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Poems for Brother Jesus

by Sri Chinmoy

 

1.

Simplicity we see.
Purity we feel.
Divinity we become.

2.

Brother Jesus,
Where are you?
“Why?
Am I not on earth?"
No, you are not.

Brother Jesus,
Where are you?
“Why?
Am I not in Heaven?”
No, you are not.
“Where do you think
Then, I am?”
I do not know.

“Brother C,
The beauty of
Your self-chosen ignorance-eye
I am deeply enjoying.
But mind you,
I am not going to treasure it.
Never!”

3.

Brother Jesus,
The world needs you.
“No, it does not.”
Then whom does it need?
“It does not need anybody.
No, not even our Father.
It needs only one thing:
Eternity’s ignorance-feast.”

4.

Brother Jesus,
Were you really born
On December 25th,
Two thousand years ago?
“I think so.
I am not sure.”
How is it
That you are not sure
Of the date of your birth?
“Brother C,
Why should I pay any attention
To the world
That failed to care for me,
To the world
That failed to accept me,
To the world
That succeeded only in crucifying me?”

5.

Brother Jesus,
How do you like the fact
That the world is appreciating you today
Unreservedly and unconditionally?
“Yes, brother C,
I should be satisfied
With the world’s appreciation-meal at least.
But I am sure you know
That what I really want
Is action-salvation
And
Action-feast.” 

6.

Brother Jesus,
Do you have any special message
For us today,
On your
Earth-awakening
And
God-revealing day?
“Yes, a very short message:
Don’t give up.” 

7.

“Brother C,
Do you have any special message
For me today?”
Yes, I have.
Unlike yours, it is a big one:
Eternity’s gratitude-seed,
gratitude-plant,
gratitude-tree
Are glowing within me unreservedly,
Are growing within me unerringly. 

8.

Brother Jesus,
How is our Father?
“Brother C, believe it or not,
He Himself does not want
To know how He is.”
Why not?
“I am sure that you have discovered
The true truth by this time:
This self-chosen ignorance
Is sometimes
A flood of nectar-bliss.” 

9.

Brother Jesus,
How many churches
Have you already visited tonight?
“Brother C,
Since two thousand years ago
I left the earth-scene
I have completely forgotten
Earth-calculation.
Will you condescend
To count on my behalf?”
Certainly I shall do it for you.
But are you going to understand
My earth-figures
When I take the trouble
Of counting the places
You have visited
Or are going to visit today?
“Brother C,
You will fail,
You are bound to fail.
But for our Father’s sake
Keep it a top secret.
Only let me know, please.”
Why only you, dearest brother?
“Because.”
Why? 
Why?
“Because, because.”
Why? 
Why? 
Why?
“Because. 
Because. 
Because.” 

10.

Brother Jesus,
Tell me, how is everything
In Heaven?
“Heaven is resting.
And I tell you,
It will not open its eye
Unless earth gives up
Its stupid
Inferiority-pride.” 

11.

“Brother C,
Tell me, how is everything
On earth?”
Earth is crying.
Do you know why?
“No, I do not.”
Earth is crying
Because
All its protests
Against its transformation-life
Are ending in vain.
Brother, this is why
Earth is suffering
And, as you know,
Its suffering will never come to an end.
Before, only earth’s heart
Was frightened
By brooding ignorance-night.
Now, earth’s entire body-life
Is frightened to death
By illumining-consciousness-light. 

12.

Brother Jesus,
Why is your Heaven
So fond of singing the song
Of indifference-sky?
“Brother C,
Why is your earth
So fond of dancing the dance
Of stupidity-sea?” 

13.

Brother Jesus,
I am sharing with the world
Only my imagination-sound-talk with you.
Will you permit me
To share with the world
Our reality-silence-conversation?
“No, for our Father’s sake, no!
Don’t be a fool.
If you do that,
Father’s perfect and complete manifestation
In and through your children
Will suffer Eternity’s endless delay.”

14.

Brother Jesus,
I am glad that your love
Has not forgotten me.
I am glad that your concern still
Remembers me.

