Sri Chinmoy:
The Peace Meditation at the United Nations

On 23 April 1982 the meditation group formally congratulated Dr. Robert Muller on his appointment
to Assistant Secretary-General for Economic and Social Matters. Dr. Muller shared many interesting
experiences about his career at the United Nations, and Sri Chinmoy presented him with a
plaque and flowers to express the group’s gratitude for the guidance and support that Dr. Muller has
offered over the years. Excerpts from the programme follow.

Dr. Robert Muller, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic and Social Matters : I have had as a main principle in my life to always work for the world and for other people. I have been a very independent person in this organisation, but there has never been a complaint against the freedoms I have taken·-freedoms of speech and freedoms of writing. During the course of my career, I have been promoted from P-1 to Assistant Secretary-general.

Of course, there have been ups and downs. But throughout my entire career I have kept only one fidelity – the fidelity to the ideals of the United Nations-and for me there could be no compromise for the sake of my career, my promotion or any other gain that I might have gotten.
It was a very interesting moment for me when the new Secretary-General was appointed. He knew me through my writings, he knew me through my thoughts, and he knew me also for my spirituality here in the United Nations. It was almost unthinkable that another Frenchman could be appointed into the category of Assistant Secretary-General or Under-Secretary-General. Nevertheless, I upheld the principle that there ought to be international careers and there ought not to be promotions and appointments made only on the basis of nationality.
Towards the New Year, I got a telephone call on a Sunday as we were just about to leave for church,
conveying a message from the new Secretary General. The message was that when he came back to New York on the first of January, the first action that he would take would be to appoint me Assistant Secretary-General, in order to recognise the fact that I have always maintained the principles of an international civil servant. In his view, I was the example of what an international civil servant should be, and therefore he completely set aside any considerations of nationality. So, if one is faithful long enough to a principle, finally it will be recognised.
I would like to express to you here today my gratitude for all you have always meant to me. Thank God we have a meditation group at the United Nations. Spirituality has to spread. Every person in this organisation must bring forward his spirituality. It is not enough to rely on the brain; it is not enough even to rely upon the heart. We have to realise what we truly are-universal beings.
Within each of us there is the entire universe. We are a miraculous phenomenon in the universe, and
it is only after we recognise this that we are going to have the planet which we are all dreaming of.

Sri Chinmoy (presenting flowers and a plaque) :
May I offer this to you on behalf of our meditation group. Today at long last we are observing your tremendous success in the outer life and your momentous progress in the inner life. It is by virtue of your inner progress that this outer success has reached the acme of perfection.
You do not need any recognition from us. What you need from us is our soulful and heartful gratitude. You have been a source of true inspiration and solid strength inwardly and outwardly to each member of our meditation group. You have blessed us in many ways, and we do hope that we shall continue to receive from you inspiration and guidance in ample measure every day of your life of aspiration and dedication.
This is a humble token of our deepest admiration for you – for what you have been doing not only for the United Nations but for the entire world. We see in you the life of pure dedication and the life of constant inspiration to all of humanity.

 

 

Gallery:

 

Gallery of Pages from Meditation at the UN Bulletin report