Part I: Preface to Questions from Bill Pearl

//The following questions were asked by five-time Mr. Universe Bill Pearl, who has also won the coveted title of “World’s Best Built Man of the Century” and been entered into the Bodybuilding Hall of Fame. In 1978 he was elected IFBB National Chairman of the Professional Physique Judges Committee, and he has served as a consultant for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to train astronauts as well as top executives. Since 1954 when he first opened up his innovative gyms — which offered more to a wider range of people than any had before — Bill Pearl has personally programmed over 200,000 bodybuilders and trained more physique stars than any other individual.//

Bill Pearl: Are you seeking uniqueness in the weightlifting field so you can have a larger impact on a larger group of people?

Sri Chinmoy: I would like to say in all sincerity, instead of ‘recognition’, our term is ‘the manifestation of God’s Compassion’. Name and fame as such, what most of the world craves, is not what I want. Only I want the manifestation of God’s Will, to show that the spirit can be manifested in and through the body. Previously spirit and matter were separated. Matter was one thing and spirit was another. Spirit wouldn’t touch matter; matter wouldn’t touch spirit. Everything I have achieved is by virtue of my prayer, meditation and spiritual life. Now my Lord wants my prayer-life and meditation-life to work through my physical, earthly body in this way. So we use the term ’manifestation’. From my weightlifting, there will be many people who will be inspired to enter into the spiritual life. Again, spiritual people will be inspired to enter into the physical world. Otherwise, if one’s body is not fit, one cannot get up in the morning to meditate; one cannot do anything well.

The physical and the spiritual must go together. While transcending myself, if I achieve something unprecedented, then that is quite spontaneous. My goal is not to be a bodybuilder or a weight-lifter of the highest magnitude. If what I am doing is considered unprecedented, then it is well and good. But I will not aim at a world record as such. It is not that I will try to break a world record by hook or by crook — far from it! I will try to transcend myself. While transcending myself, it is up to the Will of the Supreme if I will do a little better than others have done.