“Brother C,
I am glad that you love my company so dearly,
I am glad that you sincerely cared to know
How miserably I suffered
On earth.”

15.

Brother Jesus,
Look at the height
Of my children’s unpardonable
stupidity.
They are adoring me
On your birthday.
“Brother C,
You know well when I
Can and will really be born:
That will be the day
When earth receives
Our Father’s Light from you.
And I am truly proud
Of your children sweet and cute.
They know
Who we truly are:
Father’s one endless ascending Cry
On earth;
Father’s one endless descending Smile
In Heaven.”

16.

Brother Jesus,
My last question:
I shall be extremely grateful
To you
And I shall be extremely proud
Of you
If you tell me
When you are coming back
To earth.

“Brother C,
Your Himalayan question-arrow
You have hurled at the wrong person.
Only our Father can answer
Your stupid-proud
Query.
By the way, even yesterday
Father told me categorically
That He will never grant me
Even a short vacation
To enjoy on earth.
So you see, what can I do?
Poor me, brother C.”
Poorer me, brother Jesus. 

17.

I really want us to exchange
Our juicy stories of earth and Heaven
Quite often.
“Do you think that I do not want that?
I want it far beyond the ken
Of your imagination-flight.
But what can I do?
I need not tell you anything more.
You know our old Father.”
I know, I know
Our eternally wise Father. 

18.

Brother Jesus,
Will you do me a big favour?
“Certainly I shall.”
Please tell our Father
That of late I have been
Thinking of Him constantly.
“Brother C,
I give you my word of honour,
The moment I go back
And sit at Father’s Feet
I shall offer Him
Your message.
Don’t you worry.
Brother C,
It is getting late.
I must not cause
Any unnecessary worry
For our poor old Father.”
Brother Jesus,
I perfectly understand that.
Go, go back to our lucky Father.
Let me stay,
Commissioned if not compelled,
With our unlucky Mother. 

19.

Brother Jesus,
I am a Hindu.
I know nothing about
Your Judaism and Christianity.
Please tell me the difference
Between the two.
“Brother C,
Judaism knows how to strike;
Christianity knows how to envelop.” 

20.

Brother Jesus,
What is the difference
Between
The Old Testament
And the New Testament?

“Brother C,
The Old Testament saw;
The New Testament knew.” 

21.

Brother Jesus,
Is it true
That you used only one weapon,
I mean, your compassion-weapon,
While you were on earth?
“Brother C,
It is true.
But I tell you,
If I had lived on earth
A few years more,
Father would definitely
Have asked me to use another weapon:
His divine Justice-Weapon.” 

22.

Brother Jesus,
Tell me frankly,
Do you care for Moses?
“Yes, I do.
How can I not care for the creator
Of the Jewish people?
How can I deny the great lawgiver?"
Where is Moses now?
What is Moses doing nowadays?
"He is working very hard
To discover a few new laws
That will stand against
Earth’s atom bomb
And hydrogen bomb.”

---

Published in Brother Jesus

 

Avatars

Sri Chinmoy’s answer to a question
in Christchurch, New Zealand

 

At the very beginning of Time, the Supreme did not send Avatars, His direct representatives, to earth. His creation started and lasted for a long time without Avatars. Then the Supreme thought that if He sent His direct representatives to earth, earth would make more progress. He had created a garden. He thought that from the Highest, with His spiritual Power, He would be able to take care of this vast garden. But the garden was not receptive enough. So He started sending the Avatars to take care of His beautiful creation. Many saints and others say that each Avatar is like a gardener, and the gardener has many assistants and helpers.

As you know, Indian mythology has divided Time into four yugas — satyayuga, tretayuga, dvaparayuga and kaliyuga. In one cycle, or yuga, there are many spiritual Masters and there can also be more than one Avatar. We take Sri Ramachandra as the first authentic Avatar in human form. Then came Sri Krishna and Lord Buddha.

