Životna potraga i samootkrovenje

Pitanje: Koliko je važna spoljašnja čistota?

Šri Činmoj: Spoljašnja čistota je izuzetno važna. Mada nije toliko važna kao unutrašnja čistota, spoljašnja čistota doprinosi unutrašnjoj čistoti. Ako se tuširate, ako nosite čistu odeću, ako je vaše telo čisto i uredno na svaki mogući način, to doprinosi vašoj unutrašnjoj čistoti. Ali prava unutrašnja čistota je stalno sećanje na vašeg Učitelja, stalno sećanje na Svevišnjeg, koji je naš Večni Pilot. Ovo je beskrajno teže od tuširanja i održavanja tela čistim. Ali ako održavate svoj spoljašnji život čistim, onda to definitivno doprinosi vašoj unutrašnjoj svesti o Istini, Svetlosti i Blaženstvu, i znatno vam pomaže da stalno pamtite Večnog Pilota.

Pitanje: Kako možete da utvrdite gde se u biću nalazi strah da li je u srcu, umu ili telu?

Šri Činmoj: Ako meditirate svakodnevno, predano i duševno, onda ćete osetiti da u sebi imate sobu. Ta soba ima, recimo, četiri vrata: vrata tela, vitalna vrata, vrata uma i vrata srca odnosno psihička vrata. Rano ujutru pogledajte ta vrata. Ako primetite veoma ružnu osobu na nekim određenim vratima, onda osetite da je ta osoba strah. Strah je veoma ružan. To je veoma ružno biće koje postaje vidljivo kada duševno meditirate na fizičkim, vitalnim, mentalnim ili psihičkim vratima, i može poprimiti suptilni ljudski oblik. Ali ako ne vidite nijedno ružno biće na svojim fizičkim vratima, vitalnim vratima, mentalnim vratima ili vratima srca, onda možete znati da nemate strah.

Pitanje: Postoji li razlika između Sjaja i Svetlosti?

Šri Činmoj: Posmatrajmo Svetlost kao telo. Onda je normalno da ono treba da obuče nešto, neku odeću. Dakle, Sjaj je jedna od odora koju Svetlost nosi. Istina je takođe jedna od njenih odora, Blaženstvo je odora, Mir je odora i druge božanske osobine su odore koje Svetlost nosi. Ali, ako Svetlost nema te odore, to nije kao kod ljudskih bića koja bi u tom slučaju bila gola. Ne! Svetlost je čistota Beskonačnosti, lepota Večnosti i život Besmrtnosti

Pitanje: Kako da naučimo da budemo iskreni prema svojoj duši u svakom trenutku?

Šri Činmoj: Možemo biti iskreni prema svojoj duši u svakom trenutku ako osećamo da duša dolazi na prvo mesto u našem životu. Trebalo bi da navedemo sebe da osetimo da je ispoljenje sna duše jedina stvar koja nam je potrebna. San duše je naš dragoceni dah i ispoljenje ovog sna je naš jedini cilj. Ako imamo ovu vrstu unutrašnje svesnosti, onda u svakom trenutku možemo biti iskreni prema potrebama naše duše i prema besmrtnoj Stvarnosti naše duše.

Question: Do you ever test us inwardly?

Šri Činmoj: Kada sam u svom najvišem, u božanskoj svesti, u svojoj vrhovnoj svesti, ne testiram vas, jer znam da vam je ono što imate u duhovnom životu dato od Svevišnjeg u meni. Vaše duhovne sposobnosti i nesposobnosti su vam date od Svevišnjeg u meni. Ali kada sam u ljudskoj svesti, običnoj svesti, tada vas ispitujem na fizičkom planu da vidim da li vam je zaista stalo do duhovnog puta, da li želite da sledite moj put duševno i predano, da li ste spremni da sve vreme budete na mom brodu. Želim da vidim da li ste iskreni i posvećeni Svevišnjeg u meni, da li želite da postanete božanski ratnici da se borite protiv neznanja za Svevišnjeg u meni. Ispitujem vas o vašoj iskrenosti, čistoti, ljubavi, posvećenosti i predanosti. A opet, uvek kažem da nema kraja našem duhovnom napretku. Sve vreme se bavimo večno prevazilazećim Onostranim. Ali je neophodno da vas s vremena na vreme ispitam, i to činim kada sam u ljudskoj, običnoj svesti. Moram reći da je neophodno biti i u ljudskoj svesti. Dvadeset četiri sata dnevno ne ostajem u svojoj najvišoj, najuzvišenijoj svesti. Istina, imam slobodan pristup trećem spratu. Ali ako stalno ostajem u svojoj transcendentalnoj svesti, ako stalno ostajem na trećem spratu, kako ću moći da razgovaram sa nekim ko dođe i pokuca na moja vrata? Moram da siđem sa trećeg sprata da bih razgovarao sa njim na prvom spratu, jer trenutno nije spreman da bude pozvan na treći sprat.

Pitanje: Kako se može razviti intuicija?

Šri Činmoj: Postoji nekoliko načina da se razvije intuicija. Najlakši način je da ostanete u srcu, postanete jedno s njim i da pokušate da postanete ono što duša ima i ono što duša jeste. Treba da uđete u srce i da zavapite za dušom, vapite za tim da imate dušu i da postanete duša. Ako možete da ostanete u srcu i da osetite da je srce dete koje neprestano plače da postane tako dobro, tako božansko, tako savršeno kao majka ili otac, duša, onda ćete automatski razviti moć intuicije. Ovaj način je vrlo lak i u isto vreme vrlo efikasan. On je i za početnike i za one koji ne žele da prolaze kroz strogu disciplinu da bi razvili intuitivnu moć.

Pitanje: Molim te, objasni Božansku Pravdu.

Šri Činmoj: Božanska Pravednost nije ništa drugo do Božanski Oproštaj. Ljudska pravda kaže: ako je neko nešto ukrao, onda mora biti kažnjen. Ljudska pravda nam kaže da je to ispravno i doživljava ogromno zadovoljstvo u kažnjavanju pojedinca. Ali, kad Božanska Pravdnost deluje, čak i kad uzima spoljašnji oblik, unutar te Pravdnosti postoji ogromna Samilost. Dok unutrašnji sudija govori svetu da je taj i taj krivac, on prosvetljuje um tog pojedinca, kako ne bi ponovo ušao u neznanje. Znači, kad deluje Božanska Pravdnost, u njoj postoje unutrašnja samilost i unutrašnje prosvetljenje. Oni deluju zajedno, kako tragalac ne bi stalno iznova upadao u more neznanja. Kad ljudska pravda deluje, krivac zna da ga niko nije nagovorio. Zna da je sve vreme sam bio odgovoran. Ali Božanska Pravednost pomaže krivcu da shvati da nije on taj koji je učinio pogrešno delo, već da je to bilo nešto drugo, što nazivamo neznanjem koje deluje pomoću njega. Kad Božanska Pravdednost deluje, pojedinac se oseća jadno što je dozvolio pogrešnim silama da uđu u njega i da deluju kroz njega. Oseća da je bio budala što je dozvolio nekome ili nečemu da deluje u njemu i kroz njega. On shvata da je trebalo da deluje samo u skladu sa svojom unutrašnjom voljom, u skladu sa božanskim vođstvom svoje duše.

Pitanje: Imao sam takvo iskustvo da se, kad pokušavamo pomoći drugima, ponekad stvara neka prepreka u nama, a takođe i u onima kojima pomažemo. Možeš li nam reći nešto o tome?

Šri Činmoj: Naš svet još uvek nije idealan. Ponekad nam nesvesno, pa čak i svesno, svet oduzme neke božanske osobine. Nije stvar u tome što ne želimo da podelimo svoje božanske osobine; već zato što ih svet iskorišćava i zloupotrebljava. Tako da postoje trenuci kad moramo da budemo oprezni. Mi smo velikodušni. Došli smo na svet da težimo i, u isto vreme, da prosvetlimo svet. Ali, moramo da znamo ko je vredan toga, a ko nije. Samo zato što smo svi Božija deca, nama je veoma lako da osetimo da su svi na svetu toga vredni. Ali, uzmimo to ovako: ko je spreman, a ko nije spreman? Mnogo puta smo uočili da postoje ljudi koji nisu spremni. Kad pokušamo da probudimo njihovu svest, kad pokušamo da im pomognemo ili da služimo božanskom u njima, njihov vital odmah oseti veliku ogorčenost. I ta ogorčenost uzima oblik zida između njih i, recimo, našeg tragajućeg uma ili borbenog, stremećeg vitala. Naš tragalački um je našao nešto istine u srcu i želi da ponudi ovu istinu drugima. Naš vital se trudi, božanski trudi da im da svetlost koja nam je poverena. Ali, baš zato što većina ljudi nije spremna da primi, mi osetimo da postoji snažan, čvrst zid između našeg ostvarenja i našeg samodavanja.

