Recent Content

My Elevator

A talk by Sri Chinmoy
at the Sri Chinmoy Centre Church
Bayside, New York

There is an elevator inside me. How I wish that all of you could avail yourselves of the elevator inside me! How I wish that, when I meditate, all of you could just run into the elevator and climb up with me wherever I go. I feel miserable when I see that practically nobody enters into that elevator which I use in order to go up and come down. Some of you are trying to enter into the elevator. Some of you come very close to the elevator. Some of you are really quite afraid of the elevator because it goes very fast. Some of you think that it is not an elevator at all; it is just a clever trick. You do not believe in that elevator. You feel that it is only the jugglery of my eyes. To the disbeliever and the unbeliever I have nothing to say, but this is not at all the jugglery of my eyes. As I told you before, like a bird I fly from one plane of consciousness to another. When you go deep within with the Supreme, when He wants to reveal or manifest Himself in and through you at every fleeting second or to bring into you His infinite higher worlds, then He can do so through the eyes. Eye means vision. We embody vision. Again through the eye we reveal the light that we embody. 

So, dear ones, let us not be unbelievers or disbelievers. Let us at least try to be believers. After staying with a spiritual Master for quite a few years, at least try to be believers in what the Master is saying or doing. It will help you. And those who believe in me have my special love and grace, my blessingful pride, for I know that one day they will be able to enter into the elevator which I constantly enjoy.

Published in Chinmoy Family, August-September 1977

Emily Dickinson

Sri Chinmoy’s reflections
on the great American poet
at the United Nations in New York

December 10th was the birthday of Emily Dickinson, the unparalleled American woman poet and the universally celebrated world poet. Emily and her family formed an inseparable and unique reality. Her family's need was all to her. Her family saw in her reality's intensity, which is a portion of her future-building, illumining divinity's fulfilling touch in the heart of humanity.

Emily's heart carried her physical consciousness and her vital consciousness to her soul's world. Her soul, in a sublime yet subtle manner, carried three other members — the body, vital and heart — to the soul's own source, Immortality-Land. When they returned, the body, vital and heart were convinced of the reality of this divine Immortality-Land.

Just because the mind was not invited to take the trip either by Emily or by her soul, heart, vital or body, her mind violently refused to believe in the authenticity of Emily's illumining, fulfilling and immortalising experiences. The mind stood adamant between the finite and the Infinite, between the body and vital and the heart and soul, between the consciously known world and the unconsciously known world. And what is worse, at times the mind was so successful in convincing her, that her previously intoxicating reality-world became nothing more than a visionary hallucination-conception-world in her human life. This formidable and blightful doubt resulted in an indulgence of self-mockery, truth-mockery and world-mockery in her life. Naturally, therefore, her heart's illumination-sky could not grant her the boon of a free access to her inner vastness and her outer plenitude.

Emily learned very little from her association with her outer life. But she learned much from her inner association with her world-seclusion. Indeed, the outer world was an experience devoid of integral reality to her. Therefore, what she knew of earth and thought of earth could not become an encouraging, sustaining, inspiring, illumining and fulfilling experience leading to her own existence-reality.

Emily's love of God and her love of nature made her inwardly beautiful. All her life Emily lived the life of an introvert. A self-imposed seclusion-life she embraced. God's Compassion-Beauty was her reward. In God's Compassion-Beauty, her world and those who wanted to live in her world became preparation-instruments for the transformation and perfection of the frustration-experiences of life.

Her aspiration was not only in seclusion, but seclusion itself became her aspiration. Inside seclusion-aspiration she did get a few striking glimpses of the inner illumination-sun. Life's buffets gave her two or three times intolerable frustration-experiences, which commanded her to dive deep, deeper within to discover the wealth of the inner life.

Obscurity was her name when she was on earth. Only seven poems were published while Mother Earth nourished her. But when Father Heaven started nourishing her, earth lovingly acknowledged Emily's great achievement and felt considerable pride in her soul-stirring gifts to mankind.

