Question: Can the mind help us to maintain a high level of consciousness?

Sri Chinmoy: No, the mind can never help us maintain a high level of consciousness. If the mind is searching and crying, it can help raise the level of consciousness. But the mind cannot help us maintain a high level of consciousness. Only the light of the soul has the capacity to do that. The soul has given this capacity to the heart and the heart can do it on behalf of the soul. If the soul itself helps us, then our consciousness remains perfect. But if the help comes from the heart which is not yet fully illumined, then our consciousness does not remain on the same high level. Nevertheless, the heart has far more capacity than the mind to help us maintain a high level of consciousness.