65. Question: Can pleasure ever be pure?

Sri Chinmoy: Pleasure cannot be pure. Joy can be pure; ecstasy can be pure. Joy is something finite. Ecstasy is something infinite. Joy is of this world but has divinity in it. Ecstasy is of the higher world and has divinity in boundless measure. Going from pleasure to joy is like walking from darkness into light. Darkness can be transformed into light, into aspiration. Similarly, pleasure can be transformed into joy. This can be done only through aspiration and dedication.