to finish in the fifty-day cutoff.  I have often gone to see them; sometimes I just go and sit and read.  The feeling of self-transcendence is palpable.  Whenever I go to watch them run, I feel I should maintain soulful silence.  I feel like these runners are a symbolic offering to the world, through their own stamina, endurance, determination, they are pathfinders of a new world."

Read edition

• Inspiration-Letters Running edition (online version)
• Inspiration-Letters Running edition (PDF)

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It was a busy year for the Sri Chinmoy Centre in Dublin! The Centre gives free meditation classes every couple of months, and also organised two big meditation events with invited speakers. The Festival of Meditation in June featured talks and workshops by Pradhan Balter from Chicago, as well as concerts from British group Ananda and Glaswegian singer Adarsha Kelly. 

The concerts also featured Mangala's group, an international female instrumental group led by Mangala from Dublin. Earlier in the year, the group had just released their first album, a live recording, and afterwards they visited Nurnberg in Germany to play a concert and record their second CD. 

Meanwhile, Sadanand Magee, a tabla player who has toured many countries playing Sri Chinmoy's music, toured many cities in Russia with his friend Kanala on sitar, giving concerts for over 3000 people.

Then in September, we had another in our popular Let's Meditate series of meditation workshops, which featured Jogyata Dallas. Jogyata is a much sought after speaker on meditation, and has visited Ireland many times before to give classes.

In November we started a monthly series called Music, Mantra and Meditation where people can get together and sing simple mantric songs, supported by members of our centre playing harmonium and tabla - if you like, you can also grab a simple instrument like a bell or a shaker and join in. We also had Art and meditation evenings, where people could try meditating and then painting in silence from that inner source.

Our teacher, Sri Chinmoy, believed that sport and meditation were natural complements, and encouraged his students to stay fit and try and transcend their capacities through sport. We had a very nice surprise in October, when our friend and fellow student of Sri Chinmoy, Sammunati Nataliya Lehonkova, came over from the Ukraine and won the Dublin Marathon. Samunnati has won the Dublin Marathon before, and represented the Ukraine in the 2016 Olympics in Rio. In addition, Nirbhasa Magee completed the worlds biggest ultramarathoning challenge - the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race - for the second time, taking almost three days off his previous effort.

This April also saw many of us go to Galway to attend the opening ceremony of the European leg of the Sri Chinmoy Oneness Home Peace Run, the worlds largest torch relay run for peace. From Galway the Run travelled a distance of 5000km through every European country before finishing in Minsk, Belarus.

Of course we also found a lot of time for our own inner disciplines, organising meditations and events just to keep us happy and making progress in our spiritual lives. Sri Chinmoy encouraged us to have regular Joy Days - days or weekends where we could meet together for meditation, singing, impromptu plays, fun runs and games - so we had these both for our own Centre and travelling to other Sri Chinmoy Centres in the UK and France. In addition, we organised one-week 'aspiration challenges' amongst ourselves, where we each tried to commit to a certain standard of spiritual practise for one week.

The volunteers carried the Peace Torch to the snow capped mountain, which also serves as a monument to the most influential poet of Montenegro - Petar Petrović Njegoš. 

On the following day, a team of Peace Runners took part in Dubrovnik's New Year 10 km race. The runners were interviewed by local TV and were able to share the message of the Peace Run founder Sri Chinmoy - that the Peace Run aspires to unite people from different backgrounds through running and humanity’s shared wish for a more peaceful world.

“Peace
Is the oneness-bridge
Between my satisfaction
And the world’s satisfaction.”

Sri Chinmoy [1]

Male and female winners of 10 km race

Abhinabha Tangerman, who won the mens 10km race, is a member of the Peace Run team from Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Earlier in the week, the Peace Run Team had visited schools and local communities in Montenegro.

Related

• Peace Run 1st January (Dubrovnik, Croatia)
• Peace Run 31st December (Lovcen, Montenegro)

Photos by Yatkara Aleksapolskyy

The concert began with acapella singing by a group of female singers before switching to the renowned musician Alap who played a range of flutes, accompanied by drums. Several other groups, containing musicians from all over the globe, continued the concert - each offering a small glimpse into the musical potential of Sri Chinmoy’s approximate 22,000 compositions.

The Songs of the Soul concert series began in New York, April 2008 - shortly after Sri Chinmoy’s mahasamadhi and, since then, around 20 concerts a year have been given in all the major continents and many different cities. These concerts of soulful and meditative music are dedicated to the musical spirit and legacy of Sri Chinmoy. The performers come from a variety of musical backgrounds - some professional, some enthusiasts, but all feel a special value in offering the music of Sri Chinmoy to the general public.

