Question: Is meditation the only way to achieve enlightenment?

Sri Chinmoy: No. Prayer is another way. In the Western world you pray, and in the Eastern world we prefer to meditate. These are two roads which eventually converge and lead to the same destination. If you pray most soulfully, you will definitely get illumination. Again, if you meditate soulfully, you are sure to get illumination.

Some people like to pray while others like to meditate. If you feel that prayer is most effective in your life, then naturally you will pray most soulfully. And if you feel that meditation helps you most convincingly in your life of aspiration, then you try to meditate. It is the individual who has to make the choice.