Question: What is your technique of meditation?

Sri Chinmoy: I have no specific technique with regard to meditation. I can only suggest to you that if you really want to meditate soulfully and devotedly, then the best thing is not to allow any thought to enter into your mind. Especially in the beginning, it is advisable not to allow either good or bad thoughts in. You are in your room, and you have no idea who is knocking at your door, whether it is your enemy or your friend. And if a group of people comes, there will be quite a few strangers and quite a few friends. The divine thoughts are your friends and the undivine thoughts are strangers. You have no idea what the strangers may try to do. And it is very difficult to let your friends come in and to tell the strangers, "You stay outside; I won't let you in."

So in the beginning you have to be very careful. You have to keep your door bolted from inside. Otherwise what happens is that while the divine thoughts are entering into your mind, the undivine thoughts, like thieves, will also secretly enter and create tremendous confusion for the divine thoughts. But there comes a time when you become strong from within. You develop the capacity to welcome only the divine thoughts and to chase away the undivine thoughts. Then you will see that each divine thought you let in will create a new world for you, a fulfilling world. But this takes time. For some people it takes years.

This instruction is only for those who do not have a spiritual Master and who are not my disciples. Those who are my disciples have received from me a specific way of meditation. My soul, or the Supreme within me, has inwardly taught them to meditate, since I am their spiritual leader. That is to say, their soul has received some messages from the Supreme in me as to how they should meditate.