Question: Is there any reason why the majority of souls seem to want manifestation and few souls want oneness or perfection?¹

Sri Chinmoy: You are seeing that the majority here today care most for manifestation, but when we consider all our Centres perhaps as many people also care for the other qualities. But let us say that, granted, people care more for manifestation. What is meant by manifestation? Manifestation means revelation. The soul uses the dynamic vital for manifestation. We think that without the body we cannot manifest. That is true, but we have to know that without the vital, either the dynamic vital or the aggressive vital, we cannot manifest anything.

It is the vital push that compels the physical to work. If a person is restless, we say that his body is making the movement. But actually the movement is coming from his vital. Leave the body alone and you will see that it is all inertia. The body has very, very, very limited light. In the dynamic vital there is a little light. And in the aspiring mind there is more light. In the psychic heart there is abundant light. People are caring more for manifestation because through their ambition, all individuals want to do something. There are very few people on earth who do not want to do something. Yes, they may sit quietly because they are lazy by nature. But if somebody does something remarkable, immediately desire comes into them and they say, "Oh, if I only could do that!"

When we are in the spiritual life, we do not do that. If we see that somebody has done something extraordinary, we do not envy him. Either we feel that it is we who have done it and we become one with his real spiritual life, or we feel: "It is good for him, but for me something else is necessary; something else will give me more joy. He is the best runner and I am the best singer," or "I am an aspirant. Let me try to be the best aspirant and let him remain the best singer or best runner." In that way we are freeing ourselves. We are not competing with anyone. But in the ordinary life, when an absolutely lazy man who won't budge an inch goes to a football match and sees how dynamic the players are, he thinks, "How I wish to be that kind of player!" Look at this! Only one hour before, he said that rest is the most important thing, his most favourite thing but right now he sees these people kicking a ball and he wants to do that. Now he wants to manifest himself in football.

That is how it is for ordinary human beings. The vital immediately wants to do something, although it knows that the body does not care for the action. Consciously, the individual does not know that his body does not care to do something and his soul does not care to do it; but the moment he sees that somebody has achieved something, he says, "I also have to become that." All day and night, he has been sleeping, resting; he has been in another world. But when he sees somebody's achievement, immediately he becomes greedy and feels that he also has to do the same thing.

But spiritual people don't do this. They enjoy, but they feel that they have their own goal; or they become one with the doers. When I see that somebody is running the fastest, I really feel that I am the fastest runner. Ask me to run with the fastest runner and I will be nowhere. But when the person runs, I get such joy because I feel that it is I who have run the fastest. Or as a seeker, I will say that his goal is to become the fastest runner and my goal is to realise God. In that way, the seeker in me is safe. But ordinary men won't act like that. They will operate in their vital. They will do nothing and, at the same time, the moment they see somebody else achieve something, immediately they will try to grab it. Without working they want to get the same name and fame the same admiration, which is impossible. That is what the manifestation is like for ordinary, unaspiring people. But for the sincerely aspiring people, it is different.