Deo I

SCA 436-442. Šri Činmoj je odgovorio na pitanja o poslušnosti 26. Maja 1997.

Pitanje: Da li neposlušnost dolazi od našeg nedostatka jedinstva sa Svevišnjim u tebi?

Šri Činmoj: Da, to je apsolutno tačno! Ako koristite svoj um odvajanja, onda nećete biti jedno sa Svevišnjim u meni. Ako želite da budete jedno sa Voljom Svevišnjeg, tad ne upotreblja-vajte um. Kad Svevišnji u meni zatraži da učinite nešto, tad mo¬rate da kažete: „Ja nemam um. Jedina stvar koju imam u svom telu je moje srce. Nemam čak ni telo; čak i moje telo je svo srce”. U suprotnom, u vašem srcu će biti poslušnost, ali u vašem umu, vitalu i telu neće biti ničeg. Ali, ako je svaki deo vas srce, onda je vaše biće kao drvo. Ako protresete stablo, onda se takođe zatresu sve grane i lišće i cveće. Ako protresete neku biljku, vi¬dećete da se čitava biljka istovremeno trese, od korena do vrha.

Iz spoljašnje perspektive, različiti delovi vašeg tela imaju različita imena. Ali, iz duhovne perspektive, oni bi trebalo da imaju samo jedno ime, a to je poslušnost. To je duhovnost, po našoj indijskoj tradiciji. Ako dotaknete svoju ruku, trebalo bi da osetite da ona postoji samo da bi slušala Svevišnjeg u meni, koji je isto što i Svevišnji u vama. Ako dodirnete svoje oči, morate da osetite da su one tu samo zarad vaše poslušnosti Svevišnjem. Ako dodirnete svoju glavu, svoju kosu, čak i prst na nozi, morate da osetite da ne dodirujete ništa drugo do božansku poslušnost. Morate da osetite da je svaki deo vašeg tela, svaka ćelija vašeg tela, svaka kap vašeg tela nerazdvojni deo vaše božanske poslušnosti. Ako tako osećate, neposlušnost se nikad, nikad ne može roditi.

Pitanje: Guru, da li je greška ako ti ne saopštimo na spoljašnjem planu da smo mi ili neki drugi učenici neposlušni?

Sri Chinmoy: To zavisi od vrste neposlušnosti. Pretpostavimo da od vas zatražim da dođete iz štamparije Agni Pres to pre možete, ali vi usput sretnete nekog drugog učenika i zastanete da ga nešto pitate. Iako u određenoj meri niste bili potpuno poslušni, o takvoj neposlušnosti ne morate da me izvestite. Kad od svog „najboljeg učenika” zatražim da dođe kod mene kući, on neizostavno sretne svoju gazdaricu i ona ga pita zašto nije platio kiriju. I tako oni pričaju i pričaju! On ima dobro srce. Ako zatražim da me negde poveze, voziće satima i satima. Ali, kad se radi o trenutnoj poslušnosti, on nije nigde. Ako kažem: „Molim te, uradi to i to odmah!” on stane i priča na svakom koraku pre nego što učini ono što sam od njega tražio. Takvo ponašanje je nesumnjivo neposlušnost i ono će umanjiti učenikovo neposredno jedinstvo sa mnom. Ali, ono neće upropastiti njegov duhovni život.

A sa druge strane, ako neki moj učenik uradi nešto zaista loše i vi za to znate, morate odmah da mi kažete. Američka teorija je: „To nije moj posao”. Ali, duhovna teorija je: „Pošto svi mi plovimo na istom brodu prema Zlatnoj Obali, moj posao je vaš posao i vaš posao je moj posao”. Inače, ako neki od vaše duhovne braće radi nešto ozbiljno loše, a vi čuvate njegovu tajnu, dogodiće se prava katastrofa. Ako, na primer, znate da je neko u emocionalnom svetu, morate odmah da mi kažete. U suprotnom, stvar počinje glavoboljom, ali od glavobolje preraste u rak. A onda je prekasno.

SPošto ste moji učenici, ista stvar se odnosi i na vas kad i sami radite nešto loše. Neposlušnost je kao kotrljanje nizbrdo. Jednog dana uradite nešto loše i to je samo mala greška. Ali, vi idete sve dalje i dalje i neposlušnost postaje sve veća i veća. A onda iznenada uvidite da veoma brzo idete nizbrdo, nizbrdo, nizbrdo! A tada, kad počnete da padate nekontrolisano, to postane ozbiljan problem za mene. Ali, da ste me obavestili u početku, bilo bi mnogo lakše da se izađe nakraj sa problemom.

Kad neke žene dobiju neku veoma ozbiljnu žensku bolest, ponekad se plaše da mi kažu. Ponašaju se kao da su učinile nešto ružno ili počinile zločin. Posle šest meseci ili godinu dana, kad je bolest postala ozbiljna i kad osećaju da će ih usmrtiti, tek tada mi kažu. Zar to nije neposlušnost? Kad u nji¬hovom telu ima nešto ozbiljno loše, zar ne treba da mi odmah kažu? Ali, one mi kažu tek kad situacija postane kritična.

Ne kažem da lekari ne mogu da pomognu. Ja pose¬ćujem mnogo lekara zbog mog problema sa kolenom! Oni možda ne uspevaju i ne uspevaju, ali znam da je Bog tim doktorima dao posebnu sposobnost i oni su izlečili mnoge ljude. Ali, pošto ste me vi prihvatili za svog du¬hovnog Učitelja, morate da osetite da sam ja takođe i vaš lekar, samo što ja radim drugačije od običnih lekara.

Zato nikad ne treba da se plašite da mi kažete o svojim problemima. Plašeći se svog Učitelja, učenik nikad ne može postati blizak. Samo ako kaže Učitelju svoje sla¬bosti i dozvoli Učitelju da postane jedno sa njegovim slabostima, učenik će postati bliži od najbližeg Učitelju. Tada će Učitelj priteći u pomoć učeniku kao lav koji riče.

Kad ljudi privatno razgovaraju sa mnom ili mi pišu pisma o svojim neuspesima i slabostima, ja ih nikad ne grdim. Ja sam sav simpatija, sav samilost, sav brižnost, sav ljubav. Ako neko pati od nekog mentalnog problema, vitalnog problema, emocionalnog problema ili bilo kakve druge vrste problema, ja vidim njegovu slabost kao moju sopstvenu i istog trenutka mu opraštam. Ne samo da opraštam toj osobi, već istog tre¬nutka nešto preduzmem. Ja delujem iznutra, a ponekad takođe i spolja kažem toj osobi šta da čini. Ako taj pojedinac zaista želi da bude izlečen, tad sam ja sav za njega. Ali, ja sam za njega samo pod uslovom da je on spreman da promeni svoj život.

Posle nekoliko dana, nekoliko meseci ili nekoliko godina, neki učenici stvore naviku redovne neposlušnosti. Zašto? Zato što osećaju da je ona prihvaćena! Pošto osećaju da je prihva¬ćena, neposlušnost postaje njihova poslušnost. Bez obzira koliko je neki učenik neposlušan, u najvećem broju slučajeva ja ne verujem u pravdu. Pravda dolazi samo onda kad znam da nema drugog načina da učenika navedem da shvati oz¬biljnost svog lošeg ponašanja. Kad vidim da situacija postaje prosto nemoguća, nemam drugog izbora osim da budem strog. Dolazim sa gvozdenom palicom samo kad ništa drugo ne uspeva i kad sam apsolutno nemoćan, još nemoćniji nego osoba koja čini lošu stvar. Ali, kad dođem sa gvozdenom palicom, ja retko uspevam. Ako zapretim da ću nekog iz¬baciti sa staze ako ne prestane da se loše ponaša, ta će osoba možda izmeniti svoj život kroz mesec dana ili godinu dana. U suprotnom, tu će biti samo revolt, neprijateljstvo i strah.

