Joy Days around the world
Sri Chinmoy encouraged us to come together every so often for Joy Days - spiritual gatherings that contain plenty of meditation, music and spiritual activities, but also games, the company of spiritual friends and a definite emphasis on happiness.
These Joy Days could be as small as a few friends meeting together for an outing, or much larger meetings lasting a few days with several Centres or several countries meeting together.
The largest Joy Days take place in Europe and Russia, often with over 700 students of Sri Chinmoy from many different countries taking part. In Europe, the Joy Days usually take place over a weekend, and is quite an organisational feat, with students from many countries giving soulful singing and instrumental performances, as well as sweet and funny plays and humourous sketches. On the Sunday morning, there is usually a group meditation at six o'clock in the morning, followed by a fun two-mile race - Sri Chinmoy loved running, and felt that the outer running and the inner running (i.e. meditation) complemented each other very nicely.
Sri Chinmoy believed that happiness and spiritual progress should go hand in hand:
If you are happy, it will help you to a great extent. If you are unhappy, you won't make any progress at all. On the contrary, you will be marching backwards. Real outer happiness is not self-deception. It does not come from wasting time and indulging in pleasure-life. Real outer happiness is something totally different. It comes from inner joy and inner satisfaction.
Sri Chinmoy 1
As well as Joy Days, Sri Chinmoy's students often meet together outside of our regular meditation for more formal occasions, for example to mark our teacher's birthday, or the anniversary of his passing on October 11, 2007.
- 1. Sri Chinmoy, The giver and the receiver, Agni Press, 1987
Stories
First-hand experiences of meditation and spirituality.
Meeting Sri Chinmoy for the first time
Janaka Spence Edinburgh, United KingdomMeditation: Touching The Infinite
Jogyata Dallas Auckland, New ZealandI see infinitely more than I say
Agraha Levine Seattle, United StatesLearning to love songs ever more
Patanga Cordeiro São Paulo, BrazilSri Chinmoy's opening meditation at the Parliament of World Religions
Pradhan Balter Chicago, United StatesThe day my Guru accepted me as his disciple
Banshidhar Medeiros San Juan, Puerto RicoRunning for Peace
Jogyata Dallas Auckland, New ZealandAn intense, concentrated Fire
Toshala Elliott Auckland, New ZealandI just knew from the moment I saw him
Ashrita Furman New York, United StatesBelieve, take a step and proceed: a 6-day race experience
Susan Marshall ,'You have to be like a warrior and fight'
Mahiyan Savage San Diego, United StatesThe Peace Run visits Oxford
Tejvan Pettinger Oxford, United KingdomIf a wish comes from the soul, it will be granted
Kamalakanta Nieves New York, United StatesSuggested videos
interviews with Sri Chinmoy's students