Question: Guru, I'm a musician and I'm also trying to follow the spiritual life. Sometimes, however, I find it very difficult to reconcile these two parts of myself, and I feel I shouldn't try to move too quickly in this area.

Sri Chinmoy: If you can play spiritual music, soulful music, then you will have no problem. But if you play vital music — jazz and rock and roll and all that — then you will not be satisfied. You are pleasing the outer world but you are not pleasing your Inner Pilot in His own way. If you are not an aspiring seeker, that is fine. But if you are a sincere seeker, which you are, then you will feel miserable.

You may say that it is necessary to evolve slowly, that you cannot change your music overnight. Then I will say, "All right, but also try to bring forward the other life." Each time you make a successful attempt, feel, "Oh, my days are numbered. My old life is coming to an end." Feel that you have got enough money, fame and so on.

Even if you have not got enough, just try to convince your mind. In this way your soul will come forward. If you can make yourself feel that the whole world appreciates and admires you, that the whole world has given you what you want, but still you are not satisfied, then you will ask yourself what you still have to do in your life. What you have to do is to please your Inner Pilot in His own way.

Right now you may think that the world will not appreciate your spiritual music. It may take time, but today or tomorrow you will create another world of music. If you go on creating, one day people will appreciate your creation.