Bog nas ne može osvojiti strahom. Istina, On može da uzme naš život; On može da nas ubije ako uradimo nešto pogrešno. Ako je Bog ljut na nas, onda sigurno može učiniti da patimo. Ali, takva vrsta kazne neće nas osvojiti. Sa svojim poslednjim dahom mi ćemo reći: „Bog je okrutan! Bog je nebožanski!” Možemo biti osvojeni samo ljubavlju. Učitelj mora da osvoji učenikovo srce ljubavlju. Sve drugo će promašiti. Amerika je snažna i ona može zapretiti da će baciti atomsku bombu na mene. Ja sam bespomoćan i predaću se, ali u mojoj predaji nema ljubavi. Ali, ako Amerika dođe sa samilošću i njenim drugim dobrim osobinama, onda će Amerika osvojiti moje srce.

Ima nekih učenika koji naopako rade mnogo, mnogo, mnogo godina. Onda oni iznenada vide da se srce njihovog Učitelja slama. Kad oni vide da moje srce krvari, njihovo srce takođe počinje da krvari i oni kažu: „Šta sam učinio? Šta sam učinio?” Tada se njihovo srce probudi. Oni se ne plaše mene; plaše se jedino stvari koju su učinili i koja prouzrokuje da se moje srce slama. Oni kažu: „Ako zaista volim mog Učitelja, kako mogu da mu ovako slamam srce?” Onda oni opet po¬staju dragulji. Tako je njihov problem rešen kad vide suze svog Učitelja. Ako vidite suze ne samo u mojim očima, već takođe i u mom srcu, onda, ako imate i mrvu ljubavi prema meni, zbog svoje ljubavi bićete u stanju da pobedite svoje slabosti.

Pitanje: Kako možemo da osetimo da je naša poslušnost spontana i radosna a ne prisilna?

Šri Činmoj: Prisilna poslušnost nikad nam neće doneti ra¬dost. Nekad su crni robovi u Americi bili prisiljeni da služe svoje gospodare. Zar su bili srećni? U Indiji još uvek postoje kuliji. Mislite li da oni dobijaju spontanu radost od svoje po¬slušnosti? Spontanu radost dobijamo samo kad se poistovetimo sa osobom koju slušamo. Kad se poistovetimo sa svojim sop¬stvenim umom i činimo ono što nam naš um kaže da činimo, istog trenutka dobijamo neku vrstu radosti ili sreće. Recimo, um nam kaže da je sad dobro vreme za trčanje, zato što je veoma sveže. Pošto smo se poistovetili sa umom, mi srećno izlazimo da trčimo. Ali, pretpostavimo da u tom trenutku srce kaže: „Ne, zato što je tako sveže i zato što je moj um tako miran, ovo je vreme da čitam Guruove knjige ili pevam neke duhovne pesme.” Ako se tada poistovetimo sa srcem, dobićemo spontanu radost čitajući duhovne knjige ili pevajući duhovne pesme.

Iako stičemo neku vrstu sreće kad se poistovetimo sa umom i činimo ono što nam um kaže, takva vrsta sreće nije istinska ra¬dost. Kad nam um kaže da nešto učinimo, vrlo često on u nama stvara milione sumnji. Ovog trenutka nam kaže da uradimo jednu stvar, a narednog trenutka okleva i kaže nam da uradimo nešto drugo. Ovog trenutka kaže nam da imamo vere u svoj duhovni život, i mi smo srećni zbog svoje vere. Narednog tre¬nutka on stvara sumnje u nama i mi stičemo sreću sumnjajući u svoj duhovni život. Na mnogo promućurnih načina je moguće dobiti spontanu sreću poistovećujući se sa žongliranjem uma - u jednom momentu sumnjajući u Boga, a narednog trenutka verujući u Boga - ali to nam nikad neće doneti istinsku radost.

Zato moramo da upotrebimo svoju mudrost i vidimo sa čim treba da se poistovetimo i prihvatimo ga kao svog pravog gazdu: sa umom ili sa srcem. U jednom trenutku gazda um nam kaže da uradimo nešto, ali narednog momenta nam dolazi sa sumnjom i oklevanjem. A dok sumnjamo i oklevamo, um je negde drugde, uživajući u našoj sumnji i oklevanju. Ni na koji način nam ne daje rešenost ni bilo kakvu pomoć. Sa druge strane, srce ne samo da nam kaže da uradimo pravu stvar, već nam istovremeno i po-maže da uradimo tu pravu stvar, stvar koja će ubrzati naše du¬hovno putovanje i približiti Božji Čas. Zato, poistovećujući se sa srcem i slušajući srce, možemo steći istinsku, spontanu radost.

Srce nam kaže da se molimo i meditiramo, a radost koju dobijamo od svoje molitve i meditacije je istinska radost. Istina, mi ne možemo da se molimo i meditiramo dvadeset četiri časa dnevno, zato što radimo i obavljemo raznovrsne aktivnosti. Ali, tokom dana možemo da se setimo radosti koju smo dobili od svoje jutarnje meditacije. Ujutru smo neko vreme proveli u vrtu svog srca. Potom smo, recimo, ušli u džunglu svog uma. Ali, čak i u džungli našeg uma možemo se setiti lepote i mirisa koji smo doživeli dan ra¬nije u vrtu našeg srca, a to će nam pružiti ogromnu radost.

Pitanje: Šta se dešava u unutrašnjem svetu, a takođe i u spoljašnjem svetu kada nismo poslušni Svevišnjem u tebi?

Šri Činmoj: Neposlušnost produžava vaše putovanje. Ako bi trebalo da do određenog cilja stignete za određeno vreme - re¬cimo, četiri sata - zbog spoljašnje neposlušnosti, to putovanje može potrajati dvadeset ili četrdeset sati. Ali, ako ne poslu¬šate Svevišnjeg u meni u unutrašnjem svetu, onda to može tra¬jati četrdeset godina. Ako iznutra radite pogrešnu stvar, i ako ta unutrašnja neposlušnost traje, može vam trebati čak i čitav život da okončate to putovanje. Spoljašnja neposlušnost odložiće vaš napredak za nekoliko dana ili nekoliko nedelja ili nekoliko me¬seci. Ali, unutrašnja neposlušnost može da od¬loži vaše putovanje na neodređeno dugo vreme. Ako iznutra ne slušate Svevišnjeg u meni, morate da znate da je u vašoj prirodi nešto veoma pogrešno. Tada, čak ni na samrtnoj postelji nećete biti u stanju da učinite ništa, ma koliko da plačete i plačete. Zato je unutrašnja nepo¬slušnost beskrajno, beskrajno gora od spoljašnje neposlušnosti.

Ima veoma mnogo vrsta neposlušnosti. Ako svom „najboljem učeniku” kažem da dođe u određeni čas, a on zakasni, takva neposlušnost nije suviše ozbiljna. Kad se radi o spoljašnjoj neposlušnosti, Bog je mekši i brzo oprašta. Ali, kad se radi o unutrašnjoj neposlušnosti, Bog ne oprašta tako brzo. Vrlo često On mora da upotrebi Svoju Moć Pravednosti, jer je unutrašnja neposlušnost gotovo neizlečiva bolest. Ali, na kraju ta bolest mora da bude izlečena.

O vašoj unutrašnjoj neposlušnosti znate samo vi i ja, zna samo vaša duša i moja duša. Pre nego što pogrešne sile na¬padnu ljude, ja ponekad vidim da oni namerno otvaraju vrata tim silama. Znajući da dolazi oluja, ja mogu da ostavim vrata otvorena i uživam u oluji. Tada će moja soba biti potpuno uništena. Takođe, i u duhovnom životu, ja ponekad znam da će ljudi učiniti nešto loše još pre nego što to učine, jer vidim kako ih sile napadaju. Ponekad posmatram da bih video da li će oni dozvoliti da ih te sile napadnu ili će se boriti protiv njih. Ja posmatram da li će oni dozvoliti tim majmunima da dođu i ugrizu ih, ili će im zapretiti tako da ne mogu da ih ugrizu.