In the same spirit as Sri Chinmoy’s Peace Concert Series, all Songs of the Soul Concerts are offered free of charge.

Selected photos of performers from concert

 

 

Photos Bijoy, Surabhamat

Related

• Songs of the Soul.com
• The music of Sri Chinmoy at Sri Chinmoy Centre

• Songs devoted to Jesus Christ by Sri Chinmoy at Radio Sri Chinmoy
• Christ songs by Mountain-Silence
• Christ songs - Agnikana's Group
• Arrangements of Christmas songs by Parichayaka

Sri Chinmoy talks about the spiritual significance of Christmas

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"The birth of the Child was secrecy itself. But His Birthday is as illumining as the Sun, as energising as nectar. Christmas is the birth of Promise, the link between Heaven with Earth." - Sri Chinmoy

Christmas - The play of universal emotion - short talk at Sri Chinmoy Library from 1965

Articles by members of Sri Chinmoy Centre

• Spiritual significance of Christmas by Tejvan at Write Spirit
• A Christmas Trip - reflections from Noivedya from the Sri Chinmoy Christmas trip.
• A Quiet Christmas - reflections by Jogyata

"He said that offering, and even doing long races goes hand in hand with his philosophy of a fit body, and a search for greater capacity within oneself. He called this ‘self-transcendence,’ going beyond, beyond our known barriers."

You can read the full: History of the 24 hour race (pdf)

The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team began promoting races for the public in 1977, and in 1980 organised its first 'ultra event' - a 24 hour race in Greenwich New York. During its early history, the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team was fortunate to host some of the greatest ultra performances in the sport's history. For example:

• 1980 24 hour race Marcy Schwam from New York (US) ran 111 miles  a new women's world record.
• 1984 Six-Day Race -  Yiannis Kouros from Tripoli Greece ran 635 miles 1023 yards  to break a 96 year old record from 1888.
• 1984 November 24 hour - Yiannis Kouros broke world record with 177 miles

The article also includes some feedback from the runners who appreciated the spirit and organisation of the Sri Chinmoy Races.

“There is always something special about Sri Chinmoy and his group. Through ultramarathoning I have found what I consider to be an unparalleled inner contentment, yet I can only wonder in awe at the peace and love radiating from each of the Sri Chinmoy followers. At the far corner of the track two young women sang beautiful lyric songs about running and living. On nearly every lap I was greeted and cheered by name. When it was dark, the track was lighted with dozens of candles in white bags, which cast a mystical glow around the far turns."

- Ultrarunning magazine November 1981

Related

• Dipali Cunningham talks about her experiences running in the Sri Chinmoy Ultra events.

I specialise in Ceramics, but also enjoy painting and drawing. My ceramic work is made up mostly of figures, heads and busts of fictional characters. They come generally from my imagination but refer to artists and styles that inspire me, as well as things I see around me every day. As I am drawn to different influences over time, my work also changes. Yet there seems to be a recognisable style that pervades my output. It is not something I try to control, it just comes out that way.

This is probably because my artistic work comes from a place inside me, and this is a place I am trying to get to know better through my inner life of prayer and meditation. I have been practising meditation actively for over 20 years under the guidance of my spiritual master, Sri Chinmoy.

His approach is to base one’s practice on the spiritual heart, an energy centre in the centre of the chest. I find this to be a place of peace, stillness, love and oneness with others. It encourages a childlike simplicity and spontaneity in my life which then guides and shapes my artwork.

For yourself, what is the link between your art and your spiritual life?

For me, the link between my spirituality and art is everything. When I consciously started on my journey of self enquiry, I realised that if my art had no underlying foundation of deep conviction, it would be only a shallow attempt at producing amusing distractions.

Although my work may appear childlike, I am not trying to be childish. I am committed to producing things that make the world a better, happier place. This conviction comes from deep inside as a result of my spiritual practice but also from seeing unhappiness, misery and suffering around me. I have no desire to comment on society or use my art as an outlet for dissatisfaction and angst. Nor am I inspired to produce representational art, i.e. drawing what I see before my eyes. I am trying to offer a positive contribution to the world by offering things of beauty that do not yet exist on earth. My works come from a realm inside my heart that is both simple and beautiful, happy and positive. It is these aspects that I try to bring to this physical world through my art and life.

