Not so bad¹

Yesterday, while I was running during the 33-mile race, a member of my road crew was talking to some spectators who were watching from the other side of the fence. One of them said, “The old man is not so bad.” That means that although I was running with the young boys, I was not so bad.

To be like you²

After I stopped running last night, I was watching the rest of the 33-mile race. A little boy came up to me. He was very nice to me and said, “How I wish I could be like you.” Then he said, “Did you hear me calling you ‘Guru’?” He was only ten years old.

A Woodstock experience³

In September or October of 1964, I was running in Woodstock, in a place called Yerry Hill. Believe it or not, my Beloved Supreme began running with me, right in front of me. He was holding a golden wand — like a magic wand. You can call Him my highest part or my separate part, but I was overwhelmed with Light and Delight. This was my first running experience in America. From this concert hall it is only half a mile to where I had that experience.

The grilled cheese mishap⁴

The day before yesterday, after running about five miles, I was tired and hungry. So I went into a cafeteria for a grilled cheese sandwich. The grilled cheese sandwich was cut into halves, and there was a toothpick in each side. I was reading the Olympic athletes’ times in the newspaper, and I didn’t see the toothpicks. One toothpick got stuck in the roof of my mouth. How I suffered! The owner of the store, a middle-aged lady, got frightened when she saw my face. I didn’t know what had happened. If this experience had lasted a few minutes more, I would have thought about joining my Father in Heaven!

Time passes⁵

In 1944, when I ran 400 metres, I did it in 56 seconds. In 1946, it was 54 seconds. Then, for years, it was always 53.6 seconds or 53.8 or 53.9. Now, O God, it takes me so long.

I used to do 100 metres in 12.1 or 12.2 seconds. Then, when I was finished I used to laugh and smile and go away. Now, I'm taking 19 or 20 seconds, and I'm not laughing when I finish.

Two madcaps⁶

At four o’clock in the morning, I got inspiration to go run. There was another madcap out at the same time; he was roller-skating. Either he is crazy or I am crazy. He was going up and down the 150th Street hill with his dog. The dog followed and chased him up and down the hill. The skater was going this way and that way, zigzagging all over the road. It was very dangerous.

A deceptive ten miles⁷

This morning, starting at about four o’clock, I ran ten miles. Sometimes when I am tired, I enter into Peter’s car. But this morning I ran the whole ten miles. I thought I was going fast, but my timing was not good. So I was disgusted.

Around two o’clock this afternoon, Casey all of a sudden said to me, “The measurement of the ten-mile course you ran this morning is all wrong.” Three years I have been running that course! Casey said that after the third mile, fifty metres was added. And it was after the third mile that I noticed my timing was becoming worse. Then, after that, there are more mistakes.

I asked, “How is it that you are only telling me now?”

Casey said, “I heard it at the Smile a long time ago, but I was in another world at the time. I am only now remembering it.”

Peter said, “That is what I heard too.”

Ashrita said, “Yes, we found the mistake a long time ago, but we didn’t have time to correct it.”

At two o’clock this afternoon they were telling me the news, and I had run early in the morning! When I first used to run the ten-mile route, I didn’t care for timing. But now it is a different story. My road crew knew that the measurements were wrong, but they were too frightened to tell me or their sincerity didn’t come forward.

The intelligent crew⁸

A few months ago, I asked four or five members of my road crew to watch the side streets while I ran down the 150th Street hill. Each time I ran down the hill, Sanatan drove behind me in his car. Then he would bring me back up the hill. So Sanatan I can’t blame. But the other members of my crew are such good, intelligent people — so full of wisdom! If it is a one-way street, the cars will only come from one side. But our boys stood on the other side instead. That is how they were guarding me! That night they were all idiots!

What was worse, Peter and Danny were supposed to take movies. Danny came late, so it was not his fault. Peter was using Ranjana’s movie camera, but whenever I came near him, he was in some other world. He was talking to someone. Even when I screamed, he did not hear me. Finally, he started taking movies.

