Infinity's Transcendence-Vision
— photo by SaramaFollowing is a transcription of Sri Chinmoy’s portion of the program. The entire show is scheduled to be re-broadcast on 28 August.
Dr. Barber: That very peaceful music you have just heard Guru Sri Chinmoy play is one of over 1,000 of his original musical compositions for meditation. Sri Chinmoy is a spiritual teacher and leader of a world-wide religious organisation that is dedicated to an active outer life of service to humanity and a fruitful inner life of prayer and meditation. He is a prolific writer and artist, having written over 300 books and, in a single 24-hour span, 843 poems. He also created 100,000 paintings in just over eleven months. Since 1970 he has served as Director of the United Nations Meditation Group, conducting interdenominational meditation services for U.N. delegates and staff. And he is with us today to help us better understand the phenomenon of meditation. Welcome, Guru. It's a pleasure to have you with us. Guru, what is meditation, and what is its ultimate objective?
Sri Chinmoy: Meditation is our conscious awareness of God and constant oneness with God. When we meditate, our ultimate objective is to be constantly and consciously one with God. This has to be our main objective.
Dr. Barber: Does it differ from prayer in some way?
Sri Chinmoy: Yes, it does differ from prayer. Although prayer and meditation lead us to the same goal, their approaches are different. When we pray, we speak to God, and when we meditate, God speaks to us. When we pray, we offer our prayer to God for something, and God listens to our prayers. And when we meditate, we hear God’s Command; we try to hear God’s dictates from above.
Dr. Barber: Guru, can everybody benefit from meditation, or is it something that only a gifted person can have?
Sri Chinmoy: We are all God’s children, so everybody can meditate. It is not for the selected few. If one is sincere enough, then one can meditate. Meditation is not the sole monopoly of any individual. Anybody can meditate, provided he has some sincerity in his heart.
Dr. Barber: Still, there are those who are given special gifts, and you, for example, as a teacher or Guru, must have realised at an early age that you did have some special religious gift. Could you tell me about that?
Sri Chinmoy: At the age of twelve I had quite a few major experiences, and these experiences have led me to what I am now. I went beyond the domain of the physical mind that doubts and suspects, the mind that is never satisfied with anything. I went beyond that mind, and also, by God’s infinite Bounty, I was in a position to have a free access to the Supreme Reality within me.
Dr. Barber: What kinds of special techniques are used by people who practice your form of meditation?
Sri Chinmoy: I ask my students to have a mind totally freed from thoughts. This is the first technique I offer. Then, after some time, I tell them to welcome only good thoughts, divine thoughts, the thoughts that are progressive, illumining and fulfilling. This is how I advise them to start their meditation, especially in the preliminary stages.
Dr. Barber: Well, for example, do they use a mantra, or a word to meditate on?
Sri Chinmoy: No, in our path we do not advocate mantra, incantation. We feel that our prayer and meditation are most effective. At the same time, we do not have a word to say against mantras. It is necessary for those who want to follow certain other paths. In our case love, devotion and surrender to God’s Will is the way to approach the Supreme Reality.
Dr. Barber: I understand that not everybody can be a disciple of yours; that you look into a person’s eyes and you can tell whether or not that person should be able to follow you. Would you look into my eyes and tell me whether or not I could be a disciple of yours?
Sri Chinmoy: I do not want to say in public.
Dr. Barber: I’m afraid it’s negative...
Sri Chinmoy: No, it is not for that, but then it will have a kind of commercial feeling. These things are very intimate, very soulful. When a seeker comes to me, at that time I have to take full responsibility of his entire life, as he has to dedicate himself totally to the inner command, to the Supreme within. So here on television, if I accept or reject someone, it will be an act of injustice to our spiritual belief, and your soul will not permit me to do this kind of thing on television. You have a very fine soul, and your soul will not believe in this kind of commercial acceptance of seekers.
Dr. Barber: Let me ask a question that is related to that. Is it possible for somebody of a particular religious faith — say a Jewish person or a Christian person — to be a disciple of yours and still maintain their faith?
Sri Chinmoy: Certainly. One can belong to any religion he wants to. Religion is like a house. He has to remain in his house. Then he has to come out to study. He has to go to school. We have implicit faith in all religions. Each religion is a house. You have to stay in your house; I have to stay in my house. But both of us are students. We can go to a common teacher.
Dr. Barber: So there are many paths?
Sri Chinmoy: Many paths that lead to the same realisation. Each religion represents a house.
Dr. Barber: Tell me for a moment about your work at the United Nations. How does meditation aid in the pursuit of world peace?
