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Dana Sheets
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Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2002 6:01 am

Do you have a goal?

Post by Dana Sheets »

From my peaceful warrior newsletter...
Dear Peaceful Warrior Readers,

My summer note to you all comes in the form of an article you may find inspiring, because Ashrita Furman is a living testament that we can accomplish more than we may believe. His achievements took place in the physical realm, yet represent a profound form of spiritual
surrender.

I met Ashrita some years ago, in a natural foods cafe in upstate New York. My lunch-mate whispered to me, "All that guy does is work here, and meditate, and train."

"Train for what?" I asked.

"For the Guinness Book of World Records," my friend answered. "He holds more records than anyone on the planet."

The Guinness Book lists only bona fide world records—” not rumors or claims, but feats witnessed under stringent conditions. Some records are pretty straightforward, like the fastest runner or highest jumper. Other records lean towards the creative or bizarre. But if a feat has never been done, or if someone can, with certified witnesses, do something more, or higher, or faster, they may qualify for the Guinness Book.

Ashrita Furman's exploits are for him a form of surrender to God. He describes himself, simply, as an ordinary guy who has done some extraordinary things. He celebrates his challenges
and exploits the way a child might revel in climbing to the top of a tree. As Ashrita says, "We can do great things by surrendering to what is greater than us." He adds, "The body is limited; the soul is not. So when I prepare himself, in meditation, I remembers who I am—” who we all are—and I finds the strength and higher will to accomplish tasks I might have once thought were impossible."

Now we come to a few of Ashrita's feats. Listing them one after the other may diffuse the astonishing nature of each one, but I know of no other way to give a sense of the scope and variety of his demonstration of the power of the spirit:

Let's begin with jumping jacks--we've all done them. Ashrita did 45,027 in a row.

How about forward rolls—you remember trying these in gym class? Ashrita did 12 miles of them - from Lexington to Concord, Paul Revere's ride.

He walked 81 miles while balancing a milk bottle on his head. He jumped 23 miles on a pogo stick. Then he pogo stick jumped up the CNN Tower in Toronto—all 1,899 steps—in 58 58 minutes.

He skipped rope for 10 miles in one hour and fifteen minutes, and later did 130,000 jumps in 24 hours.

He juggled three balls for six hours and seven minutes—and juggled just over an hour while jumping on a pogo stick—and while running 26.2 miles in 3:22 ­ followed by 50 miles in 8:52).

Remember burpees? (You squat down then extend your feet back to a push-up position, then squat, then stand back up.) Ashrita did 1,649 squat-thrusts in one hour.

On another occasion he did 3,913 squats in 60 minutes— that's sixty-five squats per minute for an hour.

Do you like to dribble a basketball? Ashrita Furman dribbled for 96 miles in 24 hours.

He also rides a unicycle—taught himself; then did it backwards for 53 miles.

Can you keep a Hula Hoop going for 18 minutes? Ashrita did, while walking a mile. Ashrita also ran a nine-minute mile -- while balancing a milk bottle on his head.

All it took to complete these physical feats was strength, endurance, agility, balance and a great deal of persistence.

One would guess that Ashrita Furman was a physical prodigy as a child, a natural athlete, but this is not the case. I'll let Ashrita explain in his own words:

"As a boy, I never imagined I would get into The Guinness Book, because I enjoyed books, not athletics. I got beat up on my first day of high school for being such a nerd. Then in my
teens I started searching for a deeper meaning to life and studied Eastern philosophy and yoga. I later attended a retreat conducted by the Indian meditation master Sri Chinmoy. That meeting was to change the course of my life. The moment I saw Sri Chinmoy, I noticed a light around him and knew that I was meant to be his student.

"My teacher's philosophy of self-transcendence—of overcoming your limits and making daily progress spiritually, creatively and physically using the power of meditation—inspired me.
Nonetheless, I was unsure about the physical part due to my lifelong commitment to nerdiness. But all that changed several years later, in 1978, when Sri Chinmoy encouraged me to participate in a 24-hour bicycle race sponsored by Pepsi Cola in New York City.

"I had an epiphany that night on my bicycle while riding around the course in Central Park. I realized firsthand that the body is just an instrument of the spirit and, if one opens up to grace,
and performs in the right state of consciousness, physical feats can be just as, or even more, uplifting than meditating in a temple.

"I had always been fascinated by the feats I'd read about in the Guinness Book, and my thoughts turned to the challenge. After a couple of exuberant but failed attempts, it dawned on me that I should probably train for these events; so I incorporated an exercise regimen into my spiritual practice.

"Now the training has become almost as fulfilling as breaking the records themselves, although I have to admit, when I first saw my photo in the Guinness Book (for doing 27,000 consecutive
jumping jacks) next to gymnast Nadia Comaneci, I got pretty excited.

"Attempting records has become an inherent part of my spiritual journey. I scour the Guinness Book for a category I think will be challenging and fun—childlike activities such as juggling,
hopscotch, unicycling, pogo stick jumping, somersaulting, yodeling and balancing objects on my head or chin. It gives me a profound sense of joy to see my progress towards achieving a once daunting goal. I hope to inspire others to attempt some feat of their own. It doesn't have to be for the Guinness Book. The particular event is unimportant as long as lets you dance at the edge of your capacity. The benefits can be both illumining and far-reaching. As my teacher
Sri Chinmoy says: 'The determination in heroic effort will permeate your mind and heart even after your success or failure is forgotten.'"

Ashrita can be reached via: ashrita@ashrita.com
Did you show compassion today?
2Green
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Joined: Thu Sep 23, 1999 6:01 am
Location: on the path.

Post by 2Green »

Sri Chinmoy as an example -- the inspiration for the Mahavishnu Orchestra featuring John McLaughlan and Jan Hammer (who I met)...this all falls perfectly into place.

What an awesome example of a person -- of a true INDIVIDUAL...(one who has separated themselves from the mass they were born into).

NM
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