Question: I want to be in the spiritual life only.

Sri Chinmoy: You want to be in the spiritual life only, but where? In the Himalayan caves, or in the world-arena? Real spiritual life means carrying our Beloved Supreme inside our heart. When you go to the office, when you go to the supermarket, you can carry the Supreme inside your heart and inside your mind. At every moment you can try to manifest the Supreme.

At this moment, by holding meditation I am fulfilling the Supreme. Next moment, by playing tennis I am pleasing the Supreme. Right now I am answering your questions, and half an hour ago we had a very good, soulful meditation. In all these different ways the Supreme is being manifested. You also can manifest the Supreme in many different activities, but you have to surrender to His Will. God wants you, like me, to manifest Him through a life of action. Each time you get a thought, are you offering it to the Supreme? If the answer is yes, then you are doing the right thing. Whether it is a bad, undivine thought or a good, divine thought, if you can offer it to the Supreme, then you are doing the right thing.

For each action there is a thought, there is an idea, there is an ideal. If you are doing it soulfully, devotedly, unreservedly and unconditionally, then you are more than perfect. You don’t have to live in a particular place in order to be spiritual. You have just meditated. That is wonderful. Now if you have to go to the school or to some other place, you can carry your spiritual consciousness. Your soulful consciousness you can take into all your outer activities. Otherwise, you may sit in front of your shrine for hours thinking of your friends, your enemies, or some incidents. That is just a waste of time. Inside your heart what is going on, inside your heart who is there — these are the things that make you spiritual or unspiritual. You can be closeted alone in your room, but millions of thoughts and ideas will enter into your mind. Nobody is there; you are net talking to anybody, and nobody is talking to you, but you and your mind are constantly talking to each other.

It does not matter where you are, but what are you keeping inside your heart. If you are keeping good thoughts, divine thoughts, illumining thoughts, fulfilling thoughts inside your heart, you are doing the right thing. If you are carrying me inside your heart as the oneness-representative of God, then you are doing the right thing. You don’t have to go anywhere. While walking, while talking, while eating, while running, while studying, if you can feel God’s presence, then you are doing absolutely the right thing, the spiritual thing. Otherwise, no matter what you do, no matter where you go, you will not be satisfied. Always please try to fulfil the Supreme inside your heart. This is His Creation. He has sent you, He has sent all of us, to fulfil Him, to please Him on earth in His own way.