Question: Are artistic capacity and the ability to manifest it the same?

Sri Chinmoy: There is a difference between the capacity to create and the capacity to manifest. Again, if God’s Grace descends, the capacity to create and the capacity to manifest become one. At that time, the capacity to manifest becomes an extension of the capacity to create. Suppose you get your Master’s degree. When you get your Master’s degree, immediately people expect you to be able to teach others. But in spite of having your Master’s degree, let us say that you can’t teach at all. The capacity to go high you have, but the capacity to manifest your height you don’t have. But when some people get their degree in a specific subject, they do have the capacity to teach others. In them the capacity to create and the capacity to manifest go together.

Let us say that even after getting your degree, still you want to learn. Even though you lack the capacity to teach, still you want to go higher. Even after you get your Ph.D., you go to the library and read hundreds of books. There is no end to your learning; since you are not stopping at a particular limit, your very movement will develop into some capacity to manifest. It is like a river that does not come to an end. While it is flowing, flowing, flowing, it is spreading water this side and that side; it is manifesting its consciousness. If it is a pond, then everything has stopped. If it is a pool, its movement has stopped. But when it becomes a river, it is continuously flowing and manifesting. So the capacity to create can eventually grow into a capacity to manifest if one continuously creates and creates. Even if one does not have the capacity to manifest right from the very beginning, it is quite possible to develop that capacity.

Some spiritual Masters who have realised God do not want to help mankind. They are frightened to death to mix with earthly people. They say, “Earthly people are worse than animals. If we mix with them, then all their animal qualities will enter into us. With greatest difficulty we have come out of the animal kingdom, so why mix with them?” But again, some Masters say, “No! We are stronger than animals and it is quite possible for us to mix with them and tame them and transform them.” And some, out of compassion, say, “Once upon a time we were also like them. Just because we have come out of the animal kingdom by spiritual practice, shall we leave our younger brothers in the lurch? No, we shall try to help them. If by chance we are caught by ignorance while helping our brothers and sisters, no harm. After all, if the elder brother is ready to give his life to save a younger brother, God will be really pleased with him and God will say, ‘All right, since you have tried to save your younger brother, I will give you a new life.’”