Part V

Question: As I understand it, the goal of the spiritual life is to be conscious of one's Master at every moment. How can I approach that goal?5

Sri Chinmoy: The inner world and the outer world, the physical body and the spirit, have to be seen together — that is the best way. But if, for some reason, you are unable to appreciate the Master in the physical, then appreciate him in the spiritual. And vice versa, if you are unable to appreciate him in the spiritual, then appreciate him in the physical.

Let me give you an example. Here is my physical body. If, at this very moment, you cannot appreciate me because I am talking with the disciples and so forth, if you cannot imagine my highest, if you cannot feel my highest, then immediately enter into the spiritual. Immediately try to see me in the depths of your heart. Close your eyes if you feel like it. Enter into your heart and your heart will either identify you with me on the physical plane to see my highest or your heart will take you to my highest where I am one with my Beloved Supreme.

When I want to see the divinity in the physical of a disciple on their birthday or some other days, I immediately go beyond the physical of that disciple. I enter into the spiritual. There I see the soul of the person.

Suppose you are having a very high experience, you are experiencing immense joy or a vast expanse of light. You have to know who is the owner of this infinite joy and delight. Somebody has to be the owner. If there is a house, the house will have an owner. He may not be inside the house, but it is his possession. Similarly, when you have the experience of something very deep, very high, very sublime, you can say, “This is not my possession, far from it. I cannot claim it; it is not mine.” Then if you can immediately think that I am the source of the light or peace or silence that you are experiencing, you will be able to identify yourself with me on the physical plane no matter what I am doing.

So if you cannot identify yourself with me while I am playing tennis or chatting with the disciples, if you cannot feel my highest at that time, then go inside your heart and try to identify yourself with me in another world, a higher world. That will increase your devotion and give you utmost satisfaction.

Again, if you are in that higher world, you have to know that where there is a possession, there is always a possessor. So whatever light or delight you are experiencing, try to feel, “My Guru is giving me this experience,” which is absolutely true. Either you look at the drop and feel that when this drop is multiplied it becomes the ocean or you try to see the ocean in order to appreciate that the body is like a drop. If you want to see the quintessence of that ocean, then I am holding it. If you want to see the larger than the largest in a very tiny form, here is the answer, the body.

You can choose whichever way you want, but the best way is to see the inner world and the outer world together. If you are in the finite, immediately try to hear the Song of the Infinite. You have a physical form, you are singing earthly melodies, but inside the earthly melodies is the divine presence of the cosmic gods and goddesses. But if it is difficult inside the song to see the presence of the cosmic gods and goddesses, then enter into the cosmic gods and goddesses and try to see that the melody, the universal song, is coming from them.

If you can see the inner world and the outer world together, then you will always be happy. But if the outer world is displeasing you, then enter into the inner world. And if the inner world is not pleasing you fully, because you are seeing the ocean of Light but you are unable to become the ocean of Light, then just say, “That means somebody’s possession I am not getting. Let me please that person in order to get his possession.”

By following both these ways, one can fulfil one’s promise and manifest one’s divinity. Inside the finite, you have to hear the music of the Infinite. And again, inside the Infinite, you have to say that this Infinite has to be manifested in and through the finite.

God wants to manifest Himself here on this little earth-planet. There are other planets, but there He does not want to manifest, there He is doing other things. On this one planet He depends, He relies. Here on this little, tiny earth-planet He wants to manifest His Transcendental Vision.


SCA 1209. This question was asked on 16 September 1989.