The Jewels of Happiness: Practical Inspiration and Wisdom for Your Life’s Journey

Written by Sri Chinmoy

Narrated by Desmond Tutu, Roberta Flack, Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury and 2 more

Prose -- Poetry -- Music
Sri Chinmoy’s insightful words, elegant prose and deep wisdom form a tapestry of inspiration for people from all walks of life. This new edition is enriched by the music of Sri Chinmoy arranged and performed by artists from many nationalities. Sri Chinmoy was leader of the Peace Meditation at the United Nations for 37 years at the invitation of Secretary-General U Thant and founded a wide range of innovative, creative and grassroots initiatives.
Each chapter is performed by an internationally acclaimed dignitary, athlete & artist.
Preface and Introduction - Amb. Anwarul Chowdhury, Under-Secretary General and High Representative to the United Nations
Peace - Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 1984 Nobel Peace Laureate
Love - Addwitiya Roberta Flack, four-time Grammy award winning singer
Joy - Narada Michael Walden, three-time Grammy award winning producer and renowned drummer
Hope - Amb. Davidson Hepburn, President of the 35th Session of UNESCO’s General Conference and long-time Ambassador of the Bahamas to the United Nations
Wisdom - Prof. Charles Johnson, National Book Award winner and pioneering Buddhist scholar
Patience - Cathy Oerter, US international track athlete and co-founder of ‘Art of the Olympians’ with her husband, Al Oerter, 4-time Olympic gold medallist
Enthusiasm - Ashrita Furman, holder of the most Guinness world records in the world - currently 156
Power - Mahasamrat Bill Pearl, 5-time Mr. Universe and “Best Built Man of the 20th Century,” and Bhavatarini Judy Pearl, fitness and nutrition expert
Simplicity - Purushottama Boris Grebenshikov, legendary Russian singer-songwriter
Sincerity - Madhurima Judith Light, Emmy and Tony-award winning actress
Humility - Prof. Shawn Wong, award-winning author and a pioneer of Asian-American studies
Gratitude - Khaliah Ali, philanthropist, Emmy-award nominated talk show host and daughter of Muhammad Ali
Self-Transcendence - Sudhahota Carl Lewis, 9-time Olympic gold medallist in track and field who was named “Greatest Olympian of the Century"
Epilogue: Happiness - Nripal Eric Petersen, the editor of Light and Liberty, a best-selling collection of life-lessons drawn from the writings of Thomas Jefferson - along with Nidrahara Kathryn Rhodes, yoga teacher who is married to Nripal.
Heart Light's proceeds go to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, Archbishop Tutu’s Philani Child Health & Nutrition Project and Mother Teresa’s Missions of CharityHeart Light's proceeds go to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, Archbishop Tutu’s Philani Child Health & Nutrition Project and Mother Teresa’s Missions of Charity

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brook Forest Voices
• Release date: Aug 27, 2014
• ISBN: 9781938599484

Sri Chinmoy

Sri Chinmoy was born in the small village of Shakpura in East Bengal, India (now Bangladesh) in 1931. He was the youngest of seven children in a devout family. In 1944, after the passing of both of his parents, he joined his brothers and sisters at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, a spiritual community near Pondicherry in South India. He prayed and meditated for several hours a day, having many deep inner experiences. It was here that he first began writing poetry to convey his widening mystical vision. He also took an active part in Ashram life and was an athletic champion for many years. Heeding an inner command, Sri Chinmoy came to the United States in 1964 to be of service to spiritual aspirants in the Western world. During the 43 years that he lived in the West, he opened more than 100 meditation Centres worldwide and served as spiritual guide to thousands of students. Sri Chinmoy’s boundless creativity found expression not only in poetry and other forms of literature, but also in musical composition and performance, art and sport. In each sphere he sought to convey the diverse experiences that comprise the spiritual journey: the search for truth and beauty, the struggle to transcend limitations, and the supremely fulfilling communion of the human soul with the Divine. As a self-described student of peace who combined Eastern spirituality and Western dynamism in a remarkable way, Sri Chinmoy garnered international renown. In 1970, at the request of U Thant, third Secretary-General of the United Nations, he began the twice-weekly peace meditations for delegates and staff members at UN headquarters that continue to this day. He offered hundreds of peace concerts, always free of charge, in the U.S. and many other countries. He founded the World Harmony Run, a biennial Olympic-style relay in which runners pass a flaming peace torch from hand to hand as they travel around the globe bearing the message of universal oneness. And he established the Oneness-Heart-Tears and Smiles humanitarian organization, which serves the less fortunate members of the world family by supplying food, medical and educational equipment and other urgent support. On 11 October 2007, Sri Chinmoy passed behind the curtain of Eternity. His creative, peace-loving and humanitarian endeavours are carried on worldwide by his students, who practise meditation and strive to serve the world in accordance with his timeless teachings.

Reviews for The Jewels of Happiness

[clong_818048 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a straightforward post-apocalyptic tale, a much easier read than The Einstein Intersection (the other Delany book I have read to date). It addresses familiar cold war era themes of the dangers and corrupting influence of the powers given man through scientific breakthroughs. Centuries after nuclear holocaust, mankind lives a primitive life, with high rates of small mutations. On another continent Aptor (presumably what's left of the USA), what is left of man is highly mutated, and a small group maintains scientific knowledge. At some point a set of three quasi-magical jewels were created, which serve as focus points for much of this knowledge, but the jewels always corrupt those who come to control them. Organized religion is a dominant force on this world; the leaders of the dominant religion have fallen prey to the corrupting lure of the jewels. The story follows a group of four men who have been sent to Aptor to unite the jewels and bring them back to the leaders of their religion. Characterization is limited; we never really learn much about the motivations of the protagonist Geo and his companions, nor of the religious leaders who try to manipulate their actions. We do ultimately get a not entirely convincing explanation for the cruelty and manipulations of Jorrde, the closest thing we have in the book to a villain. In the end, the jewels are thrown into the sea (where we know they will be hidden away for millennia while mankind has the chance to mature), when one of Geo's companions steals the jewels to gain their power for himself, but then commits an act of selfless sacrifice to save his compatriots. Ultimately, The Jewels of Aptor is an optimistic book, with the naive and idealistic young granddaughter Argo bringing scientific knowledge back to the primitive world, and the temptation of the jewels removed. Delany is big on symbolism, and there are many parts of the book that feel deliberately unrealistic. Overall, I'd say this is worth your time, but far from groundbreaking. I gave it a 7/10.