Mrs. Lebenson: But people are limited in their capacity for happiness.

Sri Chinmoy: The thing is that we should do the best we can. But there is a way to cultivate our capacity. If I have ten dollars, that is good. But if I work very hard I can get twenty dollars and give it to my friend. Similarly, if I have love, if I have concern for mankind, I have to know that this love can be increased, this concern can be increased. Any of these qualities which I have, I have to know that I can increase. But for that I have to work. If I go to an office and work, then I get a salary. My salary I can give to my friends or I can do whatever I want to do with it.

If I pray soulfully and devotedly to increase my capacity, then I can increase my capacity. There is no way for any human being to increase his capacity without praying. According to the soul's nature, somebody will pray in one particular way, while somebody else will pray in another way. But if we want to give more than what we have, then we have to go to the Source. The Source we can call infinite Energy, infinite Light, infinite Bliss or anything that is infinite. The Source is Infinity itself. So if I want to give more than what I have to you or to anybody, then I have to have a free access to the Source, to Infinity.

If I don't do that, then I won't be satisfied. I will be satisfied only when I expand, expand, expand and become one with the Infinite. And for that, I have to pray, I have to meditate. There are many people on earth who are not aspiring but are happy with what they are. But if they want to have more happiness, then they have to pray and meditate. If I want to give more happiness to mankind, if I want to dedicate myself more to mankind so that I can see the transformation of mankind, then I have to grow into something, and I can do that by praying.

Before you pray you can take a picture of yourself and see what you look like. And after you pray, take another picture and see the difference. You say you don't want to pray but only want to appreciate something and identify yourself with the beauty of nature; that is the same thing. I will say before you start appreciating nature's beauty, which you call God, before you identify yourself with nature's beauty, you can take a picture, and afterwards you can take another picture. This second picture will be totally different! On the strength of your oneness you are growing into something. The more you identify with the divinity that you have, the more you bring to the fore your good qualities, the more you are happy and the more you are making others happy.