Question: Do yoga and meditation require the renunciation of all religions?

Sri Chinmoy: Meditation does not interfere with any religion. Religion does not have anything to say against meditation because true religion is the realisation of God. Among my disciples there are Catholics, Protestants and Jews. The real aspirant who has launched into spirituality and Yoga will find no difficulty in remaining in his own religion. I do not tell my disciples to give up their own religion. True Yoga will not demand the renunciation of any religion. If the disciples remain in their own religion and practise the spiritual life, they will be able to run as fast as possible towards the Goal. Their own religion will give them constant confidence in what they are doing.

In the physical manifestation, each religion is like a house. You have to stay in a house; you cannot stay in the street, for the world may not need or welcome you. But a time comes when your consciousness expands and the whole world becomes your house. At that time, you cannot be bound by the limitations of any one particular house. You accept all religions and, at the same time, you go beyond the domain of religion and achieve conscious oneness with God. Each religion is like a river, but when the river enters into the ocean it has played its part. At that time, the river feels that it has become the ocean itself; it has become one with the source. So religion is like a river and God-realisation is the ocean.

If you follow religion, I wish to say that you are on the road to your destination. But if you want to reach the highest ultimate Truth, then you have to concentrate, meditate and contemplate. That does not mean that you will not go to church or synagogue any more. No! But you have to feel that you have got the inner call deep within your heart to run fast, faster, fastest towards your Goal. And that means that you have to practise the inner life, the life of self-discipline and meditation.

Now, when you practise Yoga, if you want to give up your religion, no harm. For your goal is to realise God, who embodies all religions and, at the same time, is far above them. Yoga embraces all religions and goes beyond them. Yoga aims at conscious oneness with God. When you are one with God, you are one with everything. So the seekers of the infinite Light and Truth can, if they want, go beyond religious barriers. If they want to get some glimpses of light, truth, peace and bliss, then they can stay in their religion. But if they want the highest Truth, God-realisation, then they have to consciously transcend religion.