Question: Can our own feelings or ideas about the nature of our ultimate spiritual goal hinder or interfere with our deeper perception of reality?

Sri Chinmoy: Sometimes it does, sometimes it does not. It depends entirely on what kind of belief the seeker is dealing with. If it is only a mental belief, not based on inner reality, then naturally it will obscure his inner vision. But if it is something from the heart, from the psychic vision or reality, then it will without fail accelerate his progress. If it is mere mental belief which comes from the earthbound mind, it is bound to be contradicted by another type of belief. But if our belief has grown into positive conviction, soulful conviction, then it will not be an obstacle. On the contrary, our soulful conviction expedites our life’s spiritual journey.

The mind is constantly doubting its own convictions, its own realities. But beyond the mind, beyond the belief-reality, there is a reality which we can call conviction-reality. This conviction-reality is in the inmost recesses of our heart. Once we can become consciously one with our inner conviction, we will feel that at every moment we are given the golden opportunity to run fast, faster, fastest.