Peter’s stupidity never ends. I was running in the left lane. He also should have been on the left side, so that the cars wouldn’t obstruct his view. But he was in the wrong place. Each time I came by him, a car was also passing, so he could not shoot the movie. Once, twice, thrice I went by; but Peter wouldn’t come to the other side to take my picture. My photographers are so brilliant!

The flying glass⁹

It is so unsafe to run — no matter which hour of the day or night you go out! Right after midnight I was going down the 150th Street hill. Three Puerto Ricans were in a car enjoying their music, making unbearable noise. That was not enough! One of them had to throw a large piece of glass at me. I was going very fast down the hill and did not really see what was happening. The glass fell and broke only two or three metres ahead of me. I saw something coming, but luckily it didn’t strike me.

Then I was brave enough to go near them and ask, “What are you doing?” I was very serious. They all became like the silent Brahma.

Members of my road crew were so useless. Eight or nine boys from the crew were there, and there were also two or three girls watching. Everyone was standing on the top of the hill. The girls are not to be blamed, but I started barking at the boys: “Idiots! You people all stand there, but no one is at the bottom of the hill.” So some of them went to the bottom of the hill, and some stayed at the top.

I said to Peter, “How is it that you didn’t go there before?” Peter had the ready-made answer: “We were watching the girls. I had to take care of the girls.”

The real Susan Hoffman¹⁰

Garima’s name is Susan Hoffman. When they announced that Susan Hoffman won second place in our triathlon, I couldn’t believe it. Then another Susan Hoffman appeared for the award.

Lament of a garbage can owner¹¹

This morning, around five-thirty, the funniest thing happened. I crossed 150th Street and ran my straight one-mile course. When I got to Queens Boulevard and Main Street, an elderly woman began screaming at me. I was running on the street, not on the sidewalk or on her lawn. I wondered, “What have I done at this hour?”

When I finally approached her, I discovered that she was not actually screaming at me. But she wanted me to hear her complaints. Somebody had taken away the cover of her garbage can. She had put all her garbage in the can and now the wind was blowing it away because the cover was missing. I went there and sympathised with her. What could I do?

The crazy runner¹²

There is an old man who likes me very much. He lives on 150th Street, and he is partially lame. Whenever he sees me running, he has to say something. The other day, about two weeks ago, he stood up from his chair and said, “You are crazy! In this heat you have to run?”

Saved by a name tag¹³

During our Games Day, I went out for a run and got lost. I saw a girl ahead of me, but I said to myself, “What am I going to ask her? I don’t even know the name of the school or the street. Maybe I should say, ‘Have you seen hundreds of people playing tennis and other games?’”

I decided just to run by her. Then I noticed that she was wearing a name tag. So I went back and asked her what Centre she was from.

She said, “Connecticut.”

Then I asked, “How long have you been a disciple?”

She answered, “One month.”

The disciple directed me back to the school. I had to make a few turns, but it wasn’t far. So you see, you should all wear name tags. Then, if any of you ever get lost or something happens to you, you will know whom to ask for help.

Can't they run?¹⁴

Yesterday, at four o’clock in the afternoon, I went running on 150th Street. As you know, construction is going on there. When the construction started, we know; but when it will end, we don’t know. A middle-aged man said to me, “Boss, why do you have to run? You can’t make your boys and girls run for you?” Then he ran with me.

The photographer-runner¹⁵

As I was running, three young girls came and stood in front of me. They asked, “Can you please take our picture?” I was running, and they had to come and stand in front of me with an Instamatic camera!

Since I have that kind of camera also, I didn’t have any difficulty using it. They stood together and I took their picture. But that was not what they had in mind. They wanted something else. “We want you to be in the picture with us,” they said.

So I stood with them, two at a time, while the other one took the picture. They know some of the disciples and they have been wanting to meet me for a long time. So they were all very happy and they thanked me.

Who is last?¹⁶

In my latest racing adventure in Prospect Park — a two-mile race — I got the first prize because there was no competition in the Masters’ category. There was a group of people who were excellent runners ahead of me. But not even one girl was ahead of me. Behind me were other runners.