Some scholars say that Sri Krishna lived on earth 5,000 years ago. I do not agree with them at all. It was absolutely 8,000, 9,000 or 10,000 years ago that Sri Krishna came. In Lord Buddha’s case, it is established that he came a little over 2,500 years ago and Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago. Then, after the Christ, it seems there was a big gap. Sri Chaitanya came just over 400 years ago. Right after Sri Chaitanya, there was another gap to Sri Ramakrishna. And, in Sri Ramakrishna’s time, Sri Aurobindo also came. There it was not a matter of even a hundred years’ gap. It was only about forty years.

So in this present cycle we are getting many more Avatars. Again, in the twentieth century, we also have Ramana Maharshi and Anandamayi Ma.

Who is not an Avatar, that is the question. All human beings are direct representatives of God, only an Avatar is more aware of his inner existence or his Source. Then God tells him, “I am blessing you with a boat. Now you have to carry a few thousand or a few million seekers to the other Shore.”

We have so much admiration, adoration and love for those spiritual Masters of the highest height who lived long ago. At the same time, I wish to say that the heights of the subsequent spiritual Masters are in no way lower. The only thing is that there was a time when it was necessary to show occult powers. If you did not show occult powers, then who would take you as a spiritual Master? Sri Krishna did it, Lord Buddha did it, Jesus Christ did it. Even now, millions of people only take a spiritual Master seriously if he performs some miracle. This is the human mentality.

But some seekers are wise. If you show a miracle in front of them, they will say, “Who cares for it? Did it transform my nature? What I was before I accepted the spiritual life, now I am the same. So what good did the occult power do?”

You can say that a miracle is like fireworks. When the firework goes up, it is so beautiful and for one second we get such joy. Then it falls down. Did it change our nature? No. Only for a fleeting second we say, “O my God, it is so beautiful!” But our human nature remains the same. We still have the same doubt, the same fear and so on.

Again, if our dear one is dying and the Master can be of any help with his occult powers, then that person may get an extension to live on earth for another ten or twenty or thirty years. In that sense, it is good. During those twenty years, that person is getting the opportunity to pray and meditate and become a spiritually developed, good human being.

Each spiritual Master has his own approach, his own path. When a spiritual Master guides his disciples, he is under no obligation to abide by the rules and regulations of the other spiritual Masters and vice versa. They are also under no obligation. Each one is right in his own way.

But then the question comes, whether the disciples have faith in their Master or not. Some disciples hear that another boat is more beautiful and there the disciples are more spiritual. So they go to that other boat. Then, alas, they see that another boat may be even more beautiful. Like this, they go from one boat to the next. Other seekers jump out of the boat and start swimming on their own.

But those who are wise, when they accept one boat, stick to it, whether the boat goes slowly or quickly. There are some true stories where the spiritual Master is teaching his students very sincerely and devotedly. Then there comes a time when the Master clearly sees that a particular student has far surpassed him.

In one case, which is absolutely authentic, there was a spiritual Master of a very high order. He initiated a certain disciple and then he saw that in a very short space of time the disciple had far surpassed him. So he prayed to the disciple, “Please promise me, in our next incarnation, you have to be my Guru.” The disciple could not believe his ears. He said, “What is this? My Master has given me such high, high experiences. Now he is begging me to be his Guru in his next incarnation.” Then the disciple saw the sincerity of the Master and he promised that he would fulfil the Master’s wish. The Master was so relieved and, in a few months’ time, this spiritual Master left the body.

To come back to your question, the very first yuga — satyayuga — is called the Golden Age. God alone knows whether the Golden Age was really golden. When the present is not giving us joy, when the present is not charming or beautiful, we try to glorify the past. We claim that our forefathers were all saints. There is nobody from that era to say otherwise. Perhaps if some contemporaries of our forefathers were alive, they would tell us something different!

If we study the Mahabharata, we see that a tremendous battle took place between the divine forces and the forces of ignorance. Was there any time in God’s creation when there was no fight between good and evil? We give it the term ‘darkness’. At what point of civilisation was there no fight against darkness? In our times we have had the Second World War. But in the Mahabharata time there was also a battle. You may say that your forefathers, whom you call saints, were fighting against the evil forces. True, but the fact of the matter is that those evil forces lived at that time as well. Then how can we say those days were golden? Human beings who lived at that time also had the same weaknesses that we still have after so many centuries.