Kad vidimo da postoji podeljenost u nama, to znači da nismo uvek sto posto svesno jedno sa našim Izvorom. Mi smo iz božanskog i za božansko, mi smo iz Svevišnjeg i za Svevišnjeg. Događa se, međutim, mnogo puta, mada smo veoma iskreni i posvećeni, da očekujemo nešto zauzvrat kada nešto damo: ili priznanje ili napredak u osobi kojoj smo bili na usluzi. Čak i ako ne prepoznaju ili ne primete naše samodavanje, očekujemo odmah neki uspeh, ili recimo, neku vrstu postepenog napretka u njihovom životu unutrašnje težnje. Mi dajemo, dajemo, dajemo; ali ne vidimo da svet nešto prima, što nas frustrira. Osećamo da nas zemlja ne zaslužuje. Možda ćemo se pitati da li radimo ispravnu stvar, jer ljudi uopšte ne napreduju. Možda ćemo čak i sumnjati u sopstvenu iskrenost.

Međutim, to su pogrešne misli. Mi radimo sasvim ispravnu stvar jer smo inspirisani i izabrani iznutra. Zemlja će jednom primiti našu svetlost, ali trenutno Zemlja nije spremna. Ako nam Svevišnji kaže da neko treba duže da spava, onda ne treba da ga budimo, ne treba da prilazimo toj osobi. Ali ako nam Svevišnji u nama kaže da moramo služiti Svevišnjeg u nekome čak i ako ta osoba spava, čak i ako je nevoljna i odbija da primi svetlost, onda ćemo i to raditi, jer smo Njegovi instrumenti. Svakog dana moramo da mislimo o sebi kao o malom detetu od pet ili šest godina. Ako Večni Otac zatraži od nas da nešto damo, onda će nam On Sam reći kome da to ponudimo.

Ljudsko srce u nama ponekad čini da osećamo da je ono spremno da pomogne bilo kome. To je, međutim, besmisleno. Postoji nešto što se zove Božiji Čas. Božiji Čas ne treba i ne može da bude isti za svakog pojedinca. Danas je moj Čas, sutra je tvoj, prekosutra je za nekog drugog. Nisu ljudi loši, nije ni to da ih Bog ne voli. Ne! On voli sve jednako, ali za neke još nije kucnuo čas.

Bog napreduje u nama i kroz nas. U jednu ruku On je Transcendentalan, On je sav Božanski i apsolutni Svevišnji. U drugu ruku, On napreduje u svakom trenutku i kroz svakog pojedinca u toku tog trenutka. U krajnjem ishodu, On peva pjesmu Beskonačnosti, Svoje vlastite Beskonačnosti.

U procesu evolucije On pokušava da usavrši svakoga. Ali On Sam najbolje zna Svoj vlastiti napredak; On zna koliko želi da postigne danas u tebi i pomoću tebe i koliko želi da postigne danas u meni i pomoću mene. Ne možemo očekivati isti pristup ili istu vrstu svetlosti za svakog pojedinca, zato što Sam Bog nije stvorio iste sposobnosti i prijemčivost za sve ljude.

Bog pokušava da uživa u Sebi božanski i vrhunski. Ali ako nastojimo da uvećamo nečije sposobnosti ili prijemčivost uz pomoć naše vlastite volje, onda radimo pogrešno. Hajde da postanemo Božija Volja, neka Njegova Volja teče kroz nas. Onda će nam On Sam reći ko je prava osoba kojoj treba pomoći. Na ovaj način treba da pođemo pravoj osobi danas, a nekom drugom ko će biti prava osoba sutra. Ako pristupimo pravoj osobi na vreme, onda ćemo videti da ne postoji prepreka ili razdvajanje, zato što je prava osoba uvek spremna da nas primi i dočeka sa dobrodošlicom. Ali, ako odemo kod pogrešne osobe, nećemo biti dobrodošli, biće pometnje; i u toj pometnji će se pojaviti velika frustracija. Hajde onda da probamo da priđemo pravoj osobi u Božjem odabranom Času; onda ćemo videti da je Bog ispunjen, mi smo ispunjeni i svet težnje je ispunjen u nama i pomoću nas.

Ipak, ponekad osetimo u sebi prepreku ili zid zato što smo u jednom trenutku poistovećeni sa svojom dušom, a sledećeg trenutka sa umom i vitalom. To je ovako. Duša i srce su na jednoj strani, a um, vital i fizičko su na drugoj. Između njih sve vreme stoji prepreka. U ovom trenutku nazivamo um jedinom stvarnošću, sledećeg trenutka nazivamo vital jedinom stvarnošću, a narednog smatramo srce jedinom stvarnošću. To su sve stvarnosti, ali jedina stvarna stvarnost je Bog i direktni predstavnik Božje Stvarnosti je duša.

I sad, baš kao što je duša predstavnik Boga, i srce je predstavnik duše. Srce i duša pokušavaju da usavrše um da bi on mogao da predstavlja psihičko biće. Kad se um prosvetli, um će tada imati vital kao svog predstavnika. Isto tako, vital će imati telo kao svog predstavnika, a kad telo postane čisto i fizička svest počne da teži, onda će i telo postati savršen instrument.

Stvarnost je veoma komplikovano iskustvo u običnom zemaljskom životu, ali na višim nivoima je krajnje jednostavna i veoma ispunjujuća. Kad stupimo na niže ravni, ili na fizičku ravan, tu je stvarnost vrlo neizvesna. Tu je stvarnost samo ono što vidimo svojim očima. Recimo da gledamo cvet i da je taj cvet za nas stvarnost. Međutim, čim uđemo bar malo dublje unutra, ili ako uđemo u više nivoe svesti, ne vidimo cvet kao takav. Stvarnost nije više cvet, već miris cveta ili lepota cveta. Ovde, na fizičkom nivou, cvet je stvarnost, pa ne može mo da cenimo miris, koji je unutrašnja stvarnost. A lepotu, koja je još viša, uopšte ne primećujemo. Znači, ono što je stvarnost na fizičkom niovu ravni ne treba i ne može da bude ista vrsta stvarnosti na unutrašnjem nivou.

Sa druge strane, postoji mnogo stvari koje vidimo na fizičkom nivou kao stvarne, a koje su apsolutno nestvarne. Kad misao dođe iz mentalnog sveta, u svakodnevnom životu je za nas ona apsolutno stvarna i konkretna. Ali, ako uđemo duboko u sebe, ta misao odmah nestane, kao kap, rastvori se u okeanu volje. Tako da ono što je stvarnost na fizičkom nivou, recimo misao, uopšte nije stvarnost na unutrašnjoj ravni. Na unutrašnjoj ravni stvarnost je Božansko, Besmrtnost i Savršenstvo. Na spoljašnjoj ravni, stvari koje su nama stvarne možda nisu ili ne moraju biti večne. Ali, na unutrašnjoj ravni, stvarno je samo ono što je večno i što nas ispunjava. Tako da postoji velika razlika između stvarnosti na fizičkom nivou i stvarnosti na unutrašnjem planu.

Spoljašnji svet ima vrlo moćno oružje, sumnju, a unutrašnji svet ima najmoćnije oružje, veru. Ako boravimo u spoljašnjem svetu više nego u unutrašnjem svetu, oružje sumnje nas napada. Iako su naše vlastito postojanje i naše vlastito oružje vere nerazdvojni, kad živimo u spoljašnjem svetu, sumnja se bori protiv naše vere i slabi nas.

Kad osetimo da postoji prepreka između jedne stvarnosti i druge stvarnosti, između stvarnosti uma i naše stvarnosti srca ili između onoga što možemo da damo i onoga što pokušavamo da damo, naš duhovni život postaje pustinja. Ne samo tragaoci, već i skoro svi duhovni Učitelji su prošli ovakvom pustinjom. Čak i duhovni Učitelji vrlo visokog ranga, kao Vivekananda i drugi, priznavali su da su prolazili kroz periode kad uopšte nisu mogli da meditirajnu. Ušli su u arenu sveta i ponudili svoj mir, ljubav, svetlost i sve što su mogli. Ali, onda su se osetili donekle frustrano jer njihova svetlost nije bila prihvaćena i napredak koji su očekivali od čovečanstva nije bio postignut.

Ovde smo svi tragaoci. Ako se nađemo u pustinji, ako uvidimo da razne misli ili ideje ulaze u nas i čine sve da nas spreče da meditiramo, jednu stvar možemo da uradimo. Možemo da ponudimo svoju zahvalnost Svevišnjem, Unutrašnjem Pilotu. Možemo da ponudimo jedan minutu duševne zahvalnosti zato što nam je Svevišnji dao božansku težnju da budemo na usluzi čovečanstvu, Svevišnjem u čovečanstvu. Ako makar na minut budemo ponudili Njemu svoju duševnu zahvalnost, smesta će nestati prepreka koja postoji između uma i srca u našem unutrašnjem biću, jer se pomoću zahvalnosti odmah osećamo sjedinjeni sa Božjom Stvarnošću. A nema te sile ni na Zemlji ni u našem unutrašnjem postojanju koja može biti tako moćna kao naša duševna zahvalnost.

Kad potražimo reč „zahvalnost“ u umu, to je nešto suvo, budalasto i nepotrebno. Kad potražimo reč „zahvalnost“ u vitalu, vidimo da ta reč ni ne postoji. A u fizičkom, zahvalnosti nikad nema. Ali, ako živimo u težećem srcu i postanemo jedno sa Svevišnjim pomoću svoje zahvalnosti, onda ne mogu postojati suvi periodi, ne postoji zid, nema prepreka, nema nebožanskih sila koje bi odugovlačile naš napredak. Kada smo zahvalni, mi smo kao cvet koji se otvara laticu po laticu u Srcu Svevišnjeg. Ovaj cvet je pun mirisa i njegov miris prosvetljuje, ojačava i ispunjava ljudsko u nama, božansko u nama i Svevišnjeg u nama.

