Question: You say that one should have a love for life. Does this encompass all living things, all forms of life?

Sri Chinmoy: We shall love all life, but we have to use our wisdom. When I say we should love all life, I mean that inside each life form we should try to see and feel the presence of God. God is playing His Cosmic Game in many different roles. But we have to know that in the field of manifestation, life embodies different levels of divinity. We shall love all life, but we cannot be foolishly undiscriminating. Some forms of life are the embodiment of destruction. With these forms, we have to be careful. I will not go and stand in front of a tiger just because I know that God is inside the tiger. The tiger will kill me. I will not love a snake in a very personal way, or I will soon be transported to the other world. If there is a mad elephant right in front of me, I will not go and touch its feet. When I want to express my devotion, I will go to a spiritual Master or to someone in whom I see the conscious presence of divinity. God is in a tiger, God is in a chair and God is also in a holy man. If we are wise, we will know which one to expect inner enlightenment from.