Part V — Professor Arvind Sharma

PCG 6. Dirks Professor of Comparative Religion, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

Professor Arvind Sharma: What contribution can the study of religion in colleges and universities make to the spiritual life?

Sri Chinmoy: My esteemed Professor, it is of paramount importance to have religion not only inside the body of colleges and universities, but also inside the body of all schools. In this way, even if we do not long for God at the dawn of our life, we may try at any time during our life's journey to bring God into our lives.

What is God? God is Satisfaction in the purest sense of the term. If we do not long for God's sleepless Presence, if we do not bring God's sleepless Presence into our conscious life, then we can never have abiding satisfaction, no matter how much knowledge or how many degrees we get from schools, colleges and universities. True satisfaction will always elude us.

What is religion? It is the messenger of God. It is always helpful to have a messenger who can carry messages between ourselves and God. Religion is the older brother of humanity. The older brother tells the younger brothers that only aspiration, dedication, love of God and service to God can provide us with an endless vision of perpetual truth and perpetual light. Religion is God-invocation, and inside God-invocation is mankind's transformation-life and satisfaction-breath.