Kad naš cvet zahvalnosti cveta, uspavano čovečanstvo takođe cveta, zato što je naša zahvalnost ušla u Božiji odabrani Čas. Kad uđemo u Božije Srce sa zahvalnošću, On ubrzava Njegov sopstveni Čas za Njegovu decu, zato što oseća da su neka Njegova deca više nego spremna da služe i udovolje Njemu u Njegovoj deci koja još uvek spavaju.

Ne može svako da bude odabrani instrument. Ne može svako da igra ulogu kralja, naravno. Ali svako može da služi Svevišnjem u skladu sa svojim sposobnostima. Kad Bog nekome da sposobnost da prosvetli druge, da u ogromnoj meri služi Njega u drugima, onda je obaveza te osobe da očisti put ako postoji bilo kakva prepreka, ako postoji neko trnje na putu. A lako možemo da očistimo ružu od trnja kad vidimo da zahvalnost raste u našem srcu.

Svevišnji vas je učinio izabranim instrumentom da prosvetlite i povećate težnju stotina i hiljada ljudi. Ako igrate svoju ulogu svesnog instrumenta, onda u svojoj svesnoj svesti postajete reka koja teče sa svom svojom svetlošću, ljubavlju i dinamičnom energijom ka moru Prosvetljenja. Kada vi i ostatak čovečanstva postanete jedno, i kada božanski uživate u ovom jedinstvu, ne može biti podele, barijere, pustinje. Sve je to stalno rastuće Blaženstvo i stalno prevazilazeća Sloboda.

Pitanje: Da li je moguće eventualno osetiti svoju dušu meditacijom, pomoću dugog pevanja i pojanja?

Šri Činmoj: Sasvim je moguće videti, osetiti i izrasti u svetlost i stvarnost duše kroz pevanje i pojanje. Sve zavisi kako to radite. Ako dok pevate i pojete gledate okolo da vidite da li ostali cene vaš izvanredan glas, nikad nećete biti u stanju da osetite svoju dušu. Ako pratite kako vaš glas daje svima ogromu radost u obliku ushićenja, morate znati da je to ushićenje u vitalnom svetu publike. Ali, ako pevate duševno i posvećeno, i ako osećate da u svakom trenutku nudite cvet zahvalnosti Svevišnjem u vama, sigurno ćete osetiti svoju dušu. Neophodno je da osetite da imate u sebi beskrajan izvor cvetova zahvalnosti i da u svakoj sekundi polažete zahvalnost pred Stopala Svevišnjeg, vašeg Unutrašnjeg Pilota. Ako ste u stanju to da osetite, sigurno ćete videti dušu, osetiti dušu i izrasti u svetlost i stvarnost duše dok pevate i pojete.

Pitanje: Šta je suština sjaja?

Šri Činmoj: Suština sjaja je to da on želi da širi Svetlost, svest Svetlosti. Uzmimo da je Svetlost ptica koja želi da preleti ne samo celim svetom, već celim svemirom. Suština cveta sjaja je da leti nebom beskonačnosti. Dok širi Svetlsto svuda po svemiru, sjaj vidi da je Svetlost samo još jedno ime za Život, univerzalni Život, transcendentalni Život. Dok širi Svetlost, sjaj vidi da je ono što u stvari nudi Život. E sad, Večno Vreme je svedok leta ptice sjaja. Večno Vreme je kao otac koji ima milione dolara, ali detetu da samo jedan dolar i kaže: „Nemoj protraćiti ovaj dolar. Kupi samo one stvari koje su ti neophodne, koje će ti pomoći“. Večno Vreme kaže ptici sjaja: „Mada ja imam na raspolaganju beskonačno vreme, ti nemoj gubiti ni sekundu. Ako je budeš protraćio, neću ti dati Večno Vreme“. Tako da Večno Vreme savetuje pticu sjaja: „Daću ti sve što imam, ali prvo moraš da dokažeš da ne gubiš vreme, i onda ćeš leteti, leteti, leteti i širiti Svetlost koja je Život“.

Pitanje: Da li postoji neka razlika između oslobođenja i ostvarenja ili su potpuno isti?

Šri Činmoj: Postoji velika razlika između oslobođenja i ostvarenja. Oslobođenje je mnogo niže od ostvarenja. Neko može postići oslobođenje u jednoj inkarnaciji, a ostvarenje u nekoj kasnijoj inkarnaciji. Ali, nije moguće postići ostvarenje ako se pre toga nije dogodilo oslobođenje. Ponekad veliki duhovni Učitelj, ako ima sreće, povede dole sa sobom nekoliko oslobođenih duša da mu pomognu u ispoljavanju. Šri Ramakrišna je, na primer, doveo Vivekanandu i Brahmanandu. Neke od ovih oslobođenih duša koje uđu na svetsku scenu sa duhovnim Učiteljima ne mare za ostvarenje. Dođu samo da bi pomogle. Druge žele takođe i ostvarenje.

Oslobođena duša je oslobođena od neznanja, od nebožanskih osobina sveta. Oslobođena duša inspiriše druge svojim prisustvom. Inspiriše ih da budu čisti, jednostavni, srdačni i ljubazni. Ogromna čistota i smirenost struje iz nje i ostali žele da je dodirnu, razgovaraju s njom, gledaju u njeno lice. Može se reći da je takva osoba mnogo više od sveca. Istina je da svetovna tama, nečistote i druge stvari ne ulaze u oslobođenu dušu, ili će ona sve vreme biti na oprezu kako one ne bi u nju ušle. Ali, ostvarena duša je mnogo viša. Ona je svesni sastavni deo Boga.

Oslobođena duša zna da postoji posebna prostorija gde ona boravi i gde ima svoj oltar. Ona zna da postoji i kuhinja koja je sva prljava i puna nečistoće. Obična ljudska bića nemaju specijalnu prostoriju, nemaju nikakav oltar. Ona su sve vreme zaključana u kuhinji i naravno da ne mogu da uđu u sobu u kojoj se nalazi živo božanstvo. Oslobođena duša je sposobna da živi u prostoriji u kojoj je oltar, ali se boji da će je, ako uđe u kuhinju, možda napasti nebožanske stvari i da će opet postati njihova žrtva kao što je bila pre oslobođenja.

Ostvarene duše su, međutim, izuzetno moćne. One znaju šta jesu i otkud dolaze. Pomoću svoje univerzalne i kosmičke svesti mogu da uđu u neznanje čovečanstva, u zemaljsku svest kao takvu i da je prosvelte svetlošću svoje baklje. One to rade samo zbog svoje beskonačne samilosti, ne zato što još uvek imaju neka iskušenja i loše sile u sebi. Ne! One namerno ulaze u neznanje da bi čovečanstvo moglo da bude radikalno oslobođeno. Ali, samo ostvarene duše visokog reda prihvataju ovaj smeli izazov.

Oslobođena duša je kao dete, veoma lepo i čisto. Ali, koliko dugo možete ostati sa detetom? Sa njegovim sposobnostima ne možete otići mnogo daleko ni dosegnuti Najviše. Ostvarena duša je, međutim, kao odrasla osoba koja vam može ponuditi ogromnu težnju, svetlost i mudrost; ona je živa stvarnost. Oslobođena duša će vas inspirisati da idete duhovnim putem, ali ostvarena duša ne samo da će vas inspirisati, već će vas i voditi i usmeriti prema vašem odredištu.

Ostvarena duša nije samo vodič, nije samo duhovni put, već sam Cilj. U početku se pretvara da nije ni vodič, već samo neko ko vas inspiriše. Onda dođe i kaže vam da je vodič, ali da nije duhovni put. Postepeno, ipak, pokaže da je ona sama takođe i put. I konačno, učini da tragaoc oseti njenu beskonačnu samilost i pokaže mu da nije samo vodič i put već i Cilj, Cilj samog tragaoca.

Ostvarena duša dodiruje stopala drveta ostvarenja, penje se na najvišu granu i odozgo donosi plodove da ih podeli sa čovečanstvom koje čeka u podnožju. To je ostvarenje. Ali, čak i onaj ko je samo dodirnuo drvo ostvarenja i sedi u podnožju drveta i ne penje da donese bilo šta dole, daleko je nadmoćniji od oslobođene duše.

A opet, doseći oslobođenje nije laka stvar. Vrlo je, vrlo teško postati slobodan od neznanja. Od miliona i milijardi ljudskih bića na Zemlji možda ima deset ili dvadeset, ili čak sto oslobođenih duša. A sam Bog zna koliko postoji ostvarenih duša. Ostvariti Najviši Apsolut kao svoj vlastiti i neprestano osećati da to ostvarenje nije nešto što ste u stvari dosegli, već nešto što večno jeste, to se zove ostvarenje.

Pitanje: Kako tragalac može rano ujutru da ubedi svoje telo koje spava da je meditacija neophodna?

Šri Činmoj: Svakog dana morate osetiti jednu od dve stvari. Čim ustanete, ili se spremati da ustanete, morate osetiti da najdraži u vama — vaša duša, ili vaš duhovni Učitelj ili Svevišnji — čeka da mu služite jer je veoma gladan. Vaša duša, vaš Učitelj i Svevišnji su večno jedno, ali ih shvatite kao odvojene individue. Sada, ako najdraži u vama gladuje, a vi ste u mogućnosti da ga nahranite, zar to nećete učiniti?

