Part IV — Transcendence and perfection

Transcendence and perfection4

Transcendence and perfection are two supreme realities. At this moment transcendence plays the role of the seeker and perfection plays the role of the goal. The next moment perfection plays the role of the seeker and transcendence plays the role of the goal, the ever-transcending goal.

Perfection and transcendence at times play hide-and-seek. Transcendence searches for perfection. When perfection is caught, perfection surrenders and offers to transcendence its infinite wealth, which is the delight of Light. Perfection searches for transcendence. When transcendence is caught, transcendence offers to perfection its infinite wealth, which is the light of Delight. In this way both perfection and transcendence enjoy continual satisfaction.

What is perfection? Perfection is not and cannot be a finished product; it cannot be an ultimate height that defies transcendence. Perfection is something that continuously transcends its own reality, its own height, its own goal. Perfection is like a river that flows constantly to the ever-expanding, ever-transcending sea. It is not like a stagnant pool or lake; it is a dynamic river that flows towards the ever-transcending Beyond.

Here on earth we observe perfection in two sublime realities: cry and smile. When a child cries soulfully, in his soulful cry we observe perfection. When a child smiles soulfully, in his soulful smile we observe perfection. Perfection is bound to be there where the existence of the soul looms large. The soul is the direct representative of God, the conscious messenger of God. The soul is the harbinger of new life, new light, new dawn, new realisation, new perfection on earth.

There is an inner perfection and there is an outer perfection. The beauty of a flower is the outer perfection; the fragrance of the flower is the inner perfection. Anything that has to be transcended inwardly is bringing us the message of perfection in the inner world. Anything that has to be increased, illumined and fulfilled outwardly is bringing us the message of perfection in the outer world.

When we can feel and really see each individual being as another God, at that time we observe perfection in the inner world. To see each and every individual on earth as another God is to see nothing but inner perfection. Again, to see and feel God's presence in each human being is to see outer perfection. In inner perfection we see each individual as another God. In outer perfection we see God and nobody else inside each individual.

What is transcendence? Transcendence is a never-ending climbing process, a dynamic reality. The Goal also is a transcending reality. Why do we want to transcend? We want to transcend precisely because we need satisfaction within and satisfaction without. How do we achieve satisfaction? We achieve satisfaction by becoming a mounting flame of aspiration. And when we become a mounting flame of aspiration, satisfaction is achieved by the God-lover in us, the truth-server in us.

Our world has two realities which we use in order to transcend ourselves. Ignorance-night is a reality and wisdom-light is a reality. Ignorance-night we conquer. By conquering it we transcend the reality that we have been forced to embody for millennia.

Wisdom-light we inwardly are. When we become aware, fully aware, of the wisdom-light within us, we transcend the reality which we already are and we grow into a higher reality. Ignorance we conquer, and by conquering ignorance we derive satisfaction. Knowledge we increase, and by increasing knowledge we derive satisfaction.

Transcendence and perfection give us one most significant thing: satisfaction. This satisfaction is in God, it is of God, it is for God and, finally, it is God Himself. In our world of reality, there are quite a few rungs of the satisfaction-ladder. It starts with imagination, then inspiration, then aspiration, then realisation, then revelation and then manifestation.

Imagination is a world of its own, which embodies reality. A scientist enters into this world of imagination and discovers something unknown. Then the scientist offers satisfaction to the members of the world-family.

Inspiration is a world of its own. It is a world of movement. Either this world enters into us or we enter into this world. Forward, upward, constantly it wants to move, and it invites us to move along with it. It tells us, "Movement is satisfaction. Movement is the harbinger of perfection."

Aspiration is a world. In the world of aspiration, God, who was at the very beginning one, wanted to become many. When He wanted to become many, He sang the song of self-transcendence. By fulfilling Himself in the world of multiplicity, He offers us the dance of perfection. It is in the aspiration-world that we see God the One and God the Many, God the eternal Silence and God the infinite Sound.

Realisation is a world. In the world of realisation, perfect realisation, we see that the finite and the Infinite are inseparable. Here on earth the finite unconsciously and consciously wants to maintain its sense of separativity. It is afraid of the Vast, of the Infinite; it feels that only by remaining alone is it safe. The infinite says to the finite, "Brother, by remaining alone you will never see the face of supreme satisfaction. I am within you and I wish to serve you. Allow me to do the needful. The supreme satisfaction is also within you. Only surrender your ignorance-vision, your ignorant way of seeing the truth. Feel that the Lord Supreme has a special message to fulfil in and through you. He is inside the tiny ant and He is also inside the universal creation. But there is a specific message which He wants to fulfil in and through the finite. Be conscious of His message and thus become perfect. The world of realisation is the world of perfection in God's tiniest possible creation and also in God's largest possible creation."

The world of revelation is the hyphen between the realisation-world and the manifestation-world. It unites both realisation and manifestation. It is aspiration that feeds revelation. It is on the strength of aspiration that revelation can grow into manifestation. If aspiration is taken away from the inmost recesses of the revelation-reality, realisation will become soulless and manifestation will become hopeless.

At our journey's start what we need is aspiration; at the end of our journey's close what we need is aspiration. Aspiration is the mounting flame which has neither beginning nor end. It is a birthless, deathless reality. There comes a time in the march of world-evolution when we grow into this ever-mounting flame of aspiration which is always transcending its already achieved goals. It is aspiration which is the real satisfaction in transcendence, and it is aspiration which is the real satisfaction in perfection. With aspiration God commenced His journey and with aspiration He will eternally continue His journey, for aspiration is constant transcendence, constant perfection and the ever-increasing satisfaction of His infinite Vision and eternal Manifestation.


SDW 23. 11 February 1976, 7:30 p.m.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Self-discovery and world-mastery, Agni Press, 1976
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