Danny knows how to flatter me, and I am full of receptivity for his flattery. Recently, he videotaped a race for half an hour, but he taped only three seconds of my running. So I scolded him.

This time, he wanted to show more of me running, and less of others. So, at the finish line, he video-taped all the runners ahead of me. But, according to Danny, behind me nobody existed! Danny showed that I was the last runner!

Don't run so fast!¹⁷

I was running in the afternoon at a seven and a half or eight-minute pace. An old man with a pronounced moustache was watching me. He said, “Don’t run so fast! You will get tired.”

Monkey street¹⁸

On one street, three or four boys and two or three girls are real monkeys. Each time they see me running, they stand up. They don’t cheer me; they boo: “Boo, Guru!” That kind of thing they do! They are bad people, bad people. I pray to God, when I come back, that I don’t see them, and God listens to my prayer. When I come back, I don’t see them.

Woof! Woof!¹⁹

When I was running a few months ago, three or four girls who were standing near the street started barking. Human beings started barking at me! Very bad! There are so many nice people in this area, but God’s creation is so vast. Always He has to have a mixture of good and bad. Four or five girls and boys are so unkind to me. Each time they see me they have to make fun of me. Again, most of the others are very nice.

Stop and watch!²⁰

This morning I was running on the left side of the street. On the right side a car passed me. It was in the other lane, but just because I heard it coming, I stopped. A stout black man was driving. He gave me a smile and said, “You are right. Always you should stop and watch.”

A flat two-mile course²¹

I have been asking the boys to find me a two-mile course to run — flat, without sidewalks and side streets and no more than ten minutes away by car. Nobody has been successful; perhaps nobody ever will be successful. Vinaya last week told me he had found a place. I believed him, and he took me there. God! It was a useless road! He wasted my time, but I forgave him.

Then, three days ago, he said he had found Heaven on earth. Those were his words. I said, “To find Heaven on earth is really something!” So I went to see his Heaven. It was Heaven, according to Vinaya — our old course at my seven-mile mark. His course was full of small pebbles and stones, and it was not even clean. It was very bad, very bad! The other day Lorne took me to a place that he said was extremely beautiful. He said that Kanan was the witness, that Kanan had taken him there. So I went to see the place. O God! It was almost like a highway, with a tiny path for cyclists on the side. Thousands of cars were going by very fast. So how could I run? That was Lorne’s place. Like that, many people tempt me to go and see their discoveries, but their discoveries always frustrate me.

Shorter than the shortest²²

This morning I was worshipping Anupadi’s feet as I was running behind her. She was running with such short strides that I was thanking the Supreme that there is at least one girl disciple who has shorter strides than I do. That is why I was worshipping her feet.

You make me tired²³

About a week ago I was running up and down 150th Street. A gentleman was watching me. Two or three times he saw me run up the big hill. Then he said, “Sri Chinmoy, you are making me tired. Stop, stop!” He was only watching me, and he said I was making him tired.

The pretender²⁴

At four o’clock this morning I ran four and a half miles. As usual, my pace was 8:40. Two girls were helping the road crew and holding markers at every quarter-mile. Each time they held up the sign, I was pretending that the numbers indicated a full mile, not just a quarter-mile. They put up the number one marker, and I pretended I had run one mile. But when it was sixteen, I had only run four miles — not sixteen. Then I had to stop pretending.

The mad cyclist²⁵

Yesterday Pahar and Lorne were running side by side, right in front of me. I was just two steps behind. A young boy rode his bike so fast right in between them. Pahar and Lorne were furious — there was very little space between them, and I was just behind them. This is how bad some young boys are!

The slow runner²⁶

The other day, I saw Anupadi running. She was dressed in all her winter clothes, trying to lose weight to pass the weigh-in. Had she been a better runner, I would have invited her to run with my road crew and me. But we were planning to run quite fast. If I had been running by myself, with just one driver, she could have trained with us.

The correct pace²⁷

Today I compelled the members of my road crew to run with me at a ten-minute pace. I was barking at them when they went faster.

The other day we ran first a nine, then an eight and a half, then an eight, then a seven-forty-five and, finally, a seven-thirty pace. I tell them the pace, and they go on, go on.

