Table of Contents
Part I
- Franco Columbu: How important are yoga stretching exercises to the mind?
- Franco Columbu: Are there yoga stretching exercises which benefit nerve conduction or nerve supply to the muscles?
- Franco Columbu: What will be the percentage of change or help to the mind when one does bodybuilding?
- Franco Columbu: What will be the change in the mind when someone is training professionally in comparison to someone who is not training professionally?
Part II
Part III
- Question: Why do you do weightlifting?
- Question: This must be very difficult physically. Is it painful?
- Question: Do you work out every day?
- Question: Why did you choose this way to show people your philosophy? I mean, is it something people can understand better?
Part IV
- Joel Martin: Let me introduce to you now a man whom I've grown extremely fond of over the years and whom I love a great deal. His achievements and his accomplishments are amazing. They have been reported world-wide. We will talk about those achievements with a Guru, a genuine Guru — really genuine — Sri Chinmoy. And Sri Chinmoy, of course, is an international figure.
- Joel Martin: We have to expound. I have learned what the term 'Inner Pilot' means. But for the people that don't know, it's so important. When we first met many years ago, you explained to me all about the Inner Pilot. Could you do it again?
- Joel Martin: So it's that inner voice, inner sense, or inner guidance that we sometimes ignore, unfortunately. You are wearing, I think, the emblem of the United Nations, if I see correctly.
- Joel Martin: You do that regularly?
- Joel Martin: You wear the most beautiful robes. Different colours have different meanings, yes? The last time we were together here you were wearing a red robe. This time you are wearing a sky blue, light blue, robe. Could you tell us the significance of that colour?
- Joel Martin: People who watch me know that I've done many programmes about the occult and about psychic phenomena over the years. You don't have any quarrel with the spirit world or those things that we call psychic?
- Joel Martin: Since you mentioned lifting, I understand you recently lifted an eight-year-old elephant. What we can do now is see the videotape of some of your lifts so people will know that this is real.
- Joel Martin: But this weighed more than a ballpoint pen. I mean, this was heavy also. Wow! Did it hurt? I've got so many questions. What do you think about when you do that — is it total concentration?
- Joel Martin: You're not pushing for people to all lift elephants, are you?
- Joel Martin: Guru, what if somebody were to say to you: "All right, it's remarkable. You have lifted an elephant, you have lifted a seaplane, a boat, various weights. How does that further the cause of world peace, which is so elusive?"
- Joel Martin: It's not that long ago that you began weightlifting, and you are fifty-five now. Before that you had been running for a long time?
- Joel Martin: With one arm?
- Joel Martin: So that's better than three times your body weight.
- Joel Martin: But somebody can also say that if I lift weights and get stronger physically, then why do I have to be concerned with peace? I can use that strength to be aggressive.
- Joel Martin: We have a short intermission here, and then we will have some photographs and visuals of what Sri Chinmoy has done in terms of weightlifting. Sri Chinmoy, internationally-known Guru. We will talk more about his weightlifting and his work for world peace through physical strength and meditation...
- Joel Martin: You've turned it into a gymnasium! How many hours a day do you spend on weightlifting?
- Joel Martin: Okay. I want you to see the next one. This is the calf-lift, is it? And you are lifting some of your students.
- Joel Martin: Those numbers — 1,384 pounds — represent a lot of weight. That doesn't affect the old leg injury?
- Joel Martin: Fortunately is right. I think also we're going to see the sailboat. This weighed how much?
- Joel Martin: Unbelievable! And when you document these lifts, obviously the reason is to show people that it really happened.
- Joel Martin: This was the seaplane that you lifted at East Moriches last Sunday. You see the numbers 3,632 there, folks? That's the weight of the plane, not its license plate!
- Joel Martin: I can't even get myself out of bed in the morning. Are you saying that the average person — people like me and people who are watching — can do this?
- Joel Martin: I pray and I meditate.
- Joel Martin: I had a back injury last time.
- Joel Martin: That's true. I'm going to come back to that. I think we have one more visual. This is where you bettered the one-arm press of 450 pounds and lifted 503 pounds. You don't lift that much every day, do you?
- Joel Martin: You said something before about faith in our own prayers. Let's come back to that point because it's so important.
- Joel Martin: Guru, excuse me, but why should God listen to our prayers? Doesn't He have better things to do than listen to me?
