Sri Chinmoy:
The Peace Meditation at the United Nations

On 8 August 1978 United Nations delegates and staff joined the members of the Meditation Group in a memorial service for his Holiness Pope Paul VI, held in the Chapel of the Church Center for the United Nations. Sri Chinmoy opened the programme with a silent meditation facing a portrait of the Holy Father, followed by a musical dedication on the Indian esraj.

Drawing on his deeply moving experiences in meetings with the Pontiff on three separate occasions at the Vatican , Sri Chinmoy then offered a soulful tribute to the Pope.  

Members of the Meditation Group recited passages from Sri Chinmoy’s book about the Pontiff, Compassion-Father, Champion-Brother, Perfection-Friend, and

Mr. Donald Keys, President of Planetary Citizens, reminisced about the Pope ‘s historic visit to the United Nations in October 1965.  

Remarks of the late Secretary-General U Thant and Pope Paul during this visit were then read out, as well as statements by Secretary-General Waldheim and President Carter on the Pope’s passing.

The programme closed with Sri Chinmoy’s reminiscences about his meetings with the Pontiff and the performance by the Meditation Group singers of a song Sri Chinmoy dedicated to the Pope, “Compassion Height.”

Following are excerpts from the programme.

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Sri Chinmoy (bowing to a portrait of the Pope after the opening meditation) : Father, Holy Father, beloved Father, humanity’s Friend, divinity ‘s Brother ! We know, we know where you are now. You are in the heart-cry of humanity and in the soul-smile of divinity.  

Father, you were an unparalleled spiritual sovereign of the twentieth century. With your mind’s illumination you showed mankind the beauty of a new Dawn. With your heart’s oneness you have told man his duty in a new Day.   Your divine greatness was your contribution to the Heavenly Father.

Your supreme goodness was your contribution to Mother-Earth. Constant self-giving was your inner life. Constant peace-offering was your outer life.

Our aspiration-heart treasures your Vision-Eye. Our dedication-life treasures your PerfectionHeart.

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Mr. Donald Keys, President of Planetary Citizens: My recollection of Pope Paul will be much the same as many of yours, dominated by his appearance and address at the United Nations, an event which showed the universality and capacity of two great figures – he, as the head of one of the world’s great religions, and Secretary-General U Thant, who rendered him the invitation.  

The historic encounter showed the capacity and the magnanimity of both. Pope Paul’s words “Never again war! War never again!” were at once an appeal to the best in humanity and a dedication of humanity to its highest aspiration.   His encyclicals on world problems showed over and over again his understanding, his universality, his grasp of human suffering, human yearnings, human nature, of the human condition. He strove most continuously, with a true moral and spiritual imperative, for the improvement of that human condition.   We honour him and we are grateful to him for his service to humanity in the name of his Father, who is the Father of us all.

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Song Sri Chinmoy dedicated to the Pope, “Compassion Height.”

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Note:

Sri Chinmoy has met with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican on three separate occasions. Those meetings left the Indian spiritual Master deeply moved, and he was inspired to write a soulful book about the Pontiff. Below are some excerpts from that book:

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“O Compassion-Father, O Champion-Brother, O Perfection-Friend, your mind is divinely great; your heart is supremely good. Your greatness-mind is illumining humanity’s hope. Your goodness-heart is fulfilling humanity’s promise.

Humanity’s hope is to see satisfaction in each human being. Humanity’s promise is to reveal the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. Because you love untiringly,

O Holy Father, humanity’s hope, I feel that before long humanity’s hope will succeed and proceed. Because you bless unreservedly,

O Holy Father, humanity’s promise, I feel that before long humanity’s promise will proceed and succeed.

… On October 4, 1965 the Holy Father delivered an immortal speech at the United Nations which was nothing short of his own life-giving Wisdom-Light.

He offered papal support unreservedly to the United Nations’ cause and told the United Nations that disarmament and cooperation are of paramount importance in extinguishing the poverty-flames and misery-flames of the world.

The relationship between the Church and the United Nations he elucidates in a simple and powerful manner:

“The Church considers the United Nations to be the fruit of a civilization to which the Catholic religion… gave the vital principles. It considers it an instrument of brotherhood between nations which the Holy See has always desired and promoted…. The convergence of so many peoples, of so many races, so many States in a single organization intended to avert the evils of war and to favour the good things of peace is a fact which the Holy See considers as corresponding to its concept of humanity and included within the area of its spiritual mission to the world.”

The Holy Father’s blessingful appreciation of the United Nations may be imprinted in gold letters on the tablet of the United Nations’ heart:

“Thanks to you, glory to you, who for twenty years have laboured for peace and have even given illustrious victims to this holy cause. Thanks to you and glory to you for the conflicts you have prevented and for those you have settled. The results of your efforts for peace, up to these last days, even if not yet decisive, deserve that we venture to interpret the feelings of the whole world and in its name express to you both congratulations and gratitude.”

With regard to man’s duty, his dignity and his religious freedom, the Holy Father observed at the United Nations:

“We feel that you [the United Nations staff] are the interpreters of what is highest in human wisdom.“

The Pope calls the United Nations a school that teaches man peace. According to him, each individual here is at once a pupil and a teacher in the art of building peace. Him to quote,

“…the world looks to you as to the architects, the builders of peace.”

– excerpt from Compassion-Father, Champion-Brother, Perfection-Friend, Agni Press, 1976.

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Pope Paul at UN 04 October 1965 (UN photos)

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