August 27th, 2011 was the 80th anniversary of Sri Chinmoy's birthday.

New York Councilman and Park Director complete the world's longest garland in honour of Sri Chinmoy's 80th birthday. (photo Prashphutita)

To mark the occasion, Ashrita Furman and 170 members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team created a new Guinness World Record for the world's largest garland of flowers.

NY-Councilman and Park Director complete the world's longest garland (photo-Jowan-Gauthier)

Using 80,000 carnations, the team created a 2.15 mile garland of flowers around a lake in Flushing Meadows, New York.

Ashrita Furman spoke of the event:

“My friends and I have a tradition to express our gratitude to Sri Chinmoy as he inspires us to discover inner peace, joy and strength through meditation. On the occasion of Sri Chinmoy's 80th birthday anniversary we wanted to do something special. The huge garland expresses the deep gratitude we feel. There was an great feeling of oneness and harmony because people from 35 countries were connected by the garland in a circle symbolising planet earth.”

The 2011 edition of the Self-Transcendence 3100 race recently finished, with the ten runners completing a total of 29,517 miles.

There were eight runners who finished the 3100 mile race in the allotted time frame of 54 days. The total mileage of the 10 runners (29,517) is equivalent to running around the world + another 4,500 miles.

Sarvagata (photo Alakananda)

Sarvagata finishes his first race in first place, with a very impressive time of 44 days, 13:38:52

The race continues whatever the weather. (Photo Alakananda)

Sri Chinmoy TV, which has an extensive collection of videos about Sri Chinmoy and Sri Chinmoy Centre, has been redesigned.

Videos can now be easily embedded in blogs and web pages.

The above video is an excerpt from Sri Chinmoy's meditation at the World Parliament of Religions on July 7th,

2004.

In the UK, the World Harmony Run is travelling the entire length of the country from John O'Groats in Scotland, to Lands End in the tip of Cornwall in South England.

Members of the World Harmony Run team running through the Lake District.

Pranavanta John Montefiore, a student of Sri Chinmoy, was an exceptional artist who developed a strong reputation for his innovative and marathon artworks.

The 15th Annual Self-Transcendence 3100 mile race begins today, June 12th in Jamaica, Queens, NY.

In Budapest, 10,000 children participated in a human chain of peace and harmony around the Hungarian Parliament; the unique ceremony was part of the global World Harmony Run.

Human Chain for peace and harmony

School children came from up to 300Km away to take part in this special event at Hungary's Parliament. The event was co-ordinated by organisers of the World Harmony Run - founded by Sri Chinmoy to promote peace and understanding around the world.

Sri Chinmoy taught a philosophy of self-transcendence - the effort and determination to go beyond our limitations and discover our own inner and outer capacities.

What gives life its value,
If not its inner cry
For self-transcendence?

Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu was recently presented with the first Sri Chinmoy Peace Prize  for his dedication to fostering the ideals of peace in the hearts and lives of millions worldwide.

Desmond Tutu with Sri Chinmoy Peace Award

Sri Chinmoy met with Desmond Tutu on numerous occasions.

Sri Chinmoy gives several practical ways to keep the mind silent during meditation.

What can we do about thoughts on a practical level? Let us take thoughts as individuals and take the mind as a room that we live in and own. We have to bolt the door to our mind-room from the inside and not allow anybody whatsoever to enter. We will not only keep out our enemies, which are bad thoughts, but also our friends, the good thoughts. We are determined to enjoy only silence, complete silence.

- Sri Chinmoy [1. Sri Chinmoy, Sri Chinmoy Answers, Part 6, Agni Press, 1995.]

Another technique Sri Chinmoy encourages is to use the power of the heart rather than the mind.

How will you make the mind calm and quiet? The mind has its own power, and right now this power is stronger than your present eagerness and determination to meditate. But if you can get help from your heart, then gradually you will be able to control your mind. The heart, in turn, gets constant assistance from the soul, which is all light and all power.

- Sri Chinmoy - [2. The Silent Mind at Sri Chinmoy Centre]