Sri Chinmoy: When we meditate, we acquire peace of mind, and once we have peace of mind, we simplify our outer life. Our mind is full of complicated thoughts and ideas, and it is constantly assailed by fear, doubt, anxiety and worry. But if we can soulfully meditate early in the morning, we see that there is a way to simplify our life and, at the same time, to see the Reality face to face.
Dr. Barber: How many disciples do you have, Sri Chinmoy?
Sri Chinmoy: I have about 900 disciples.
Dr. Barber: And of course your work goes on all over the world, doesn’t it?
Sri Chinmoy: Yes.
Dr. Barber: But your headquarters is here in New York?
Sri Chinmoy: It is in New York.
Dr. Barber: And do you find that you have many new converts to your brand of faith here in New York? Are there many new people coming in all the time?
Sri Chinmoy: Not all the time. As you know, I am very fussy, I am very strict, so I do not get disciples as some of the Masters get, as easily as possible.
Dr. Barber: Well, I know that you have met with religious leaders all around the world, and I’m very pleased that you’ve come to meet with us and our audience on The First Estate. Thank you very much for being with us.
Sri Chinmoy: Thank you, I am so grateful to you.
[After the taping of this program in mid-March, Sri Chinmoy received the following letters from Dr. Barber and from the associate producer of “The First Estate.”]
WN8C-TV4
NBC Television Stations Division
National Broadcasting Company, Inc.Thirty Rockefeller Plaza
New York, N.Y. 10020 212-247-8300Dr. Russell B. Barber
Producer, The First EstateMarch 25, 1977
Sri Chinmoy
Sri Chinmoy CentreP.O. Box 32433
Jamaica, New York 11431Dear Sri Chinmoy:
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for participating in our religious series, THE FIRST ESTATE: Religion in Review.
Your segment is an important contribution in understanding the religious community's opportunities and challenges. It can be seen in the New York Metropolitan Area Sunday, April 24 at 11:30 a.m.*
We deeply appreciate the time and preparation you committed to helping us show how modern men and women express their faith in God.
Sincerely,
Dr. Russell B. Barber*Repeat broadcast following the Sunday Night Film Festival.
cc: Mr. Neil Vineberg
WN8C-TV4
NBC Television Stations Division
National Broadcasting Company, Inc.Thirty Rockefeller Plaza
New York, N.Y. 10020 212-247-8300April 11, 1977
Sri Chinmoy
Sri Chinmoy CenterJamaica, New York 11431
Dear Sri Chinmoy:
Dr. Russell Barber and I want to thank you for remembering us in such special ways.
We hope you will keep the enclosed photos as a rememberance of us and THE FIRST ESTATE. We truly enjoyed having you on the program and hope that we will have another opportunity to have you back again.
Wishing you a happy 13th Anniversary.
Sincerely,
Patricia T. Parker
Associate ProducerO mind, what are you doing to me? I thought that you would teach my vital and my body — the younger members of our family — how to enjoy the strength of vastness. Alas, instead of doing that, you are teaching them how to enjoy the weakness of meanness.
O mind, look, what are you doing to yourself? I thought that you were wise enough to see and feel the happiness that my heart enjoys by becoming inseparably one with the soul and its unfathomable ecstasy. Alas, instead of doing that, you are enjoying base jealousy towards the heart.
O mind, what are you doing to me? What have I done to you? My life — human life — is for happiness. The moment you think of me, all my happiness disappears. The moment I think of you, I suffer the same fate.
O mind, why, why on earth do you have to become so cruel to me? You torture me ruthlessly. I forgive you unreservedly. But alas, I fail to forget you, your jealousy, your meanness, your destructiveness. Deathless have become my excruciating pangs.
O mind, cruelty incarnate, you have bound me taut to your pitch-dark, tenebrous and wee world. As if that is not enough, you are strangling me there. Death is undoubtedly preferable to the untold torture that you continuously inflict upon me.
Truth to tell, you have been punishing me since you have known me with your doubt-dart and suspicion-gun. In you meanness has reached its zenith height. In you jealousy plays with the darkest night. In you insecurity fails to see the face of purity’s beauty.
O mind, you are nothing but your own unparalleled stupidity. Even when God Himself with His infinite Compassion-Light enters into your sordid existence-hole for its radical transformation and perfect perfection, you suspect God openly, strongly and unreservedly. Your fertile, nay, to be precise, futile imagination instigates you to think that God has an ulterior motive. Not only do you know what a suspicion-snake is, but you are nothing but that and that alone.
Helpless, God enters into His own two birthless and deathless Realities — Transcendental Height and Universal Delight — to hear all at once one solitary message: “Endless patience, endless patience.”
God the Compassion is not enough. God the Patience is needed, too.