To try and make things of value, I treat the making process with utmost respect. I try to meditate before working so that I am in a good space and commit to trying my best. While making I also try to keep thoughts to a minimum with no distractions from the radio or chatting with others. When I finish a session of making, I again meditate. This time I offer my gratitude for the gifts I have received, and I try to unconditionally offer my output to the earth atmosphere for its improvement and peaceful happiness.

What do you hope to achieve/offer with your art?

When I have finished a piece and offered it as mentioned above, I loose my claim on it to determine its role in the world. As a result, I don’t have any set notion of what I hope to achieve with a piece. I realise that fame and fortune do not determine the value of work. For me, the only thing that matters is how successfully I have been able to translate my hearts inner cry into physical form, be it a painting, drawing or piece of ceramics. I can tell if I have been successful in this regard by the joyful feeling I get in my heart when something is good, right and true. If I can offer my goodwill to the world through my artistic output then I am more than happy and grateful for that opportunity.

Who are your main artistic influences?

My main artistic influence has to be the practice of my inner life as mentioned above.

In terms of outer influences, I grew up reading comics and watching cartoons and so I associate that type of art with happy childhood memories. I try to translate this simplicity and clarity of line into my three dimensional work in particular.

My influences in the fine art world are many and varied. For drawing skill I love Degas and Ingres, Daumier and Rembrandt. For power and emotion I love Zurbaran, Goya and Massacio. For playful inventiveness I love Miro for his capacity to transfer his creativity with integrity across Painting, printmaking, Sculpture, Ceramics and beyond.

In the world of Sculpture and ceramics, I am especially fond of the tomb figures of the Japanese Haniwa period. They have a simplicity and charm that I find fascinating and endearing. I am also fond of English 18th Century slipwares that display a warmth and humanity in decoration.

As my interest in spiritual enquiry developed, I started to look more closely at different world traditions and came to love Indian folk art. This includes the  ritual objects left under village trees and painted decorations that permeate and enrich living spaces. The themes of simplicity and devotion really capture my heart in such works and inspire me to make works that have a meaningful depth to the best of my ability.

Apart from art, what else do you enjoy doing?

Since my youth I have loved cycling and continue with the sport. Due to some long standing injuries, I have recently changed my focus from racing short distances to riding long distances. This has brought me new perspectives on dealing with life situations and is giving me satisfaction and fulfilment in taking up new challenges. In Sri Chinmoy’s spirit of self-transcendence, I am trying to ride further/faster and yet keep cheerful, positive attitude, even when things get difficult.

• More indepth article on Vilas's artistic inspiration
• Vilas cycling article

Follow: Daily aphorism at Sri Chinmoy Centre

They are also published in calender by The Golden Shore.

A record 20,000 runners completed the 2017 Dublin Marathon in a course that passed through important landmarks of Dublin including Fitzwilliam Street, Phoenix Park and finishing in Merrion Square.

 

Trailer for Seeker

For many years, Snatak was one of the fastest runners in the Centre, as well as being an exceptionally good singer and pianist. In 2004, Snatak was diagnosed with ALS; over the years he has lost much of the capacity of his upper body, but it has not deterred him from living spiritual life to the best of his ability. 

In 2011, Snatak had the inspiration to form a singing group dedicated to singing Sri Chinmoy’s songs in their pure acapella form. The group would go to places of worship of different religions all around the world, to underscore the underlying unity behind all religions. Thus, many of Snatak’s friends from all around the world came together, and the Oneness-Dream singing group was born. The group had their initial concert tour in Iceland, and over the years have toured churches, temples and spiritual places in Finland, Myanmar, Ireland, Scotland and California.

Earlier this year, the group went to the Italian region of Tuscany to sing in the churches and cathedrals there. As you can see from the below slideshow, the group has attained quite a high standard of technical excellence.

Along with the group came Sanjay Rawal, a documentary maker who has worked on award-winning documentaries such as Food Chains (2015), as well as a 2011 documentary on Sri Chinmoy’s weightlifting titled Challenging Impossibility. As a result, a 9-minute documentary titled Seeker was made, which had its first viewing at the Reykjavik Film festival.

Snatak was getting medical treatment in South Korea for much of the festival, but he was able to make it home in time for the last screening of the documentary, and afterwards answered questions for the audience as part of the Q&A session after the film.

Many of the members of Oneness-Dream came to Reykjavik; the day after they held a concert in Frikirkjan, a well known church in the centre of Reykjavik. 

The concert was also used to launch an album, containing recordings from the Italian tour (some of which you can hear in the above slideshow).