Sa druge strane, možete imati još jednu ideju, a to je da ćete, ako meditirate rano ujutru, postići ono što želite da postignete. Ako želite nešto da imate, onda ćete prirodno raditi na tome, bilo da je to Svetlost ili Mir ili Večnost. Čak i ako želite moć da biste mogli da dominirate svetom, ili svetlost da biste mogli da uhvatite sve one koji sumnjaju u vas u mentalnom svetu, ili energiju da biste mogli biti jedina stvar sa životom u fizičkom svetu, ipak morate da radite na tome.

Zašto želite energiju u fizičkom svetu, ili moć u vitalnom svetu, ili svetlost u mentalnom svetu? To je zato što uživate u tome da u sebi vidite nešto što drugi nemaju. Na takmičarski način pokušavate da dobijete nešto što drugi nemaju. Počinjete svoje putovanje sa takmičarskim duhom, i u većini slučajeva, kažem vam, ovaj takmičarski duh je neophodan. Ali u trenutku kada osetite energiju, ili u trenutku kada dodirnete moć, svetlost i druge božanske kvalitete, gubite svoj takmičarski duh. Ako imate energiju, delite je sa drugima. Ako imate svetlost, delite je sa drugima. Ako imate moć, delite je sa drugima. Zašto? Kada se približite Božanskom, to automatski menja vašu svest, jer Božansko stiče zadovoljstvo samo u raspodeli. U početku počinjete u takmičarskom duhu, ali dok dostižete svoj cilj, vaša svest se menja. Trčite i trčite da biste dobili cvet kako biste ga mogli zgrabiti i otkinuti mu laticu po laticu. Ali u trenutku kada dobijete cvet, odmah menjate mišljenje. „Tako je lep“, kažete. „Dozvolite mi da ga postavim na svoje svetilište kako bi svi mogli doći i uživati u njegovoj lepoti i mirisu.“

Ako nekoga zaista zovete svojim najdražim, nećete moći da ostanete zadovoljni, a da tu osobu ne nahranite. Kada je dete gladno, majka dotrči jer zna ko je najdraži. Dakle, ako održavate osećaj da je najdraži u vašem srcu, pošto ga nahranite, šta se dešava? Najdraži vam daje zadovoljstvo, i u tom zadovoljstvu postajete večni, beskonačni i besmrtni. Kada se dete nahrani, ono svojoj majci daje osmeh. Majka vidi ceo svoj svet, ceo univerzum, unutar osmeha, jer je dete majčin univerzum. Dakle, kada nahranite najdražeg i najdraže se osmehne, u tom trenutku osećate kako vam se ceo svet smeši.

Pitanje: Šri Činmoj, kako dau duhu budemo kao dete?

Šri Činmoj: U spoljašnjem životu, kad deda razgovara sa svojim unucima, ako je mudar, vidimo da on u stvari postane dete. On zna da će moći deci da pruži zadovoljstvo, i da će tako od njih dobiti zadovoljstvo, samo ako se bude ponašao kao dete. Trebalo bi da osećamo da je Sam Bog Božansko Dete koje se igra sa nama. Dete je spremno da se igra dvadeset četiri sata dnevno. I mi treba da postanemo kao dete da bismo se igrali sa Bogom.

Ako dečak od devetnaest godina nema sposobnost da primi nešto svetlosti ili da ponudi nešto svetu, ako ostane izdvojen, ako ga nije briga za svet i ako oseća da mu ne treba ništa od sveta, onda je on devedeset devet godina star u svom duhu. U drugu ruku, ako neko od devedeset devet godina želi da uči unutrašnji jezik, jezik božanske ljubavi, jezik božanskog mira, jezik unutrašnje mudrosti, jezik unutrašnje Svetlosti, onda je on kao dete u duhu. Ali, ako samo želi informacije od sveta, to mu uopšte neće duhovno pomoći, jer ta vrsta informacija dolazi iz uma i prima se umom. I ako neko živi u umu, nikad neće biti u stanju da se ponaša kao dete. Ko ne može da se ponaša kao dete? Onaj ko se više brine za intelekt nego za srce. Onaj ko se više brine za spoljašnja dostignuća nego za unutrašnja. Onaj ko se više brine za društveno okruženje nego za Boga u sebi.

Ako stvarno želite da postanete dete, onda morate da osetite da postoji neko ko stalno misli na vas. Morate da osetite da postoji neko ko ne samo da misli na vas i meditira na vas, već je i preuzeo odgovornost za vas. Dete uvek oseća da njegova majka ili otac brinu o njemu. Stalno oseća da postoji zaštita, da postoji vođstvo, da postoji pomoć. Naravno da onda oseća sigurnost u svom životu. Dete može da se potpuno osloni na svoje roditelje, zbog svog dečijeg srca. Pošto je uvek u srcu, oseća da ne postoji potreba koju njegovi roditelji ne mogu da ispune. Da živi u umu, odmah bi pomislilo: „Oh, možda moj otac neće moći ovo da uradi. Možda moja majka neće biti tu da mi pomogne“. Onda bi bilo prestrašeno. Postalo bi sumnjičavo i zabrinuto. U duhovnom životu, bez obzira na to koliko imate godina, morate osećati da postoji neko sa beskonačno više svetlosti mudrosti ko stalno misli na vas, ko vas voli, vodi i štiti vas, i da je ta osoba Bog. I morate da se oslonite na Boga sa dečjim srcem. Možemo imati Mir, Svetlost, Ljubav i Blaženstvo u beskonačnoj meri samo kada osećamo da smo deca. Kada učenik ode kod svog duhovnog Učitelja, mora da oseti da njegov Učitelj ima beskonačno više mudrosti nego on. Mora da održi svoj osećaj poniznosti. Kad god imamo posla sa nekim ko je superiorniji od nas i ko ima više kapaciteta u unutrašnjem svetu, onda postajemo dete. Ako mislimo da je naš Učitelj ima naš standard ili niži standard od nas, kako možemo da se ponašamo kao dete? Kako možemo da imamo veru ili poverenje u njega? Odmah će naša superiornost doći do izražaja. Naš um će nam dati osećaj da znamo bolje. I u trenutku kada osetimo da sve znamo i da možemo sve, gubimo svoje detinje osobine.

Učenik je uvek dete u prisustvu svog učitelja bez obzira koliko je star ili sofisticiran. Moramo uvek da osećamo da učimo. U duhovnom životu mi svakog dana, svakog sata, svakog minuta, svake sekunde, sve učimo od našeg oca, Boga. Ako neprestano imamo osećaj da učimo u unutrašnjem svetovima, neće biti kraja našem primanju i dostizanju Božije Božanstvenosti. Možemo postati kao dete u duhu kad znamo da postoji nešto da se nauči i da je tu Bog koji će nas naučiti.

Question: While striving for detachment, how can we safeguard against indifference?

Sri Chinmoy: There is a great difference between detachment and indifference. When you are indifferent to something or someone, at that time you are almost, almost hostile to his progress. There is a kind of inner malicious hope that he will not pass his examination, not do the right thing, not be admired or adored by anyone. You may say you are indifferent to convince your own mind. But you will observe whether he is succeeding, and if he is, it will pinch you. And if he fails, you will get tremendous malicious pleasure. Indifference is like that. It observes in a secret way and gets tremendous joy when it observes failure and suffers tremendous jealousy when it observes success. We say we are indifferent, but if the other person becomes great, our jealousy will kill us, and if he falls down, we dance with joy.

But detachment is a spiritual quality. When we are detached, our physical is detached, our mind is detached, our vital is detached and so on. The thing in me that wants to bind you and the thing in you that wants to bind me from inside are warning each other, "I am not the right person to bind you and you are not the right person to bind me. There is someone else, the Divine, the Supreme, who is the only one. It is He who has infinite Light, Peace and Bliss, so run towards Him as I am running towards Him. I shall help you with my inner capacity, which is my prayer, meditation and concentration. But if I grab you and claim you with my vital, physical and mental longing, this is no help at all. Instead let me offer to you my prayer, meditation and concentration, and these things you have to offer to me. In this way we strengthen each other."

In detachment two persons grow together through their souls' light. Their souls' qualities make a bridge on which they can go to their common goal. The bridge is not the goal, but both use the bridge. They say, "Let us walk together along the path that leads to our common destination." So when we are detached, all the time we make ourselves feel that the human in somebody else or the human in ourselves is not the goal, but that we both have a common goal which we have to reach together with our hearts' aspiration and our souls' light. Detachment we have when we use our inner light and inner reality, rather than our physical reality.

Question: How can we be divinely practical in our day-to-day activities, not cleverly practical in a human way by deceiving others?

Sri Chinmoy: Real divine practicality allows us to feel the divine motivation in all our actions and share the inner wealth from each action with others. If that is what we mean by divine practicality, then I wish to say at every moment, before an action starts, feel that this action doesn't belong to you. And while acting, feel that you are not the doer, but someone else is acting in and through you. Then, when the result is out, you have to share it with others. Feel that it is not you who act, but rather the person who is inspiring you, who is acting in and through you. And this person is none other than your Inner Pilot. If you can feel this, then you can have divine practicality in your life at every moment.

Question: How can we attain selfless love?

