Imitating older disciples

Unfortunately, when the disciples stay with us for three, four, five, six, seven or eight years, they create a kind of vibration or an aura around themselves, so that the new disciples try to imitate them. The new disciples think that those who have been with us for a long time have the right qualities. They feel, "How can these people do anything wrong?" So they try to imitate them and then they don't get the proper inspiration.

Sometimes the new disciples try to flatter the old ones so that they can become close to me. But the new ones cannot become close to me by flattering the old ones; it is absurd. Again, when the new disciples see that some people have stayed with us for several years without making any progress, they feel that their fate will also be the same. They say, "If we stay with Guru for five or six years, then we will also remain full of imperfections, so the best thing is not to follow his path."

When we accept new disciples, we give them an opportunity to walk along our path. The newer disciples may imitate the older ones, but if the older ones are not doing well, then they are ruining the mission. If they can't become an ideal for the new ones, then what good is it for them to stay in our family? In a family there is a father and mother and there are a few other members. The father and mother will expect their eldest son or daughter to take some responsibility and become really good and great so that the little ones can be inspired. Otherwise, the parents have to go on all the time telling all their children what is good and what is bad. But if they can teach their oldest one, then the little ones can learn from him.

When we were sick, my mother used to go to the temple and pray. She would not come to us when we were sick. My sister would take care of us as my mother had taught her to do. If the disciples who have been with us for some time can learn from us, then only can the new ones be inspired by them to increase their aspiration. Otherwise, the old disciples are really creating problems for us. On the one hand, we can't get rid of them; and on the other hand, they do not inspire the new ones. So we are stuck. New disciples come with enthusiasm and joy. They want to run the fastest, but there is nobody to run with them unless the older disciples take the responsibility. The older ones are supposed to teach them, and when they reach a certain standard, then they can come to me. But where do we have that kind of disciple? We have very few disciples who can be a source of inspiration like that.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Philosophy, religion and yoga, Agni Press, 1980
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/pry