Chinmaya Mission has developed activities, events and programs to cater to people of all age groups from all walks of life. While weekly classes strengthen grassroots activities of the Mission for the benefit of the members, lectures and camps by teachers of Spirituality reach out to a larger audience.
Activities that the Chinmaya Mission Portland (CMP) community engages in collectively include:
Community Service: We actively take part in a variety of social service activities like medical camps for senior citizens, food drives for the needy, neighborhood cleanups, nature conservation projects, homeless shelter cooking & serving, winter coat drives, free English and Math tutoring for ESL students and fundraising walkathons throughout the year. Most of these activities are undertaken with volunteer partners; a few of the organizations that have worked with us on community service projects in the past include the Beaverton City Council, Transition Projects, the Oregon Food Bank and CORD USA, among others. With activities directed both locally and globally, our volunteering seeks to help both the needy here at home and those abroad.
Study Groups: A unique feature of Chinmaya Mission, Study Groups are designed with a prescribed curriculum to foster collective discussion on specific topics. Please see our website for the list of study groups conducted by CMP in the Portland area. We also offer weekly Yoga classes based on classical Hatha Yoga for our members.
Scriptural Knowledge Sessions: Throughout the year, we invite spiritual teachers from other Chinmaya Mission centers to conduct Jnana Yagnas (lectures) on various texts for adults.
Classes for Children and Youth: Balavihar(Bala means child in Sanskrit, and Vihar means a place of love and joy. ) is a place where children learn about Indian cultural and spiritual traditions in a supportive environment. When our children grow older, they graduate to the Yuva Kendra (Youth Center). Here, the classes become more discussion-oriented, and our youth are actively encouraged to explore questions of spirituality and culture and question what they don’t understand. In addition, classes on Indian languages and Vedic chanting are offered to those interested. We also offer Summer coaching camps for speech & debate, lego robotics and STEM.
From its inception, CMP has been an entirely volunteer-run organization, with dedicated Sevaks (Sanskrit term for volunteers) putting their heart and soul into helping it to run smoothly.
Chinmaya Mission Portland also has a bookstore that carries a collection of spiritual materials in book, audio CD and DVD forms. The store is open on Sundays immediately after classes disperse.
We offer a variety of regional cuisine in our completely volunteer-run “Shadras cafe” every Sunday. Our members enthusiastically bring you the best of their regional delicacies in order to serve the community.