The nice boss²⁸

Monday, when I was visiting my students’ offices in UNICEF, I had a soulful conversation with Chandika’s boss. Then, this morning, before I went out running for the second time — around six o’clock — I meditated on him. For nice people, quite often I do something special in the inner world, even if they are not my disciples. Yesterday her boss showed gratitude and today, also, his soul came to me.

After meditating on him, while running I was getting a very good response from his soul; it was all gratitude. His soul is a combination of dynamism and softness. Usually, dynamic people do not have any soft qualities; but his main attributes are his dynamism and softness. He is a very luminous soul.

Hi, Pop!²⁹

Yesterday I was running on the street facing Thomas Edison High School. A young black boy said to me, “Hi, Pop! Hi, Pop!” Then he said, “Hi, Shry! Hi, Shry! Don’t get a heart attack.” In this way he was asking me not to run. He added, “Your children are not here.”

Then two teachers turned around and saw me. They stood aside and showed me much respect.

Howdy³⁰

This morning while I was running I saw Robin. He said something to me that sounded like “Good morning.” He spoke in such a low, flat voice, but I saw that it was Robin. Robin told me later that he didn’t know it was me, and he said, “Howdy.”

The unlucky runner³¹

Every day, sometimes twice a day, I see Madhuri and Joyce running. They are so lucky. But Tanima is so unlucky. She runs with them, but each time, one second before I come by, she goes somewhere else.

I want to jog with you³²

This afternoon, around two o’clock, I was running near the school opposite Lucy’s street. Three or four little children came out of the school. One of them, a little girl of five or six, got the inspiration to run with me. So she crossed the street, since I was on the other side, and came running up to me with her books, saying, “Sri Chinmoy, I want to jog with you.” She had perfect pronunciation. For her, it was ‘jogging’. I had been running quite fast, but as soon as she started jogging, I had to slow down. She ran with me for forty metres and she was so delighted.

When she stopped, I gave her a smile and I continued my run.

The secret fans³³

I was running by the construction on 150th Street, right in front of Ranjana’s house. Three or four Filipino children were hiding in one of the big holes, so I didn’t see them. I was running by at an eight-minute pace, and all of a sudden I saw three or four heads. The children had been hiding, waiting for me to go by. They were so delighted, so excited to see me.

In this area everybody knows me. Sometimes they call me ‘Sri Chinmoy’ or ‘Shry’; sometimes they call me ‘chief’ even. I hear that one of our disciples is teaching in the school right across from Lucy’s street, so many children learn about me from that person.

Early morning inspiration³⁴

Just the other day, around four-thirty in the morning, I was running right behind my house. A young man came out of his house and said, “Good morning, Sri Chinmoy. How nice to see you running.” He saw me running early in the morning, so he was very inspired.

Unwanted help³⁵

In one house on 150th Street there are two ladies who are dead against us. They are very rude. Recently, I was trying to help one of them who was having difficulty getting her car out of her driveway because there were too many cars going by. Finally, I signalled to her that she could go. Sometimes when we help people, our help is accepted. But she ignored me completely.

The smiling friend³⁶

Some people are always nice to me when they see me running. One fat lady, my friend with the two dogs, is like that. Even if she sees me running three times during the day, she will greet me and smile. Sometimes I slow down when I go by her. She is always smiling.

Simplicity incarnate³⁷

The first woman in our Oregon 30-Kilometre Race was the well-known runner Martha Cooksey. She had come to our meeting the previous day to meditate with us, and she had been very, very moved.

When she was on her thirteenth or fourteenth mile, the other women runners were far behind her. I was in the car, as I had run only seven miles, and I waved to her. She was so delighted to see me waving from the car.

Then, when I gave her the prize, there was only one foot between her existence and my existence, but she grabbed my left elbow and whispered to me, “I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the race very much! “ She is so short, but still she bowed down. Of all the women runners I have met, she has the most simplicity. She is very simple, very cheerful and very kind-hearted. If people are champion runners, very often there is something in them which you call pride; or they have a certain way of expressing themselves because they are champions. But in Martha Cooksey’s case, she is absolutely simplicity incarnate.

