Question: What is the essential quality which a seeker needs in order to enter into your path?

Sri Chinmoy: The essential quality that a seeker needs, not only to enter into my path, but to enter into any path, is sincerity. The seeker has to ask himself whether he really needs someone to fill his life. Right now he does need someone, because he has not yet established a free access to his inner life, where he is absolutely and inseparably one with God. A day will come when the seeker will realise that his own highest, transcendental height is God Himself. But he cannot claim the Highest as his very own right now because most of the time he is swimming and drowning in a sea of ignorance. Therefore, he has to feel that there is someone who is trying to illumine him. How can he search for that someone? First of all, he has to look inside his own heart, and he has to look with sincerity. If he can feel that his whole life — body, mind, vital, heart and soul — is composed of sincerity, then he is not only meant for this path, but for all paths, and he will make the fastest progress.

There are many paths and many Masters, but each path has a special quality of its own. All paths and all Masters lead the seeker to the destined Goal, but each path has something different and original to offer. In our path, we have divine love, devotion and surrender. To acquire these divine qualities of love, devotion and surrender, we must give of ourselves; and while giving, we shall feel our oneness with the Supreme. So, if someone wants to try our path, he has to feel the necessity of realising the highest truth through divine love, devotion and surrender. If he has divine love, devotion and surrender along with the true sincerity, then he is more than qualified to follow our path.