Pitanje: Ponekad kad od mene zatražiš da nešto uradim, ja uradim ali sigurno bih mogao da imam nešto više entuzijazma. Kako mogu da razvijem poslušnost sa entuzijazmom?

Šri Činmoj: Entuzijastičnu poslušnost ćeš steći kad budeš zami¬slio kako ti dajem najslađi, najsjajniji osmeh. Seti se kakav ti osmeh dajem i kako ti lepe stvari kažem kad spontano i tre-nutno uradiš nešto što tražim! Zapravo, ti čak ne moraš ni da vidiš moje lice. Samo pogledaj svoje sopstveno lice u ogledalu kad nešto uradiš radosno, i kad nešto uradiš bez radosti. U oba slučaja tvoje lice će biti ogledalo toga kakvo je moje lice. Kad sa radošću uradiš nešto, tvoje osmehnuto lice biće savršen odraz mog sopstvenog osmehnutog lica. A kad nešto uradiš nevoljno, sa odbojnošću, sa krajnjim oklevanjem i sporošću, treba da osetiš da je tvoje smrknuto lice odraz mog nesrećnog lica. Kad se pogledaš u ogledalo, odmah možeš da vidiš koliko je lepo ili koliko je ružno tvoje lice, da li je tvoj Guru srećan ili ne.

A opet, ti možeš da obmaneš sebe. Ako od tebe tražim da uradiš nešto, ti možeš da kažeš: „Tražio si od mene da uradim nešto i ja sam to uradio”. Čak i ako si to mogao da uradiš mnogo ranije da si imao više entuzijazma, lako možeš da se opravdaš i kažeš: „Pošto sam to uradio, zašto bih morao da brinem?” Da, ti to jesi uradio, ali nisi dobio pravu radost radeći to, a ni tvoj Guru takođe nije dobio pravu radost. Ti i ja dobićemo pravu radost, trenutnu radost, beskrajnu radost samo ako uradiš ono što tražim srećno i trenutno. Ako trenutno i srećno uradiš nešto, onda ćeš plivati u moru blaženstva, i tvoj Guru će takođe plivati u moru blaženstva.

Pitanje: Da li poslušnost uvek počinje u umu?

Šri Činmoj: Ne, poslušnost uvek počinje u srcu. Ono što obično počinje u umu je neposlušnost. Duša uvek sluša Boga, jer je ona već uspostavila svoje jedinstvo sa Bogom. Zato duša neće videti, osetiti ili učiniti ništa što se razlikuje od Božjeg Načina. Srce nastoji da uspostavi jedinstvo sa Bogom i Božjom Voljom. Iako srce ponekad ne uspeva, ono bar po¬činje tako što nastoji da posluša Boga. Um, međutim, čak ni ne počinje sa poslušnošću. Spontanu poslušnost nećemo naći u umu. Zato se um uvek mora držati pod kontrolom.

U najvećem broju slučajeva, poslušnost najpre dolazi do srca, a potom do uma. Tek pošto dođe do uma, doći će i do vitala i tela. Ali, ponekad su fizička i vitalna svest prijemčivije od uma. Iako je fizičko telo možda lenjo, a vital možda nebožanski, ponekad oni nesvesno nastoje da poslušaju dušu. To je zato što znaju da su duša, pa čak i srce, njihovi nadređeni. Um je viši od vitala i tela, ali um je veoma arogantan! On oseća da je mudriji od duše i sumnja u njenu mudrost. On uvek misli da je srce slabo, jer se ono bavi samo pažnjom, samilošću, brižnošću i sličnim stvarima. Um će reći da su to ženske osobine. Ali, čak i Bog ima te ženske osobine; On ima veoma mnogo pažnje, naklonosti, dragosti i nežnosti prema nama. Ceo svet će reći da je srce bolje od uma, ali je umu gotovo nemoguće da prihvati tu istinu. Jedino kad svetlost duše uđe u um iz srca ima nade da će se um promeniti.

Pitanje: Imam lošu naviku da u svemu kasnim. Osećam da imam sposobnost da budem tačan,ali joj nekako ne pridajem dovoljno pažnje. Kako sebe da navedem da osetim da je važno biti tačan?

Šri Činmoj: Ti si postigao mnogo, mnogo svetskih rekorda. Znaš da kad želiš da postaviš novi svetski rekord, mnogo puta imaš unutrašnji nagon da istog trenutka izađeš napolje i vežbaš. Ukoliko nema nešto vrlo hitno što moraš da uradiš, ti ne otežeš deset minuta. Ti ne kažeš: „Ako odem kroz deset minuta, ili kroz dva sata, ništa strašno, jer će još uvek biti dan”. Ne! Kad ti je nešto važno, želiš da to uradiš odmah. To je ono što te čini srećnim.

Pitanje je koliko ceniš sreću svog Gurua. Ti kažeš: „Ja činim svog Gurua srećnim čineći ovo ili ono za njega”. To je istina, ali naša filozofija je filozofija samoprevazila¬ženja. Ti jesi zadovoljan činjenicom da me činiš srećnim čineći stvari koje tražim. Ali, ako te stvari budeš uradio ranije, bićeš u stanju da me učiniš još srećnijim. Ako imaš sposobnost da nešto učiniš odmah, zašto bi prolongirao?

Mi verujemo u radost, ali radost ima svoje stupnjeve. „Ako uradim ovo, Guru će biti srećan. Ako uradim nešto drugo, Guru će biti još srećniji. Ako uradim nešto sasvim drugo, on će biti najsrećniji”. Zato, šta ti radiš? Činiš stvari koje će me učiniti najsrećnijim. Slično tome, treba da osetiš: „Ako uradim nešto u sedam, Guruće biti srećan. Ako to uradim u pola sedam, Guru će biti još srećniji. Ako to uradim u šest, biće najsrećniji”. U tvom slučaju, bitno je u kojoj meri me činiš srećnim. Zato, ako ceniš moj najsrećniji osmeh ili moj najviši ponos na tebe, uči¬nićeš ono što tražim brže od najbržeg. U suprotnom, reći ćeš: „Zadovoljan sam sve dok je on ponosan na mene”. Ali, ako želiš da uporediš koliko sam ponosan na tebe kad uradiš nešto brzo umesto sporo, onda moraš da znaš da se to ne može porediti.

U Indiji, neki studenti kažu: „Ako mogu da dobijem bar 33 od 100, položiću ispit”. Ako dobiju smešnu prelaznu ocenu, oni su srećni. A drugi će plakati ako ne dobiju 100 od 100, čak im ni 99 nije dovoljno. Prema tome, ako želiš da budeš zadovoljan prelaznom ocenom, šta ja mogu? A opet, ako umireš za tim da dobiješ najvišu ocenu, apsolutno 100 od 100, šta te može sprečiti da je dobiješ? Samo tvoj sopstveni manjak revnosti. Kad dobiješ 100 od 100, ne samo da će tvoj učitelj biti zadovoljan, već ćeš i ti biti ponosan na sebe.

Moraš da znaš kakav standard želiš da održiš. Za neke učenike više je nego dovoljno ako mogu da ostanu na brodu. Nema veze što spavaju i hrču! A drugi učenici inspi¬rišu kapetana i pomažu brodu da plovi brzo, brže, najbrže.

Deo II

SCA 443. On 23 May 1997, Sri Chinmoy spoke informally to his disciples about fear.

Do not be afraid of me, but be identified with my sufferings

I scold you people from time to time, but I know that that method is only for temporary use. It is like going to an emergency room. In an emergency room, how many people are cured? So many people die while the doctors are operating. How much failure we experience in an emergency room! Again, sometimes we get results. The normal way is to take medicine, get injections and so forth; that is the real way to become cured. With that way you have got a solid base. But in an emergency room, how many people go to God while being treated!

