Question: What must I do to meditate correctly? Chidananda tells me many things about meditation, but sometimes I concentrate too much on something and this concentration is much too difficult for meditation.

Question: Rose.

Sri Chinmoy: Very good. In Russia do you see the lotus?

Question: I don't see many lotuses.

Sri Chinmoy (holding up a rose): Do you like this kind of rose?

Question: I like every flower.

Sri Chinmoy: But you like the rose more. Very good, that is enough. You have my Transcendental picture; my highest height is there prominent. But here I will give you another picture, a special picture where I am smiling. My smiling picture will be of more help, infinitely more help, than my serious picture. In the Transcendental picture, there my smiling consciousness is hiding; but here my smiling consciousness is prominent. This particular picture will help you immensely. Please look at this picture early in the morning and then, while looking, kindly imagine a flower inside your heart, a rose. Feel that the rose is not fully blossomed; it is in a bud form. After you have meditated for two or three minutes, please try to imagine that petal by petal the rose is blossoming. See and feel the rose blossoming petal by petal inside your heart. Then, after five minutes, try to feel that there is no heart at all; there is only a flower inside you called 'heart'. You do not have a heart, but only a flower. The flower has become your heart or your heart has become a flower. After seven or eight minutes, please feel that the flower-heart or heart-flower has covered your whole body. Your body is no longer here; from your head to your feet you feel the fragrance of the rose. If you look at your feet, immediately you feel the fragrance of a rose. If you look at your knee, you feel the fragrance of a rose. If you look at your head, you feel the fragrance of a rose. Everywhere you feel the rose. The beauty and the fragrance and the light of the rose have permeated your whole body. When you feel from your head to your feet that you have become only the beauty, fragrance, light and delight of the rose, then you are ready to place yourself at the Feet of the Beloved Supreme, who is my Guru, your Guru, everybody's Guru. You feel, "O Lord Supreme, now I place myself at Your Feet." Then your meditation is over.

This is absolutely the best meditation for you. It is good for many, many, so if you people want to try it, please try. They are noting it down in shorthand. You will get a typed copy in case you forget. But now what I am saying your aspiring heart is hearing; your soul is receiving. Nothing is lost. And on the mental plane you will get it tomorrow or the day after, when they give you a typed copy.

Do not meditate more than fifteen minutes at a time: in the morning fifteen minutes, in the evening fifteen minutes and during the day if you want to meditate, two or three minutes, but not more.