Sri Chinmoy:
The Peace Meditation at the United Nations

 1. Does Meditation Peace have effect on delegates who don’t attend?

2. Meditation and Prayer = love and joy – But what about suffering of others  felt?

3. does writing about happiness help others?

The following questions and answers are excerpted from My Meditation-Service at the United Nations for 25 years, by Sri Chinmoy (1995).

1. Question: Does the peace that we experience during the meditations in the United Nations confer­ence rooms have any effect on the delegates who do not attend these meetings?

Sri Chinmoy: All those who are at the United Nations have definitely come to bring about peace. When we pray and meditate here, it is not only for the seekers who attend the meeting; it is for everyone. We are all members of the same world-family. The father works and then he shares his money with his family. So whatever spiritual wealth we earn, we try to share with others.

 —26 October 1973 (p. 114)

2. Question:  When I pray and meditate, I feel a flood of love and joy. But then I find that all the suffering of the world seems to well up inside me and I feel guilty for feeling joyful when so many other people are unhappy. 

Sri Chinmoy: Your oneness-heart feels the sufferings of the world. Now you have to go one step further and play your role. You can share the fruits of your meditation with those who are unhappy. Suppose you have a mango. It is up to you whether you eat the mango yourself or share it. You may not want to share it because it is most delicious; but then you will feel sorry. Again, you can offer a portion of it to your dear ones or to humanity. So when you get peace, joy and bliss from your meditation, you can share it with others in silence. Sometimes they may not use it; inwardly they may find fault with it and reject it. But you can do your part by offering others the peace and joy that you get.

 —April 1978 (p. 151)

 Question: Can we give our happiness to others by writing about it, and does it help them? 

Sri Chinmoy: Certainly! People can derive considerable benefit from reading about the inspiring experiences of others. But I wish to say that the most effective way of offering peace and joy is the inner method. When we pray and meditate, we do it in silence. Similarly, when we want to offer the fruits of our prayer and meditation, we should also do it in silence.

 —April 1978 (p. 151)

 At the invitation of Secretary-General U Thant in the spring of 1970, Sri Chinmoy (1931-2007) began conducting twice-weekly non-denominational meditations for peace for United Nations staff members, delegates, NGO representatives and affiliates. The Peace Meditation at the United Nations also offered programmes, concerts and lectures to promote world harmony, and Sri Chinmoy answered many questions about the spiritual role of the United Nations. For information about ongoing activities of the Peace Meditation at the United Nations: (718) 291-0364.

 29 June 2010                                                                                                           3

Download:  Word Document: UN-Q-A-2010-06-29-June        PDF Format

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