Question: I was thinking, for instance, that we have very good TV programmes here and we may feel more inclined to stay at home watching the TV programmes than to go to meditations. I consider that a hindrance.

Sri Chinmoy: That is not a hindrance at all; it is a lack of wisdom. If I have money, that does not mean that I shall squander it all the time. I have to know when to use it and how to use it for a right purpose, for a divine purpose. Similarly, there are many things that might distract me or prevent me from following the spiritual path or the inner life. It is I who am the master of my possessions. I shall have to deal with them according to the dictates of my soul. If I have a TV in my room, then it is I who use the TV, it is not the TV that uses me. I am the master of my possessions. As long as I am the master of my possessions, it is I who have to control my mind and say, “No. I have to go and listen to a spiritual talk, which will be more important than watching a TV show.”