Question: Guru, when you ask us to watch a video of you lifting weights, if we watch you instead of the video, is it wrong?

Sri Chinmoy: Anything that gives you joy you can do. You are not doing anything bad by watching me, but if you watch me in action on the weightlifting video, you will get determination, you will get will power. If you look at me while I am relaxed, when I may be shaking my legs, you will not get that determination. Determination and will power I am ready to give. It is visible in the video. If you look at me in the video, you are getting determination and will power. There I am giving you my absolutely last breath, whereas here I am relaxed.

When the ocean is calm and quiet, that is one aspect. Underneath the ocean is calm and quiet, whereas on the surface there are huge, huge waves. What are those waves doing? When I am meditating, I do request you to meditate and look at me. But when I am struggling early in the morning, lifting such heavy weights, you should look at that, because that is what I want to give. I want to give my dynamic aspect to you. Why do you have to think of the static aspect at that time? When I am seriously meditating, that is the static aspect. When I am relaxed, I am not at that time offering the dynamic aspect.

Why do I bring these morning weightlifting videos to show you? It is because I want you to identify with my determination, with my will power, with my meditation, with my concentration. At that time I want to give you a mango, let us say, but you say, “I want to be satisfied with a banana.” A banana you will get. There is a time for you to eat a banana, and there is a time for you to eat a mango. Right now I am giving you the mango, in the form of this weightlifting. True, I am the same person; I am here, and you will say that I am the doer. But if you look at me when I am in action, then you will get the result. I am the doer — that is true; but I want you to see me when I am in action.

Why do I take these videos? It is just to show you so that you can identify yourself with the action. The power is inside me, but in the video I have expressed that power, and I want to offer it to you. It is from the action that you get the inspiration, not from the person in his static aspect.