Meeting between Sri Chinmoy and senor Arturo Carrion

Sri Chinmoy: It is so kind of you to see us.

Senor Carrion: It’s a real pleasure to have you with us.

Sri Chinmoy: I have been hearing all about this great adventure, as I call it, inner and outer.

Senor Carrion: Yes, it is a great adventure, and it is a unique experience for me. I don’t know if you know that I am not a sports administrator myself. I am in the banking field; that is my line. So I have to change my hats every morning and every afternoon from the bank to the Organising Committee. For me it is a great challenge and a great experience. It’s a wonderful opportunity to do something for the young people of Puerto Rico, whom I cherish very much.

Sri Chinmoy: It is a most noble task to help the young people. Health is of paramount importance. If our health is good, then we can think of doing something great and achieving something important.

Senor Carrion: I think that is the motivation behind all of our staff's work. They are very enthusiastic, very motivated, because they are making a contribution to the young people of Puerto Rico. Nobody will become rich by working for the Organising Committee. As a matter of fact, most of them have a very strict economic situation because they are not making a big salary at all. But they do give their whole selves to the work, which is very encouraging.

Sri Chinmoy: And most inspiring. Speed and strength — right from the dawn of creation God has inspired us with speed and strength. If we are really strong, both inwardly and outwardly, then we do not quarrel and fight with others, for we are confident, we are secure. God is omnipotent; He is stronger than the strongest, but does He fight with us? No. And He is also fastest in everything. If we can become strong from the spiritual point of view, strong and fast, then we can have a better society. Now the Puerto Ricans have accepted this challenge. And it is not only the Puerto Ricans who are getting the benefit, but all those who will be participating. All will get the same message, the same spirit, the same opportunity and the same achievement.

Senor Carrion: This is really what is behind our work. I understand that you have been quite a promoter and participator in sports.

Sri Chinmoy: I have been inspiring my students and others all over the world to participate in sports, for I feel that the contribution of the body is of paramount importance. If the body fails, everything fails. Early in the morning when we want to pray, if we have a stomach upset or a headache, then the whole day is often ruined. In the spiritual life and in every walk of life, if the body fails, we cannot do anything properly. So I have been inspiring my students to run, to ride, to be active in sports. In the New York City Marathon this year over 150 disciples of mine will participate. Although they will be nowhere near the world standard, just for the sake of the body — to have better health and a dynamic approach to life — they will participate.

Senor Carrion: I have been told that you were once a decathlon champion.

Sri Chinmoy: According to the Indian standard I was quite good. I was a decathlon champion and one of the fastest runners in the area where I lived. But according to the world standard I was nowhere. Still, I encourage and inspire my students by my own participation, past and present. In my youth I was also a volleyball instructor and captain of the football [soccer_] team. _Senor Carrion: Are you still teaching?

Sri Chinmoy: Now I teach concentration, meditation and spiritual philosophy. I feel that the physical and the spiritual must go side by side. The inner life and the outer life must go together. In the outer life alone we cannot go very far. And again, with only the inner life we cannot achieve everything. There should be a synthesis of the two — the inner and the outer. The inner man and the outer man must go together. The good that we have within, we shall try to bring into our outer life. And our outer capacities we shall use to enhance our inner life. If we have a good thought, we try to bring this good thought to the fore and share it with others. And if we have a bad thought, our outer dynamic strength can help us to destroy it immediately. Otherwise it will be detrimental to ourselves as well as to others.

Senor Carrion: You maintain yourself in good shape, I can see.

Sri Chinmoy: Yes, I run and play tennis. I run every morning between 4 and 6, and I play tennis during the day.

Senor Carrion: What kind of distance do you run in the morning?

Sri Chinmoy: I run several miles, but slower than the slowest. I go at turtle speed in long distance. In my youth I used to run short distance, 100, 200, 400 metres. And of course, for the decathlon, I had to run 1500 metres. But I was a sprinter. Then shot put, discus, javelin, pole vault, all those I had to do, and I still do them during the summer months. But to keep the body in good condition I run long distance all year round. The other morning I was running near my home in New York and a gentleman saw me and said, “Man, you are not a long distance runner, you are a sprinter!” He could tell by my style.

