He and his ego worship each other,
He and his doubt love each other,He and his fear torture each other,
He and his failure hate each other,He and his perfection reject each other,
He and his death live in each other. ```Your pride confuses my mind.
Your pride amuses my heart.Your life receives nothing but
A ceaseless tribute from the foolish world.I know not how
Your swollen headAnd
Your sunken mindLive together.
You know not how to implore,You know not how to explore,
You know only how to explode.Here on earth,
There in HeavenNothing grows without nourishment.
ButYour ingratitude is an exception,
Indeed, an unbelievable exception. ```In the morning
He shakes hands with I-dolatry.In the evening
He embraces his self-infatuation.At night
He suffers from I-strain.Yet
His is not a hopeless case;God in him is still alive,
Vividly alive. ```Truth and dignity
Share the same palace.Love and joy
Share the same palace.Father and son
Share the same palace.Faith and doubt
Share not the same palace.Fear and courage
Share not the same palace.Alas, ingratitude has no palace, none at all.
```His physical absence
Diminishes my little hopesAnd increases my great hopes.
His spiritual absence destroys
All my hopes, little and great.In his physical absence
I see my Goal,Although quite far.
In his spiritual absenceI see only a goalless shore.
```Pleasure is the absence
Of temporary physical pain.Joy is the presence
Of eternal gainIn the heart of life.
Doubt is the absence
Of temporary mental relief.Faith is the presence
Of eternal releaseIn the Goal of the soul.
```Acceptance human
Is the acknowledgementOf painful obligation.
Acceptance divine
Is the acknowledgementOf soulful perfection.
God accepted man
To make him happy.Man accepted God
To make himself great. ```The body thinks
Accident is an inevitable occurrence.The mind discovers
Accident is an undeniable occurrence.The heart feels
Accident is an avoidable occurrence.The soul knows
Accident leadsTo profitable experience.
```Strive blindly,
And achieve nothing.Strive carefully,
And achieve something.Strive soulfully,
And achieve everything.Strive unconditionally,
And, lo, you have wonEverything,
Including God. ```Death, how often do you speak to God?
“I speak to God constantly.”Can you tell me
What both of you talk about?“We talk about our achievements
AndOur disappointments.
I tell Him about my achievementsOn earth
And my disappointments in Heaven.God tells me about His achievements
In HeavenAnd His disappointments on earth.”
I see.
Thank you, Death. ```His desire-kingdom
Is bounded on the north by fear,On the south by doubt,
On the west by jealousy,On the east by insecurity.
His aspiration-kingdom
Is bounded on the east by faith,On the west by love,
On the north by devotion,On the south by surrender.
His realisation-kingdom
Is bounded on the east by God’s Compassion,On the west by God’s Illumination,
On the north by God’s Realisation,On the south by God’s Perfection.
```I am a zero.
ThereforeI pray to God.
I am a hero.
ThereforeI take care of man.
When I am in the body,
I represent the nothingnessOf a zero.
When I am in the soul,
I represent the TreasureOf Eternity.
```When he concentrates,
Everything matters.When he meditates,
Nothing matters.When he contemplates,
Only God matters. ```When the vital retires,
The mind rises.When the mind retires,
The heart rises.When the heart aspires,
The soul rises.When the body aspires,
God rises. ```She nurses love,
He nurses indifference.She nurses devotion,
He nurses indifference.She nurses surrender,
He nurses indifference.She nurses grievances,
He nurses indifference.She nurses despair,
He nurses indifference.She nurses indifference.
He touches her feet,He kisses her shoes,
He becomes her slave. ```My doubt obeys me
When I tell himTo do as he wishes.
My jealousy obeys me
When I tell herTo do as she wishes.
My pride obeys me
When I tell himTo do as he wishes.
My fear obeys me
When I tell herTo do as she wishes.
My God obeys me
When He sees meSmiling and dancing.
The world obeys me
When she sees meCrying and sighing.
```Obstacles appear
To make us better, not bitter.Failure appears
To make us better, not bitter.Obstacles disappear;
We wait and look around.Failure disappears;
We wonder and wander around. ```I tell you,
Even when worst comes to worst,It will not be so bad.
