| CENTER PROFILE
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Hari Om.
Chinmaya Mission Miami (CM Miami) is a satellite center of Chinmaya Mission Orlando. Mission activities in South Florida began through the dedicated work of Laju Barucha and Daksha Vakharia in the 1970s. They conducted Chinmaya Study Groups and Bala Vihar, and organized various jnana yajnas for the Miami-Dade and Broward communities.
The activities and classes were discontinued after the two devotees moved to CM Houston and CM Orlando, respectively. Then, around 1988, Pujya Gurudev had a three-hour stopover in Miami, during which time, he visited the home of a Mission devotee in South Miami. Many were blessed to see Gurudev then, which marked his last trip to Miami.
In the early 1990s, Chinmaya Bala Vihar and Study Group both started with 4-5 students and their subsequent growth was due to the efforts of three main families.
In 1995, Brahmacharini Aparna Chaitanya returned to Miami to continue conducting classes. In 1996, CM Miami became an official CM satellite center, and its activities, special events, and class numbers of children, youth, and adult participants continue to blossom.
Special celebrations of 50 years of the Chinmaya Movement saw a special event every month throughout 2001. CM Miami spread its activities into the Boca Raton and West Palm Beach areas in 2003-2004, and began classes in Broward in 2008.
Currently, classes are held in the three locations, in various schools. There are approximately 75 Bala Vihar students and 30 Study Group members. Language classes have also begun in two locations.
Over the years, CM Miami has seen the spiritual blossoming of students and sevaks. CM Miami has hosted jnana yajnas conducted by Mission acharyas, including Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda, Swami Shantananda, Acharya Vilasini, Swami Swaroopananda, Swami Chidatmananda, Brahmachari Uddhav Chaitanya, and Brahmacharini Sumati Chaitanya. Attendees at CM Miami's successful annual kids' camps have also been blessed by the teachings and presence of numerous CM acharyas.
Hari Om. |
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