Heart-power and mind-power

The following questions were asked at the New Jersey Centre on 27 May 1975.

Question: When is mind-power equal to heart-power?

Sri Chinmoy: Mind-power can never be as soulful and fruitful as heart-power. Your question should be: When will mind-power reach its acme? When will mind-power offer its best result or fruit? Mind-power reaches perfection when the feeling of universal love, universal brotherhood, universal identity and oneness looms large in the mind. Heart-power already has inseparable oneness with universal Life. If mind-power fulfils its distinctive role by also becoming one with the universal Life, then it will not remain bound by worldly temptations, weaknesses, limitations, bondage and death. When mind-power surrenders to the soul-power in the heart, then mind-power is fulfilled forever. At that time, mind-power can play its own role most perfectly.

We can think of the mind as eyes and the heart as hands. With eyes we see; with hands we work. If we shape something beautiful with our hands, heart-power fulfils its purpose. When our eyes can see all beauty and all purity, then mind-power reaches the zenith of perfection. Heart-power fulfils its role by becoming one with the ultimate Reality. Mind-power fulfils its role by seeing purity-beauty all around.

Let us not try to create competition between the mind and the heart. The mind and the heart each go in a specific way to reach the Highest. This represents equality but not uniformity. My eye is not the same as my nose, but my eye is equal to my nose. Each plays its own role. When they play satisfactorily, they become perfect. Perfection lies in fulfilling one’s own duty.