Sri Chinmoy: You can attain selfless love by giving proper value to the object of your adoration and devotion. If you have a goal, and if somebody or something embodies your goal, then you have to feel the necessity of offering due value to that person or thing. When you give value to your chosen deity or to your Inner Pilot or to your Master, then automatically you develop and increase selfless love. If you value the person or thing soulfully, devotedly, unconditionally and constantly, at that time, your own life of aspiration expands, and while it is expanding, you feel the birth and growth of your selfless love.

Question: How can we strengthen ourselves against recurring temptation?

Sri Chinmoy: There are many ways. One way is to imagine the heart of your Master. It may be difficult for you to imagine the heart of the Supreme, but you can easily imagine the heart of your Master. I am your Master. Just imagine that my heart is a golden tablet. When temptation assails you, you have to feel that this golden tablet is immediately besmeared with ink. Just before temptation assailed you, you saw that your Master's heart was like the moon, absolutely pure, a golden sheet. But now that you have succumbed to temptation, you see the result: the gold has gone away, and it is all darkness and filth. Afterwards, when you become sober, you will curse yourself. You will think, "He who is my way, my goal, he whom I love with all my heart and soul — what have I done to him? Previously he was all gold, divine, immortal, but now that I have surrendered to temptation, his whole existence is gone. If it had happened to me, I would have forgiven myself, but how can I forgive myself when it has happened to my Master?" But there is no difference between the Master and yourself, and when you are caught in ignorance, the Master also suffers.

So if you approach the human aspect of the Master, then temptation can't overcome you. But if you approach the divine aspect of the Master, you may say, "He has realised God. If I surrender to ignorance and temptation, he will remain unaffected in a sea of Light, Peace and Bliss." This won't solve your problem. True, no matter what you do, he will remain unaffected. But if you take this attitude, your temptation increases, and you go on doing the wrong thing. Also, sometimes the tricky mind operates in the divine approach. The human mind is so clever. It will say, "Why does my Master subject me to temptation if he is divine? Even if I succumb, his compassion will rescue me. So where is the need to fight temptation?" Therefore, the human approach is infinitely better. When temptation approaches, you say to yourself, "Because of my temptation, he has swallowed all my poison. I have given him poison to drink." If you approach the Divine with reverence and sincerity, but also see the Master with human love, then you will be doing the best thing.

There is also another approach which is equally effective. You have to know that temptation is not something you are experiencing for the first time. It is something that you have gone through hundreds and thousands of times. Christ and other great spiritual Masters, even when they were on the verge of realisation, faced temptation.

You have to know that what you actually want is satisfaction, and this can be found on two planes: the reality-plane and the unreality-plane. These two planes are constantly playing with each other. If you are all the time satisfied sleeping and snoring, if you are satisfied when lethargy conquers you, or when you succumb to temptation, then you have to know that this satisfaction does not produce anything divine or fruitful. At that time, you are living on the unreality-plane.

Satisfaction on the reality-plane comes when you feel that you are making constant progress, going higher or deeper. While progressing, you get a tremendous sense of satisfaction. You feel that the Goal is coming closer and is about to clasp you. On the reality-plane, God is playing an ever-transcending game with us. The Goal immediately takes you twenty steps ahead, then goes twenty steps further. Then, when you are making the twenty-first step, it comes back again and carries you to the fortieth step and once more goes away.

First you feel you are progressing to something unknowable, then you feel you are progressing to something knowable. Finally you realise not only that the Goal was always yours, but also that it is what you have always, eternally been.

Question: Guru, you revealed your consciousness in the performance of your play, and you reveal your consciousness through pure meditation. What is the difference between the two?

Sri Chinmoy: There is a great difference. In my meditation, usually I first enter into my highest consciousness and then bring down and share with you what I have achieved or gained on the highest plane. Yesterday at the Manhattan Centre we had an absolutely sublime meditation. If you had seen me yesterday at the Manhattan Centre, you would have seen my highest height. I was trying so hard to come down, walking like an absolutely crazy person; I couldn't keep my feet properly on the ground. When I came to the door, I was still struggling to come back to normal consciousness. Even in the car, for ten minutes I could not come down.

While I was performing my play, I was in a very high consciousness, but I was not in my absolutely highest consciousness. You can say it was the fruit of my very highest consciousness that I was offering. I did not enter my highest, but the result of the highest I kept in store to share with you. And while I was performing, the Supreme told me many things, but all I wish to say is that it was a unique experience for me and for my Inner Pilot.

The moment we open our mouth and use our physical organs to speak, we can never remain in the absolutely highest consciousness. It will be one inch below the highest always. My highest in its purest form, I maintain only in silence. That is unfortunately the experience of all spiritual Masters. When we come down to the physical level and use earthly means to give something, the highest vision cannot remain the same; it becomes slightly less divine than it was in silence.¹

LED 19 Sri Chinmoy played the part of both God and Christ in a performance of the first act of his own play The Son. The performance took place on August 27, 1974, during Sri Chinmoy's birthday celebration.↩

Question: Guru, how can we be more dynamic?

Sri Chinmoy: The dynamism that you want comes directly from the soul's light. Real dynamism is not aggression; real dynamism is the soul's light and our adamantine will. It is not that dynamism is found in the soul's light or in our adamantine will. No! The soul's light and our adamantine will are one and inseparable with divine dynamism. But we notice them at three different places. Dynamism we see in the vital world — not in the impure or emotional vital, but in the higher vital world. Here everything is like one big wave after another. They are not waves of destruction, but waves of boundless Light, Peace and Bliss.

As dynamism is the life-breath of the higher vital world, light, the soul's light, is the life-breath of the psychic world, the heart's world. The aspiring heart always wants to identify itself with something vast, and the soul's light is the breath of vastness.

Will also is found in a special place. Its location is in the third eye. And will is the life-breath of vision, the ultimate or universal vision of the future. In order to have constant dynamism, you have to be constantly aware of your goal and you have to feel that your goal is very close. It is not millions of miles away; it is around you, before you, in front of your nose. You have only to seek it consciously, grasp it and claim it. You have to always have the feeling that your goal is just before you, but that you are still unlucky and not able to see it. If you all the time feel that your goal is within easy reach, but that you don't know where it is, you will desperately cry for it and search for it, and naturally you will make an attempt to reach the goal. Then, while you are making the attempt, automatically your inner being is flooded with dynamism. If you feel that your goal is far, you become relaxed and feel that eternity is at your disposal. Then your inner dynamism doesn't come to the fore. But if you feel that what you want to grow into is just around you, only you have to use your conscious awareness to grasp it and claim it, then you will get dynamism. At that time, you will be constantly breathing in, consciously or unconsciously, the breath or soul of your goal, and dynamism will be yours.

Dynamism means the death of your lethargic life, the death of your ignorance life. The moment dynamism comes to the fore, immediately you see the death of lethargy, ignorance and anything else that prevents you from reaching your goal, growing into your goal and becoming your goal.

Question: Guru, how can I get inner strength?

Sri Chinmoy: In your particular case you can get inner strength by absorbing more purity in the physical and more light in the mind. You have to pay more attention to physical purity and mental light. Do japa, the thing that is bound to increase your physical purity and mental light. While walking along the street, or in the subway, or if you don't have anything most important to do during your work, repeat the name of the Supreme. Repeat the Supreme's name inside your heart, in silence, and each time you repeat it try to see with your open eyes that the letters S-U-P-R-E-M-E are being written in golden letters on the tablet of your heart. Then light in the mind and purity in the physical will come, and automatically your inner strength will increase.

Question: How can I develop patience?

Sri Chinmoy: You can develop patience just by feeling that there is somebody superior to you, greater than you, nicer than you in every way, and that this somebody is the Supreme. You can feel that all other human beings are your children, and that they are inferior to you. Then think that He who is superior to you is all the time tolerating you. God has accepted you and claimed you as His very own, even though you are making millions of mistakes. Just because He loves you dearly, His Concern for you is boundless, His Compassion is boundless, everything is boundless.

You have to know that if you get something from someone, that very thing you are supposed to give to somebody else. It is a game, and in a game there should be continuous movement. If somebody gives you something and you hold on to it, the game stops; there is no joy in it. The Supreme has given you something, let us say aspiration. He has started the game by offering you aspiration, and his aspiration embodies patience. Now it is up to you to give that same thing to your son and daughter, or to somebody else. If you have children, you are responsible for them. You have accepted them as your own. When you claim others as your own, you have to give them what you have and what you are, because you want to see your good qualities, your capacities, your achievements and your height in your dear ones. The Supreme wants to see His height in you, and you have to see in your children, humanity, your height.

This way automatically patience comes, because you realise that one cannot climb up the Himalayas in the twinkling of an eye. If you want to see your height in others, you have to use your compassion, your light, your feeling of oneness. You have to say, "If I had been in his position, I would have done the same thing." This is how you develop patience.

Question: It seems to me that it is easy to have a childlike feeling if one has a spiritual Master, is living in a spiritual community and has all his needs provided for. But what about someone who is a separate individual living in the world?

