Question: Sometimes I feel that I am competing with others and trying to realise God ahead of them. Could you say something about this?

Sri Chinmoy: In the spiritual life, there is no such thing as competition. We do not compete with others because we know they are our brothers and sisters. If we feel that everyone is a brother or sister, we begin to get a feeling of oneness with them. If you have to enter into the field of competition, then I tell my students to compete with themselves. Right inside us there are so many competitors — fear, doubt, jealousy, insecurity — which are always ready to compete with our aspiration. When we want to go one step ahead towards our goal, immediately fear enters into our mind, doubt darkens our mind and other undivine forces immediately try to stop our onward journey. So if you must enter into the field of competition, then compete with yourself, your inner undivine, unruly members. Since we have all entered sincerely into the spiritual life, we should not compete with others. We only look forward. We feel that when our time comes we will reach our destination: when our hour strikes we shall reach our goal. The destination is there for everybody, but the hour has to strike. If the hour strikes for you then you will reach your goal. If it strikes for me, then I will reach my goal. If it strikes for somebody else, then that person will reach his goal.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Fifty Freedom-Boats to one Golden Shore, part 2, Sri Chinmoy Centre, New York, 1974
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/ffb_2