I tell you,
Even when best comes to best,It will not be so good.
Unwillingness to see
The Face of LightIs by far the worst thing on earth.
Surrender to God’s Will
Is by far the best thing on earth.To defeat the worst in life,
We must unlearn in the heartThe lessons given us by the mind.
To win the best in life,
We must learn in the mindThe lessons given us by the heart.
```Even his own shadow
Is afraid of him.Even his own eyes
Are afraid of him.Even his own Goal
Is afraid of him.Who is he?
Impurity, the only sonof our venom doubts.
```His sovereign dream
Of God-manifestation on earthIs collapsing fast, very fast,
Into its own self:An explosion with no life in it,
A realisation with no light in it,A perfection with no love in it.
```In the morning
She is the passion of aspiration-light.In the afternoon
She is the passion of transformation-might.In the evening
She is the passion of realisation-height.At night
She is the passion of immortality-right. ```Passion is possession.
Live in the vital,You will know it.
Passion is frustration.
Live in the mind,You will feel it.
Passion is perdition.
Live in the heart,You will discover it.
Yet
Passion is not rejectionBy God’s Compassion.
Passion is illuminationWhen it shakes hands with aspiration.
```When he left Heaven,
The owner of HeavenSoulfully cried with gratitude,
Hoping that he would soon return.When he touched earth,
The owner of earthVehemently protested his arrival.
Furious, Mother Earth said to Father Heaven:“Stop dropping your garbage on me.”
Trembling, Father Heaven replied:
“O my better half, forgive me,This will be absolutely
My last torture,My greatest relief.”
```He is a peculiar man
Privately and publicly.Privately he steals from God,
Publicly he gives to mankind.Privately he shakes hands with God,
Publicly he touches God’s feet.Privately he advises God,
Publicly he obeys God.Privately he feeds on God’s Compassion,
Publicly he finds fault with God’s creation. ```He never remembers his realisation,
Once he has decidedTo tell the world
What it looked like.He never forgets his manifestation,
Once he has decidedTo tell the world
What it looks like. ```Only Heaven can
Deserve his pride.Only earth can
Preserve his sacrifice.Only he can
Observe his birthright.Only God can
Serve his aspiration-delight. ```He is very loyal to God;
ThereforeHe reached God’s Head.
He is very loyal to man;
ThereforeHe kissed man’s feet.
He is very loyal to God;
ThereforeHe touched God’s Heart.
He is very loyal to man;
ThereforeHe breathed in man’s mind.
```No friend have I
In Heaven.They all have descended
To work for the world.No friend have I
On earth.They all have ascended
To rest in Heaven.Friendless in Heaven,
I cry for earth-entrance.Friendless on earth,
I cry for Heaven-exit. ```His mind says to him:
“You are useless.You cannot entertain
Even one charming doubt.”His heart says to him:
“You are useless.You cannot maintain
Even one particle of faith.”His soul says to him:
“You are useless.You cannot contain
Even one secret of God.” ```He illumines Heaven
When he leaves it.He illumines man
When he leaves earth.God illumines him
When he teaches.God illumines him
When he reaches.All illumine him
When he ceases. ```On earth
His long stayingIs his only shortcoming.
In Heaven
His short stayingIs his only shortcoming.
In man
His very stayingIs his only shortcoming.
```Before Him
My Imagination dies,My Aspiration runs.
Before Him
My Aspiration dies,My Realisation flies.
Before Him
My Realisation dies,My Perfection spreads.
Before Him
My Perfection dies,My Oneness prevails.
```He has not only the last word,
But the last ten thousand words.He sings not only the last song,
But the worst possible songComposed by any man on earth.
He reveals not only the last experience,
But the saddest experienceExperienced by the superlative failure.
```He thinks the world loves him.
Truth is thinkingThrough his searching mind.
He feels the world loves him.
Truth is feelingThrough his serving heart.
He knows the world loves him.
Truth is singingThrough his glowing life.
```God, for God’s sake,
Don’t be so cruel,Don’t make me Your equal!
God, for God’s sake,
Don’t be so stupid,Don’t make me Your equal!
God, for God’s sake,
Don’t be so absurd,Don’t make me Your equal!