Sri Chinmoy: Why do people enter into a spiritual community? Because it is easier. And why do people mix with other spiritual people? Because it is easier. There are always opportunities and ways which present us with fewer difficulties, fewer problems. What you are saying is absolutely true. Sri Ramakrishna used to say that we are all children. Before realising God we play with ignorance. After realising God we play with Wisdom. If we are wise, we will go where the things we want are easier to achieve. No matter how much wealth we get, how much appreciation we get, how much admiration we get in the outer life, we will not get much satisfaction. But if we get an iota of Love, Peace, Light, Bliss, Concern from the inner life, we get everything. An iota of inner Truth is infinitely more powerful, more convincing and more fulfilling than the boundless wealth of the outer life. If the seeker realises this, then naturally he will find a spiritual Master and associate with spiritual people. In a spiritual community it is much easier to be childlike. There you will have a Master whose concern you can feel constantly. Then it becomes easier, infinitely easier.

But even a person who is living in the world can have a childlike attitude toward God. To be childlike does not mean to be childish. We can be simple, sincere and spontaneous in our dealings with the sophisticated world without being stupid or foolish. We can have implicit faith in God's protection and guidance even while living and working in the ordinary world. For this we must feel that whatever job we are doing, it is God who has given us this job out of His infinite Compassion, it is He who is giving us the necessary capacity to do the work satisfactorily and keep the job, and it is He who will enable us to find another job if we lose the one we have. This kind of childlike faith is not foolishness. Far from it. It is the spontaneous trust of a child in his father or mother. This kind of feeling will never stand as a hindrance in our life in the outer world.

If one does not take a childlike attitude his speed will be hampered. It is a child who can constantly be moulded. A child is like a lump of divine clay. He can easily be shaped into something divinely beautiful. But if one follows the spiritual life and at the same time tries to maintain his independence, he will not make much progress. There is only One who is truly independent, and that is God. The more we can be dependent on that One, the faster will be our progress. There is no human individuality; there is only divine individuality. What we call human individuality does not last. No matter how hard we try to maintain it, we must eventually give it up if we sincerely want to become close to God, one with God. If we try to expand our human personality, very soon it bursts like a balloon. But the divine Individuality, which is the highest, supreme Individuality, is already infinitely vast. It can embrace all our human individualities. When we surrender our human individuality it does not mean that we are becoming a slave. We are only allowing ourselves to be shaped the way the Highest wants us. The individuality of the Master does not enter into the student. The Master has long ago given up his individuality to the Highest Supreme. Now it is the Will of the Supreme which he is executing when he guides and moulds his disciples.

Question: What is the most effective way to see the divine in others?

Sri Chinmoy: We see the divine in others once in a blue moon, and the divine in ourselves we see a little more frequently. But when doubt starts, we can't see the divine in others or in ourselves. The most effective way to see the divine in others is to see at every second the divine in ourselves, in every cell of our body, in every breath that we consciously take in. Now, the reason that we are divine one moment and then become undivine the next moment is that we separate one second from the next. But this we should not do. If this moment we feel that we are divine, or that our husband or wife is divine, then we should not wait for the next moment to bring another type of experience. We should try to pull this experience, lengthen it, rather than try to have another experience. We have to think of this experience as a train, and allow the train to go from one station to another station without stopping at any place. The experience should go from one second to another in a continuous movement.

Many times we have good feelings about our brother and sister disciples during high meditation, for example, but that meditation we don't preserve or make dynamic. We have a good meditation but then we forget about it. But instead we should try to start with that same experience the next time we meditate. It may go farther, deeper, higher. Once that journey begins, once we see the divinity in others, this experience should be like a train, a non-stop train, and we should try to see more divinity inside others.

There is also another way to see the divinity in others, and that is always to think of the Source. There is something in you that wants you to see divinity in others. If you try to trace that thing, you will see that it is not the physical, the vital or the mind. The physical in you cries only to sleep for a few more hours. The vital in you wants only to dominate the world and lord it over others. The mind wants to find fault with the rest of the world. But something inside the physical, the vital and the mind is prompting you and inspiring you to see the divine inside others. If you search for the thing that is inspiring you, you will find that it is the inner cry coming from your soul. This inner cry constantly wants satisfaction, and satisfaction comes only in devotion, only in oneness, only in seeing the divine in yourself and others and becoming devotedly and unreservedly one with it.

Question: I want to be able to receive completely everything that you want to give me. How can I best achieve this?

Sri Chinmoy: In order to receive what I would like to offer you completely, unreservedly, devotedly and unconditionally, you have to do two things. First you have to claim me as your very own and you have to feel that you can do without everything and everybody on earth except me. By me I mean the Supreme in me, who is your Guru, my Guru, everybody's Guru. You have to feel that only I am essential and indispensable in your life, and that is why you are claiming me as your very own. Some people don't claim me as their very own. They feel I am too big or indifferent, or they have millions of other reasons. In spite of being my disciples, they regard me as a third person; they only accept the fact that I am their spiritual Master.

Now, when you claim me as your own, you must not do so in a possessive manner, but in an illumined manner. It is not a physical claim, but a spiritual claim. Because I have realised God and become one with the Universal Consciousness, what I have and am is also yours. The mere acceptance of me that others have is not the answer. Your constant acceptance and your constant remembrance of this acceptance must go together. You have accepted me and you have to make the fact that you have accepted me a living reality in your life.

But then you have to feel that claiming me as your very own is not enough. You also have to proclaim to the world at large what you have seen, felt, grown into and finally become. If you share with the world your experience of oneness with me, then you receive everything. Some people see and feel the light, but they don't want to share it with others. God is very clever. He says, "If you don't want to reveal Me or share Me with others, then why should I give you the capacity to achieve Me and possess Me unreservedly and unconditionally?"

If we want this capacity, God needs from us two things. First we have to claim Him as our very own, and then we have to share Him with others the moment we feel we have got Him in His own Way. First you have to get the mango, and while getting it you have to please the Owner in His own Way; then you have to share the mango and again please the Owner in His own Way. By doing this, you automatically get the capacity to achieve and feel what He wants to give you, and you get the things you want from Him unreservedly and in infinite measure.

Question: How can I get rid of human attachment and become more consecrated to the Supreme within me?

Sri Chinmoy: When you think of human attachment, feel that you are constantly and deliberately drinking poison. Then simply say to yourself, "If I die, will the people to whom I am now attached feel miserable? Will they enter into the coffin with me? Do they have the same love for me that I have for them?" Immediately the answer will come to you, "No! No!" Perhaps they will not even come to your funeral. So why pay attention to them? There is someone who will follow you faithfully through eternity like a dog, and that is the Supreme. Pay attention only to the Supreme. He will go wherever you go, whether it be Heaven or hell. This moment He tells you, "I am right ahead of you; just follow Me. Don't worry. I shall be with you wherever you go." The next moment He will say, "Go ahead, I am right behind you. I will follow him who is ready to follow Me." The Supreme will always follow you, no matter where you go, but no human being will do this. No human being is going to follow you to the end of your life, not to speak of following you for Eternity. And the Supreme will gladly and cheerfully allow you to follow Him. So what is the use of following human beings or allowing them to follow you? If you have that kind of feeling for the Supreme, if you are devoted only to Him, then your human attachment will go away. And when human attachment goes away, devotion to the Supreme takes birth, grows, develops and reaches perfection. The Supreme needs you; you need Him. You need Him for your highest realisation; He needs you for His perfect manifestation. When you have this understanding, you can easily rid yourself of human attachment and become more consecrated to the Supreme.

Question: How can I get rid of the feeling of inner emptiness?

Sri Chinmoy: Inner emptiness is a very good thing. When you feel empty inwardly, that is the time for God to fill you with His Light and Delight. You are using the wrong term. What you mean is barrenness — barrenness in your mental, vital or physical life. There is a great difference between inner emptiness and barrenness. If you feel barren inside the physical, the vital or the physical mind, that is a real problem. You have to try to get rid of this barrenness. You have to cry like a child and dig, dig, dig deep within yourself for God's Compassion. Barrenness can be got rid of only by a constant inner cry. You need a higher life, a better life, something that will really satisfy you. This need is not desire; it is the longing to be something good, to become something divine and to please God in God's own Way. If you cry and cry while digging and digging, you are bound to feel God's Compassion from above.

But if you feel emptiness in your heart centre, it is not barrenness. The very fact that you have emptied yourself is a divine achievement. With the greatest difficulty, or by God's Grace, you have emptied yourself, and this is most desirable. If you are really empty, that means that something has to come and fill you. When you are empty inwardly, the Supreme will fill you with Peace, Light, Delight and other divine qualities.

The more intense your inner cry for Light, Peace and Bliss, the larger your vessel becomes. Peace, Light and Bliss you have perfectly housed within you, for your heart-vessel is large. But when you cry, the vessel becomes larger and you feel that the qualities you have are not enough. At that moment your receptivity is increased, and you are bound to feel that God is bringing down more Peace, Light and Bliss into your system.

Question: How can one most effectively influence children spiritually?

Sri Chinmoy: Parents can offer their children most effective spiritual help only by leading the divine life themselves — that is to say by action, not by preaching. Whatever you tell a child to do, you yourself have to do it first, every day. Parents often ask their children to do something which they themselves do not do. Or they do something and then ask their children not to do it. They say, "I can do it, but you can't." You may tell your children, "Get up at seven o'clock and pray and meditate," but the next morning you will be sleeping. Similarly, you may tell your children not to tell lies, but you yourself will tell lies. Everything you do you will justify by saying, "Oh, I have passed your stage; these things don't affect me."

If you ask your children to get up and meditate and you yourself do the same, automatically they get added strength. But if you don't do the same thing, already half their strength goes away. Their attention is immediately diverted. They think: "If this is really good, how is it that my mother is not doing it?" or "If this is really bad, how is it that she is doing it?"

