Obituaries

Mary Power

It is with great sadness that we announce the death, on 5th September, of Mary Power, the mother of our dear Lynn Power. Although Lynn’s mother had been ill for some time, it is still a great shock and sadness when a loved one leaves the mortal body. We send our heartfelt love and blessings to Lynn, her father Ron, sister Dawn and brother John.
Lynn would like to thank Swami Ji’s family and all friends at the Centre for their kind thoughts and words of condolence at this sad time.

Dean Muggleston

Dean, husband of Sheila, passed away in September. Following a series of strokes, Sheila had cared for Dean for many years with great devotion. Both Sheila and Dean have been Life Members of the Centre for many years and ill health had prevented them from attending regularly in recent times. We pray for the departed soul of Dean and also for Sheila and their family.

Sri Chinmoy

Internationally renowned spiritual teacher and ambassador of world peace, Sri Chinmoy, passed away in the early hours of Thursday morning, October 11th, 2007, at his home in the small suburb of Jamaica, Queens, New York. The cause of death was a heart attack.
Respected and loved worldwide, Sri Chinmoy manifested his philosophy for world peace through a wide array of activities, including literature, art, sports, music, drawings and paintings, and most recently, weightlifting. The universal nature of his philosophy embraced people of all backgrounds, faiths and nationalities, inspiring them to work together for a more harmonious world.
Hailed as a modern-day renaissance man, Sri Chinmoy wrote over 1500 books of prose, questions and answers, plays, humour, tales and poetry, and interviews with luminaries and personalities around the world. He composed nearly 21,000 pieces of music, and offered more than 750 Peace Concerts worldwide – all free of charge – in venues like the Royal Albert Hall in London, and New York’s Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. He was an avid runner and tennis player, and in recent years, a champion weightlifter.
President Mikhail Gorbachev wrote in his condolence letter: “My long-time close friend Sri Chinmoy has passed away,” adding, “this is a heavy loss for the whole world. In our hearts, he will forever remain a man who dedicated his whole life to peace.”
Sri Chinmoy propounded the philosophy of Self-Transcendence: Going, beyond, beyond, into the ever-transcending beyond. For him nothing was static. We could always do more; life was a continuous trend of growth and newness. Old age was simply a new page and that there was always more room for Self-transcendence. We compete, not for the sake of defeating others, but for the continuation of our own growth, our own inner progress. Many of Sri Chinmoy’s students have swum the English Channel, climbed mountains, done triathlons and other enduring feats in the spirit of this philosophy. Ashrita Furman, one of his students, holds the Guinness Book of Records own record for having the most number of Records as an individual.
Sri Chinmoy also founded the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, which is a leading promoter of races, ranging from The Sri Chinmoy Runners are Smilers two-mile races, to the Self-Transcendence two-mile races and ultra-distance races, sponsoring events to include marathons, 24hr races, and the world’s longest footrace, a 3100-mile run.
Sri Chinmoy’s humanitarian service organisation, The Oneness-Heart-Tears and Smiles, has to date collected and distributed millions of dollars’ worth of medical, surgical, pharmaceutical, school and other technological supplies throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. Dedicated to service, alleviating suffering, and inspiring others to a more abiding and inwardly fulfilling life, Sri Chinmoy once wrote, “My Lord, do give me the capacity to wipe every tear from every heart.”
Sri Chinmoy was born on August 27, 1931 in a small village called Shakpura, in Bengal, India. Orphaned at the age of 11, he went with his six brothers and sisters to a spiritual community in South India, where he spent the next 20 years in intense prayer and meditation. Heeding an inner call, he travelled to the United States where he arrived on April 13th, 1964, and began to work at the Indian Consulate. Others who very quickly realized that he had a spiritual message to offer encouraged him. He consequently made New York City his home, while serving other truth-seekers on an international scale.
In the 43 years since his arrival in the West, Sri Chinmoy became a model of the potential of humankind, opening Sri Chinmoy Centres throughout the world for inner peace. This he did by incorporating a programme of prayer, meditation, spiritual practices and selfless and soulful service to humanity at large. He himself tirelessly travelled the globe to share his inspiration and goodwill.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote of Sri Chinmoy’s passing: “Sri Chinmoy was a great man. God is smiling to know the immense good he has accomplished and encouraged in others. In a world of suspicion, hostility and conflict, he worked tirelessly to bring the different faiths together and inspired many to emulate.”
A champion of interfaith harmony, Sri Chinmoy was beloved by religious leaders of all denominations. Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama celebrated Sri Chinmoy as a true servant of God. “I am so pleased with all the good work you are doing for world peace and for people in so many countries,” wrote Mother Teresa. “May we continue to work together and share together, all for the glory of God and for the good of man.” Sri Chinmoy was invited to open the Council For a Parliament of World religions (CAPR) in Chicago in 1993, and again in Barcelona in 2004.
Sri Chinmoy was an ardent supporter of the United Nations. Since 1970 he served as the Leader of the Peace Meditation at the United Nations, an association of delegates and staff he founded with the support of the third UN Secretary-General, U Thant. “The outer message of the United Nations is peace. The inner message of the United Nations is love. The inmost message of the United Nations is oneness,” said Sri Chinmoy.
Javier Perez de Cuellar, the fifth UN Secretary-General, said in 2005, “I am receiving the inspiration of Sri Chinmoy, who is actually, I would say, the Heart of the United Nations. In all the years I was Secretary-General, and even before I was Secretary-General, he was always with us.”
Sri Chinmoy has always used all practical channels at his disposal, as a medium of manifesting God’s light here on Earth. To him, it was not the physical, but the inner Light working in and through the physical, and the physical became an instrument of this Higher Source. “In my case, he said, everything I do is 100% God’s grace and God’s compassion”.
“I have learned from Sri Chinmoy that the size of the arm does not make the man; the size of the heart makes the man,” said five-time Mr. Universe and Best Built Man of the 20th Century, Bill Pearl. “Nobody on earth has done what Sri Chinmoy has done.”
Just before his passing, Sri Chinmoy read out the following aphorism: “My physical death is not the end of my life. I am an eternal journey.” A man of God who lived and died with what he called Love, Devotion and Surrender to God, it is only fitting that this Eulogy ends with these words:

