South Dakota (SD). The 40th state to join the Union in 1889
South Dakota factoids: The capital of South Dakota is Pierre; its largest city (by pop.) is Sioux Falls. Known as the ‘Mount Rushmore State’ today’s population is approximately 930,000 (averaging around 12 people per square mile). South Dakota’s state tree is the ‘Black Hills Spruce’; its state flower is the ‘American Pasque Flower’; and its state bird the ‘Ring-necked Pheasant’. South Dakota’s State Motto is: “Under God, the people rule”.
Activities of Sri Chinmoy in South Dakota (see page for activities in each of the 50 states)
1974
- October 25, 1974. Sri Chinmoy delivers a lecture entitled “Sound-Life and Silence-Life” at Northern State College in Aberdeen, SD.
- After the lecture, Sri Chinmoy answered the following questions:
- Q: What do you consider to be the greatest obstacle on the spiritual path?
- Q: There are so many spiritual paths and so many spiritual teachers. How does one figure out which is the right one?
- Q: Would you say something about feeling your body in a spiritual way? Is feeling a kind of electric force or wave a spiritual experience?
- Q: Can you take the senses as an object of meditation?
- Q: Is it necessary to follow a life of renunciation?
- Q: Would you tell me what suffering is and what it means?
- Q: Would you speak about music, God and meditation?
- After the lecture, Sri Chinmoy answered the following questions:
2026. Follow the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run team as they visit 50-states — see example photos for their past visit to South Dakota.
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Listen to the melody Sri Chinmoy set for name ‘South Dakota’ as part of the “50 Oneness-State-Songs”:
(read more about these on the 50 Oneness-State-Songs page)
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)
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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