In the spiritual life, if you really want to make your Master happy, you must not be afraid of your Master — no, no, no! The Master has not come into the world to strike people. That was for Julius Caesar, Alexander and all those military people. But sometimes I scold you as a last resort. In the Bhagavad Gita, before the Kurukshetra battle, how Sri Krishna begged and begged the Kauravas only to give five villages to the Pandavas! The Kauravas had the kingdom, but they would not give up those five villages. Three or four times Sri Krishna went to the Kauravas’ palace, but they would not listen to him. They said, “Without a fight, we shall not give to the Pandavas even the quantity of sand or mud that will fit through the eye of a needle.” A needle is long but the eye is tiny. How much can pass through that tiny hole? Then Sri Krishna felt that the situation was hopeless and said, “War is needed.” The war was a last resort.

Here also, as a last resort, I scold you people. Otherwise, I plead with you, with your heart, with your mind, with your vital, with your physical. So to all my disciples I am saying, do not be afraid of me, but be identified with my sufferings. To be afraid of me is a stupid, useless approach. To be identified with my sadness, with my tears, is absolutely the right approach.

Let us not take the fear approach. Let us take the love approach. When we have fear, then we will hide all our diseases. When some people have diseases, they are afraid, as if they have committed a robbery. They feel that they have done something wrong, so they have to hide. Is it not the height of their stupidity? If something is physically wrong with them, then let them go to a doctor. Fear they are cherishing, but again, they are not even praying. Fear is dominating their whole day and night. They have no time to pray to the Supreme. In them we only see fear, fear, fear. They feel they will be exposed. What stupidity! They can pray to God to cure them if they do not want to go to a doctor. It is God who gave those individuals the little capacity they needed to become doctors. They can pray to God, to the real Doctor. But they have no time to pray; only fear is killing them. Here the Supreme has sent a representative in the form of a spiritual Master. The disciples should say, “Let us go to him. He will be able to cure us.”

Part III

SCA 444-446. On 25 May 1997, at Annam Brahma Restaurant in Jamaica, New York, Sri Chinmoy invited questions from Mrs. Darshanika Guruge, wife of Ambassador Ananda Guruge, and Mrs. Irina Malikova, Deputy Director, International Relations and Media, The Gorbachev Foundation, Moscow.

Mrs. Darshanika Guruge: I brought with me a textbook my husband has used to teach Hinduism, and I have some questions regarding that.

Sri Chinmoy: I am not an authority on textbooks. I am an authority on love, devotion and surrender. According to our philosophy, love, devotion and surrender are the three steps that lead to God-realisation. Although these three steps are simpler than the simplest, many of us have not taken even the first step. As soon as we see the first step, we get frightened. We feel, “O God, O God, we will get hurt, we will get hurt!” God knows when we will take the first step properly, without any fear.

Mrs. Guruge: My question is about karma. How does it fit in with advaita Vedantism? They don't believe in karma.

Sri Chinmoy: Is there anybody who does not believe in the law of karma? Everyone knows the saying, “As you sow, so you reap.” Then again, there may be divine intervention. If God’s Grace, God’s Compassion and God’s Forgiveness descend, then the law of karma can be negated. God can nullify karma. If a naughty boy most ruthlessly strikes a neighbour boy, the victim’s father comes to punish the culprit. But then the naughty boy’s father intervenes. Because he has such affection for his child, he will not allow the other father to strike the child. He says, “Yes, my son has done this. I know it is wrong, and he will not do it anymore. But I will not allow you to beat my son.” Because the culprit’s father is very strong, the father of the victim surrenders.

In exactly the same way, God can protect us. Many, many things we do wrong, but sometimes our Beloved Father Supreme breaks His own Cosmic Law and saves us. At these times, our Father wants to play the role of God the Forgiveness, either because we have done something good for Him or because He feels there is hope that we will eventually become good children of His. He says, “Now they have done something wrong, something horrible, but in the future they will not do this kind of thing.” Or He may say, “Over the years many, many times they have prayed for My Victory or done various things to make Me happy. So let Me show My Forgiveness.” But again, if He sees that there is really no hope, that we are really bad people and shall continue to do the wrong thing, then He will say, “No, you have to abide by the Cosmic Law. You have done something wrong, so you have to pay the penalty.”

At times, not only does the Supreme show His infinite Compassion and Forgiveness, but spiritual Masters who represent Him also do the same. It is true that the Supreme is the ocean and the spiritual Master is just a tiny drop. But the tiny drop totally identifies with the infinite ocean and knows its oneness with the ocean. And this tiny drop has been ordained by the ocean itself to be of help to those who are unfortunately not yet even drops.

So the law of karma is a most complicated thing, and there are no hard and fast rules. According to the strict law of karma, if we do something wrong, we will be punished. Again, if we do something very good, the law of karma says we will be rewarded. Unfortunately, we expect the results in the twinkling of an eye. But we have forgotten all the bad things that we have done in addition to that one good thing. Before doing one very good thing, before making what we consider a supreme sacrifice, perhaps we have done many wrong things. That is why we are not getting the results of our divine action. God is using our one good deed to nullify all the terrible things, worse than the worst, that we have done over the years. We say, “God has no eyes, God has no ears.” But actually God is showing us boundless Compassion by putting our one little good deed on the same footing as all our bad deeds. In this way He is saving us from so much karmic suffering.

So if we are in the spiritual life, we can never say how God is going to respond to our actions. In the ordinary human life, the law of cause and effect usually applies. But in the spiritual life, quite often we see the intervention of divine Grace. That is because in the spiritual life we are all the time praying to God. Even if we are only asking God for a nice breakfast, at least we are saying “God” and “Supreme.” So God says, “At least he has used My Name.” But the person who is not in the spiritual life does not ask God for anything.

Mrs. Irina Malikova: Mine is not a question. I just wanted to thank you for everything you have done. I had a very nice experience with my surgery. Normally I should have been afraid, because it was major surgery, but to my own and everybody's surprise, I was so sure about everything that I did not feel nervous. The doctors said they had never seen a patient with so little anxiety about his health. It was not a question of my victory. It is just that I physically felt your presence in the surgery room, and that helped me a lot.

Sri Chinmoy: I told you not to worry. I said there would be absolutely no problem, and I promised you that I would be there for your operation. If the consciousness and the vibration of the room had been a little higher, then you would have seen me. But definitely I was there; I was there!

Sometimes when I know the date of an operation, I do not even need to know the exact hour. If someone is close to me, even if he notifies me a month in advance, I can promise to take care of it. And my promise will definitely be fulfilled. At the time of the operation, my physical mind may not even be aware that it is taking place, but I have many, many inner representatives who will act on my behalf. One of my inner beings will keep my promise for me.

But in your case, it was totally different. I did not depend on my inner beings; I was directly involved one hundred per cent. The day before the operation I called you, and also that morning I called you.

Before your experience, I was dealing with the father of one of my disciples. Her whole family — mother, father and brother — are also my disciples, and they are very devoted to me. The mother has such love for me. And she had such faith that I would do everything for her husband, although at the same time she was fully prepared for him to go to the other world. At the time, the doctors gave him two weeks to live, but even now he is still in this world! About a week ago he drove himself to the hospital. The doctors said, “What! How can you drive?” But he did drive. Then, two days ago, he even walked to the hospital, which is nearby. Just a few weeks ago he was not doing well at all. But God was kind to him, really kind.

Faith is needed. And if the person in whom you have faith has the capacity, then anything is possible. Sri Aurobindo said, “If you have faith in anything, that thing will work.” No matter how serious the problem, some spiritual Masters will simply say to their disciples, “Take a little mustard oil.” There is nothing magical about mustard oil. The Master is only seeing how much faith you have in him. If you take the mustard oil devotedly and feel that it will cure you, then it will do the needful. The Master does not separate himself from his utterance. He is inside that mustard oil, and in and through the mustard oil he will cure you. Again, sometimes he will tell you to go to the doctor.

