Part VIII — Questions and answers: North Idaho Junior College

Question: When a disciple meditates on you or on your photograph, how much does he actually feel your presence?

Sri Chinmoy: It depends on the disciple's aspiration. If the disciple is meditating most devotedly, most soulfully, then he is bound to feel my inner presence strongly. Either he will feel me inside his heart, or he will feel his own existence inside my heart, or both. But in order to be able to meditate soulfully, the seeker has to meditate daily, with love, joy and concern for his own progress and for his Master's divine manifestation.

Every day we do not eat most delicious food. One day we eat delicious food and then, for a week, the food we eat may be quite ordinary. Similarly, one day a disciple may feel his Master’s presence strongly, and then for a few days he may not. No one can become an expert all at once. Everyone needs practice. In the beginning, it may not be possible for a seeker to feel the Master’s presence every day, but there comes a time when he is bound to feel the Master’s presence within him, not only during the time of his meditation, but also during his multifarious activities.

How does one become a sincere, devoted, genuine seeker? He does so by feeling in each thought, in each action, that his Master is within him and for him. Naturally, when the disciple constantly feels his Master’s presence, the Master will feel the disciple’s conscious, constant inner cry, which is called aspiration.