Wednesday 19th

After meditation, I headed out to the track with the full intention of doing intervals, but when I got there I could see there was a coaching session taking place on the track. Meanwhile, the usual crowd is beginning to assemble for Frisbee on the field, and I say sure why not join them? First though, I have to learn how to to throw the thing properly, which means I'm not going to be playing much of an offensive role. We play three tightly contested and intense games; next time I show up, I'll have definitely learnt how to throw the frisbee properly! It is rather quiet at Aspiration-Ground as I enter. Guru has his exercise machines out, now and again talking to people advising them on some matter or another. Ever since Monday, I can feel that my approach to the spiritual life has been tweaked somewhat, made more sharply focused, cleared of obstructions, and now I can just sit there and see everything in a new light. One is an eternal beginner in the spiritual life; the minute one thinks one has it all figured out, something comes along to make him see everything through new eyes.

Afterwards I do some more bits and pieces on the Internet and then get in half an hours practice of the songs for tomorrow's performance. Then I go to perform them with the rest of Sadhak's group.   As I enter evening meditation, Databir arrived with a photo of Sri Chinmoy to give to me, and a very cute story to go with it: this particular photo shows Sri Chinmoy in a very high meditative state. Someone wanted to put it on the front cover of one of Sri Chinmoy's books, but someone else protested, opining that the public might warm more to a familiar picture of Guru smiling. When the issue was referred to Guru for advice, he looked at this photograph and exclaimed in a childlike voice "But it's me!". To a spiritual Master, higher states of meditative bliss are much easier to identify oneself with than outer facial appearances... As promised, Guru opens the function with a showing of his 1974 performance of the opening scene from The Son, the play about the Saviour Christ he wrote a year earlier. In his performance, Sri Chinmoy takes both sides of the dialogue between the Father and the Son, portraying the shock of the Son finding out he will descend to earth only to be crucified, and the compassionate love of the Father with his assurance that he will always be there, even at the time of his worst suffering. There is then a performance by Satyajit's group based on a passage from Everest Aspiration, one of Sri Chinmoy's more famous books - I enjoy his renditions of Sri Chinmoy's texts very much and indeed regularly listen to them over the Internet. Then Sukerji + Dukherji came on for another performance - Sukerji was absent, to be replaced by another character in the form of "Tablaji". Then we were treated to a cartoon rendition by Radha of Sri Chinmoy's story "Silence Liberates". For years, Radha's unique illustrations have graced Sri Chinmoy's books and she certainly brings her unique style to this cartoon, making very good use of a pastel colour palette. Then we get prasad and stroll contentedly into the night.