Chitrabhanu founded the Meditation International Center in New York City in 1974 to provide an oasis of tranquillity in the city and to allow people a place to expand their consciousness of themselves and of life. Each class and program at the center is designed to harmonize mind, body and soul. Twice weekly Chitrabhanu lectures at the center--he says his talks are never planned; rather, he speaks extemporaneously as he perceives needs among his students. The center also offers courses on meditation through music, tai chi (a Chinese dance-like movement joining body and consciousness), hatha yoga and vegetarian nutrition and cooking.
Chitrabhanu teaches students (he calls them friends rather than followers) that selfawareness comes through the combination of education in scriptures, the experience of others around oneself and one's own experiences. For this reason, he says, he cannot talk to people from prepared notes. "Life comes from life, not from books," he adds, stressing the importance of talking from the heart.
The former monk, who married a student after he renounced his vows in 1970, spends many hours every day in meditation. He practices yoga and meditation before breakfast, observes a period of silence every afternoon after lunch, and meditates again in the evening.
Though one of the main Jainists principles advocates non-acquisition, Chitrabhanu says Jainists are no less materialistic than most people. The teacher himself lives in a sparsely furnished penthouse at a posh Manhattan address. "The Jain community is a very rich community in India, rather like the Jews here. They are governing all walks of life in business, in advocacy, in politics. In Boston, too, I have students who are doctors and lawyers. So they are luxuriant, but their life is governed by the central principles. What you need, you have, but the less you need, the more you are. That's the main principle. And you don't become a slave to the things."
What sets Chitrabhanu off from other modern theorists and spiritual leaders, from Freud, Thoreau, or Mahatma Gandhi? Possibly it is his simplicity. A man who once spiritually led millions of Indians, including the prime minister, now happily does individual counseling, but only after he has spent hours sharing and playing with his children. A man who once because of his vows could touch neither women nor money now insists upon introducing his wife to the interviewer. A man who spent five years in silence except for occasional conversation with his guru has taught at several universities and speaks ten languages eloquently with a rich Indian accent. Chitrabhanu does not care what religion a person believes in; he cares about his soul.
Gurudev Shree Chitrabhanu will speak at the Divinity School May 4 at 7:30 p.m.
"The guru is like an ice cube in a cooling drink. He cools your consciousness and then disappears.