“Soulful music is the music that wants to eventually transform our consciousness. It carries us into the Universal Consciousness and makes us feel that we are in tune with the highest, with the deepest, with the farthest.”

– Sri Chinmoy [1]

Related

• Video of Frikirkjan concert on Sri Chinmoy TV

The Faroe Islands is one of 155 countries that the Peace Run has visited, since its inception 30 years ago. During this visit, MPs from Iceland passed on the torch to fellow politicians from the Faroe Islands - sharing a message of peace with its island neighbour.

The Peace Run seeks to share a universal message of peace and friendship amongst different peoples of the world. It seeks to celebrate the diversity of the world, whilst sharing the underlying unity of different cultures.

“Peace
Is not the fault-finder
Of the world.
Peace
Is the fault-mender
Of the world.”

Sri Chinmoy [1]

The Run is also a physical challenge with volunteers who support the run, completing the distance between countries on foot - illustrating a tangible way to take this message of peace across the globe.

In this video, some of the volunteer co-ordinators talk about the meaning and significance of the Run and what motivates them to take part in this unique event.

Related

Peace Run – Faroe Islands

As Sri Chinmoy’s students, we feel that these concerts offer the public a very easy way to immerse themselves in a spiritual consciousness without having to know too much about meditation; indeed, Sri Chinmoy felt that spiritual music was the next best thing to meditation.

Spiritual music is the illumining and fulfilling language of the universal soul.

Sri Chinmoy

It is a lot of hard work to put the concerts on, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun at the same time…

More photos at songsofthesoul.com...

“Running is a real meditation: rhythmical breathing and repeated movements help the mind leave its endless flow of thoughts. The inner space begins to exist only for the depth of a silent ocean inside and for the heart’s joy.”

P. 136 “Running in rhythm with the heart”, (2017) Jayasalini Olga Abramovskikh

Q.A with the author - Jayasalini

How did you find the process of writing this book?

I truly enjoy writing. Having returned home after the 3100-mile race one day a beautiful image appeared.  I saw that a few years before this race was like a distant star which seemed to be the most beautiful one in the entire Universe, its beauty called me like anything else… I sat to write down this image.  The book starts with an essay depicting exactly this experience. 

Later I continued writing down some of my memories on the race.  I was doing it for myself without any idea of publishing a book. I was writing because I could experience everything again - appreciating every detail of the race.   Sometime later I felt a strong urge to share the experience with others, because it could not belong only to myself, it had to be shared.

Completing the book took longer than the duration of the race! To steadily move towards the goal, I committed to spend a minimum of 15 minutes a day on writing/editing the book. It worked! I missed only a couple of days and felt extremely happy to see the progress; it was like watching the birth of a new creation.

The book was first published in Russian and then translated into English.  Like the race itself  - where many volunteers participate in setting-up the event - publishing the book was a real team work. It would not have happened without many contributing to the design, editing, proof-reading and translating.  I am very grateful for the support of everyone.

What was the most memorable aspect of race / or most significant chapter in the book?

The most precious experience for me was the feeling of being guided by the unseen hand and a feeling of complete oneness with all higher forces that aided me in during the 52 days of the race, but also the time before and after the race.  Being there I had to find this oneness, to stay in a flow and be receptive to the flow. It was an amazing feeling, and since the race is the real projection of our life I feel that our entire life can become this flow. I tried to describe it in the book through different inspirational stories.

Do you have plans to do the race again in the future?

Exactly this question is answered at the very end of the book, so let me invite you to start reading from the very beginning and to enjoy the entire journey.

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Jayasalini is a student of Sri Chinmoy from Moscow, Russia. She completed the 2014 edition of the 3100 Mile Race in a time of 51 days, 12 hours and 31 minutes. She was the first female Russian athlete to complete the race, and she was the youngest female to complete the race (and, at the time, only the 5th women to finish)

Video with Jayasalini talking about the race

 

• Running in rhythm with the heart at Amazon.com
• Final results of 2014 Race

Tatiana became a meditation student of Sri Chinmoy in 2004, after meeting Sri Chinmoy during a visit to Russia. Inspired by Sri Chinmoy's philosophy of self-transcendence and the history of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in attempting the 'Everest of long-distance swimming' she undertook intensive training to gain the necessary stamina and speed. Speaking of the experience of training for this epic event, she remarked:

 

"This (intense) training already made me another person, I have learned to understand myself better, my mind, my body. By working hard in the training and going forward step by step overcoming difficulties you really become a different person, more determined, more confident, and at the same time you become more patient and learn to understand others better."

