States-DC

Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia) has been serving as the capital for the United States since 1800. The district, created by the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17) serves as the USA’s seat of government and, as a federal district, by not being part of any state aims to be neutral. not reliant on any state for its budget or security, and to represent all 50 states equally.

Washington, D.C. factoids: D.C. is home to the White House, the Capitol, and the Supreme Court. It has many significant landmarks — such as the National Mall, the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Library of Congress, and the Washington Monument.  The land (now approx. 61 sq. miles) was donated by Maryland and Virginia to create it, it currently has approximately 700,000 residents — though commuters from nearby suburbs increase the daily population significantly.

Activities of Sri Chinmoy in D.C., (see page for activities in the 50 states)

1969

• 21-22 April 1969. Sri Chinmoy delivers two lectures:
  • “The Quintessence of Mysticism” at the American University in Washington, D.C. on April 21, 1969.
  •  “Action and Liberation” at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. on April 22, 1969.

1975

• April 29, 1975. Sri Chinmoy offered an evening public meditation at George Washington University, in Washington, D.C.
  • Prior to the concert, he held brief meetings with two senators from Connecticut and with Bronx Con­gressman Bingham,
  • One of the senators he met with, Lowell Weicker Jr, had been petitioned by a student of Sri Chinmoy (Vibha) asking that flag be flown atop the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. in honour of Sri Chinmoy’s 11th year in the West. With the senator’s support, the flag was flown for the day on March 28, 1975  (as part of the Capitol Flag Program) and was later was presented to Sri Chinmoy along with a letter of confirmation.

1976

• January 8, 1976. The SCMT Liberty Torch Runners receive a ‘Letter of Commendation’ from President Gerald R. Ford sent from The White House in Washington, D.C. 
• This bi-centennial year, Sri Chinmoy delivers seven lectures all in the Marvin Hall at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
  The lectures are entitled:
  • “Spiritual Power, Occult Power and Will Power” delivered on January 21, 1976 
  • “Heaven-Vision and Earth-Reality” delivered on January 28, 1976
  • “Two God-Instruments” delivered on February 4, 1976 (3:30 p.m., multiple lectures on this day)
    • Note: The lectures as well as the Q&A’s from these first three lectures were published in a book “Spiritual Power, Occult Power and Will Power, Part 1“
  • “Consciousness and Immortality” delivered on February 4, 1976 (7:30 p.m., multiple lectures on this day)
  • “Self-Discovery and World-Mastery” delivered on February 11, 1976 (3:30 p.m., multiple lectures on this day)
  • “The World Within and the World Without” delivered on February 11, 1976 (5:30 p.m., multiple lectures on this day)
  • “Transcendence and Perfection” delivered on February 11, 1976 (7:30 p.m., multiple lectures on this day)
    • Note: The lectures as well as the Q&A’s from these last four lectures were published in a book “Self-Discovery and World-Mastery, The Washington Lecture Series —Part 2″
• April 26, 1976. Sri Chinmoy offers the opening meditation at the performance of his play The Sacred Fire at the Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C.

1977

• January 20, 1977. Sri Chinmoy attends the the People’s Prayer Service held at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
  • Nearly 70 students of Sri Chinmoy’s assist as official ushers at the event, which is held in honor of the inauguration of President Jimmy Carter.
• July 17, 1977. As part of his 100 talks in 20 days series, published as Everest-Aspiration (Parts  > >1  > >2 , > >3 , and > > 4), Sri Chinmoy delivers six talks on his way to Washington, DC and finally one in Washington, DC. The talks (#52-58 in the series) are entitled:
  • Gifts at 3pm, in transit from New York to DC
  • Who is the Winner? at 3:05pm
  • Two Trains at 3:10pm
  • Who is Knocking? at 3:15pm
  • Disobedience and Penalty at 3:20pm
  • Secrets at 3:25pm
• “Something is Missing” at 9:10pm at the American University in Washington, DC.
  • On this same day, Sri Chinmoy is interviewed in Bengali by jour­nalist Kamal Ashish Chakravarty from ‘Voice of America’ in Washington, DC, USA. The taped programme, which includes a short esraj performance by Sri Chinmoy, is later broad­cast on Hindi and Bengali radio stations throughout Bangladesh and India, and is heard by Sri Chinmoy’s family in Pondicherry.

1979

• May 22, 1979. Sri Chinmoy offers a meditation at the Rayburn Office Building, U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.
  • On this day, he also attends the opening of a two-month exhibition of his artwork “Jharna-Kala“ which is held at the National Visitors Center in Washington, D.C.
• November 13, 1979. Sri Chinmoy offers a public concert at the US Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

1980

• June 4, 1980. Sri Chinmoy joins the cyclists of the SCMT’s USA Bicycle Relay through the historic US Capitol area and receives a Certificate of Achievement from Congressman Joseph Addabbo on the US Capitol Building steps in Washington, D.C.
• June 6, 1980. Sri Chinmoy is invited by the US State Department to address its ‘Open Forum’, and delivers a lecture, entitled ‘The Inner Role of the United Nations’, at the US State Department in Washington, DC, USA. He also offers a short musical presentation.