In terms of nature’s transformation, I feel that people today are more conscious of the supreme necessity of peace, love and oneness. Two thousand years ago, human beings believed more in morality. Again, in some centuries, there was no morality at all. Everything was “might is right”. But nowadays I see that in everybody’s heart peace-hunger is there. I may not be peaceful, you may not be peaceful, the world may not be peaceful. Left and right, countries may be fighting. But we see that peace is needed. There is a genuine hunger for peace.

Two thousand or three thousand years ago, they did not use the term ‘peace’. Only they saw that darkness existed and light also existed. Each side believed that they had the light and the other side was all darkness.

Now people are a little more wise. There are many good people on earth who have come to the point where they feel that they are not the only ones to be the possessors of light. There are others as well. A day will come when we will no longer make comparisons.

In a family, you will eat the food prepared by your mother or your sister. In my family, I will do the same. As long as we are satisfied by the preparations made by our dear ones, why do we have to go to our neighbours and say, “My food is much better than yours”? Whatever we get from our own family is excellent for us and whatever others get from their family is excellent for them. If both of us are satisfied, then there will be no comparison, there will be no fight. A fight only arises if you say that for my good you are forcing me to eat your food, or if I say that for your good you must eat the food that I am eating.

I have elaborated on your question in my own way. One Avatar does not encompass all the yugas. And, again, in one yuga there can be more than one Avatar. The more you read about Avatars, the more you can become confused because, in one sense, you have to take each human being as an Avatar. Each human being, each creation of God, is His representative. As long as we know there is a Source, then we become the representative of that Source. Everybody can interpret these spiritual concepts in their own way. If you get satisfaction from your interpretation, then you are the luckiest person. And if you do not get satisfaction, then you become miserable.

---

Published in Sri Chinmoy Answers, part 38

 

I Shall Not Accept Defeat

A talk by Sri Chinmoy
Christmas Trip in Miami, Florida

 

Yesterday on the bus we had an intuition contest. I wrote down three lines, and I invited the disciples to use their intuition about what I had written. Three disciples were the winners. They did not say exactly what I had written, but the words were to some extent correct.

Today I wanted to have another intuition contest, but while I was writing down the message, a very short message, it became too important. Since it was such a significant message, I did not want you to enter into an intuition contest. Now I am telling you the message:

I shall not accept defeat, no matter how strong the forces of ignorance are here on earth. I shall not accept defeat, I shall not accept defeat. I shall manifest the Supreme. The Supreme I have realised in the Supreme’s own Way. I will never, never manifest the Supreme in the human way. In the divine way, in the way that I have realised Him, that will be the way that I manifest Him. I have realised Him with utmost sincerity and dedication. In the same way, with my chosen instruments, I shall have to manifest Him before I leave this earth.

Mine is not the way to accept defeat from the ignorance that sometimes captures and conquers my disciples. When I see the so-called good ones or close ones at times enjoying ignorance, I feel that I have every right to become more strict with my life to fulfil my mission on earth. Defeat is not in my life. In the battle against ignorance, I will never accept defeat. When my disciples defeat me in ping-pong or some other game, I accept my defeat with greatest joy because they are my dearest spiritual children. But when it is a matter of ignorance, I will never accept defeat.

Dear ones, some of you say that when I exercise my divine authority and tell you who I am, at that time you believe me. But I wish to tell you that you do not have to know who I am. As a matter of fact, nobody will ever know who I am. No matter how sincerely you try, you will never, never know.

Do not try to know me. It is trying to do the impossible. Only try to do the right thing, the thing that I have always asked you to do both in the inner world and in the outer world. If you can do what I have asked you to do, that is more than enough for you to reach the highest and become one with the highest. But if you want to know me in your own way, with your mind or your vital, then you will know me only as another human being. All the limitations that you have, you will ascribe to me also.

