Question: What is the difference between the mind of a world-renowned statesman and the mind of a world-renowned scientist?

Sri Chinmoy: Most statesmen or dictators live in the vital world. In the twinkling of an eye, they will try to make the whole world sit at their feet. As Julius Caesar said, “I came, I saw, I conquered.” This is what a statesman or a dictator will feel. Quite often dictators will try to operate on the physical plane with vital strength. They don’t use mental strength, although mental strength is superior to the vital strength. Psychic strength is superior to the mental strength, occult strength is superior to psychic strength and the soul’s strength is superior to occult strength. Again, God’s Strength is infinitely superior to the soul’s strength. The more subtle the strength, the more effective it is.

A scientist uses another strength. His strength is the strength of imagination-reality. Imagination has a plane, a reality of its own. But we call it “imagination” until we see it with our ordinary, naked human eyes. Then we try to go to the intuitive world. The scientist often goes to the intuitive world, but on very, very rare occasions in world history will a statesman or dictator have that kind of mind.

Again, I must say that in the second World War, once or twice Churchill’s utterances came from the psychic plane, intuitive plane. When he spoke, it was on a very high level. Kennedy and Nehru also spoke sometimes from the intuitive and psychic planes. But these are all very rare exceptions. Usually, dictators or statesmen try to dominate the physical world with their vital strength. But the scientist deals mostly with imagination-strength and, if he is successful, he goes one step ahead, to intuition. When the scientist discovers something, he enters into the subtle world and brings forward its capacity. His discovery has a physical shape, but its real essence comes from the imagination-world, intuitive world. He may think he has used the mind, but it is a reality in subtle form to which he is bringing physical form, in its own way.

So a world statesman will have access to vital or dynamic worlds, whereas the scientist will have access to the imaginative world or intuitive world. The worlds that the scientist explores are much higher than those explored by eminent political figures. But even the scientist surrenders to the spiritual person. Spirituality houses everything, including science. But, unfortunately, science does not give value to the spiritual life. The scientist wants constant proof on the physical plane, vital plane, mental plane. He wants to prove the reality he has seen. Spiritual people will say, “As the physical plane is real to you, even so, the spiritual plane is real to us. Why do I have to prove my existence by coming down to your level? If I am on the top of the tree, you climb up to the top of the tree to see whether I am enjoying the sweetest fruit or not.”

The scientist right now has not climbed up as high as the spiritual Master. What the great spiritual giants have achieved in the march of evolution is right now far beyond the imagination of the scientist. So the discovery that the spiritual Masters have made is not yet possible for the scientist to accept, and he tries to deny the spiritual Master’s discovery. Spirituality at that time tells the scientist, “No matter what you want to do with my existence, even if you deny it, I am not going to be the loser. I come from a very far-off land. This land is totally pure and this reality is absolutely authentic. If you want to taste my achievement, then come to the place where I can supply nectar. You have to come to my standard. If I want to prove my achievement to you on a mental level, then instead of giving you illumination, I will only add more confusion to your discovery. Your discovery will not and cannot give you abiding satisfaction, because it is mixed up with the mental and physical world.”

Political figures, scientists and spiritual figures are all correct according to their own standards. Politics is trying to operate from a particular level. Science is trying to operate on a particular level. Each is trying to tell the world how creation has to be accepted, according to its own level of evolution. And spirituality also tries to offer its truth. It does not explain. It says, “Become one and then enjoy; I don’t want to explain.” In politics you have to prove, in science you have to prove. But in spirituality it is not necessary, because you become what you achieve. In politics, if you give a most wonderful speech to the nation, the speech may be one thing and you may be something else. Your life may be totally different from that; you don’t remain in that consciousness. If you discover something, the atom bomb or hydrogen bomb, you don’t become what you have created. You can claim whatever you have created in the political or scientific field as your own, but your possession has not become inseparably one with its possessor. In spirituality, however, whatever you realise on the spiritual plane, you become. The creator and creation become inseparably one because of their oneness-capacity.