Sri Chinmoy’s remarks to the runners prior to the start of the Sri Chinmoy 7 Day Race, October 14, 1988, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, NY:
"My dear Seven Day Race Runners,
You are brave – very brave, exceptionally brave, divinely brave, supremely brave. Only the brave can and shall win the ultimate goal, which is birthless and deathless satisfaction. This birthless and deathless satisfaction you already have in the very depths of your souls. Now you are bringing it to the fore through your adamantine will power and your sleepless self-giving to the outer world of running and to the inner world of becoming. Being a truth-lover and a seeker of the ultimate truth, I wish to tell you that you are doing something most significant not only for yourself and your own life but also for those who love the outer running and the inner becoming.
You are the pioneer runners. You are the brave soldiers. You are tomorrow’s pathfinders. You are supremely courageous in virtue of your divine self-giving to the running world. I am very, very proud of you and very, very grateful to you all. My heart of joy and my life of infinite gratitude I am offering to each of you as you start on your way.
This is a seven-day race. The number ‘seven’ has a very special significance for those who study spirituality. According to the Indian way of thinking, there are seven higher worlds and seven lower worlds. Since we are human beings, we have already passed beyond the boundaries of the seven lower worlds. Now we are climbing up high, higher, highest in the seven higher worlds. Each of the seven higher worlds has some very special kind of delight – oneness-delight and fulfillment-delight – to give us. Each time we step into a higher world, we enter into a world of ecstasies. Each time we climb higher, this ecstasy increases. All the time we are dealing with a boundless and limitless ocean of ecstasy; but although it is an ocean, still it increases. For God the Supreme Runner at every moment is increasing His own Capacities, His own Light and His own Delight.
Although this is a seven-day race, please don’t think of all seven days while you are running. Think of only one day at a time. Then, do not even think of one day; think of only seven hours. Then, for a few minutes think of only one hour. If you can mentally divide the race and break it down into separate parts, you will get much more energy and much more joy while running. Every time your mind decreases the amount of time you have to run, you will get tremendous inner strength and vigor. So do not keep in mind seven days. Go at your own pace, but mentally divide the race to make the distance as short as possible. In this way you will all the time have inner strength and be able to run throughout."
