Question: Is it necessary for a seeker to appreciate different forms of art?

Sri Chinmoy: Only if the seeker wants to. If the seeker does not have any appreciation for art, this will not stand in his way. If somebody does not have the capacity to appreciate art, his spiritual progress will not be delayed. Many spiritual Masters did not know even the ABC of art; they did not know about it and they did not care about it, but their realisation was in no way delayed. If you have the capacity to appreciate art, do it, and if you don’t have the capacity, no harm. Your God-realisation depends entirely upon your aspiration.

Of course, if you can appreciate something good in others, it is a help to you. If somebody has achieved something great in the art world, and if you have the capacity to appreciate it, then it becomes easier for you to realise the Highest, because in art also there is God. If you lack the capacity to appreciate art, or if you have a personal prejudice against a certain form of art, then don’t bother with it. Only remain with your own aspiration, because your own aspiration will give you realisation. But if you don’t feel jealousy toward the artist, if you don’t have a personal prejudice against the artist or his art, and if you have the capacity to appreciate the art, then your progress becomes complete and integral.