1984

• March 1, 1984. Sri Chinmoy begins meditations for members of the United States Congress, at the Rayburn Office Building in Washington, D.C.
• May 19, 1984. Sri Chinmoy offers a Peace Concert at the Sheraton-Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C. This is just the 4th of the ultimately over 800 such concerts offered around the world.

1985

• June 18, 1985. Sri Chinmoy offers a prayer session for American hostages held in Beirut at Rayburn House Office Building, House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.

1986

• February 6, 1986. Sri Chinmoy offers a Peace Concert at the US Department of Commerce Auditorium in Washington, D.C.
  • it is dedicated to President Reagan, in honour of the President’s birthday (b. February 6, 1911).
  • Earlier that day, Sri Chinmoy attended the National Prayer Breakfast at the Hilton Hotel’s International Ballroom, Washington, DC. He received an invitation is issued from an organizer, Douglas Coe, after Mr. Coe attended a Sri Chinmoy Peace Meditation programme in the House of Representatives in the Fall of 1985.
• May 6, 1986. Sri Chinmoy offers a Memorial Service for NY Congressman Joseph P. Addabbo, at the Cannon US House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.
• December 2, 1986. Sri Chinmoy offers a meditation at the US Congress at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C.

1987

• July 18, 1977. Sri Chinmoy’s Peace Concert at the Washington Monument in Washington, DC, USA.
  • before the concert, he is interviewed about his weightlifting by Marty Gallagher, editor and publisher of Strength Review Magazine, accompanied by Hugh Cassidy, former world powerlifting champion.

1988

• October 1, 1988. Sri Chinmoy offers a meditation and as part of his Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart programme:
  • lifts 8 US government employees at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
  • lifts 12 people, including a 1988 US Olympic bronze medallist, at the Old Post Office Pavilion in Washington, D.C.

1989

• February 11, 1989. Sri Chinmoy offers a Peace Concert at the ‘Heart-to-Heart Festival’ in Washington, D.C.
  • At the event, his is interviewed by Body, Mind and Spirit magazine who asks the following questions:
    • Q: In your own words, who are you?
    • Q: Tell me about your weightlifting.
    • Q: How do you lift people?
    • Q: How do you feel about the attention that you get? Is that sometimes a hindrance for you?

1990

• September 10, 1990. Sri Chinmoy offers a Peace Concert at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.
  • at the concert, he lifts 7 distinguished guests, inlcuding Sugar Ray Leonard, 1976 Olympic gold medallist, boxing (light welterweight); and Daniel Nichols, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Office of Emergency Plans, US Department of State, at Constitution Hall in Washington, D. C.
  • he visits Suprabha’s store, Transcendence-Perfection-Bliss of the Beyond, which for 41 years was a treasured gift store in Cleveland Park, Washington, D.C. (read interview here). Suprabha is also well-known for her 13 epic 3,100 Mile Races (see: https://3100.srichinmoyraces.org/suprabha-beckjord)

1993

• June 23, 1993. Sri Chinmoy offers a Peace Meditation and receives the Congressional Special Recognition Certificate for his service to world harmony from Congressman Benjamin A. Gilman (Rep. NY) at Rayburn House Office Building, House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.

1995

• November 13, 1995. An exhibition of Sri Chinmoy’s Jharna-Kala paintings opens at the Russell Rotunda, US Senate, in Washington, D.C.
• November 17, 1995. Sri Chinmoy offers a Peace Concert at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C.
  • The concert is introduced by H.E. Siddhartha Shankar Ray, Ambassador of India to the United States.

2000

• June 15, 2000, Sri Chinmoy offers a Peace Concert at O’Neill House Office Building, US House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.
  • The concert is preceded by a presenting of the U Thant Peace Award to US Congressman Gary Ackerman (N.Y.)
• June 23, 2000. Sri Chinmoy offers a Peace Meditation at Rayburn House Office Building, House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.
  • Sri Chinmoy is presented the Congressional Special Recognition Certificate for his service to world harmony from Congressman Benjamin A. Gilman (Rep. NY)

2001

• July 10, 2001. As part of his Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart programme, Sri Chinmoy lifts five members of the US Congress at the Rayburn Office Building, US House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.

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Among the many songs Sri Chinmoy composed on America, his adopted country, this one is perhaps the most powerful:

America, America, America!
Great you are, good you are,
Brave you are, kind you are.
O my America, America.
Your Heaven-freedom is earth’s aspiration-choice.
With you, in you, is God-Hour’s Victory-Voice.

—Sri Chinmoy
(see https://www.srichinmoysongs.com/america-great-you-are-good-you-are)

The song “America! Great You Are, Good You Are” recording, below, as performed by the Sri Chinmoy Choir:

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