If you want to exercise your imagination, naturally you will discover millions of defects in my inner life and my outer life. Human beings are apt to discover defects. Since you are seeing not with my eyes, but always with your own eyes, naturally you will never, never, never — never is the right word — realise me. But if you do the right thing in the inner world and the outer world, then you will realise the highest that is meant for you.

Your highest and my highest are not the same. When a child jumps up, he reaches a certain height. That is his highest height. Then if somebody who is taller than the tallest jumps up, and if he has the capacity, he will reach the ever-transcending height. His height and the child’s height are not the same. Similarly, you will reach the highest according to your capacity and with my boundless love and compassion, and that is more than enough.

I know in the inner world what I have to do. In the outer world also, when the hour strikes, I will do the needful — if it is not with your help, then it can be with somebody else’s help. You may not be the supremely chosen instrument, but a third person will arrive out of the blue. Instruments are needed. Without instruments, we cannot do anything. Since God gave me a mission and all the necessary instruments may not be in view, out of nowhere they will arrive. I shall achieve the Supreme’s Victory with you, or with new instruments, if needed.

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Published in Live in the Eternal Now

 

Morning Prayer

by Sri Chinmoy
at the Grand Central Hotel, Singapore

 

My Supreme, my Lord Supreme, my Beloved Supreme, do tell me the names of the things that I have to do without fail during the day.

"My sweet child, My divine child, My perfection-loving child, you have to change your earthly age twice a day. That is the only thing you have to do. First you have to think that you are only a three-year-old child who knows nothing about the ugly existence of doubt-night. Then you have to think that you are a 99-year-old human being who soon will pass behind the curtain of Eternity. Since your days are numbered, it does not become you to make friends with your volcano-vital.

"My perfection-loving child, if you faithfully change your age twice a day and live as an eternal child in the heart-garden of your soul, then your life's perfect perfection and My complete Satisfaction in you will before long dawn. Try, My child; you will succeed! You are bound to succeed, for you are destined to manifest and fulfil My Immortality's Vision-Light here on this planet earth.

---

Published in Fifty-Four Morning Prayer-Cries and Morning Meditation-Smiles

 

Christmas Trip Stories

by Sri Chinmoy
in Kuantan, Malaysia

If the mind can be illumined by the heart

There is a disciple who has a most powerful intellectual mind, but luckily it has surrendered to his heart. If his mind had not surrendered to his heart, God knows what kind of disciple he would have been! Because he surrendered his intellect so sincerely to his heart’s wisdom, he is a very, very good disciple. The mind can destroy; again, if one can pull the mind into the heart, it is a tremendous success.

Some disciples were born intellectuals, but I am so happy that they have put the brilliance of the mind inside their heart. Some of my very, very close disciples have had problems because of their powerful intellect. I spoke very seriously to them, and now they do not use that intellectual mind in a wrong way. Sometimes my seriousness works!

If the mind can be illumined by the heart, then the mind and the heart will be able to go together. Right now, inside everybody there is a constant fight going on between the two. At times the mind becomes faithful, like a little puppy following a very big dog. It has happened in some cases, and it is still happening. But if the mind and the heart both remain aloof, then there is a very serious problem. Everything at that time the person sees with a negativity-mind. Negativity comes forward always. When the mind is not under control, immediately we get an attack from negativity. There is no rhyme or reason for it.

Somebody is walking in the street. You have nothing to do with that person, but you immediately form a bad opinion of him. Or let us say that your friends are moving around with very good, compassionate and affectionate feelings. As soon as you see them, all your negative thoughts you inject into them. They will immediately say, “What happened, what happened?” They have not done anything wrong.

If the intellectual mind, the negative mind, is not illumined by the heart, dryness will reign supreme. The intellectual mind loves dryness. In the spiritual life, we never want dryness! Sri Ramakrishna used to say, “Give me juicy stories!” He did not want dryness. At times he wanted to enjoy earthly news, earthly humour, as everybody does. When the intellect is not purified by the heart’s affection and compassion, the intellect becomes a very serious obstacle. It feels that it knows everything. It is all dryness; there is no sweetness.