Jogging with the Mayor³⁸

Just before the start of the race in Oregon, the Mayor of that town came up to me and said, “I am the Mayor here. I am so happy and honoured that you are here, Sri Chinmoy.”

Three or four minutes later the race started. I started jogging, and the Mayor also started jogging with me. He was quite fat. I wanted to go at a ten-minute pace, and he ran with me. We were last. After eight hundred metres, the Mayor said, “I am now going home.” Eight hundred metres was enough for him. Also, the eight-hundred metre mark was right in front of his home.

The wheelchair racer³⁹

In our Oregon race, a man in a wheelchair stood first. He defeated the first runner, a top-ranking runner, by sixty metres. I couldn’t believe how fast the man in the wheelchair was going. Then Dayal told me it always happens like that.

The prizes were so cute. The winners got big pies, which were the same size as their medals. They had a special prize for me, which I wanted to give to the man who was in the wheelchair. When I went near him, he immediately started shedding tears. He was so moved that I was giving the prize to him.

Dead dog⁴⁰

Everywhere I run there is a dog problem — even here in Tobago. As I was running this morning, two dogs came and started barking and barking. I thought they were barking because of my red T-shirt. But then I saw that there was a dead dog lying there by the road.

No life!⁴¹

Yesterday a man saw me running and said, “Dad, Dad, put some life into your running.” Then he began showing off, pumping his arms.

Everybody makes progress⁴²

This morning I saw Haridas come out of the hotel and start running quite fast. Two years ago, I used to laugh when I saw him run, saying, “Maestro, you are so great.” And today, he runs at an eight-minute pace right from the beginning. So everybody makes progress.

You need spring!⁴³

Two young boys were running. The first time they passed me, they didn’t see me. Then, when I turned around, one boy told me, “You need some spring, man. You need some spring.”

Not a disciple⁴⁴

I went out to run after seven o’clock this morning, and I saw a girl running alone. I thought it was Hladini. It was on the tip of my tongue to bark at her, because here in Tobago the girl disciples are not supposed to run alone. But when I came nearer, I saw that the girl was uncivilised. Since her uniform was immodest, I said, “No, no, it cannot be a disciple.”

The shy disciple⁴⁵

I saw Agraha running this morning. I was admiring his style, but as soon as he saw me, he went on another street.

The pumpkin hole⁴⁶

At the start of our seven-mile race, even before one mile, inside my chest was a pumpkin hole. There was nothing inside my chest. I couldn’t breathe.

She is ahead⁴⁷

At the start of the seven-mile race, I saw Sarah go way ahead of me. I said, “Oh, she is so far ahead of me!” But she dropped dead before the one-mile mark. She had to stop running after one mile, but that I didn’t see.

Peter's soul operates⁴⁸

At the one-mile mark during our race, one person said, “8:07.” Then, after one step, another person said, “8:11.” Peter’s soul is working through everyone! During one marathon he would say the timing, and four metres later he would say a completely different timing.

The discouraging timekeeper⁴⁹

At the fifth mile, Dolores said the time, and I got mad at her. She saw that I was walking, so why did she have to tell me my timing and discourage me?

The disciple surrenders⁵⁰

Before the first mile was over, I was ahead of Nirvik, and I was so delighted. Then, after two miles, he went ahead of me. I said, “Oh, he was fooling me.”

After three and a half miles, I was only looking for Nirvik, but I couldn’t see him. For five miles it went on like this. But later I surrendered. By the time we reached seven miles, he was following me.

Silence conquers sound⁵¹

Yesterday I had my dog problems again. At a certain place along my running route here in Tobago, if you run, they bark. If you walk, they bark. What can you do?

As soon as you come in sight, three or four dogs come from their houses. You have to walk as slowly as possible, pretending you are not even walking. Then they become frightened. Silence conquers sound; here is the proof. While you are running, they chase you. While you are walking, they bark at you. But when you stop walking, they also stop. This is the proof that our silence can conquer sound.