Question: How important is faith?

Sri Chinmoy: The role of faith is of paramount importance in the seeker’s life. Always he has to feel that he is God’s son, and that he has to realise God consciously. Ultimately it is God who protects, liberates and illumines a seeker. If the seeker has no faith, then he cannot proceed. If he does not have faith, that means he has something else: doubt. Either one has faith or one has doubt. There is no middle ground. Doubt puts real poison into us. A seeker must have faith in God and also in himself. If he loses faith in God or in his search for Truth, then his progress may be slow. But if he loses faith in himself, then he is doomed. By doubting God, by doubting our friends and neighbours, and by doubting ourselves we do not gain anything. If we have faith in ourselves and in God, constantly our life-tree is blossoming. He who has faith feels God’s presence inside himself and inside others. Faith is our constant inner growth. If there is no faith, there is no growth. If there is no growth, how are we going to reach the Highest? So faith is of paramount importance in the spiritual life.