Question: If you have problems with people in your daily dealings, how do you know when it is best to remain silent and when it is best to say something?

Sri Chinmoy: The best thing is to pray and meditate most soulfully for ten minutes. Make your mind as silent as possible. Make your entire being so silent that if somebody dropped a tiny pin, immediately you would feel it. If you can make your mind absolutely quiet for five or ten minutes, then in your meditation you are bound to get the message whether outwardly you should advise that person or whether you should keep your proud mouth shut. The answer has to come.

If from within you get the message to speak, then you also need an additional prayer. You have to pray that you will keep your prayerful meditation-consciousness while you are giving the advice, for then your advice will be more effective. Again, you have to know that you may not be able to convince the other person. The other person may be so undivine that no matter how much inner wealth you offer him, even if your advice is coming from the very depths of your being, still he may not listen.

I do feel that I tell the right thing to my disciples, but very often they do not listen to me. Still, I know that I am right. In your case also, from the depths of your meditation if you get a message in the form of advice and someone does not listen, then do not blame yourself or doubt yourself. Do not feel, “Oh, perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps the message I got from within was not correct.” No, the message was correct, but the other person is not accepting the light. If he does not listen, then after a few days or a few months, if you get the same message from within, you can try to tell him again.