“My Lord Beloved Supreme,
You took the responsibility of my life,
And now You will be taking the responsibility of my death.
In life and death You give me the shelter at Your Feet”.

For more information, contact Sri Chinmoy Centre, London. 0208 876 6049 or 0207 222 1314

This obituary was forwarded by Manatita for inclusion in the magazine.

Brother Daniel Faivre 1929 – 2007

Sadly died following a heart attack on September 10th 2007. He was the founder of the Westminster Interfaith movement in 1986. He worked tirelessly for integration amongst the faiths and for peace. He arranged many activities; the most prominent being the yearly Pilgrimage, attended by members from all over Britain.

Neville Lindsell-Stewart

We have heard from his wife Monica, that Neville died on 5th March 2007. Her letter says that he was 87 and suffering from a blood disorder which was only helped by regular transfusions. He was not making white blood cells so he inevitably went down hill with any infections. He valued all of his friends in yoga and talked of them to her. Last year, Neville gave his life long collection of yoga and spiritual books to the ashram. These were gratefully received and are available for visitors to read.

Mrs Vera Williams

Avril Kirk has let us know that her auntie and Godmother, Mrs Vera Williams died peacefully in her sleep, aged 90, on 22nd June 2007. She had been admitted into Kings Lynn hospital in April. Unfortunately her body deteriorated and she succumbed to pneumonia.

MAY THEIR SOULS REST IN PEACE.AND PRAY TO THE LORD TO GIVE STRENGTH AND COURAGE TO THE MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILIES TO GO THROUGH THE PAIN AND SEPARATION.

OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI OM