In my case, I always say, “Take coconut water.” For each and every problem I say, “Take coconut water.” Doctors are bound to laugh at me! From a scientific point of view, they will say that coconut water has nothing to do with this kind of disease or that kind of disease. But I know coconut water is my medicine, and if the patient has faith in my coconut water, then it will perform miracles. It is a matter of faith. As long as you have faith, you will be cured.

Again, the Master may have the capacity to cure the disciple’s disease, and the disciple may have implicit faith in the Master’s capacity, but there is a third party. The Supreme may say, “No, for various reasons I do not want that person to live.” A spiritual Master is implicitly one with God’s Will all the time, but because he is in the physical, which is full of suffering, sometimes he identifies with earth. If somebody who is supposed to die is very devoted to me, I tell the Supreme all the good things that this person has done for me and for the Supreme over the years. Then, at the last minute I beg: “Can he not stay on earth for a few more months or a few more years?” At that time God may agree to a little extension — five or ten years. Again, He may not. But if I see that the Supreme is really serious about someone going to the other world, then I will be the last person to beg Him, “Can You give an extension?” No, no, I will never dare to say something like that! I cannot do that. If someone who is near and dear to me is about to die, and if I see that the Supreme will be disturbed if I start crying and lamenting, then I will be the last person to ask for an extension.

Because spiritual Masters are here on earth, sometimes they act in a human way. My little dog Kanu and I were so fond of one another. During his last year he wanted only to be with me. He even wanted to sleep with me. If I picked him up and put him near my heart, he would get up to go and sleep at my feet. He was always at my feet. So many times I knew that he was gone, absolutely gone, but when I would bring him downstairs, he would again open his eyes. O God! The Supreme is very wise. He did not want me to see my Kanu’s passing. So, twelve or thirteen days after I left New York for our Christmas holiday, the Supreme brought Kanu to the other world. When Kanu died, I was crying for days and days, shedding bitter tears. On the one hand, the Supreme was laughing. On the other hand, so powerfully He was consoling me.

Under ordinary circumstances, if the Supreme sees that in my human way I am very affectionate towards someone or something, then He not only forgives my stupid affection or attachment but even enjoys it. But if things go contrary to my human hopes or desires, then immediately I become one with the Will of the Supreme. Although the human in me is crying, the divine in me remains detached and happy.

All spiritual Masters are like this. When one of Sri Ramakrishna’s devotees passed away — he was not even a real disciple — Sri Ramakrishna suffered tremendously. But when he saw the soul of that person very happily flying up like a bird, Sri Ramakrishna started clapping. Before that, he was insane with grief. But when he saw how happy the soul was, he also became very happy.

So there is a great difference between Sri Ramakrishna and an ordinary person. An ordinary person might cry and blame God for years. But Sri Ramakrishna completely identified with God’s Will. Sometimes Sri Ramakrishna would fight for someone. Although he knew that ultimately he would happily accept the Will of the Supreme, in the beginning he would let the human in him come to the fore because he wanted to be one with earth. Otherwise, he could have just remained in the Himalayan caves and said, “I have realised God. Who cares for the world!” I also have realised God, so I could do the same thing. But God is asking me to live in the world and be of service to Him here in the West, so I am here.

The way of the old Indian tradition was to remain in one place and just repeat God’s Name. But today the role of the spiritual Master is different. Both India and America, East and West, have something to give to the world. India is offering the message of peace and the West is offering the message of science. If the West had not given the East the message of science, India would have remained primitive. And if India had not brought an iota of light to the West, then the West would have remained unillumined. Whatever India and America have, each has to give to the other gladly. They are like two brothers in a family. If one brother is a doctor, he will give medicine. If another is an electrician, he will do electrical work. How can the doctor do the work of the electrician, or vice versa? In exactly the same way, whatever India has to offer to the world, the West must gladly accept; and whatever the West has to give, India has to accept. Then only, East and West can become complete.

Part IV

SCA 447. Sri Chinmoy answered this question on 9 September 1997.

Question: If people do not consciously pray or meditate, but they use their heart to love humanity as it is, can they also get inner messages that way?

Sri Chinmoy: What is meditation? Expansion of the heart. Meditation means to dive deep within and claim the whole world as your own. What is the purpose of prayer? To make me a good person. The real prayer is, “Make me a good person so that I can be of use to You.” What is the ultimate prayer? Can there be anything higher than “Let Thy Will be done”? Is that not also the aim of meditation? Jesus Christ’s message, “Let Thy Will be done,” is the ultimate message. That is called unconditional surrender.

If one makes unconditional surrender, then he is on his way to God-realisation. Let him practise unconditional surrender; then he is bound to realise God. The height of unconditional surrender is “Let Thy Will be done.” That is the ultimate height of meditation and prayer. They lead to the same goal. If one is having a good meditation, will he say, “Let my own will be done”? No! Precisely because he has gone deep within, he will say, “God, tell me what I should do, and I will do it.” Prayer, with folded hands, also says, “God, tell me what I should do.” One goes deep within and says, “God, tell me what I should do.” The other looks up and says, “Please, please tell me what I am supposed to do.” Both meditation and prayer are saying the same thing. One goes deep inside, and the other looks up. One climbs up the tree, and the other is at the foot of the tree, looking up.

Prayer and meditation are two roads. When I meditate, I bring down God. When I pray, I go up to God. It is the same thing. When I use one way, I say, “Please come down and tell me what I am supposed to do.” When I use the other way, I say, “I am coming up. Please tell me what I am supposed to do.” Again, in my prayer I say, “Give me peace, give me love, give me light, so that I can please You.” And in my meditation I say, “Please tell me what I need, and please, please give me what I need.” Both ways are coming to the same goal.

Part V

SCA 448-465. Sri Chinmoy answered these questions during a bus trip to Kingston, Canada, on 25 October 1997.

Question: When chosen instruments fail, does the choice withdraw and go to others?

Sri Chinmoy: When chosen instruments fail, in some cases the Supreme wants me to wait indefinitely for the return of their highest height. In some cases He wants me to wait for a few years and see, and then make the final decision. In some cases He wants me to withdraw completely from them. In some cases He asks me to replace them.

Question: In the inner world, does everybody know who you are?

Sri Chinmoy: Yes, in the inner world everybody without exception knows me extremely well. Not only do they know me, but also they value me infinitely, infinitely more than my first-class disciples value me. Here in the outer world I run after my children to please them. In the inner world they run after me to make me happy, to keep me happy, to please me in my own way, for they feel my happiness is their only satisfaction and fulfilment. The higher you go, the sooner you know and the easier it is for you to see the Divine in me, and finally to see me as the Divine Himself.

Question: What does delight look like?

Sri Chinmoy: Delight is not a thing to see. It is a thing to feel, to grow into and to become. But if you want to take delight as an earthly achievement or earthly material object, or in an earthly way if you wish to describe it, then try to imagine you have all at once become the highest mountain-height. You have become the highest mountain, the most beautiful moon, the most powerful sun, the largest ocean. Everything that you can imagine as larger than the largest, higher than the highest and most beautiful and most powerful, if you can imagine that you are those very things, the feeling that you get is delight. But that delight is not the real or pure delight. Real delight is inside; it is deep within. When we become inseparably one with God, we drink in and we breathe in and out God’s Will.

Question: Will a disciple's love ever equal the Master's love for the disciple?

Sri Chinmoy: The Master’s love for the disciple will almost always far surpass the disciple’s love for the Master. But again, on very rare occasions some disciples have surpassed their Master. Naturally at that time the one who was previously a disciple will have more love than his Master. It has happened a few times that disciples have far surpassed their Masters.

Until the disciple has realised God the way the Master has done, the disciple will always have less love for the Master than the Master has for him. Even when the disciple realises God, the Master will not be sleeping. The Master will also make progress the way the disciple has made progress, so the Master will still have more love for the disciple than the disciple has for him. Again, as I said, if the disciple far surpasses the Master, which has happened in some cases, then naturally at that time the disciple’s love will be greater than the Master’s love.

