Question: How do you envision politics in the next century?28

Sri Chinmoy: I believe that eventually politics has to surrender to spirituality and allow itself to be guided and led by spirituality. The situation now in the political world is like a blind man trying to lead someone who has very clear vision. People who pray and meditate have clear vision; they live in the heart and they are the ones who should lead the blind. But instead, the blind are the ones who are leading. Who are the blind? The blind are those who live in the mind at every moment.

The mind only knows how to divide and divide. But by dividing the world and separating reality into pieces we can never get joy. Only by becoming one with the world can we get real joy. The mind is like a boxer. It is always trying to show its supremacy. All the time it is saying: “I am superior to you. I should be one step higher than you or one step ahead of you.”

The voice of the heart is the voice of oneness. It says “Wherever you are, I am also there. I am inside your heart and you are inside my heart.” This kind of oneness-philosophy brings us an abiding joy that we can never get from the world of separation and conquest. Today the boxer will defeat his opponent and tomorrow some other boxer will defeat him. So where is the satisfaction?

The mind not only separates itself from others; it also doubts and suspects others. It may even doubt and suspect itself. Those who live in the heart, on the other hand, are all the time expanding. Today they love God; tomorrow they will love all humanity. If spiritual people get the opportunity to help mental people who are now in the political world, then there will be a different kind of politics — the politics of the heart. At that time, guidance will come from the heart and there will be no division; there will be only joy and satisfaction.


MUN 71. 7 February 1992.