Question: Is it permissible sometimes to tell little white lies?

Sri Chinmoy: Suppose you see a little boy being chased by a grown man who wants to strike him. You see the little boy go and hide somewhere, and then the man comes and asks you if you know where the little boy is. Now, this man is filled with animal anger. He wants to strike the boy; perhaps he will even kill him. What will you do? If you tell a white lie at that time, and say, "No, I don't know where he is," then in God's Eyes you are doing the right thing. Human truth has no value in a case such as this. If you tell the truth, you will be helping the bad man to hurt the boy, who is, perhaps, innocent. Then, if the boy dies, you will be another culprit, and you will have to pay part of the karmic debt.

Here is another example. Suppose today I decide to hold a seven-hour meditation. You have come into the world to realise God. But let us say that your friend is having a party today, and you promised her that you would go. Now, if you tell her that you cannot come to her party because you have to go and meditate, she will be annoyed. But instead, if you tell her that you are not feeling well, you may feel that you have told a lie, so you will be punished according to the law of karma, but for seven hours you will be praying to realise the highest Supreme. If you have the highest and most powerful meditation for even one hour, do you not think that this one hour of meditation will more than nullify the punishment that you would have received? And your friend will not be annoyed if you tell her that you are sick.

Once you have free access to the Supreme, you will see where the law of karma comes from. It comes from a level that is far inferior to the Supreme's Compassion. The law of karma is at one place, but the Supreme's Compassion is at an infinitely higher place, so it can easily nullify the law of karma.

By pleasing the Supreme, you are running the fastest to reach the goal. By pleasing a human being, by going to a party, what are you gaining? If you feel that you have to keep your appointment just because you told her a month ago that you would go, then you are bound by your morality-sincerity. But you also have divinity-sincerity. You have the inner cry to climb the highest and dive the deepest. So which one will you choose? If you choose your friend and keep your promise to her, she will be very happy that you have enjoyed her party, but what about your soul? Will her party be able to raise your consciousness or feed your soul at all? On the contrary, it will lower your consciousness like anything. But if you come to pray and meditate, you will not only raise your own consciousness, but you will be able to raise your friend's consciousness also, by offering her your goodwill during your meditation.

If you do the right thing, eventually you will inspire others to do the right thing. If you are bound by your morality because you promised this and you promised that, then what are you gaining? Your aspiration will give you one thousand dollars' worth of divinity, and perhaps your white lie will give you five cents' worth of punishment. If you get one thousand dollars from one place, can you not afford to lose five cents? And if you pray and meditate sincerely, you will please Somebody who is infinitely superior and who has the capacity not to punish you even this five cents' worth. If you tell the lie and then go to see another friend, or to some other place, then the Supreme will not be responsible for your lie, even if your mind says, "This is more important." But if you are going to a spiritual place, you have to realise that you should sacrifice other activities for this. God will forgive you if you tell a white lie because you want to pray and meditate. These lies are not lies, but wisdom.

So what is more important? Every day you do not get the same spiritual opportunity, whereas you can easily see your friend the following day or at any other time. A seven-hour meditation happens so rarely. If you miss it, you do not know when you will have the opportunity again; whereas in the case of ordinary earthly opportunities, if you miss them today, tomorrow you will get them again. We are here on earth to realise God, not just to keep our promises. God will definitely forgive you if you tell a little white lie so that you can pray to Him for liberation, salvation and realisation.