Part IV — Questions and answers

Question: Can you please speak about collective meditation?

Sri Chinmoy: When you meditate in a group, feel that ignorance is against you in a tug of war. So at whatever time the meditation is scheduled to begin, at that time you have to start pulling. It is like starting together in a race. Before a race, all the runners have to come and wait at the starting point. When the starter fires the gun, immediately the runners begin running. But if a runner is not at the starting point at the appointed hour, the starter does not wait for the latecomer. Today we are meditating in a group. When we meditate together, we have to know that we are meditating with the Supreme, in the Supreme and for the Supreme, against ignorance. We are not competing against anybody; we are competing against our inner weaknesses, inner imperfections. In order to conquer these forces, we have to run towards the Goal.

As each spiritual Master has a boat of his own, we are also in our own boat. Every day the Supreme is judging the passengers. Now I may scold you from time to time, but I wish to say that many who are in my boat are winning the race against ignorance. Although there are some who do not meditate well, some do meditate very well. Again, there is every chance, every fear, every apprehension that we may also lose mercilessly. We have been winning, true, but if we lose our capacity, ignorance may win. So please feel that only when we can see the smiling Face of the Supreme have we achieved everything. He is giving us this opportunity. He offers everyone the same opportunity, but so far it is only spiritual seekers who have availed themselves of it. Right now many new people are entering into our boat. This is the Supreme's wish that I am executing. A kind of self-complacency has developed in some of the older disciples who have been with us for four, five or six years, and this self-complacency is a danger to our mission. The new disciples will add new life to our inspiration and aspiration.