Intellectual people who cherish dryness create suffering for their dear ones. Again, the dear ones are at times so kind that they understand their intellectual family members and friends. If the two parties have tremendous affection and compassion for each other, then the intellect surrenders to that affection and compassion. When the intellect enters into the heart, it is overwhelmed by the affection, sweetness and concern of the heart. Then intellectual people can become very, very happy.

Sri Aurobindo wrote that the intellect was the helper in the beginning, but then it became an obstruction. Many, many good things we want to have in the beginning of our life. Then we get them, and at times we misuse them or we overuse them. At that time they become veritable obstacles in our life. Those very things become weapons. Then we pray to God for God’s Grace. When God’s Grace descends, at that time the obstruction goes away, because God’s Grace swallows pride, intellect and all other problem-makers. But the heart also has to be fully prepared to save the mind. If the heart is not strict and eager to save the mind, then the mind runs amok.

Again, I am so happy that many so-called intellectual giants on our path have accepted the spiritual life so sincerely. They give full value to the spiritual life, and their intellect is under full control.

When kindness fails

Once upon a time, two disciples of a spiritual Master had a very unfortunate experience. One disciple was not doing well, and the other one was trying so hard to encourage and inspire him. There is perhaps something called being overly kind. One disciple was very, very kind and wanted to help the other one and do the work of the other one. Alas, the second disciple, instead of taking the help of the first one, rejected his help and did something absolutely wrong from the spiritual point of view. This is what happens at times. We try to please someone in our own way, but when our consciousness is not high, no matter how we try to help the person who has become a victim to irritation or some other undivine quality, we cannot be of any service to him.

At times it seems as though nothing works in this world! In one of her books Mother Teresa said, "I thought love could conquer everybody.” But then she said that, from her own experience, she had discovered that it was not true, not true. She said, “I loved, but I could not succeed in certain circumstances.” Sometimes even love cannot succeed. Then what shall we do? We always say that power does not succeed; love succeeds. But there came a time when Mother Teresa, who was all compassion, self-giving and forgiveness, said, “Even love does not work.” What can we do at that time?

In my case, many, many times when my kindness, softness, tenderness, politeness and everything else fails, fails, fails, then I use my powerful scolding, and it works. When I scold someone, inwardly I am so miserable. Outwardly I am pretending that I am very, very angry, but inside my heart I know how much I myself am suffering from the scolding that I am giving to someone.

This kind of thing I do for some good disciples who work very hard. When I appear to be angry with them, I suffer much more than they suffer. Outwardly I do not show them kindness and compassion, but this is only what is visible in the outer world. I become two individuals: one individual to use justice-light, and one individual to take the suffering. Inwardly, I am all kindness, all forgiveness.

The capacity of meditation

Prayer and meditation both are needed, true. But if we can enter into the meditation-world seriously, then we will see the difference between meditation and prayer. Prayer is needed, but prayer only says to God, “Give me, give me, give me!” Good things we are asking for, true. But during our meditation, we dive deep within. At that time we house the Infinite. The finite houses the Infinite. The mind cannot believe it: how can the finite house the Infinite? But it does house the Infinite. That is the capacity of meditation.

When God wants to discuss something, God takes meditation as His eldest son with whom He can discuss anything. When we deal with the prayer-world, we see that prayer is a little child. God can show His Affection, Sweetness and Fondness to the prayer-world, but He is not going to discuss anything serious with the prayer-world. But in the meditation-world, God gives advice to those who do excellent meditation. He even discusses things with them, as a father speaks with the eldest child in the family. The father and mother discuss things with the eldest one. They have such confidence in him.

The prayer-world is good, very good. Instead of breaking things here and there, a little child prays to God to get God’s Attention, Blessings and Love. But if we really want to describe the difference between prayer and meditation, we can say that prayer is like a child asking for something, and meditation is like a grown-up who is at once diving deep within and going up, all the time.

Sometimes one has to be a strict judge of the whole spiritual realm. Spiritual Masters do have the authority to tell the difference between prayer and meditation.

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Published in God-Made, God-Moulded, God-Shaped