Interviewer: Do you have a special bird in mind when you draw?

Sri Chinmoy: I have nothing in mind. I try to keep my mind as empty, vacant and tranquil as possible. The outer mind is like the surface of the sea. On the surface, the sea is full of waves and surges; it is all restlessness. But when we dive deep below the surface, the same sea is all peace, calmness and quiet, and there we find the source of creativity.

I do not use the mind when I draw because I believe that the process of thinking binds us and limits us. As soon as we think of something, we bind ourselves. The mind is binding us precisely because it has not yet learnt the art of self-giving, which is all expansion. It is the inner heart, the aspiring heart, that has learnt the art of self-giving. As soon as we enter into anybody’s heart, even if that particular person is our so-called enemy, we will immediately feel that he is also trying to become a better person. But when we enter into somebody’s mind, we become aware of that person’s imperfections, negative thoughts and so forth. Of course, if we enter into our own mind, we will see that we also have the same destructive thoughts. That is why our minds are always clashing. Each person wants to lord it over the other. When we live in the mind, we want to exercise our supremacy. But when we remain inside our hearts, we only love one another. At that time, the question of supremacy does not arise at all. So this is how we can solve our problems.

These birds represent unity in multiplicity. Here we have 70,000 birds. Each bird is different, but when you look at them, you feel unity. As soon as we think of the bird-consciousness, it is one. The bird-consciousness represents the consciousness of our soul’s inner freedom.