The Lotus-Heart of Christchurch
In December 2007, The Blue Bird’s sister enterprise in Christchurch, The Lotus-Heart, moved into new premises at Cathedral Square – the heart of New Zealand’s beautiful Garden City.
Moving from café into full restaurant mode, the new Lotus-Heart restaurant occupies the entire top floor of the old Chief Post Office – an Italian/Venetian Gothic style building that was completed in 1879 and is now listed as a heritage site. The ground floor is currently home to the Christchurch visitors information centre, an internet café and a Starbucks franchise.
The new home of The Lotus-Heart restaurant is an open space with seating for up to 50 guests. The large windows of the old building afford plenty of natural light with generous views out across Cathedral Square toward Christchurch Cathedral – the centrepiece of Cathedral Square. The Square, especially in the spring and summer months, is a lively traditional piazza with a market place, buskers (Christchurch hosts the world buskers festival in January each year), musicians and bands, the renowned Wizard of New Zealand, a town crier, and a steady stream of tourists who join local office workers and lunchtime crowds to soak up the sun, fun and entertainment.
The work of renovation, painting and decoration was completed by members of the Christchurch Sri Chinmoy Centre with help from members of our Auckland and Dunedin Centres. The Lotus-Heart restaurant opened its doors on Monday the 7th of January, 2008 (with a grand opening banquet a month later), and has been busy serving guests from day one. Free meditation classes and concerts of Sri Chinmoy’s music are a regular feature at the restaurant and guests are sometimes treated to live music during the lunch hour and evening service.
The original Lotus-Heart café at 595 Colombo Street – which was established in February of 1996 and is now affectionately known as ‘the little Lotus-Heart’ – remains open. The Lotus-Heart gift shop at 597 Colombo Street has now become part of the restaurant in Cathedral Square and replacing the gift shop is Gandharva Loka – a world music store that is also owned and opertated by members of the Christchurch Sri Chinmoy Centre.
During a six week visit to New Zealand in 2002, Sri Chinmoy wrote a song that incapsulates the inner significance of The Lotus-Heart and it is sung each morning by the staff before the restaurant opens. These are the words:
The Lotus-Heart, The Lotus-Heart, The Lotus-Heart.
You have freed me
From my own mind’s ignorance-mart.
Mother Lakshmi’s special blessing and special gift.
No eyeless bondage-chains,
Freedom-light’s high, highest lift.
Photo Gallery
- View The Lotus-Heart photo gallery: New Restaurant
– written by Shardul
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