Question: What is the best way to bring new life into each new day?

Sri Chinmoy: The best way to bring new life into each new day is to offer endless gratitude to God the Creator and God the creation early in the morning. When our gratitude-heart blossoms, it immediately covers the length and breadth of the world. The beauty and fragrance of a gratitude-heart will always remain unsurpassable among all the divine qualities that a seeker has. So the answer is gratitude, gratitude, gratitude!

Question: Should we expect to be attacked by weaknesses we pray to overcome?

Sri Chinmoy: No, we must not expect to be attacked by weaknesses we pray to overcome. If you are praying to God to protect you from something, from disease or from some unfortunate experiences, then you must not even for a fleeting second expect them to come. That is absolutely the wrong way. You must kick them once and for all with no expectation of their attack. If you think of them, then your prayer will be ineffective.

When you pray to God, do not keep these weaknesses in your mind or expect that they will come in a few seconds. Do not feel that they exist. When you pray for their removal or non-existence, you must not expect them to come. If you expect them, then you will indefinitely suffer. Your expectation will be your unconscious invitation to the wrong forces. Never expect, never even think of them. Only pray to God to save you from all the things that are harmful to your spiritual life.

Question: Where does your sweeter than the sweetest sweetness come from?

Sri Chinmoy: Since you are flattering me, I can also flatter myself. Your flattery is nothing in comparison to my self-flattery! My self-flattery far surpasses all your mental hallucinations plus imaginary flatteries.

My sweetness comes from the beauty of my universal heart and the fragrance of my transcendental soul.

Just yesterday at P.S. 86 I became my own universal heart and transcendental soul. It was not just seeing, it was not just feeling, but it was becoming. I do hope some people saw something unusual. For some people to know my transcendental height and universal length is an impossible task. To see and feel the real reality is an impossible task. But to see something or feel something unusual, in a normal sense, is quite possible. I do hope somebody felt something unusual and saw something unusual yesterday at P.S. 86.

Question: Will America recognise and fulfil you while you are here on earth?

Sri Chinmoy: Your question has to be answered either by God Himself or by the disciples like you who are most sincerely and most devotedly trying to manifest my divinity’s light on earth. It depends on the disciples who are sleeplessly trying. Again, sleeplessly one can try, but at the same time if sincerity, eagerness and enthusiasm are missing, then one’s sleepless effort will be of no avail. One can work for hours and hours, but if there is no sincerity, eagerness or enthusiasm, then nothing can ever happen to establish my light.

The answer to your question can adequately be given either by God Himself or by the disciples who are trying to manifest me all over the world. I am the last person to be able to answer that question.

Question: What do your multi-day races contribute to the world?

Sri Chinmoy: In the outer world, whether it is a long-distance run or a short-distance run, or jumping or throwing, any extraordinary activity we perform on earth is an indication of the fact that in the inner world that capacity does exist. It is only that we have to use it. The capacity that we appreciate, admire and adore can be seen, felt and acquired in the inner world in infinitely greater measure.

The inspiration that we give to ourselves or to the world by exercising our extraordinary capacity comes from the ever-mounting aspiration of the inner world. Our achievements are for the manifestation of divinity, to add to the receptivity of the outer world, to make the outer world eventually ready to accept the inner capacities of love, peace and bliss in infinite measure.

Question: How can I quickly regain my inner and outer strength after a multi-day race?

Sri Chinmoy: Eat voraciously, and do not worry about your weight! No matter how much you weigh, you are not going to be fat. Eat, eat, eat! And while eating, remain happy, happy, happy. You are eating earthly, material food, but feel the divine joy in it. Then also feel gratitude inside your heart that God chose you to accomplish this great feat. Your cheerful gratitude will strengthen your body far beyond your imagination.

Question: How can one be a superior yet still maintain a child's heart?

Sri Chinmoy: First of all, you have to know the qualities of a child’s heart. The qualities of a child’s heart are sympathy, sincerity, purity, sweetness and happiness. If you are a superior, you think that you have to maintain all the time a superior feeling, dignity and so forth. But a divine superior or supervisor will feel that the real supervisor is the Supreme Himself. So try to use all the divine qualities instead of showing off the earthly, human qualities that a supervisor exhibits. When pride speaks, it gets nothing. When sweetness speaks, it gets everything.

Use your smile, use your compassion, use your oneness, use your wisdom at every moment. There cannot be a greater wisdom than a sweet smile. This sweet smile is the spontaneous expression of a child’s heart. A supervisor can easily maintain his or her childlike heart and get everything done in a satisfactory manner.

Question: How can we maintain our gratitude even when we are tired?

Sri Chinmoy: We can maintain our gratitude even when we are extremely, extremely tired, even if we are on the point of collapse or if we are dying. Just take a very deep breath and imagine a river flowing. A river is in front of you, and the river is flowing fast, very fast, with a sweeter than the sweetest smile, towards its destination: the infinite ocean.

While breathing in, silently utter the word ‘gratitude’. While breathing out, feel that your gratitude is flowing from the inmost recesses of your heart like a running river, carrying your gratitude towards the destination. It is like the Ganges which is entering into the vast ocean. Your soul’s name, Bhagirathi, is another name for the Ganges. So feel that the Ganges is running towards the destination, and at the same time it is carrying your gratitude-breath to the source, the Himalayas.

Question: What pleases you most: when we invoke you or enter into you, or both?

Sri Chinmoy: When you are in an ordinary consciousness, you should try to aspire for a higher consciousness — to invoke me, to invoke my presence, my blessings, my love, my concern, my compassion and my joy. But if you are already in a high consciousness, then you should try with utmost awareness, seriousness and soulfulness to enter into my divinity’s infinite affection, love, sweetness and bliss.

When you invoke, you look upward. When you want to enter into me, in the inner world you dive deep within. When you invoke me, at that time there is a feeling that you are trying to nullify the sense of separativity — that is to say, the feeling that I am infinitely higher and you are infinitely lower. The human tries to bring down the divine. When we want to establish oneness, inner oneness, inseparable oneness, at that time we know that we are already one. But at times we forget that the drop and the ocean have no separate existence. Then we try our best to make ourselves feel that the drop and the ocean — that is, the human and the divine — are inseparably one.

Question: Do good intentions count in God's Eyes, even if not carried out?

Sri Chinmoy: Definitely good intentions count even if they are not carried out. But if these good intentions are carried out eventually, then you are successful. Just to have good intentions is to get 20 or 30 out of 100. But if the good intentions are carried out, then you get 100 out of 100. If you do not have good intentions, then you get zero. If you have bad intentions, then you get infinitely worse than zero. To have good intentions itself is like taking a giant step towards a remote destination.

Question: Do you ever get bored?

Sri Chinmoy: The human in me at every moment is bored. The divine in me will never be bored. The human in me sees everything as uninspiring, unchanging, unenthusiastic, unprogressive. Therefore, the human in me is bored. But the divine in me is never bored because the divine in me sees in everything, in every person, at every moment, not only a new possibility of hope but also a promise, and this promise comes from the divine Source: our Lord Beloved Supreme.

Question: What is the best way to deal with different people daily?

Sri Chinmoy: We have to deal with each person daily in a specific way, but the most important way is the way of compassion and forgiveness. It is not only the boss or the superiors in an office who have the authority to show compassion or forgiveness to the workers of lower rank. No, no, no! Each and every worker has the divine right or supreme necessity to forgive others and to show compassion to others both inwardly and outwardly. By exercising and by offering compassion and forgiveness, we will develop many, many more divine qualities in ourselves. Each divine quality is like a most beautiful, most luminous and most fruitful gift we get from our Lord Beloved Supreme.

Question: Would you please explain the divine game of praying?

