Question: Sometimes when I read writings by other Masters, I wonder — if two or three God-realised Masters are living at the same time, why do they not know about each other? Is the Supreme aware of them in His own Being in and through each of them? Are they like one person?

Sri Chinmoy: It may happen that the Supreme does not want them to know about each other. He wants all of us — not only spiritual Masters — to know only whatever is going to encourage us, inspire us. Anything that is illumining and fulfilling, anything that is necessary, the Supreme will tell us. Even in one human life there are many, many things the Supreme wants us to forget. Many, many things He definitely wants us to forget! Again, many, many things he wants us to remember in our own life.

Usually the Supreme says that we do not have to know what others are doing. The Supreme is being manifested in and through others, true; but I do not have to deal with their lives. I am in my boat, my own boat. My boat is enough for me. The Supreme says, "Be with the passengers that I have given you. Why do you have to know about another spiritual Master and what he is doing?" The Father has said to one son, "Take this boat and gather some passengers and come to Me." To another one He will say, "Take that boat." But if I start wondering about the other boatman, how he is piloting the boat, this and that, then I will get lost. Even while driving, two persons may be going in the same direction, but can one person go on looking to the left or to the right? His speed will disappear and he may have a collision. This is what will happen.

Basically, when two persons are realised, they have to know about each other. They do know what is happening, but the Supreme says, "You have enough problems with your life, with your spiritual children. You have enough, enough, enough problems!"

Again, different spiritual Masters can be God-realised, but their heights may differ. Some spiritual Masters have just reached the tree with difficulty. They have come and just touched the God-realisation-tree. They are claiming God-realisation, and for them there will be many, many disciples. Some Masters have reached the middle of the tree, and some are higher. Some will climb up the tree and then fly away. They have gone beyond the tree, this so-called God-realisation-tree. They have gone high, higher, highest, singing the song of transcendence.

Now, what benefit do I get by seeing what another Master is doing? Whether the other Master is at the foot of the tree or in the middle, I do not get anything. If God wants me to go and see him, then I will go. Definitely I will come down or go up to see another Master. But usually God does not want me to do that. God says, "You do your own job. I have given you a task, a supreme task. You fulfil it in and through your chosen disciples." That is all. Otherwise, why did God not choose just one spiritual Master right from the beginning? God is Immortal, God is Infinite. Whatever spiritual Master you name — whether it is Sri Krishna or Lord Buddha or the Saviour Christ — God easily could have kept that Master on the physical plane throughout Eternity. But He did not want to do that. He always wants somebody else, somebody else, somebody else.

Again, the essence God keeps the same. The Highest He will give to Sri Krishna, He will give to Jesus Christ, to the Lord Buddha and to others. But to know what others are doing is nothing but a waste of time.

If I as your spiritual Master can make you or any individual perfect, any instrument perfect, God will be so proud of me and so proud of that individual. God will never be proud of me if I use occult power right now and go inwardly to another country to see out of curiosity what the President is doing or what some other important figure is doing, or what another spiritual Master is doing there. God will say, "Do I want you to use your magic-power, or do I want you to use your heart-power to elevate humanity?"

Magic-power, occult power, we can acquire, but magic-power is not going to elevate anyone's life. In India some miracle-men have shown magic-power. I shall give you an example. A couple became disciples of a miracle-man, and they had a child. From the very birth of that child, the Master was so affectionate, so indulgent. He took full responsibility for the child's kindergarten, primary school, high school and college life. The child became dearer than the dearest to the Master. Eventually that fellow got married and had a child of his own. He was very, very close to the Master, and he saw all his Master's miracles, perhaps more than anybody else. His was absolutely the dearest family.

Then what happened? Insecurity started; jealousy started. Somebody else was becoming close to the Master. One day that fellow, absolutely the dearest one, came with a stick to beat up the Master. Then he came with another weapon. All the Master's problems started with the dearer than the dearest one. His dearest disciple was the culprit, because somebody else was becoming close to the Master. Whose life did the Master change by showing miracles?

The Saviour Christ showed the world forty-five or forty-six miracles, but it is not because of his miracle-power that today the world is worshipping him. Because of his oneness with his Father, the Christ said, "I and my Father are one," and "Let Thy Will be done." It is for these messages that people worship the Christ. No outer miracle can elevate anybody's consciousness. It is like fireworks that go up and then disappear.

Again, there are times when occult powers are used for a right cause. When God wants somebody to remain on earth, and some hostile forces have attacked, I shall use occult power. If it is God's intention to keep that person on earth, if God wants to grant an extension, then I shall use occult power to save the person. But to use occult power to know what is inside another person's mind, or who is a spiritual Master, is not only a waste of time; it is discouraging. Why do we have to get this kind of world-information? We are not looking for world-information. We are looking for world-illumination and world-transformation.

Knowing what another spiritual Master is doing, whether he is eating or cutting jokes with his disciples or playing tennis - will that help me? Only one thing will help, and that is to know that he is for God, like me. He has his own spiritual family. He is also trying to please God by transforming the nature of his disciples. He is trying to take a few disciples to God. It is more than enough for me to know that he is doing the same thing as I am doing. I am doing it for my disciples, my spiritual children, and he is doing it for his spiritual children. More than that is absolutely unnecessary; it is only collecting world-information.

Sometimes when we feed our curiosity, it gives us tremendous joy. From curiosity, on very rare occasions, comes real spirituality, real sincerity. We had a disciple many years ago, when our meetings were in Manhattan, who was very promising. When she came to the meetings, she used to shed tears. We gave a rose to each seeker in those days. Then this particular seeker got a boyfriend, and they went to another spiritual Master's place. This seeker was really doing good meditations. The other Master told her, "I see that behind you Sri Chinmoy is standing." That Master gave a full description of me. I have done similar things with my disciples.

This seeker was so moved. Then what happened? Before she left to see the other Master, she had been on our path for six or eight months. She was so moved that the other Master could tell who her spiritual Master was. But when she came back, she did not come to our meetings more than two or three times. How did it help for her to know that another Master could see that I was her Master? Suppose she thought, "O my God, she is a spiritual Master! She knows about my Master and she was speaking highly, very highly of my Master." Still, nothing happened. The seeker was enjoying her vital life, so she had to leave. If she had been a sincere seeker, that experience would have increased her love for me and her devotion to me. Then she would have come back to our path and become strict. But that did not happen. What can you do?