Question: Does the soul ever act autonomously to realise itself?

Sri Chinmoy: The soul does not assert itself although it easily recognises the mistakes made by the mind. It has infinite patience and does not interfere in any way with the activities of other parts of the being. In some cases, the vital being and the heart find the independent course of the mind an obstacle. In that case they will act in unison to counteract this tendency of the mind. But the soul waits. It knows that it has all Eternity in which to manifest itself, so it is undisturbed by temporal delays.