Sri Chinmoy: The whole creation is God’s Cosmic Game. Again, praying itself is a game. A game means happiness. If we can pray with happiness, then God will definitely fulfil our prayers. When ordinary people pray to God, many times they pray with anxiety, worries, self-doubt and so forth. When sincere seekers pray, they do not have anxiety, worries or impure thoughts. Everything is positive. They feel the game itself is joy.

In our outer life, we do not feel that the game itself is joy. The importance of the game is only in the results. If we win, then only we get joy. That is a totally mistaken idea. When we pray, we should feel that the prayer itself is joy. We are praying to God Himself. We should be so grateful to God that He has given us the capacity to pray to Him. God says to us, “I want to play with you, My child. But I want you to play happily and self-givingly.”

So prayer itself is a game of happiness, cheerfulness and fulness.

Question: How can I become yours eternally?

Sri Chinmoy: My dear daughter, you have already become an eternal disciple of my soul. You do not have to worry. Your soul and heart have established eternal oneness with my soul and with my divinity, and I am very, very proud of your self-giving aspiration and dedication.

Part VI

SCA 466-469. On 3 July 1997, Sri Chinmoy was interviewed by a reporter from the New York newspaper //Newsday//. The reporter was observing the ongoing Sri Chinmoy 3,100-Mile Race in Jamaica, New York.

Interviewer: Sri Chinmoy, the runners who are your students talked a lot about meditation, your philosophy and how that helps their running. What do you tell them to help them find the strength they need to go on day after day and run 16 hours a day?

Sri Chinmoy: Our philosophy is very simple. We love God, and we would like to serve God. There are many, many ways to please God. Right now we cannot please God in each and every way. But when we pray and meditate, we feel that there shall come a time when we shall be able to please God in each and every way. Why do we have this feeling? Simply because He will give us the capacity. So right now we are praying to God for the capacity to please Him in His own Way.

When we take the next step, then we tell God, “We would like to please You cheerfully, eagerly plus unconditionally.” If He wants me at this moment to converse with Him, I will do it happily, gladly and proudly. The next moment if He asks me to play tennis, I will gladly play tennis. Then, the following moment, if He asks me to do something else, that I will also do, happily and proudly. Ultimately we would like to do everything for God unconditionally. We shall not set any condition: “God, if You give me this, then I shall do that for You.” That is not our philosophy. We tell God, “We shall give You happily and self-givingly what You want from us. To please You in Your own Way we came into the world.” This is our philosophy.

We also have something else in our philosophy, and that is self-transcendence. We shall not be fully satisfied with our past or present achievements. We must go forward, we must go upward and we must go inward.

Interviewer: I am curious about what happens on the day-to-day level.

Sri Chinmoy: Self-discipline is of paramount importance. Self-transcendence comes into existence only by virtue of self-discipline and meditation. In our day-to-day life we like to derive happiness from what we do and from what we are. Here, although outwardly these four runners are completely tired and exhausted, they feel that this is a new way to make themselves happy and to make themselves proud of their own lives.

We give all importance to happiness, happiness, happiness! In happiness abides peace, and vice versa. The runners are running, and at the same time they are happy and they have a peaceful frame of mind.

Interviewer: The one time I did my longest race, ten miles, I remember it was a little bit of an emotional roller coaster. After perhaps three miles I thought, "This is great! I can run 26 miles. I can do a marathon." And then after six miles I thought, "Oh my gosh, my knees are going to ache; my feet hurt. I'm totally exhausted!" I just went up and down. What would you tell your disciples to help them deal with the low part?

Sri Chinmoy: I tell my disciples that they have to use their wisdom at every moment. Sometimes we are physically tired. Sometimes we are mentally tired. Sometimes we are emotionally tired. Sometimes we are tired without any rhyme or reason. Often our mental lethargy makes us feel that we will not be able to complete the race or, if we complete the race, nothing special is going to happen. There are so many ways that our mind can convince us that it is useless and unnecessary to continue. The mind makes us feel, “I am just killing myself without any specific purpose.”

If mental lethargy or our own unwillingness tortures us, we must not surrender to these wrong forces. Our motto is, “Never give up!” Only after we have given everything that we have and everything that we are, can we give up if it is absolutely necessary. Otherwise, we are making the most deplorable mistake. Most of the time there is every possibility that we shall be able to arrive at our destination. And once we arrive at our destination, it is we who will be the happiest and the proudest person.

Interviewer: What makes sports and athleticism such an important part of spirituality for you?

Sri Chinmoy: As I told you before, each individual has to get happiness from what he is doing and from what he is. If I am not physically fit, I will not get up early in the morning. Let us say I am supposed to get up at six o’clock, but physical ailments compel me to stay in bed until nine, ten or eleven o’clock. At that time I enter into the hustle and bustle of life. Then, because I could not take physical exercise, I become a victim to certain other ailments. The supreme necessity of physical fitness is to help us become choice instruments of God. I am not saying that we have to become the world’s greatest athlete. Far from it! I do not have to become the world’s strongest wrestler or boxer. My goal is only to keep my body fit so that early in the morning I can pray, meditate, run or do whatever divine activity I would like to do.

The body, vital and mind each have a special role to play in our lives. If the vital is not dynamic, then we shall be lethargic. We have to be dynamic with our vital, not aggressive. Then we have to be mentally pure. We have to have pure and illumining thoughts in our mind and not indulge in doubt. Otherwise, one moment I will say that you are a very bad woman. Then the next moment I will tell myself, “What right do I have to say that? She is a very good woman.” So, this moment you are very, very good, but before you leave here, my mind can say that you are very bad. Now look at this! Who am I? Am I in a position to judge whether you are good or bad? No! But I am in a position to offer you good thoughts, kind thoughts.

You are being so kind to me here, and I am also trying to be kind to you by offering you good thoughts, illumining thoughts, fulfilling thoughts. The mind has to take the positive attitude and say that you are a very good person. By thinking that you are a bad person, what am I gaining? I am just wasting my precious time. But by thinking and feeling that you are a good person, I am clearing and purifying my mind. And if I have a clear mind, a pure mind, I will be able to achieve many, many encouraging and inspiring things in my life.

Part VII

SCA 470-478. On 8 July 1997, Sri Chinmoy answered questions at an informal gathering.

Question: Guru, have all the people who used to meditate for hours and hours in previous lives reincarnated?

Sri Chinmoy: Most of them have reincarnated. They had to!

Question: Are they consciously meditating now, or are they more involved in modern life?

Sri Chinmoy: Some of them have not turned to modern life. They are still in India and other Eastern countries, where they are praying and meditating. Again, some wanted to enlarge their experiences and go slowly in their spiritual life. That is why they are now in America and other Western places. Others felt that whatever they had already received was more than enough, so now they could take incarnation in the West. And some, even after achieving partial God-realisation, felt that science is better than spirituality! Their theory is that if science does something great, immediately millions of people will get the benefit. They do not realise that in one second the goodwill of a spiritual Master can affect thousands and millions of people.

I am here cutting jokes with you, but in one second I can send a little bit of goodwill with my occult power and spiritual power, and it will immediately spread. Science cannot do that. That is why Swami Vivekananda and others used to say, “From the top of the Himalayas if a spiritual Master sends goodwill for a few seconds, it will cover the length and breadth of the whole world.” Science can drop the atom bomb, but only one or two towns it can destroy. The world is so vast. How many atom bombs will be needed to destroy the whole world? But in the inner world, in a few seconds goodwill immediately enters into the souls of millions and millions of human beings.

This is one hundred per cent true, but you have to come to the level where you can see it and feel it. There are many, many things which we cannot prove to others unless they come to that level. A nurse will know the capacity of a doctor, but what do I know about medicine? Spiritual Masters have attained a certain height. As soon as they send goodwill from that height, it spreads everywhere. Sri Ramana Maharshi used to say that in one second he sent his goodwill and it covered the whole world. He was not imagining this, and he was not fooling himself.