If I equal You, God,
I shall lose my purest love-life,I shall lose my sweetest devotion-world,
I shall lose my brightest surrender-sky. ```In the morning
Aspiration-worldBrushes her teeth,
Desire-worldSharpens her tongue.
In the evening
Aspiration-worldIllumines her Ignorance-tree,
Desire-worldDestroys her life.
```When I am in Heaven,
I pull my ant weight.When I am on earth,
I throw my elephant weight around.When I am with God,
I have no weight.He just empties my weight.
```Lord, if it is Your Will,
I shall love my enemies.Lord, if it is Your Will,
I shall illumine my friends.Lord, if it is Your Will,
I shall forgive my earthly existence.Lord, if it is Your Will,
I shall live without You.But
If it is Your WillThat I should equal You
And become another God,Then
I shall cry around You,I shall sigh within You,
I shall die before You.Lord, give me only one boon:
First and last,That You will remain my eternal Lord.
```The greatest fault
He discovered in HeavenWas ecstasy.
The greatest fault
He discovered on earthWas complacency.
The greatest fault
He discovered in himselfWas love.
The greatest fault
He discovered in GodWas
FORGIVENESS. ```He is so indecisive.
He has been meditatingFor thirty-three long years;
But still he has not given himselfA spiritual name.
He is so possessive.
He wants to know the names of hisSpiritual great-grandchildren
Who are still sleeping in Heaven.He is so obsessive.
He wants world-perfectionThis very moment.
He feels his own perfectionCan delay;
No harm,His big heart can wait
And sleep in Eternity’s Life.He is so progressive.
He asks GodTo beg him to create
A new world, a world infinitely betterThan God’s own world.
```During his entire life
He challenged GodNot once, but thrice.
In the morning of his life
He challenged God’s Power,Only to be liberated.
In the afternoon of his life
He challenged God’s Forgiveness,Only to be forgiven.
In the evening of his life
He challenged God’s Immortality,Only to be embraced.
```I believe everything.
It saves me from thinking,It saves me from criticising,
It saves me from doubting.I like everything.
It saves me from being ignored,It saves me from being misunderstood,
It saves me from being obstructed.I love everything.
It saves me from sovereignty,It saves me from curiosity,
It saves me from futility. ```He has two staunch admirers:
God and Satan.God admires his presence of mind
In the inner world.Satan admires his absence from mind
In the outer world.God asks him to remember
Everything that God says and does.This will help God.
Satan asks him to forget
Everything that Satan says and does.This will help Satan.
```I never speak ill of man,
Except in self-defence.I never speak well of God,
Except in self-glorification.I neither speak ill nor well of Truth.
Why?Because Truth needs
No comment from me,From my judgement-seat.
```He is the clear proof
Of reincarnation.In his previous incarnation
He spoke excessivelyIll of God.
In this incarnation
He is trying to compensate.He is appreciating God
Beyond his sincerity.He is admiring God
Beyond his capacity.He is loving God
Beyond his necessity. ```When he deals with men,
First he takes themAnd then he leaves them.
When he deals with angels,
First he ignores themAnd then he invokes them.
When he deals with God,
First he loves God with his love,And then he kills Him with his surrender.
```After we look doubt over,
We overlook doubt.After we overlook faith,
We look faith over.After we look Satan over
When he smiles,We overlook him
When he cries.After we overlook God
When He cries,We look Him over
When He smiles. ```In vain
His superlative adorersFight against
His sleepless gravediggers.In vain
His proud creationFights against
His earth’s oblivion. ```Love is Heaven’s first sacrifice,
Love is earth’s last achievement.Dream is Heaven’s first invention,
Dream is earth’s last discovery.God is Heaven’s first Voice,
God is earth’s last Choice. ```Even
A turtle makes progress.What is wrong with me?
Even
A fool makes progress.What is wrong with me?
Even
A sunken hope makes progress.What is wrong with me?
Even
A broken heart makes progress.What is wrong with me?
Even
A deceased life makes progress.What is wrong with me?
```From:Sri Chinmoy,The Dance of Life, part 10, Aum Press, Puerto Rico, 1973
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/dl_10