Question: Is it possible to realise the Supreme in one life?

Sri Chinmoy: I am repeating Lakshmi’s question. Is it possible to realise the Supreme in one incarnation? I wish to add: has one to come back into the world and have many incarnations in order to realise God? The answer is: it depends on the individual soul, how advanced the soul is. In one human incarnation alone, nobody can realise God. Impossible. No human being on earth realised God in his first human incarnation. In his first human incarnation, he is a semi-animal. Even after many incarnations, we have many animal qualities in our nature. In the first incarnation, it is simply impossible for a human being to realise God. He has to come through many, many hundreds of incarnations. Then when his aspiration develops through each incarnation and he enters into higher worlds, deeper worlds, he grows nearer and nearer to God.

Finally if he becomes fully consecrated and devoted, if he has the deepest aspiration for God-realisation in one particular incarnation, and if he gets the help of a spiritual teacher in that particular incarnation, then it is possible for that person to realise God in that life-time. If, however, he has to do it by his own personal efforts, it will take him another several incarnations; perhaps eight or ten or twelve more in spite of having the deepest aspiration. This is because the process is very arduous, very difficult.

But as I have said, if he is of a high calibre and extremely sincere, if he has abundant receptivity, if he has the highest aspiration and if he wants to dedicate his life only to God and no one else, and if he gets a spiritual Master who is a realised soul, who has the capacity to help him in his realisation, then in that one incarnation it is possible. That is what the greatest spiritual Masters do for their most advanced disciples but not for all disciples.