Questions at Delegates Peace Meditation at U.N. 11 Nov 1983

Filed under Questions and Answers (Q&A) | Role of meditation at UN - Practical Guidance

Two questions:

Do you think that one can meditate by oneself without somebody there who can help you at every step?
With the kind of life we have and the kind of world we live in, it is not that easy to sit and be with oneself. I realise you said there are so many things that we do in the mind. The first thing to do would be to shut out the other influences or other vibrations one gets. How does one do that?

SRI CHINMOY:

Shraddha

I wish to answer a few spiritual questions. If you would kindly ask me any spiritual questions concerning your meditation, I would be very glad to be of dedicated service to you.

MRS. MOHINI SINGH, Wife of C.P.N. Singh (Member of Parliament, India)

When you sit down to meditate, there are times when you reach a very quiet sort of place and all the sounds seem distant. It happened to me and it started frightening me because it was a strange sort of calm. I felt, at times, that I needed some kind of guidance, which was not available immediately. Do you think that one can meditate by oneself without somebody there who can help you at every step?

SRI CHINMOY:

We have to know what the seeker wants. If one wants to go to Rome right from New York, one can go by plane and one can do also by other means. There are many roads that will lead to Rome, but one particular road will be a shortcut – the fastest way. It is up to the seeker to decide if he wants to take the fastest way or not. In the spiritual life, a teacher represents the fastest way to God. If we have a teacher, our journey will be expedited. In the spiritual life a teacher is not an ordinary teacher; he is a tutor. A teacher will examine me and then pass me or fail me. But it is the bounden responsibility of a tutor to teach the student privately so that he will pass the examination. A spiritual teacher helps us like this.

The spiritual Master knows that all the seekers belong to one spiritual family. He happens to be the elder brother in the family. So naturally he knows where his Father is, where God is. He tells the younger ones that the Father is in such and such a room, and he offers to take them to that room. Then his role is over. He never claims that he is God. That would be absurdity on the face of it. His role is to just take his younger brothers and sisters to God. Otherwise, the younger ones will search for their Father here, there, elsewhere and it may take a very long time for them to find Him. If they are unlucky, then they may waste their whole lives unsuccessfully searching for God. Of course, they may find God.

The first person who realised God on earth did not have a human being as a spiritual Master. We have no idea of who the first person to realise God was, but we definitely know in his case that God, Himself, was the Teacher. Since then in the sweep of centuries a few great spiritual Masters have taken human incarnations: Lord Krishna, the Buddha, the Christ and a few more.

Shraddha

(Ambassador Rossides of Cyprus and Mrs Rossides, listening to answer to question)

Also there have been some spiritual Masters who were not of the same calibre. They definitely had realised God, but their spiritual realisation was not of the same calibre. But they could easily teach not only the beginners but also those who were quite advanced in the spiritual life. So they have helped many, many seekers.

Normally the seekers do need guidance. So if they are lucky enough to have a spiritual Master, they will definitely be able to accelerate their spiritual progress. Now, about your experiences: you need not be afraid of this calm and quiet state of the mind. It is a sign of great progress. On the surface the ocean is very rough and restless, and it frightens us; but in its deepest depth, the ocean is all calm and silent. Similarly, when we dive deep within, we feel only calmness and quiet. If we practise meditation soulfully and powerfully, even in the hustle and bustle of life we shall not lose our calmness and inner poise. If we have no inner poise, always we are frightened to death.

When we walk along the street, if there is a commotion, we feel that we will be attacked and that our life is in danger. But if we can develop inner poise through our prayer and meditation, then we will not be afraid of anything. No matter how vast or how rough the ocean is on the surface, or how dangerous a situation is, we will be able to find peace and inner security deep within. So when you have higher experiences of vastness and silence, you should be very happy and proud of those experiences instead of being afraid of them.

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