About eighteen hundred flower-poems formed her entire garland. Some of the petals of the flowers offered by her were childish beauty, while others were childlike duty and still others the mature wisdom of a Christian saint. It was her realisation that the Unknown and the Beyond always remain an uncertain and unknown reality. Just because she felt that it would remain unknown forever, the real Reality-Source could not quench her thirst-reality and satisfy her.

Some disproportionately foul critic found in her nothing but a lunatic of the superlative degree. If so, why? Is not this world of ours responsible for not being able to give her the heart's satisfaction which she so richly deserved? Is not the other world responsible for not granting her the life-perfection which she so desperately needed? Her heart-experience says to earth, "Earth, I understand your dilemma. You want and, at the same time, you do not want a transformation-face; a transformation-face, according to you, either is not real or may not satisfy you at all. Therefore, your inner cry is not intense enough, it is not genuine or abiding."

Earth says to the poet, "You are right, you are right. You are more than right. I wish to tell you that what I have is not satisfying me and what I may get is not satisfying me at all. But I do feel that if, in God's creation, satisfaction never dawns, then God will have to remain incomplete. To cherish the idea that God is or will remain incomplete leaves my own existence-reality incomplete for all Eternity. Question I have; answer I do not have. But I am sure my patience-life will be inundated by answer-light in the bosom of Eternity's choice hour."

To Heaven, the poet's life-experience says, "Heaven, if you are really soulful, then you must please me powerfully, too. And if you are really powerful, then you cannot endure a yawning gulf between your own ecstasy-reality and my depression, frustration and destruction-reality. True reality exists in self-expansion founded on illumination-distribution."

Heaven says to her soul, "O seeker-poet, you have to dive infinitely deeper. I am not exactly what you have seen of me. I am not in the least what you think of me. I am far beyond your desire-discovery-aspiration. Within your aspiration-discovery-realisation, you will find me, my universality's oneness."

Published in Philosopher-Thinkers: The Power-Towers of the Mind and Poet-Seers: The Fragrance-Hours of the Heart in the West

Christmas Trip Prayers

by Sri Chinmoy
in Sao Moritz, Brazil

18

My heart
Is a God-aspiration-choice.
My life
Is a God-manifestation-voice.

19

May my Master's eye
Proudly occupy
Every space in my heart.

20

I was my mind-dryness,
But now I am
My Lord's Compassion-Rain.

21

I was born to smile
At God the Creator
And God the creation,
But alas,
My life's sadness-clouds
Are hanging in my heart-sky.

22

My Lord,
All I have
Is ignorance-frown.
All I need
Is Your Compassion-Smile.

23

Today my soul
Is smiling and dancing
Inside my heart-tears.

24

Today God wants my heart
To be only one thing:
A roaring strength of cheerfulness.

25

Today God wants my mind
To be only one thing:
An ever-climbing consciousness-altitude.

26

I must not allow my days and nights
To sleep any more
Inside my idle eyes.

27

I have come to learn
That there is no real God
For those who do not
Bend their knees
And extend their arms.

Published in My Christmas-New Year-Vacation Aspiration-Prayers, part 1

Not to Judge, but Only to Love

A story by Sri Chinmoy
narrate in Xiamen, China

Once a prominent spiritual Master was invited by the mayor of a certain town to offer a talk. The spiritual Master had never been to that town before. He very happily accepted the invitation and decided to travel there alone. Though he had many, many disciples throughout the land, he had none in this town.

The mayor made all the arrangements for the Masters visit. He reserved a large hall where the Master could offer his talk, and he had notices put up everywhere inviting all those interested to attend. Everyone was extremely happy and proud that such a famous spiritual Master was coming to their town.

One spiritual seeker named Jyotish asked his friend, “Have you heard the news? A very great Master is coming to town. He will meditate and give a talk. Who knows, he may even show us some of his occult power!”

His friend Madhu replied, “Fantastic! I did not know of this. We cannot miss it.”

Like this, the Master’s forthcoming visit became the talk of the town. Everyone was most eagerly looking forward to the renowned Master’s arrival. Finally, the day of the talk arrived. People from the town, and even many people from the surrounding villages, had come to listen to the Master and meditate with him.

