Question: In what ways has the physical presence of the Himalayas helped Indians to become more spiritual?

Sri Chinmoy: The Himalayas can inspire people who live nearby or who come to visit the Himalayas for spiritual reasons. But if someone who lives at the foot of the Himalayas has no inner feeling for the Himalayas, he may not get any benefit at all. On the other hand, even if you live thousands of miles away in America, if you have a very deep feeling for the silence of the Himalayas and if you think of or meditate on the Himalayas, then you get the benefit.

You do not have to go to the Himalayas to feel their consciousness; it is with your aspiration that you can get blessings from the Himalayas. You can get inspiration from the Himalayas by just imagining them or meditating on them or thinking of their peace, height and sublimity. Similarly, you do not have to go to India to feel the consciousness of India. If you just think of India's inner silence, India's inner peace, India's inner vastness, then immediately you get the consciousness of India. And the Himalayas embody those inner qualities to a great extent.