Question: When we cannot be with you at special and sacred times and we hear afterwards it was something that should not have been missed, something very important, how can we not feel sad that we had to miss it?

Sri Chinmoy: If you know I am having a seven-hour meditation or I have lifted 700 pounds, if something very significant has taken place in New York and you are in Switzerland or Hungary or some other place, then if you feel miserable that you were not there, that you could not participate, you get zero. When you hear that I have achieved something or something great has happened, immediately say, “My Guru has done it!” Then if you get sincere joy and if your joy is absolutely one with my achievement, you are bound to feel that you have done it. If you are sincerely happy, immediately my achievement belongs to you.

A child is sincerely happy when his father buys a car. He claims it as his own. He tells his friends, “This is my car.” His father will not say, “When did you have the money to buy a car? It is all my money.” No. His father is so happy that the child is claiming the car. The father is so pleased that his child is as happy as he is with the car or perhaps even happier.

In your case, suppose you are in San Francisco and I do something very significant in New York. As soon as you hear the news, either you can be happy or you can feel miserable that you were not there. If you start thinking that so and so was there — either your friends or your enemies — then your consciousness will descend. But if you can immediately say, “ My Guru has done it!” then sooner than at once you are bound to feel that you yourself have done it.

There have been many, many occasions when the Supreme has done something and I have claimed that I have done it because of my oneness. I love the Supreme so much. When He tells me in the occult world that something has happened, my joy is such that I immediately feel that I have done it. I have had nothing to do with it outwardly, but my oneness with Him is such that I am there. He is the ocean and I am a drop. How can we be separated? If I claim myself to be a drop, then I belong to the ocean. So if you are sincerely happy on the strength of your oneness with my achievement, then you can receive much more than those who were there to see it.

Recently I celebrated my brother’s birthday with a special weightlifting demonstration. There quite a few disciples were tired and exhausted. Some were sleeping. Some were in another world — they were unhappy, miserable. If you watch the video, you will see how I was killing myself to lift such heavy weights and some of the disciples were looking so bored. Some of the guests who were not disciples were receiving much more than my disciples! I was so shocked when I saw the video. While performing, I could not see the audience. Then afterwards, when I saw the video, I said, “Some of my disciples are like lifeless wood, while some of the guests are like most beautiful flowers.” You cannot imagine to what extent some of the guests became one with me on that night! They were so eager to watch my performance.

All the disciples around the world take me as their spiritual father. If they really love their father, then when their father does something, will they not be happy? Wherever there is happiness, we make progress. Otherwise, by saying, “Oh, Guru did something, but I was not there to witness it,” you are only bringing in a sense of separation between you and me. The best disciples are those who are happy. They may be in another part of the world, but they may be receiving much more than those who are right near me. Perhaps those who were near were not in a high consciousness. If their consciousness is lower than the lowest, are they going to receive anything? Whoever is happy at my achievement establishes his oneness with me and receives much more.