O mind, you need some retribution which you so richly deserve. I give you my word of honour. And who is the witness? God the Pilot Supreme. Do you know what I am going to do? I shall compel you to be eternally one with my heart that enjoys inseparable oneness-delight with Infinity’s Light, Eternity’s Peace and Immortality’s Love.
United Nations, 26 April 1977↩
Chand was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. Every day he used to pray to Lord Shiva most devotedly and soulfully. After many years Lord Shiva was extremely pleased with him and gave him a special boon, the boon of immortality on earth. Needless to say, Chand was delighted to get this boon.
One day Chand’s wife went to the river Gangur to bathe. On her way back she saw many people enjoying a special festival at the house of one of her neighbours. She went inside the house and there she saw a small statue of the goddess Manasha, the snake-goddess. All the people were devotedly worshipping that particular goddess. When Chand’s wife asked why they were so fond of this goddess, the mother of the family told her that they had become extremely rich by worshipping Manasha. The statue had come from the river Gangur, and her two sons had become rich by worshipping the goddess who was represented by this particular statue.
Chand’s wife knew that her husband was not as rich as these two brothers, so she begged them to give her a statue of exactly the same type. In a few days they made a mould and gave her a statue just like theirs. She was so happy to get the statue, and she immediately brought it home and started worshipping the goddess Manasha so that her husband could become as rich as their neighbours. But when Chand saw what she was doing, instead of becoming happy, he became furious.
He said, "I have been praying to Lord Shiva for years and years! He is so kind to me that he has given me the boon of immortality. Now how can I worship somebody else? I don’t need this goddess.” Then he kicked the statue of Manasha, and it smashed to pieces. His wife was extremely shocked, and his six sons were very unhappy and frightened because their father had shown such disrespect to a goddess.
The goddess Manasha was so angry that she cursed Chand. Her curse was that she would take away all his children and all his possessions and make him an ordinary mortal again. One day Manasha took human form as a most beautiful woman. When Chand saw this beautiful woman, he was tempted. When earthly temptation entered into him, Manasha was able to take away the boon that he had received from Lord Shiva. Now Chand became mortal once again and could easily be killed by the goddess or by any human being.
In the course of time, Manasha started fulfilling the rest of her curse. One day when Chand was sailing to a distant city, three of his boats capsized and sank. Three of Chand’s sons who were on the boats died, along with the crew members. That was the first serious misfortune. A few months later, he went with his remaining sons on a business trip. This time there was a serious hurricane. In this terrible storm Chand’s remaining three boats sank, his last three sons died and all the rest of his wealth was lost.
Chand himself was about to drown in this hurricane because he swallowed so much water, but the goddess Manasha, who was watching everything, said to herself, “If he dies now, then my objective will not be fulfilled. I want him to worship me. If he dies, then he will not be able to worship me. I have to keep him alive, but how am I going to do it?” Then she caused a lotus plant with a few blooms on it to appear right in front of him.
When Chand touched the lotus, he immediately thought of the goddess Manasha, because Manasha is also known as Lotus. But Chand was too angry with Manasha to take any help from her at all. He thought, “Manasha is the cause of all my suffering. I will not take help even from a lotus plant.” But already the goddess had been able to give him strength through the lotus, and with greatest difficulty he reached the shore and came out of the water.
For three days Chand could get nothing to eat. He became so weak that he could hardly walk. Finally, on the third day he came to a friend’s place. The friend gave him something to eat, but when he heard Chand’s story he said, “Compromise. Pray to this goddess. Then she will not create any more suffering for you.”
Chand said, “No, that I will not do.”
It took Chand several months to return home on foot. There he saw his wife fondling a little baby. It was his own child, a seventh son. Chand said, “That means the curse is now removed. Otherwise, how could I have a son now? This child must be a sign of prosperity.” So Chand gave the child the name Laksmindar, “one who is blessed by the goddess of prosperity.”
Over the years Laksmindar attained maturity, and Chand found a most beautiful wife for him. The girl’s name was Behula. Chand was once again very happy with his little family.
Then, early one morning, Behula suddenly started screaming and crying. Chand and his wife ran to her and there they saw that their only son was dead. He had been bitten by a snake. After so many years the snake-goddess had taken the form of a snake and killed their last son.
According to Indian tradition, if somebody dies of snake-bite, then he cannot be cremated. His body has to be thrown into the water or put on a raft or a small boat. Then the boat can carry his body wherever it will. Behula was so devoted to Laksmindar that she said, “I am not going to allow him to be thrown into the river. He is dead, true, but I cannot leave him. I don’t need my parents or my father-in-law and mother-in-law. I need only my beloved husband.” So, with Laksmindar’s dead body, Behula entered into the boat and floated away to an unknown destination. Behula was praying constantly to Lord Shiva. She said, “Lord Shiva, my father-in-law has worshipped you so devotedly for years and years. Can you not do anything for his son? Will this be his fate?”