Senor Carrion: You will be playing tennis with Serrati this afternoon. Serrati used to be quite an athlete in his own time. Actually, I am a basketball player. I have not played in the last two or three years, for obvious reasons, but I used to play some basketball. I am very short for basketball standards, but I used to play with Serrati. He is a bit older than I am, but we played about 8 or 10 months ago where our kids get together, and he was still in very good shape. I couldn’t hold out as long as he did. So he should be a very good tennis player.

Sri Chinmoy: I have been playing only for one year and three or four months. I never played tennis in my youth. But I have been practising very seriously since I began.

Senor Carrion: Serrati is also a natural athlete, like you.

Sri Chinmoy: Do you run?

Senor Carrion: I hate it! Now I like to play golf. I have noticed something interesting: You can take a baseball player who has played baseball for a long time and never touched a golf club, and he can beat you in six months. It’s because they have the natural coordination of the game. They can take up tennis and the same thing happens. And people like me, we have to start learning how to coordinate first and how to play later. But you athletes have the coordination built in. I tell you, practising sports and exercising is something that everybody should do.

Sri Chinmoy: Everybody should do it, no matter how old the individual is. There are sports, there are physical activities for everyone.

Senor Carrion: Let me give you some of our material. We have a set of posters here. These are the official posters of the Games. This is a Taino colour. The Taino is an Indian who is indigenous to Puerto Rico. And of course this is the torch, done by one of the foremost artists in Puerto Rico. It is a set of four posters — red, blue, green and black, plus this one, a commercial version of the Taino colour. It is a line drawing, for reducing at will. You can see it here smaller, and it does not suffer. But this poster has a meaning to it. When the athletes come in from the deep sea to the shallower sea, to the foam, to the beaches, the first land they touch in Puerto Rico is this green. Then at the competition they find the emblem of the Games, with the torch and the vision of peace. Then as they go out, they go the same way they came in, the lighter green of the pasture, then our beaches, foam, light ocean and then the deep ocean away from the competition. They come in from the ocean to the foam to the sun. And then they go out the same way. And the bird of peace is symbolised in the torch.

Sri Chinmoy: Thank you. It is so kind of you. About two months ago I was in Greece, and I visited the Olympic stadium.

Aide: There was something else that we had mentioned that might be possible. It was something that will be done in the Olympic Winter Games — holding meditation in the morning for the athletes.

Senor Carrion: I have to check with Olympic regulations. But if they don’t have any problem, I don’t. The Olympic regulations are very funny, to say the least. We have already prepared a place for ecumenical services, but I don’t know about meditation. I have to look into the Olympic rules, but if there is no problem there, I think it is a good idea. Excellent.

Sri Chinmoy: We feel that everybody knows the importance of concentration. If an athlete can pray or meditate or concentrate for a couple of minutes in the morning, then it adds to his concentration at the time of competition. As soon as they lose their concentration, they lose everything. When they have perfect concentration, they do their best. At Lake Placid they will have a special chapel for the athletes. I will hold meditation there.

Senor Carrion: If you are doing it in Lake Placid, there is no reason why you couldn’t do it here. So I would guess that there is no problem.

Sri Chinmoy: I pray to the Heavenly Father to shower His choice blessings upon your most devoted heart for the improvement of your country and your countrymen. If I can be of any service to your countrymen at any time, I shall be most happy. But the fact that you are doing and will be doing so much for your country and countrymen is giving me tremendous joy, inspiration, satisfaction and delight. We are God’s children, no matter who does what. Countless people will be benefited from your encouragement and self-giving sacrifice. For that I am extremely proud of you and grateful to you. I have come to this part of the world many, many times. As a matter of fact, I was accepted as a spiritual Master by Puerto Rico first, many years ago. Since then I have been serving the soul and the body of Puerto Rico according to my capacity. I love your country with my heart’s tremendous gratitude.

Senor Carrion: Thank you very much. (_Presenting Sri Chinmoy with a T-shirt_) This is the mascot of the games — coqui. Coqui is indigenous to Puerto Rico. We also have a mascot for each of the sports. The coqui is very hard to catch. It jumps very quickly.