Question: Is it because we don't practise all year?

Sri Chinmoy: We have to work very hard, very hard and with more determination. Only on rare occasions do people have the opportunity to practise throughout the year. But that is not our problem. In our case I don't see even one athlete with determination. You may practise shot-put for two hours but your consciousness, although not undivine, is so relaxed. It is as though you are performing a duty that you have been asked to perform. Our difficulty is neither lack of opportunity nor lack of time. Our difficulty is lack of determination. It is true that we don't have the utmost opportunity. Most of the time we go to bed at eleven or twelve at night. But at other ashrams it is the same. They have activities almost every night, so we can't say that that is the cause. Our difficulty is lack of determination. Otherwise, if we practised with determination two or three times a week, our standard would be bound to go higher.