Question: To develop faith, do you need a Guru?

Sri Chinmoy: Sometimes a Guru helps; sometimes automatically we have faith. Some people, especially those who do not have a very developed intellect or sophisticated mind, spontaneously have faith. When the mind is very powerful and predominant, it is difficult to have faith in God, because the mind sees thousands of doors which lead into God's Palace, whereas the heart sees only one. When the mind starts to enter into God's Palace, it tries to see whether this door is good or that other one. It comes near one door and then it thinks that perhaps the other door is better. So it goes here and there, trying all the doors, and it takes a long time to enter into God's Palace. But the wise heart knows only one door, and that door is faith, absolute faith. Through this door it immediately enters into God's Palace.

Again, if one is intellectually developed it does not mean that one cannot also have faith in God. If his heart is also developed, the conviction of the heart is reflected in the mind.