Site do Patanga - Welcome!

Hello, dear visitors! Olá, queridos visitantes!

This is my page, where I hope to share some of the things that inspired me most on my journey. Este é um site onde eu pretendo compartilhar algumas das coisas que mais gosto e mais me inspiram em minha jornada diária.

To see different subjects, please use the left sidebar. Para ver os diversos assuntos, use a barra lateral esquerda.

These are mostly things that happened to me since I started to meditate under the teachings of Sri Chinmoy. I also wrote a little about me. São coisas que me surgiram desde que comecei a meditar sob a orientação de Sri Chinmoy. Também escrevi um pouco sobre mim.

"Who am I"?

I am Patanga, and you are welcome to my webpage! I have started writing this in order to remind myself of how many good things happened in my life. Quite honestly, all it took was a decision to plunge deep into myself! And, of all the things I had in my life - different sports, schools, people, etc - this is the only one I truly have never looked back. (PS: You can already see that I do not wish to hide the fact that I am totally biased towards the spiritual life!)

I was born in October 27th, 1983, in the Brazilian city of Curitiba. It was there that, at some point and with 19 years of age - not sure why -, I saw a poster on meditation classes and decided to attend. I had never shown interest before, but I was quite sure I had to go there. (Actually, I think I saw a poster like that some years before, but it didn't quite register).  From that day on, I decided to incorporate meditation into my everyday life and I am quite sure I never skipped one day. (But if you did, that doens't mean anything particular.)

I now live in São Paulo, with a staggering population of over 20 million. And, believe, I really think it is a great place to meditate! There is so much dynamism, so much enthusiasm here! Meditation is not about moving around slowly and breathing deep. Meditation is a deep plunge into your real self - the source of your peace and innocent happiness, as well as of your faith, power and courage. However, it was music that really came and fetched - really snatched away - the whole of my attention when I first started to practise. I remember singing meditative and devotional songs day in and day out. It was just a flow. Whichever new song I learned, it would stick to me - and I to it - and we would be day and night-long companions. However, it was not like an emotional feeling or mental impression like when we listen to a song many times. It was more like a little little child was dancing, full of bliss, in my heart. The songs came spontaneuously. I know very well that my musical standard was zero. I did not like music before I started to meditate, and I could not even say which was a high note and which was a low note, believe it! But, anyway, I improved a little, and later on this musical birth would lead me into trying to learn as many of Sri Chinmoy's songs as possible (he composed some 21,000+ songs). If you're interested, I can suggest you look here for scores and here for recordings. Also here you can know about musical concerts nearby you. As part of a daily spiritual practice, I also started doing sports - mainly runnning. I found that after going through the marathon distance a few times, one also cannot turn back anymore. It is as if the training required to accomplish that and also the race itself - plus supplanting doubt, fear and pain with faith, courage and joy - leave on one a permanent stamp of progress. I have found in other people (particularly athletes, but also world figures such as Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, etc) that as you go over these qualities in one field (sports, politics, etc), you can also extend them to other fields (such as meditation, relationships, etc) and therefore you are a better person than before.

Why do we watch sports?

To receive inspiration, enthusiasm,

Joy and courage.

 

- Sri Chinmoy, Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, Part 15, Agni Press, 1999

Suffering for quite a few years from knee pain (Sri Chinmoy's philosophy comes always to rescue us from our negative thoughts: "Never give up!"), I decided to try something a little different, and got inspired to do triathlons. My first was a half-ironman distance (1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21.1km run) race, which left in me a profound impression of progress - and that I should continue on that path. (As of the time I write this page I am training for the Regensburg ironman - 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run)

It was then, in 2009 that I went to New York for a meeting with other students of Sri Chinmoy for the ninth time, and I took part in a 12-hour walk in honour of Sri Chinmoy's 45 years in the West. By then, I had just started swimming, and did a 3.8km swim, which, for me, was quite something! It happened that I met with Balarka Robinson, who was also racewalking and himself had attempted to swim the English Channel.  I was absolutely immersed in his storytelling of the difficulties and experiences of the Channel. Every small detail and training tip and technique drawed my attention. I believe we talked about it for a few hours while race-walking. Before leaving New York to go back home to Brazil, as I was meditating, I felt like asking Sri Chinmoy inwardly: "Guru, please tell me something - something for me to do or carry back home in my heart - but make it very clear, please!" Not long after that, a recording of a talk by Sri Chinmoy was aired during our meditation. I cannot remember anything else, except that which I noted down - it is also written here

"When we are inspired, we try to swim the English Channel. When we are inspired, we go from one country to another country to inspire people and to be inspired by them. I feel that when we inspire humanity, we automatically become good citizens of the world. This is my philosophy."  

Not only it inspired me in my sports life - into long distance swimming (next week I did 10km in 4h47min, and in the next few months I did 7km and then 10km in 3h37min), but also it redoubled my conviction in trying to share what I feel fortunate to receive: INSPIRATION. (from Sri Chinmoy's recording: "I feel that when we inspire humanity, we automatically become good citizens of the world.") This has been the most intense and rewarding experience of my life: sharing inspiration, mostly through meditation classes (but also keep in mind that just calling a friend to share good news or lift him up can be quite an action). As much as I received (and have been receiving), now I have the feeling I should share. It is through self-giving that I have found my best friends, got the most joy, and the greatest reward: sincere and gradual, lasting SATISFACTION. It is not rare that after giving meditation classes I lay on the bed or lean onto the subway walls, looking up, with the feeling that all is done, that there is no necessity for movement, striving or struggle. Amidst all hustle and bustle of life, it seems that there is definitely a way out - or better, a way in, into the heart of our hearts. And there one can have real peace, joy, happiness. Giving is receiving, and receiving is giving. Honestly, I get so much inspiration from seekers who come to our classes! One other occasion where I have had also one time the experience of real satisfaction was after talking briefly with Sri Chinmoy. I felt such an expansion of consciousness that I went to meditate and spent quite some time there. There was nothing that I felt should be done - as if I had found my true self, for a moment. Any opportunity, even a brief exchange of words, is taken masterfully - a spiritual Master does not waste time in doing his tireless work of raising the consciousness of the world. For now, I have written most of my pages in portuguese, but feel free to look around and enjoy as much as you want. (Or as long as you can bear with my writings!)

Avail yourself of every opportunity
That the new day brings,
For every day may not have
Equal opportunities.   - Sri Chinmoy, Heart-Garden

Some great things I have done also are taking part in the: - World Harmony Run (with them I have been to Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, USA, Brazil, Guatemala, Singapore, Malaysia and Hawaii)  - Meetings with my brother and sisters from the Sri Chinmoy Centre in: New York, the Caribbean, Guatemala, Hawai'i, Malaysia, Singapore and Tokyo. - Musical concerts - Songs of the Soul series - Many other things that, as soon as they come to my mind, I'll come back here and let you know.