You have to feel that since your children are very young, you are responsible for them. If you feel that milk is really good for your children, then because you are responsible for your children you give them milk. You don't wait for them to become eleven or thirteen years old and discover for themselves that milk is good. As long as the Supreme has given you the realisation that milk is most nourishing, you have to share that realisation with your children. When their mind is developed, then let them make their own choice. It is the same with the spiritual life. What you call best, let your children also call best. Later, when their mind is developed, if their mind wants to take them away, let them battle with the mind and decide whether you were right or wrong.

Always try to become an example for your children. If you ask your children to draw something, and you yourself start cooking, you will be making a mistake. You should not cook at that time; you have to go and draw with the children. Even while the children are playing, it is better always to be one with them. If the children are playing with a ball, although you may feel that you have important things to do, the most important thing for you to do is to keep the children company. There can be nothing more important in your life. If you really want to see their progress, if you want them to enter into the spiritual life, make them happy — not by becoming indulgent, not by giving them twenty toys at a time, but by doing something for them. When you are with them, give them the feeling that they are good and divine. Tell them, "God loves you most. You are His chosen child. The whole world is waiting for you."

This is what I mean by making them happy. To give them real happiness, make them feel that God wants them. This is not insincere flattery. When parents admire and adore a child, even if the qualities that they are admiring are not at the fore, they come to the fore. In India when a child is born blind the parents give him the name "Lotus-eyed." They compare the child to the cosmic gods. Now people may say this is silly, but these parents are doing the right thing by saying that their children have the special grace of the cosmic gods. They are invoking the presence of the cosmic gods. So when you appreciate, admire and adore your children, please try to feel that you are helping them develop the qualities that you feel ought to come to the fore in them; you are bringing to the fore their dormant inner divinity.

Also, tell them about God, but do not speak about Him as an old man. Always make them feel that He is somebody of their age. If the children are three years old, then God is also three years old for them. Tell them He is their good Friend, their eternal Friend. Tell them to be prepared for Him. He is coming to them as their most intimate Friend, so they have to behave well.

Question: How can I do what I want to do?

Sri Chinmoy: If you want to know how you can do what you want on the physical plane, you are making a terrible mistake. Most of the time, if not all the time, what you want to do on the physical plane is an act of ignorance. On the physical plane most of the time you try to break, break, break. And even if you want to do something divine, you want to do this divine thing in your own way. The moment you use the word "I," ego comes to the fore. Your question should be, how can you do all the time what the Supreme wants you to do? If you put the question this way, immediately ego goes away like an obedient child. How can you please the Supreme the way He wants you to please Him? Immediately you have to feel that you are trying to please Him in His own Way because He has more light than you. Without the Supreme, you cannot exist. Forget even about the Supreme; without the best in yourself you cannot really exist. The best in you right now is the soul. If the soul leaves the body, you die. Forget about the soul; if your heart stops, you die. But you know that there is something infinitely better than the soul and the heart, and that is the Supreme. When the soul leaves, when the heart stops, you die; but there is something infinitely more important than life, and that is the Supreme. If you have that kind of feeling, automatically you will try to please Him in His own Way. If your breath is going away, naturally you will try to please Him who holds the breath, and is the breath.

Question: How can we permanently conquer expectation and demand?

Sri Chinmoy: Let us deal with demand first. Demand is always undivine, whether on the physical plane, the vital plane, or any other plane. On the psychic plane or in the soul, there is no demand.

There are two types of expectation. One is the human type: I do something for you, and expect you in return to do something for me. My action and my expectation are reciprocal forces. Then there is another kind of expectation, the spontaneous expectation of a child. A child does not do anything for his parents, but still he expects things from them. If a child is hungry, he just cries. If I am hungry, I will get something to eat from the kitchen. But the small child cannot do this, so he just cries, and wherever he may be, his mother comes to him with food. In that kind of expectation, we feel that there is someone who will come to fulfil our needs.

In the spiritual life, we see that expectation is of the second type. I feel that there is someone with infinite Love, Compassion and Concern who will do everything for me, even if I do nothing for Him. But again, this expectation has to be wise. True, He will give me everything, even beyond my imagination, but in His own Way, at His own choice Hour. I am a child of the Supreme Emperor. Just because I am spiritual, I have to surrender to His Will and wait for Him to give me what He wants to give me in His own Way.

When we have this kind of awareness, we conquer expectation. When we expect on the physical plane, we act like a beggar. A beggar knocks at the door and feels that just because he has knocked at the door his role is over. Then he expects alms or food from the inhabitants of the house. But when we expect on the spiritual plane, we do not act like a beggar; we just claim the Supreme as our very own.

Our human capacity is very limited in comparison to the capacity of the Supreme. When we think of the soul and when we think of the body, we see that there is a yawning gulf between them. The vital has more capacity than the body, but its capacity is limited. The mind has more capacity than the vital, but the mind is limited also. The heart has more capacity than the mind, but in comparison to the soul it is also very limited. When we look at the capacity of the soul, it is enormous, and when we look at the capacity of the body, it is very limited. But if we feel that there is somebody called the Supreme, the highest transcendental Absolute, we know that naturally His capacity will be greater than our soul's capacity, because our soul's capacity also has limitations, while His capacity is unlimited. If we expect something, immediately we have to know that it is the physical, the vital, the mind, the heart, or the soul that is expecting it. Since all the parts of our being are limited, if their expectations are fulfilled, the results will naturally be limited.

We are crying and crying for happiness in the form of expectation. However, no matter what we seek, the results will be limited. But we have to know that there is somebody with infinite capacity who is eager and anxious to share with us His capacity. There is somebody who is constantly crying to share His capacity with us, so let us be wise; let us give Him the chance. Let us allow His expectation to be fulfilled in us. Let His expectation grow in and through us. Let our human expectation be conquered by the divine expectation of the Supreme, the Eternal Pilot. Let us surrender our human expectation to the Supreme's expectation. When we surrender to the unlimited Light, we become really unlimited. If we take this attitude, we act like divine children, children of Light, children of Wisdom. At that time, our expectation is conquered by His expectation, which is unlimited. This way only, through surrender, can we conquer our human expectation.

Question: How can I become consumed with burning aspiration?

Sri Chinmoy: Just for a second think of your past, what you were five years ago. Just have a vision, and see all the undivine things that you did because of your ignorance. What has changed your life in the last five years is your aspiration. You have given up many undivine things just because you had a little aspiration. If you had not had any aspiration, you would not have given up the life of ignorance.

How can you increase this aspiration? You have tried through your own personal effort, but still it does not increase. You can increase it only by constantly feeling that it is not yours, that it belongs to somebody else. It is inside you, true, but somebody else gave it to you, and that person was the Supreme. The thing that you are crying for, the thing that you want, the Supreme has in boundless measure. So if you want Him to give it to you, naturally you try to please Him.

There are quite a few ways you can please the Supreme, but there is one way which is most significant and which will give you the result sooner than any other way. When the father gives his child a nickel, if the child offers him an immediate smile of gratitude, immediately the father gives him a dime, or even a dollar. In your case, if you want to be consumed with burning aspiration, try to feel that you do have aspiration, the aspiration of one dollar, let us say, which you were given by your Eternal Father, the Supreme. Just because you have this aspiration, you show Him your utmost gratitude. At that moment He gives you ten, twenty, fifty dollars. You are not consumed with burning aspiration all the time, but just because you do have aspiration, you show gratitude to the Supreme. There are millions and billions of people on earth who do not have the aspiration that you have. They are wallowing in the pleasures of ignorance. If the Supreme has given you one dollar's worth of aspiration, he can also give you a million dollars' worth. So if you offer gratitude for what you already have, then your aspiration will increase and become constant.

Question: Can you tell us exactly what the psychic being is? Also, if it is useful for the aspirant to try to establish some kind of relationship with his psychic being, how can he do it?

Sri Chinmoy: Just as the soul is the representative of God for us, the psychic being, to some extent, is the representative of the soul. Everything on earth, whether animate or inanimate, has a soul. You, as a human being, have a soul; this glass tumbler has a soul; animals have a soul; flowers have a soul. But the psychic being is found only in those human beings who have started to aspire consciously.

Animals do not have psychic beings. Not even all men have psychic beings, because there are many human beings on earth who do not aspire. When you walk along the street you can easily see that some people have had only a few human incarnations. Some have just come from the animal kingdom, and are in their first incarnation. They are half animal. Now these people do not have a psychic being yet. Only spiritual people who are sincerely and devotedly aspiring have psychic beings. Now the soul is not born on earth; the soul is born in the soul's region. But even though there is a world that we call the psychic world, the psychic being only takes birth on earth when the seeker begins to aspire. The psychic being, this most beautiful child, is born on earth and also develops here on earth. The psychic being grows like a seed. It germinates into a small plant that grows into a huge banyan tree.

The psychic being is most beautiful. When one develops the psychic being purity incarnate and divinity incarnate grow within his heart. When the psychic being is first formed, one may feel a very sweet, delicate sensation in the spine. The psychic being is like the youngest child in the family, like a baby. In the physical world, the parents feel that it is their constant, bounden duty to please their young child. The baby cries and the parents give the baby what it wants. Constantly the psychic being is making fervent requests to the Eternal Father, the Supreme, or to the eldest brother, the soul, to make the whole body, the entire being, divine and perfect.