With relatively little experience of open water distance swimming, Tatiana successfully managed an arduous 20 hour swim with currents her up and down the coast, with the finish insight. Tatiana completed the swim with a crew of helpers from the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team. Her pilot was the very experienced 'King of the Channel' - Kevin Murphy - Kevin has completed the English Channel crossing, 32 times and was once honoured by Sri Chinmoy in a 'Lifting Up the World With a Oneness Heart Award' for his services to long-distance swimming.

Tatiana from Moscow joins a select list of people who have completed a solo (no wetsuit) swim; she was only the fourth Russian female to make the crossing.

“I do not have any set goal; my goal is self-transcendence. I always try to transcend myself. I do not compete with the rest of the world. I compete only with myself, and I try to become a better human being. This is my ultimate goal.”

– Sri Chinmoy

Tatiana after her 20-hour crossing of the English Channel.

Related

• Report at Sri Chinmoy Races
• List of swims by Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team

 

“Our teacher came from India to inspire joy in other people. He created thousands of soul bird drawings with crayons in various colours to convey the joy experienced in meditation to others. With tremendous gratitude we are honouring what would be Sri Chinmoy’s 86th birthday with the world's largest crayon.”

Ashrita, manager of a Health Food Store in Queens, New York, holds more than 190 Guinness World records and says the power of meditation and Sri Chinmoy’s philosophy of self-transcendence help enable this unique collection of records.

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Sri Chinmoy was born 27 August 1931, and many of his students from around the world come to Queens every August to partake in his birthday celebrations. Amongst other activities, Sri Chinmoy was a prolific artist drawing, in his lifetime, nearly 16 million soul bird drawings - a unique style of art which reflect the soul’s aspiration and inner freedom.

Soul-Bird drawing by Sri Chinmoy.

Photo credit: Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team.

After a difficult opening few days, Kaneenika was a model of consistency averaging well over the required minimum daily distance of 60 miles. She remarked how over the course of the race she felt stronger - despite the accumulation of miles and physical fatigue.

“At the beginning of the race I actually didn’t feel so strong, the first week and maybe even 10 days.  But then all of a sudden it felt as though I was gaining the strength.  It just all started happening.   It was all coming from inside.”

The overall winner of the race was Vasu Duzhiy 51, of St Petersburg, Russia, who won the 21st Annual Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race for the second time in 46 days+17:38:22. It was Vasu’s sixth consecutive finish and his second consecutive first place. His performance was all the more remarkable for a serious back accident eight months ago, which left him unable to train and barely able to stand. Speaking after the race, Vasu expressed his joy of competing in the contest.

“I love this race.  I don’t know why I love it.  I just love it and do it.  I am happy here and I am able to do self transcendence. I hope that I can inspire some people to be better citizens of the world.  They inspire me and I inspire them.”

Over 100 spectators came to see the finish of the runners who had braved extremes of temperature, sickness, and the unremitting nature of the concrete block which had been their home and sporting pilgrimage for the past several weeks.

On Saturday night, Nirbhasa Magee, a native of Dublin, Ireland finished second man, third overall in a personal best time of 48 days+16:47:01. It was Nirbhasa’s second attempt at the distance, managing to improve his finish time by two days plus 19 hours faster than his previous effort in 2015. For Magee, the spirit of self-transcendence is the essence of the race, remarking:

“It is nice to transcend yourself…  I am not leaving anything on the table.  It is not like I am taking it easy.  What you see from me every day is my absolute best that I can put out

The race continues for a few days with Harita Davies (NZ) and Yolanda Holder (US) within striking distance of finishing the race within the allotted time of 52 days.

Follow the race at:

• 3100 Mile race at Sri Chinmoy Races
• Perfection Journey by Utpal
• Photos of race by Jowan

“Smile, my friends, my soulful friends, smile. Let us smile. True, this world of ours is full of suffering and excruciating pangs, but that is no reason why we should not smile. We must smile in order to unburden the world’s suffering-burden. We must smile in order to diminish its untold pangs.”

- Sri Chinmoy, “Smile, love and claim” Everest-Aspiration part 1, Agni Press, 1977

Related

• Everest-Aspiration at Sri Chinmoy Library
• Sri Chinmoy reads from Everest Aspiration at Radio Sri Chinmoy.
• “Everest Aspiration” Story by Arpan - scroll down to talk ‘Everest Aspiration’ Arpan describes an evening of July 1977, when Sri Chinmoy gave one of the memorable talks during the middle of a electricity power-cut.