Question: Can A Spiritual Master Use Occult...

Question: Can a spiritual Master use occult power to destroy wrong forces and expedite a seeker's progress?

Sri Chinmoy: In the past the Masters used occult power not so much to elevate the seekers' consciousness as to destroy wrong forces. Destruction is very easy. It takes just a few minutes to destroy a building. But if you want to rebuild the building and make it better, it takes a very long time. This body, vital and mind we have built over many years. If there is some dislocation inside the body, inside the vital, inside the mind, we try to cure it. We try to repair the house and make it into a good, strong house.

This is what the spiritual Masters are trying to do today. In the past they did not have this kind of compassion or patience. They would tell the seeker once or twice what he had to do, and if he did not listen, they would just destroy! In the twentieth century we are a little wiser. We give someone many chances, and if he does not do the needful, we just let him linger and linger without making much spiritual progress. The destruction part does not come from the spiritual Masters. People sometimes have seen me looking very powerful during meditation. You may have seen how powerfully I have meditated on someone. But you have no idea what kind of power you would have seen if I had opened my third eye!

Spiritual power has only one task: to raise the consciousness of humanity. Occult power does not do that; it mainly destroys. If occult power is properly used, and if the seeker is ready, in the twinkling of an eye it can destroy the wrong forces in the seeker. But if it is used improperly, it can be very destructive in an uncontrollable way. Spiritual power is slower, but slow and steady wins the race.