Question: Guru, why does God make it so difficult for the seeker who aspires to realise God?

Sri Chinmoy: He has not made it difficult for sincere seekers. For the sincere seeker the road is very short, but for the doubtful seeker, the road is very long. This moment you feel that God is very kind to you, then the next moment you get a blow and feel some pain so you lose faith. Some unconscious part of you asks, "O God, why are you so cruel to me? This morning I did my meditation well. How is it that my body has been made to suffer?"

At that time you can say, "I know others may have infinitely more serious problems than I. God is so kind to me and it is only out of infinite kindness and compassion that my suffering was not infinitely worse."

Once you change your attitude towards God, immediately the road becomes easier. If you have pain, immediately you can see that this pain is absolutely nothing; then the pain goes away. But when you have a little pain and ask why God has allowed you to suffer, then the pain will remain. At that time you have to change your attitude. Whenever there is suffering, immediately you have to feel that it could have been infinitely worse.

Who has done this actually? Not God. It is the hostile forces that come and attack in the form of disease and suffering. We have to tell them, "We don't need you, we don't want you, we want only God."

When hostile forces attack us, unconsciously we cherish our suffering. Otherwise, they would not be able to last for a long time.

The road is long only for those who do not want to walk along the path in a proper way. If you feel that something is good, show all your gratitude. If you feel in your mind that something is bad deplorable, feel immediately that it could have been infinitely worse. Feel that it is out of God's infinite Love and Compassion that He has not allowed the attack to come to you. If you have this kind of attitude, the road becomes very, very easy.