Madhu excitedly telephoned his friend early in the morning. “Jyotish, we must arrive at least four hours early in order to get a good seat!”

“Yes, of course,” Jyotish replied.

The friends agreed to leave at eleven o’clock to walk to the town hall where the Master would be speaking. It was the largest meeting hall in the entire town. The talk was to begin at four o’clock in the afternoon. The mayor himself would not be attending, but he had done an excellent job of letting all his townspeople know about the Master’s coming.

A wave of tremendous spiritual excitement had spread throughout the town. All the people were thrilled in anticipation of being in the presence of a great spiritual figure. The men were wearing their cleanest white dhotis and kurtas, and the women were wearing pure white saris.

Hours before the Master’s talk, people were streaming down the main road of the town in large numbers. Just near the mayor’s mansion, and a few blocks from the town hall, all those who were passing by saw an old, unkempt man sleeping on the side of the road. His grey hair was long and dishevelled. His beard was completely uncared for. His clothes were simpler than the simplest. Nobody had ever seen this old man before.

Because people were going to attend a spiritual function and were in a good consciousness, most of them took compassion on the old man. Some kind-hearted people gave him bananas and other food.

“Here, take this, old man,” one nice mother said. She was going to hear the Master with her four young children. She put a small bowl of rice right in front of the old man. Then she and her children went on their way.

A few people were far less kind, and some of them even cursed the man. “Horrible! Horrible! Are you even a human being? Get out of here!” they cried at the poor, dishevelled man. “How dare you be here, dressed like that on such a sacred day as today! Go! Go away!”

But the old man seemed only to sleep and sleep.

Finally, the time came for the Master’s talk. When the Master entered the hall, there was a stunned gasp from the audience. “What! This is the Master? This is the Master? There must be some mistake!” they exclaimed. They were all shocked, for the Master was none other than the same old beggar they had all passed by while he was lying down on the road and sleeping.

The Master simply bowed his head and meditated in complete silence for several minutes. Then he spoke slowly and with tremendous intensity. “I am extremely grateful to all of you for coming here today to attend my talk. I have not come here to judge you. I have come here only to love you.”

Then the Master continued, “All of you who passed by me this afternoon judged me. You said to yourselves, ‘This man is so poor! He is so dirty! What is this old man doing sleeping on the road like this on such an important day? How dare he?’ Some of you were extremely kind to me and even offered me your food. Others were less kind. They made fun of me or showed their anger. I wish to tell you that the spiritual life is not to judge, but only to love. If you can all follow this one divine teaching, then you will make tremendous progress in your spiritual lives. You will see immediately what a difference this will make in your own inner life of aspiration and in your outer life of dedication.”

Without saying another word, the Master blessed each and every person in the hall in silence. Then he bowed his head once more and slowly walked out of the hall.

When the Master returned home, his spiritual children were extremely eager to hear how his trip had gone. The Master simply smiled and said, “I gave a talk. It went very well. I said that I have not come into the world to judge anyone. I have come into the world only to love everyone and everything.”

All the disciples were deeply moved. They bowed to the Master and silently filed out of the room.

Published in The Power of Kindness and Other Stories

Man and His Goal

A talk by Sri Chinmoy
 at the State University of New York
Farmingdale, New York

My dear friends, you are fortunate, you are special.

A significant branch of the State University significantly helps you to specialise here in horticulture and agriculture. Soon you are going to be at home in the science of plant-life and the cultivation of the soil. In a broader and purer sense, you are making a solemn promise to the world at large that you wish to be the true children of Nature, Mother-Earth.

By the way, I am sure, you all know that it was an Indian scientist, Sir J. C. Bose, who was the discoverer of life in plants. He was born in Bengal. I am proud that I was born in the same province.

Your genuine love of Nature enables and entitles you to receive special love, concern, favour and blessings from the universe, the Universal Life and the Universal Mother.

A man said to the universe:

"Sir, I exist!"

"However," replied the universe,

"The fact has not created in me a sense of obligation."