I know that even when I am relaxing with my disciples, if I send goodwill, in a few seconds it goes to everyone, no matter how many souls are alive on earth. And if you are of a different standard, and you want to send goodwill to the other world, immediately it goes to the other world also.

Just yesterday the newspaper was showing the surface of Mars. I was reading the newspaper in a relaxed way when I saw it. It was not my mental hallucination, but while looking at the photograph for perhaps a minute, I was seeing so many beings! Still man has not landed there, but the picture had been taken. This planet looks like such a beautiful place, with greenery, like the surface of the earth. When I concentrated from my porch, believe me, how many beings were voraciously eating my light! ‘Voraciously’ is the right word.

Was this my imagination? Sri Ramakrishna would say no, this was not imagination; it was absolutely true. Sri Aurobindo would say it was absolutely true. But ask somebody else, an ordinary man, and he will say it was my mental hallucination; it was worse than imagination. Whom to believe? When I am concentrating, I am seeing something, just as I am seeing you here. If somebody else says, “No, he did not see anything,” then what am I going to do? Let that person be satisfied by saying that I did not see anything.

After all, I am the one who ate the mango. If I ate the mango and I enjoyed the delicious taste of the mango, but you say, “No, he did not eat the mango,” that is fine with me. Now I am eating this pancake, and you people happen to be here, so that is why you believe me. But in the case of people who are not here right now, some may believe me; some may not believe. Am I losing the taste of what I have eaten because so and so does not believe it? No!

Question: Are those beings on Mars consciously aspiring?

Sri Chinmoy: Some of them are consciously aspiring and some of them are not. But there are many that are aspiring. If a family of five people are in one room, when three get up and start making noise, the other two also get up. The first ones get up willingly to pray and meditate; the last two are getting up only because they are compelled. They say, “What will others think of me if I do not get up? Those three got up and they are now praying.” So they get up reluctantly, but the first three got up sincerely. The second batch are rogues!

Then again, it may happen that the first three, who got up sincerely, become tired. They may start thinking rubbish thoughts, while the second batch — who started by saying, “What will they think of me if I do not get up?” — now want to become very good seekers. They may try their utmost to aspire sincerely, and sometimes they go far beyond the ones who first got up early in the morning. The first batch may become tired and say, “Oh, we have been praying and meditating with no result.” Mechanically they pray. Then, after they have been praying for months and months and no prayer has been sanctioned, they give up. But those in the second group — who started out of sheer curiosity, worrying about what the first group would think of them — may become so sincere that they eventually go beyond the ones who got up first. Again, there may be some who got up early in the morning and gradually, gradually continue to do well.

Question: What kind of beings are these? Are they all on the inner plane? Do they have physical bodies?

Sri Chinmoy: They are much shorter than we are. They have a subtle body. Although they are small, they can come and help us.

Question: They can just travel to the earth?

Sri Chinmoy: Definitely! They can come and help us. They can give us such affection and love. Did my dog Kanu not come from another world? Kanu came and destroyed me with his affection!

Question: You have said that earth is the place where souls can make progress. So how is their prayer aiding these beings on other planets?

Sri Chinmoy: Their prayer is aiding them, but for God-realisation the earth planet is needed. Other planets will not give realisation. The progress that is necessary for God-realisation, the earth planet alone can give. On other planets beings can make progress, but not for God-realisation. They will get light, more light, abundant light. But they have to come down here to realise God. On each plane they can receive light. But for nature’s transformation or God-realisation, they have to come here. God has chosen this planet alone for God-realisation. In other places you can accumulate and accumulate, but you have to spend the wealth here.

Question: What do these beings do? Do they have a lifespan? We have a physical lifespan. Are they immortal? Do they live forever?

Sri Chinmoy: They can live as long as they want to. We cannot live as many years as we want to. Even if we do not want to, tomorrow we may have to die if it is God’s Will. In their case they can live indefinitely. Again, if they are bored, if it is too much for them, if their life is too long, then they may die.

Question: Were these beings disturbed when the spacecraft landed?

Sri Chinmoy: No, the spacecraft was touching the planet on another level. It did not disturb them. Simply taking pictures does not disturb them, but if people start living there, then it will disturb them. Just taking a picture does not disturb them, because photographs are not able to catch those beings. But if human beings go there and colonise, then definitely the beings will feel that we are disturbing them. Then we will be in trouble.

Question: Will that happen in the future? Will man go there eventually?

Sri Chinmoy: Man will go there, or they will come here. It is like the Russians and the Americans. Previously, Russians could not come to America and Americans could not go to Russia. Now they are going in both directions. But when those beings come here, they will have to take human birth. Again, when man goes there, man will not be able to live in the physical. Man will be able to live there with the tangible subtle body. Human beings also have subtle bodies.

Question: So people will not physically live there?

Sri Chinmoy: Physically I do not think they will be able to live there, because that plane is not for the physical. People can go there only with their subtle bodies. Again, who knows the future? But right now our physical is not ready. If we go just a little above the earth, we freeze to death.

Part VIII

SCA 479-480. On 21 September 1997, Sri Chinmoy answered these questions from one of his mountain-climbing disciples.

Question: It takes a very long time, a lot of effort and a lot of money to go on mountain-climbing trips. Is it really worth all the time, effort and money, or would it be better to do something else with our resources?

Sri Chinmoy: You have to change your attitude. When you climb a mountain or swim the English Channel, you may call it a silly adventure, but I take it as part of our manifestation. In the world of manifestation, there is an outer history and an inner history. One is in the mind and one is in the heart. The mind’s history we will forget the next day, but the history of the heart we will forever remember. We will forever remember that somebody became inseparably one with his Guru’s will and achieved something remarkable.

Recently one of our Swiss disciples, after swimming the English Channel, went on to do cycling and running all the way to Paris. If you look at her, who would ever imagine she could do this kind of thing?

We now have at least a solid three thousand disciples. Out of three thousand disciples, only five or six are entering into this mountain-climbing aspect of our manifestation. I am sad; if I had the money, I would be the first person to give you money to meet with your expenses. For everything, money is needed. There are many, many disciples who have enough money. But where are they? They have the money, but they do not have the willingness, the eagerness, the self-giving — which you do have. How many people have the daring capacity to climb? As you know, some people are afraid of climbing up stairs, even. It is too much for them. If there are eight floors, they will wait eight hours for the elevator to come!

Question: I don't think that money is really the problem. It's just that sometimes I feel miserable when there are other projects that I cannot participate in. Because I'm concentrating on climbing, I don't do some other things.

Sri Chinmoy: True, there are many other activities. But climbing is something that others cannot do. How many people can even imagine climbing up the Himalayas? Will my “best disciple” dare, even if I give him the money?

“Best disciple”: Guru, I don’t like the cold.

Sri Chinmoy: He does not like the cold, and somebody else will not like something else!

“Best disciple”: I’m also scared of heights.

Sri Chinmoy: You have to see how many people are able to do this. Each thing has such significance in life, individually and collectively: swimming, climbing, running. Look at what a wonderful job our Peace Run has done! Thousands and millions of people know about us because of the Peace Run. In the Peace Run you can invite thousands of people to participate, and everyone will be all oneness-enthusiasm. That is one way, the collective way, and it is a tremendous manifestation. But for other types of manifestation, individually some people have to come forward. When it is a matter of climbing, even if some people have oneness, will they dare to make the attempt? Everything that we achieve is recorded in our minds and hearts.

If people are afraid, if they feel they will die, I will be the last person to ask them to take up climbing. I am praying to God that you people who do take up the challenge do not meet with any accident. To climb the Himalayas is extremely difficult; again, it is a great adventure. In an adventure, if you do not meet with immediate success, you have to feel that eventually you will succeed. In the beginning, the idea of swimming the English Channel seemed impossible. Now a number of our girl disciples are doing it, and one older man is defying age and conquering the Channel. So if somebody else fails, you should not give up. Either you will do it, or there will be somebody else to come who will succeed.