Question: What do we expect from our sound-lives and silence-lives?

Sri Chinmoy: From our sound-life we expect God-manifestation from our silence-life we expect God-realisation. Sound-life is very often misunderstood because there are those who feel that when we try to manifest God, it is only for the expansion of our own ego. And again, silence-life is also misunderstood when we try to lead only a silence-life and do not offer anything to the world at large. When we totally cut off our connection with the world around us we are misunderstood. When we are in silence-life we have to feel that we are expecting Peace, Light and Bliss. And when we are in the sound-life we have to feel that the time has come for us to offer the things that we have achieved and received: Peace, Light and Bliss in abundant measure. First we learn, then we give. Silence-life is learning; sound-life is giving.