This sound and striking pronouncement of Stephen Crane does not apply to you in the least. Nevertheless, others may rightly deserve this fatal fate. I wish to tell you that the universe, the universal Life and the universal Mother will proudly bless your devoted heads and dedicated hearts, for you love Nature, you adore Nature. What is Nature? Nature is God the Mother. In His masculine aspect, God is Transcendental. In His feminine aspect, God is Universal. Let us invoke the presence of God the Universal Mother before we enter into "Man and His Goal."

[A three-minute meditation followed.]

Man's goal is the human love. Human love sadly fails, Man’s goal is the physical beauty. Physical beauty is but skin-deep: Man's goal is money, material wealth. "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of Heaven."

Man's goal is Truth. Truth awakens him from his ignorance-sleep. Man's goal is Peace. Peace feeds him, his life inner and outer. Man's goal is Bliss. Bliss immortalises him, his life-breath.

Self-realisation. This is what man needs from God. Love. This is what God needs from man. Faith. This is what God always has in man. But alas, man has to develop faith in himself and faith in God.

Man unfalteringly says: "If I had time, I would love God If I had time, I would worship God. If I had time, I would even cry for God."

But poor God has time. He has time to forgive man's unending stupidity. He has time to bless man's shameless mind and grant him all his real necessities. He has time even to cry for man's yet unborn sincerity.

Man and God. Try to realise God. Both God and man will say to you: "Wonderful, go ahead." Try to explain God. Man will immediately tell you: "Stop, don't belittle God, don't torture God." God will voice forth: "Stop, for my sake at least, don't deceive men, don't deceive my children."

Let us not try to explain God. If we do that, our ignorance will be exposed. Let all of us realise God and for that what we need is meditation. Let us meditate, meditate on God.

Man has to walk far, very far. He has to reach the Shores of the Golden Beyond. Slowly, steadily and unerringly he has to walk. But he needs must walk forward and not backward. Lincoln welcomes man, his fellow traveller, to sing with him:

"I am a slow walker, but I never walk backward."

We believe in evolution. We certainly do. Man is not going back to the animal kingdom. Man is proceeding towards the Kingdom of Heaven which perpetually breathes, grows and glows in the inmost recesses of his heart.

Friends, you are cultivating knowledge. We all do it. Each human being must own a bumper crop of knowledge.

Somebody said: "A college degree is often the receipt a young man gets for bills his father paid."

I make bold to say that I reject this eyeless idea outright. Your parents desire that you learn how to swim in the sea of knowledge. Your Professors who are the.expert swimmers in the sea of knowledge teach you successfully and gloriously how to swim, I deeply admire your zealous sincerity, your Professors' enormous capacity. But, alas, knowledge, book-knowledge, is not enough. You all know it. I have not discovered something new or fantastic, far from it. I just wanted to remind you of the soulful fact that there is another sea. This Sea is the Sea of Divine Light, Peace, Bliss and Power. This Sea gives you realisation and liberation. You will have the realisation of your conscious and indivisible oneness with God. You will have liberation from your bondage of millennia. This Sea gives you Fulfilment Infinite. Something more, this Sea makes you feel in a perfectly convincing manner that you are truly and unmistakably tomorrow's God.

Who says that man is sleeping? No, he is not. He woke up with his teeming desires and was fully ready but soon he discovered that God was not ready and will never be ready to receive him.

Man woke up with his flaming aspiration, but was unpardonably late. Yet God was eager to receive him, embrace him and finally place him on His own Transcendental Throne.

Published in AUM — Vol. 4, No. 8, March 27, 1969

New Year’s Message for 1987

by Sri Chinmoy

For the Mountain-Truth-climbers
And the Fountain-God-lovers
The New Year will be the year
Of unprecedented inner aspiration-progress
And unlimited outer manifestation-success.
The Truth-climber
Is a God-chosen God-compeer.
The God-lover
Is a God-crowned future world-liberator.

Sri Chinmoy delivers his New Year’s message for 1987 at his 15th annual New Year’s Meditation, at the New York Society for Ethical Culture in New York City. 

Sri Chinmoy delivers his New Year’s message