Sri Chinmoy:
The Peace Meditation at the United Nations

On 10 November 1978 Sri Chinmoy paid the following memorial tribute to the American artist Norman Rockwell during a meeting of the Meditation Group in the Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium.

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Sri Chinmoy: Let us for a minute offer our prayerful meditation so that the artist of Americana, Norman Rockwell, may receive the universal Peace and transcendental Bliss which his soul so rightly and richly deserves.

He not only saw America’s simplicity-life and America’s happiness-heart, but he also became simplicity and happiness in the purest sense of the term. No matter what ultra-modern science has made of America, no matter what the modern intellectual giants have made of America, in the depths of America’s heart and life there shall always dwell three virtues:

• simplicity – a childlike simplicity;
• happiness – a child’s happiness;
• and satisfaction – a child’s constantly blossoming satisfaction that comes when America becomes and offers to the world what the child in it has.

No virtue that America has can ever diminish or vanish, for virtue is an immortal gift which God Himself grants to aspiring souls and aspiring nations.

 America’s vastness the world knows. America’s oneness only a soul like Norman Rockwell could feel.

We the seekers shall always feel in him America’s oneness-loving life and America’s satisfaction-distributing heart.

Norman Rockwell embodies the Reality’s revealed dream.

Above was also published in:

• United Nations: The World’s Oneness-Home – book 2005 May 11

•  Devoted Report to the Secretary General 1978

• “Meditation at the United Nations”  Periodical Bulletin November 1978, Vol 6, Number 11

Song: Norman Rockwell,

Composed by Sri Chinmoy on November 10, 1978

Norman Rockwell, Norman Rockwell, Norman Rockwell!
Your good America’s simplicity-life,
Your kind America’s happiness-heart
Forever in your fondness-memory shall dwell.
O illustrator supreme,
O Reality’s revealed dream,
America’s height, America’s depth,
America’s breadth, America’s length
Salute your splendid Americana-oneness-strength.

Note: Birth name Norman Perceval Rockwell

Born Feb 3, 1894, New York City, USA

Died Nov 8, 1978 (aged 84); Stockbridge, Massachusetts

Freedom to Worship…Each According to Dictates of Own Conscience

One of Norman Rockwell’s often seen interfaith related works was part of the “Four Freedoms” series that   circulated initially as cover of the very popular Weekly “Saturday Evening Post” . Freedom to Worship was Feb 27, 1943 magazine. It became a US Government widely distributed poster, especially during the 1940’s WW2

Freedom of Worship is the second of a series of four oil paintings by Norman Rockwell entitled Four Freedoms. The works were inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s State of the Union Address delivered to the 77th United States Congress on January 6, 1941, known as Four Freedoms.[1] Of the Four Freedoms, the only two described in the United States Constitution are freedom of speech and freedom of religion.[2] The Four Freedoms’ theme was later incorporated into the Allies‘ World War II policy statement, the Atlantic Charter,[3][4] and became part of the charter of the United Nations.[1] The series of paintings ran on four consecutive weeks in The Saturday Evening Post, accompanied by essays from noted writers: Freedom of Speech (February 20), Freedom of Worship (February 27), Freedom from Want (March 6) and Freedom from Fear (March 13).[5] For the essay accompanying Freedom of Worship, Post editor Ben Hibbs chose Durant, who was a best-selling author at the peak of his fame. At the time, Durant was in the midst of working on his ten-volume The Story of Civilization, coauthored with his wife, Ariel Durant. Will Durant also lectured on history and philosophy.[6] Eventually, the series of paintings became widely distributed in poster form

Rockwell-848px-Freedom_of_Worship_-_NARA_-_513537-large-1.

Background Note:

A number of years later, in 1985 the Thanks-Giving Foundation headquartered in Dallas Texas, arranged and financed the creation of the mosaic “The Golden Rule” by Norman Rockwell. This was a gift of thanksgiving for the United Nations on the occasion of its fortieth anniversary. It was made on behalf of the people and government of the United States of America to the people of the World.“

Norman Rockwell Mosaic “The Golden Rule”

Rockwell wanted to illustrate how the Golden Rule was a common theme of all the major religions of the world, and depicted people of every race, creed and color with dignity and respect. The mosaic contains the inscription “Do unto Others as You Would Have Them Do unto You”. It was executed by Venetian artists specializing in mosaic works.     http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/untour/subnor.htm

The Golden Rule” was also reproduced on the 50-cent definitive stamp issued on 11 September 1991.

Representatives of the Thanks Giving Foundation and representatives of the World Center for Thanksgiving participated in a number of International Days of Thanksgiving at the UN coordinated by the Meditation Group beginning in 1975. Members of the Meditation Group also represented Sri Chinmoy and the Meditation Group at:

• the Inauguration of  Thanks-Giving Square and Chapel  in 1976,
•  the 200th Anniversary of USA Thanksgiving at Valley Forge 18 December 1978,
• the opening of the Hall of Thanksgiving in Dallas Texas as well as at
•  other inter-faith programmes there over the years.

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