Mark Wenz
The Unity Church is open to diverse philosophies. We believe that Jesus was a spiritually enlightened master teacher—one of many enlightened souls (along with MLK, Gandhi, and others) who have had a similar goal: leading us to a state of oneness with God. Sri Chinmoy, who is unknown to much of the U.S. population, was another of these spiritual masters who advocated a spiritual path to God through prayer and meditation. (In India, “Sri” is used as a respectful title of address for distinguished individuals.)
I became aware of Sri Chinmoy in 1973 when I purchased an album by Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin, who were followers of Sri Chinmoy’s, entitled Love, Devotion, and Surrender. This album’s songs introduced me to the importance of these three practices in one’s continuing spiritual evolution.
According to Sri Chinmoy, we should strive to “love God not in a human way but in a divine way. In human love there is constant demand. If I give you something, then I expect you to give me something. It is always give and take. But divine love is constant illumination. In divine love, we love God unconditionally …. And when we love the world in a divine way … our heart becomes universal” (srichinmoy.org).
Regarding the practice of devotion, Sri Chinmoy wrote, “Human devotion is attachment; divine devotion is dedication to a higher purpose or ideal, to a higher way of life. Divine devotion grows out of our soul’s promise to manifest our inner divinity here on earth” (srichinmoy.org). Unity philosophy shares the belief with Sri Chinmoy that we all have access to the inner divinity within us.
Regarding surrender, Sri Chinmoy wrote, “Human surrender is the surrender of a slave to his master …. Divine surrender is the surrender of our less illumined part to our higher part” (srichinmoy.org)—what Unity describes as our “higher self.” I interpret this to mean that when we surrender, we relinquish our desire to fix, control, and dictate—and instead we give it up to God. We ask God to be the wind behind our sails that directs our course through life. Ultimately, it is God, not us, who is in control.
Sri Chinmoy respected other paths and religions. Chinmoy wrote, “True religion has a universal quality. It does not find fault with other religions…. Forgiveness, compassion, tolerance, inclusion, and the feeling of oneness are the signs of a true religion.” Sri Chinmoy, who was also an accomplished musician and public speaker, welcomed people of all faiths to his spiritual centers and to the many free concerts and events he organized throughout the world (Wikipedia).
Based on his criteria, Chinmoy would consider Unity to be a true religion. If you’d like to experience our joyful spiritual services, then please check out Unity Church of Sun Lakes at 10 a.m. on Sunday mornings in the Arts & Crafts Room at Sun Lakes Country Club. You have always been and always will be welcome.