Interviewer: A lot of the people who kill and torture others in the name of Truth have successfully avoided the contradictions of mind. On the other hand, sometimes my mental hesitations enable me to be kind.

Sri Chinmoy: You are perfectly right. But I have to say that it is not the heart that is inspiring them or instigating them to kill millions of people. Unfortunately, we have another member in our family, which is called the vital. We call it the aggressive vital or the impure, unlit vital. The vital and the heart are very close to each other. They are like two rooms. One is unlit, obscure, dark, and the other is fully illumined. When we enter into the dark room, we are under the impression that it is the room of the heart. But the heart is all love and compassion; the heart is identification. If I identify my existence with your existence, then I won’t want to kill you. My hands will not go and strike my eyes because they have established their identification with my eyes. And my eyes will not want to injure my hands. No, they have established their identification with my hands. They know that all the parts of the body have their respective roles to play.