- Joel Martin: We are going through a terrible problem everywhere in this country, with young people using increasing amounts of drugs. What has gone wrong that so many people are turning to that path, which is obviously a destructive one, rather than following your advice, which is obviously the best advice?
- Joel Martin: Well said. I've got to ask you, before we conclude, Guru, where does this go? Do you have an ultimate goal with all of this?
- Joel Martin: Most of us, I guess, at one time or another are so much more concerned with the things that are around us than with the things that are within us. Maybe that's where most of the confusion is.
- Joel Martin: You've done thousands of paintings, poems and musical compositions. Are you still doing these things?
- Joel Martin: And you're not here to say you're better, but to encourage us to do the best we can.
- Joel Martin: We're out of time. Thank you so much. It's been terrific to see you again. I didn't even get to ask you what the white flower means. It's for peace?
Part V
Part VI
- Terri Locicero: When I'm competing on stage and it is not going well — for instance, if the audience is not applauding or there is a technical problem with my back-up music — I have to struggle not to lose my concentration. How can I keep poised when problems arise?
- Terri Locicero: When I win a contest, I'm on top of the world; I'm so happy! When I lose, I worry too much about why that happened. How can I learn to keep a proper balance when I compete in a contest?
Part VII
Part VIII
Part IX
- Russell Barber: Guru Sri Chinmoy is a Master of meditation. In his pursuit of God and Truth, he has used his meditation powers to accomplish amazing things, from writing 700 books and composing 3,000 songs to creating over 140,000 esoteric paintings. He has now turned this Eastern discipline to weightlifting. In the world of weightlifting, Sri Chinmoy's progress has been remarkable.
- Russell Barber: Would there be one particular thought that one would hone in on?
- Russell Barber: Can anyone learn how to meditate?
- Russell Barber: How, then, does the peace that will come from our efforts at meditation translate into the kinds of things that you are now doing with weightlifting?
- Russell Barber: It certainly has done that in your case. We have a photograph that you were kind enough to bring us today that shows you lifting — with one arm — 360 pounds! It's quite an achievement. That's more than double your body weight.
- Russell Barber: And even more astounding is the thing that you did this morning, which we have a videotape of — lifting a car that weighs 2,825 pounds. This is amazing. I'm not sure that I could ever achieve the kind of meditative power to be able to do that.
- Russell Barber: When you are exerting yourself in this very athletic way, are you praying at that moment? Are you thinking of God?
- Russell Barber: We have another videotape here that shows some of your other efforts at meditation, which we'll look at now. It's just amazing the things that you've been able to achieve. Here, for example, are some of the paintings that you have done. And we see you here in an archway with some of your 700 books. What are you trying to say to those of us who don't seem to have this kind of power? Are you trying to give us examples of how, through meditation, we can find God and achieve amazing things with our life?
- Russell Barber: I assume that one doesn't have to engage in physical exercise to achieve a oneness spiritually with the world. I mean, a lazy person like myself hopefully could achieve that through prayer and meditation. What is the relationship, though, between athletics and peace?
- Russell Barber: On a more practical level, with regard to athletics, how do you feel about the fact that politics have been somehow made a part of certain athletic competitions, like the Olympics? Are you unhappy about that?
- Russell Barber: You've been in the West some twenty-two years. You come from the Hindu tradition. You speak of peace, and whenever you come to "The First Estate" there is always a sense of peace that comes over us. I want to thank you for giving us this peaceful moment and good meditation. God bless!
- Part 10
- Question: Do you concentrate more than once on each metal plate before you lift?
- Question: As the weight gets heavier, the bar tends to bend, so it seems to really take more effort to lift it.
- Question: How is it possible for you to make the jump from 1,500 to 2,000 now, whereas before you could only go from 70 to 90 and then 100 pounds?
- Question: Guru, while you are lifting a very heavy weight, do you feel that you become one with the weight, or is it like an opponent that you are challenging?
- Question: When you keep making these enormous jumps in weight, what actually is progressing? Is it your receptivity to light, is it your human capacity, or is it that you are getting more help from Above, or what?
- Question: Guru, for you, using spiritual power is almost as easy as drinking water. But when you lift heavy weights it seems that you really have to struggle and afterwards you seem to feel a real sense of achievement.
- Question: Why do you do your serious weightlifting in the early morning?
