Question: Does meditating in a group improve our aspiration?

Sri Chinmoy: Meditation is, I must say, a new lesson almost every day. In meditation the spiritual Master is conscious of the fact that he has entered deep within each soul and that the souls have all felt something. It is collective aspiration that brings down the Light. I try always to go to the Highest and bring down the Highest and enter into the deepest Light, but there are some who actually go with me into the Highest and the Deepest. When they go with me, it is a great help. When I stand in front of others, at times they try to pull me down; but fortunately I am stronger and I pull them with all my power. I lift them up. Then, when they surrender, they go up. These people go on my shoulders like dead bodies, but I take the responsibility for them. There are only a few like that. Most of them can be pulled up; easily they can go up with me.

It is absolutely true that the disciples contribute much to our collective aspiration. When you are aspiring most intensely and somebody else is aspiring most intensely, this intense aspiration always helps in bringing down to earth the great spiritual Masters. I think that both the Bible and our Indian spiritual scriptures say that if twelve people pray intensely in a circle, then the spiritual Masters will walk among them. It is the result of their collective aspiration. One is aspiring with his inmost light, another with his power, another with his peace, another again with light. Then all the united aspiration goes up to bring down the presence of the spiritual Masters. So collective aspiration is very effective.