Celebrations on 18 April 2006
//On 18 April 2006 at Aspiration-Ground in Jamaica, New York, at the end of the April Celebrations, Sri Chinmoy spoke to his disciples and then invited them to ask him questions. Many of the questions concerned Centre disciplines. At times, Sri Chinmoy offered comments on other subjects.//My soul is meditating
I have a very special message for you all.Dear ones, I am very, very happy that you have come to celebrate the forty-second anniversary of my arrival in America, in the West. You have given me boundless, boundless joy, and I also have tried to give you boundless, boundless joy. My heart is all gratitude, all gratitude to you.
At home you pray and you meditate. You do everything that is necessary for your spiritual life. Again, here in New York your doubting mind must not misunderstand me. If some of you feel that I am not meditating enough during the Celebrations or doing what you consider spiritual work, you are mistaken. You come here to give me joy. Through your joy, I feel your spirituality; and from my joy, you should feel that you are receiving your spirituality. Even if you think that I am not meditating in your preconceived way, please feel that I am meditating. My soul is meditating in and through each disciple of mine. My soul has that capacity.
You come here to give me joy inwardly and outwardly. I also give you joy inwardly and outwardly. We have our Christmas Trip, a spiritual vacation. Our Celebration is also a vacation that we enjoy. But in our philosophy, if you are with a spiritual person, the company of that spiritual person itself is meditation. Many Indian stories you have heard or you have read. You know that when you are with a spiritual person — it does not have to be a teacher of my height — you do get spiritual benefit just by being with that spiritual person. I am your spiritual Master, so definitely you get much, much more benefit by being so close to me for two weeks or so.
I do hope that, when you go back to your respective Centres, you will not forget that aspiration and dedication go together. We cannot fly with one wing. We cannot walk with one leg. Similarly, when you pray and meditate, it is aspiration; and dedication is when you try to manifest the Light of the Supreme. Some people may criticise us. They will say that we should realise God first, and then manifest God. I do not agree with that theory. I say that aspiration and dedication go together, side by side. They are like the beauty and fragrance of a flower.
