Sri Chinmoy's life revolved around the uplifting of the human spirit.  He is an example of what the human spirit can achieve through a life of meditation and prayer. He is an inspiration to people from all works of life who seek to learn about meditation and spirituality. He is also an author, poet, musician, artist, and an athlete. Throughout his life he had given hundreds of lectures on spiritual topics throughout the world, composed over 120,000 poems and aphorisms, 21,000 songs, 140,000 works of art, and has written over 1,600 books. Believing in a balanced life, Sri Chinmoy has countless times demonstrated that the human potential within each one of us is unlimited through feats of strength and endurance. He has lifted objects of tremendous weight, such as cars, elephants, and airplanes.    

   Born in East Bengal, India, Sri Chinmoy lived in a spiritual ashram for most of his youth, and spent many hours in deep meditation. Having felt an inner command to offer what he had learned about spirituality, Sri Chinmoy came to the United States in 1964 to offer meditation techniques which are simple yet effective. During these early years he gave lectures in many universities across North America. In 1970 he was invited by the Secretary-General U Thant to provide meditation services at the United Nations, which he continued to serve until his passing in 2007. Throughout his time in the west Sri Chinmoy met with many dignitaries and leaders of the world to foster global harmony.

  The Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run, which is held biennially, is a torch relay occurring around the world that was founded by Sri Chinmoy. Another program he initiated, called the Oneness-Heart-Tears And Smiles, provides basic life necessities to impoverished people in different nations around the world. These programs continue today, as service to humanity is a vital part of  the integration of the inner and outer life.