When the psychic being is six or seven years old in terms of human age, then it takes a little responsibility. But when there is something very urgent, very important, to be done, or when power is needed, the psychic being cries, and the soul within us takes the responsibility.

In the spiritual life, there are quite a few ways one can know if danger or success is imminent even if one has not developed occult vision or spiritual power. If the psychic being is developed, it will immediately bring the news that something serious is going to happen — something dangerous or some catastrophe. The psychic will be like a messenger boy. Also, if something most encouraging and inspiring is going to happen, the psychic being will bring this news too. The psychic being knows and sees everything, but it does not have the necessary power to change what will happen; it can just inform us. Only with the help of the soul or with the guidance and blessing of the Supreme can the psychic being change something. However, it does have the power to transform our human nature with purity. But the psychic being does not have the same amount of power that the soul has. And the soul does not and cannot have the same amount of power as God.

In our path we see the necessity of always consciously feeling the Presence of God. The psychic being helps us to feel the Presence of God all the time. There are many divine gifts that we get from God through the aspiration of the psychic being. For instance, we get constant joy, a constant sense of security and a constant feeling of our own progress from the psychic being. Right now we are making progress, but we do not feel sure about it. But if the psychic being comes to the fore and remains to the fore, then our progress is noticeable to all.

If you pay attention to the psychic being, you can bring it to the fore without fail. When you develop real surrender to the Supreme, giving your whole life over to the path of love, devotion and surrender to God's Will, automatically the psychic being appears. To make your surrender beautiful, soulful and unconditional, you have to meditate every day. When you make complete surrender, immediately the psychic being comes to the fore. Before that, if you have love for God, the psychic being may come to the fore. If you have devotion for God or do devoted service, the psychic being may come, but that is not the rule.

If we can feel the presence of the psychic being, and if the psychic being prays and invokes the presence of God in our outer being, then we will make fast progress. But if we do not want to adopt that method, the most important thing we can do and the only thing that is necessary is to offer our conscious gratitude to the Supreme. The moment we offer our gratitude to the Supreme, our progress becomes the fastest.

The psychic being is like a messenger or a beautiful child. We do not actually need a messenger boy, or a little beautiful child. We do not absolutely need this little brother in the family to cry and speak to the Father on our behalf. We need only God. So if you do not want to have any connection with the psychic being, or if you feel that the psychic being is unnecessary, then you can do without its help.

Some of you sometimes see your psychic being, but if the Master does not tell you, then you may not know what it is. You may feel that you dreamed that you saw a most beautiful child. Or you may feel that you had a vision. In your case, also, once you saw it, but you did not know that it was your psychic being. A seeker can see the psychic being on rare occasions. Only someone who is realised or most advanced can see the psychic being at any time.

One can also see the psychic being of another. As a child, I saw the psychic being of my sister, Ahana, before I saw my own. I did not recognise it as her psychic being at the time. But one year later, when I started regaining all the spiritual and occult vision of my previous incarnations at the age of fourteen, I knew that it was her psychic being which I had seen.

The psychic being cannot come to the fore and grow most powerfully when the mind is still roaming in worldly information, worldly thoughts and worldly ideas. The psychic being comes to the fore only when we have the sweet, pure, innocent feeling of our oneness with the rest of the world, even with those we now consider our enemies. The psychic being has no enemies.

The psychic being finds it extremely difficult to deal with the developed mind. By the developed mind I mean the sophisticated mind, the dry and intellectual mind where there is no sweetness, but only a barren desert. The psychic being is a child. A child tries to play in the eternal garden of God, the Eternal Child. So the mind, which some people consider the greatest or the most developed part of our existence, is not and cannot be the real friend of the psychic being. The heart and the psychic being always go together. The heart, the psychic being and the soul forever go together.

A man will see his psychic being as a beautiful boy, and a woman will see hers as a beautiful girl. A man has a masculine psychic being and a woman has a feminine one. The soul, however, is neither masculine nor feminine, but when it incarnates it takes on a masculine or a feminine body. If it takes a masculine form in the first human incarnation, then it goes on taking this form in all future incarnations, and the same if it takes a feminine form. Only three times since the creation has a soul changed from masculine to feminine once it began incarnating in a human body. There are some spiritual Masters who tell people that in their past incarnations they were men while in this incarnation they are women, but this is not true. I have to say that, in the inner world, I know that the soul has changed this way only three times.

Now, the psychic being does not age like a human being. After forty or fifty years, the human body decays and we lose our strength, capacity and energy. As one matures spiritually, the psychic being comes to the psychic age of between eighteen and twenty-two. After that, it gains strength and capacity, but it does not age. It not only retains its beauty, strength, power, light and divinity of that time, but it actually continues to increase these. It may be two hundred years old in terms of human age, but the form that you will see will always be that of a youth. I am now forty-two, but my psychic being looks like a youth of twenty. My psychic being is now like a most powerful soldier or warrior.

When the seeker dies, the physical body is dissolved into the five principal elements. The vital enters into the vital world, and the psychic being goes to take rest in the psychic world. The soul will remember, however, which psychic being it had. Then, before the soul comes into the world for its next incarnation, it will go to its psychic being and say, "Now I am going down. You come also." First the soul goes to the Supreme for His blessings and to make a promise about how much it will accomplish for the Supreme in its next incarnation. Then the soul goes down. On the way down it asks the psychic being to join it. The psychic being is very happy to come back at that time. After the psychic being, the soul takes a spiritual heart from the heart's world. Next, if the mind is developed, the soul goes to the mental plane for subtle intelligence. Then it goes to the vital plane for the dynamic vital, and finally to the gross physical.

Question: Is it right for spiritual Masters to take on the suffering of their disciples? If the disciples do something bad and do not suffer the consequences, how will they learn the lesson?

Sri Chinmoy: It is often true that if one does not have the first-hand experience, then one will not understand or learn properly. One will not understand the seriousness of his actions if he does not suffer the consequences. If I see that somebody has put his finger in fire and burned himself, I know that that person is feeling pain but I will not suffer to the same extent that he does. But if God has given me a heart, I will feel the suffering that he is going through. It is not that these people are making mistakes for the first time, and it is not that they have never seen others make these mistakes. They have seen others make these mistakes, and they have seen how much suffering the others have gone through. But out of temptation, or because they have allowed some undivine forces to enter into them, they make the same mistakes and earn the punishment.

But the spiritual Master has the heart of a real mother. If the mother knows that her child has done something wrong and will be punished, the mother says, "O God, let me suffer on my child's behalf. Let him be protected." This is a mother's heart. And if the child is divine, if he is loving, if he is sincere, when he sees his mother suffering he says, "I deserved this suffering, but my mother is suffering on my behalf. She has all love for me. Let me not cause her more suffering. Let me not do this again." When the son sees and feels that the mother is suffering for his misdeeds, if he has real love for his mother, he does not want to repeat them. His mother has shown her real love by accepting his suffering as her own. And the son also can show his real love by doing the right thing from then on. In the case of the spiritual children and the Master, the same truth is applied. The spiritual children do not want their spiritual Master to suffer again and again on their behalf.

You may say that if one does not suffer himself he will not learn. That is true in most cases. But if a person is sincere, if he is aspiring, if he has love for his Guru, he will feel a kind of inner obligation not to do the same thing again. And what is more important, if he truly loves his Guru, he will suffer badly when his sincerity makes him feel that it is because of him that his Guru is suffering. The Guru takes on the physical suffering of his dear disciples, and when he does so it is much milder and briefer than it would have been in the disciples themselves, because the Guru has the capacity to throw this suffering into the Universal Consciousness. But when the disciple sees the suffering of his beloved Master, his divine heart of oneness simply breaks. In this way he does suffer and he does learn his lesson, although the direct karmic results of his actions go to the Master and not to him.

There are two ways to make progress. One way is to reap the results of what you sow. The other way is to be swept along by the Guru's grace. The Master sees that some of his disciples have a good heart, that they have sincerely accepted the spiritual life and are determined to reach the Goal. He sees that they are not ordinary people. They are praying and meditating, but while following the spiritual life sometimes they enter into the world of temptation and are captured by it. Then naturally they will suffer. But at the same time the compassion of the Master says, "Since you are serving God, or you are trying to please God in various ways through your daily prayer and meditation, let me help you so that you do not have to suffer." This is sheer divine compassion. The Master hopes that when they see his suffering, eventually they will realise that it was they who were going to suffer.

But before he takes anyone's bad karma or before he cures a person, a real spiritual Master will always ask God if it is His Will. I have to ask God if I should help someone even to cure a headache. You can tell the person to take an aspirin and his headache will go away, but I have to speak to God about it. Now God can say yes or no. If He says yes, that means He wants to allow a sense of gratitude to grow inside that particular disciple. He wants that disciple to feel that there is somebody who loves him and has taken his suffering upon himself. If God says no, it means that He wants that person to go through the normal process of suffering and learn the lesson by himself.

God has two ways of operating, either through Compassion or through Justice. This moment He can show all His Compassion and the next moment He can show all His Justice. If He wants to show His Compassion, which He quite often does, then He will tell the Master, who is His instrument, to take all the suffering of the disciple. If He wants to show His Justice, then He will tell the Master to allow that person to meet with the consequences of his wrong deed.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Životna potraga i samootkrovenje, Agni Press, 1974
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