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.

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

1969-1979

• Sri Chinmoy
  • delivers a lecture entitled “The Quintessence of Mysticism” at the American University in Washington, D.C. on April 21, 1969.
  • delivers a lecture entitled “Action and Liberation” at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. on April 22, 1969.
  • visits and holds meditation at the local Centre in Washington, DC on October 18, 1973 and enjoys some sightseeing.
  • offered an evening public meditation at George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. on April 29, 1975.
    • Prior to the concert, he held brief meetings with two senators from Connecticut and with Bronx Con­gressman Bingham,
    • One of the Connecticut 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.

  • 

    was honored by way of the SCMT Liberty Torch Runners — by receiving a ‘Letter of Commendation’ from President Gerald R. Ford sent from the White House in Washington, D.C. January 8, 1976. On August 14, 1976, The Liberty Torch Runner’s completed their relay through the 50 states, and returned to DC to be honored along with the relay’s visionary leader, Sri Chinmoy. and receive from Captain James Lovell, of the White House and Consultant to the President on Physical Fitness and Sports, a second Commendation, as well as a Certificate of Appreciation.

  • delivered seven lectures in DC, as part of this bi-centennial year — each were held in the Marvin Hall at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The lectures are entitled:
    • “Spiritual Power, Occult Power and Will Power” on January 21, 1976 
    • “Heaven-Vision and Earth-Reality” on January 28, 1976
    • “Two God-Instruments” 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” on February 4, 1976 (7:30 p.m., multiple lectures on this day)
    • “Self-Discovery and World-Mastery” on February 11, 1976 (3:30 p.m., multiple lectures on this day)
    • “The World Within and the World Without” on February 11, 1976 (5:30 p.m., multiple lectures on this day)
    • “Transcendence and Perfection” 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″

        

  • offers the opening meditation at the performance of his play The Sacred Fire at the Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. on April 26, 1976.
  •  attends the the People’s Prayer Service held at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on January 20, 1977.
    • 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.

• • offers six talks on July 17, 1977 in transit to Washington, DC and one in Washington, DC. This is part of his 100 talks in 20 days series, published as Everest-Aspiration (Parts  > >1  > >2 , > >3 , and > > 4),  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; and
    • “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.
  • offers a meditation on May 22, 1979 at the Rayburn Office Building, U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.
    • On this day, Sri Chinmoy 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.
  • offers a public concert on November 13, 1979 at the US Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

1980-1989

• Sri Chinmoy
  • joins the cyclists of the SCMT’s USA Bicycle Relay on June 4, 1980 and rides 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.
  • is invited by the US State Department to address its ‘Open Forum’ on June 6, 1980. He offers a short musical presentation and delivers a lecture, entitled ‘The Inner Role of the United Nations’, at the US State Department in Washington, D.C.
  • and his students begin meditations for members of the United States Congress on March 1, 1984, at the Rayburn Office Building in Washington, D.C.
  • offers a Peace Concert on May 19, 1984 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.
  • offers a prayer session on June 18, 1985 for the American hostages held in Beirut at Rayburn House Office Building, House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.
  • offers a Peace Concert on February 6, 1986 at the US Department of Commerce Auditorium in Washington, D.C.
    • The concert 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.
  • offers a Memorial Service on May 6, 1986 for NY Congressman Joseph P. Addabbo, at the Cannon US House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.
  • offers a meditation on December 2, 1986 at the US Congress at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C.
  • offers a Peace Concert on July 18, 1987 at the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.
    • 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.

      

    • offers a meditation on October 1, 1988 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.
  • offers a Peace Concert on February 11, 1989 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?

1990-2001

• Sri Chinmoy
  • offers a Peace Concert on September 10, 1990 at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.
    • At the concert, Sri Chinmoy lifts, as part of his Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart programme, 7 distinguished guests, including 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.
    • On this day, Sri Chinmoy also 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)
  • offers a Peace Meditation on June 23, 1993 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.
  • has an exhibition of his Jharna-Kala paintings open at the Russell Rotunda, US Senate, in Washington, D.C. on November 13, 1995.
  • offers a Peace Concert on November 17, 1995 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.
  • offers a Peace Concert on June 15, 2000 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.)

      

• • offers a Peace Meditation on June 23, 2000 at Rayburn House Office Building, House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.
    • Additionally, Sri Chinmoy is presented the Congressional Special Recognition Certificate for his service to world harmony from Congressman Benjamin A. Gilman (Rep. NY)
  • — as part of his Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart programme — lifts five members of the US Congress on July 10, 2001 at the Rayburn Office Building, US House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.

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Fifty oneness-state-songs,
 
Our Lord’s Compassion-Gongs.
 
Within, without, a seeker’s sleepless cry
 
To reveal America’s perfection-sky.

—Sri Chinmoy
(see https://www.srichinmoysongs.com/fifty-oneness-state-songs)

(read more about these on the 50 Oneness-State-Songs page)

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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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