Lord Shiva heard her soulful prayer and came out of his long trance. He commanded the goddess Manasha to give back Chand’s sons and all his wealth. The other cosmic gods also requested the same thing. But the goddess prayed to Lord Shiva for a boon. She wanted Chand to worship her at least once. Only then, she said, would she give back his wealth, his ships and all his children.
Lord Shiva said, “Only once? All right, I shall grant your boon.” Then Lord Shiva said to Behula, “Go and beg your father-in-law to worship Manasha just once,” and he took the boat which was carrying her back to where it had started from.
Behula went to Chand and said, “You are unbearably proud. That is why this has happened. You did not want to worship the snake-goddess; you only wanted to worship Lord Shiva. Now can you not worship her only once? Then you will get back all your beloved sons, your ships, your wealth, everything. Can you not worship her just once?”
Chand said, “No, I will never surrender.”
Behula said, “Have you no affection for your sons? Have you never loved your dear ones, your children, your wife?”
He said, “Yes, I did love my children. I loved all my sons.”
“Then where is your affection gone?” she asked.
“It still remains,” said Chand, “But now competition is going on between affection and pride.”
“Your pride has won,” said Behula. “You did not care as much for the members of your family as you cared for your own pride. Otherwise you would have surrendered to the goddess long ago and worshipped her to save your sons.”
Chand said, “You are right. Now let me surrender to affection. Let affection win. Let me just get back my children, my ships and my wealth. Then I will worship Manasha.”
Behula was extremely happy. She spoke to Lord Shiva, and Lord Shiva spoke to Manasha. The goddess agreed to give back everything to Chand.
Now Chand had to worship her, but his pride was still strong. He said to himself, “I used my right hand to worship Lord Shiva, so I will never use my right hand to worship this goddess. It will be a real insult to Lord Shiva, so I will never do it. I will use my left hand. I promised that I would worship her once, but I didn’t say I would use my right hand.”
Manasha became furious because, according to Indian tradition, the right hand is always used for worship, if not both hands, but Chand wanted to worship her only with his left hand. In India we are very fastidious about the right hand and the left hand. When you place a flower or candle on the shrine, when you do arati, when you put a sacred mark on your forehead, always it has to be done with the right hand. Everything sacred has to be touched with the right hand. Manasha said, “You promised that you would worship me. It is well understood that you have to worship with your right hand, not with your left hand. Two hands are not necessary, but at least you should use your right hand.”
But Chand had got back all his sons and all his possessions, and Lord Shiva was once again protecting him, so he worshipped Manasha with his left hand only. Lord Shiva again gave the boon of immortality not only to Chand but also to his daughter-in-law Behula.
Even now it is said that if you want to worship the goddess Manasha, you can do it with your left hand. All other gods and goddesses have to be worshipped either with both hands or with the right hand.I was the frustration-despair-bridge
BetweenMy vital’s first dark hour
AndMy body’s last deep sleep.
I am the rapture-treasure-bridge
BetweenMy heart’s birthless hour
AndMy soul’s deathless life.
```Three defects of doubt
At long lastI have discovered:
It fears to come out
Of its prison-mind.It fears to marry
Truth-light.It fears to believe in
Its own existence-might. ```With Compassion-rain
God will clasp your life-dreams.Just wait and see.
With Liberation-train
God will carry your heart-blossomsTo His Promise-Paradise.
Just wait and see.With Perfection-reign
God will offer youHis Throne of Infinity’s Silence-light
AndHis Crown of Eternity’s Sound-might.
Just wait and see. ```Do you want to exclude something
From your life-book?Then
Exclude your doubt-chapter.God will bless you Immediately.
Do you want to include something
In your life-book?Then
Include your confidence-chapter.You will bless yourself
Eternally. ```Definition of the soul:
God-manifestation.Definition of the heart:
God-recognition.Definition of the mind:
God-examination.Definition of the vital:
God-separation.Definition of the body:
God-frustration.My definition of God:
Self-congratulation. ```I see God.
Do you doubt me?Be careful!
God will delayYour Realisation-light
I play with God.
Do you doubt me?Be careful!
God will cancelYour Perfection-flight
```His is the life
Of dire contradiction.He loves God the root
But hates man the fruit.His is the life
Of dire contradiction.He loves God the Vision-oasis
But hates man the reality-desert. ```Lower
Lower life in a human being is not only a kind of frustration and failure, but also a total negation of the satisfaction which we have in the inner world. This satisfaction is founded on our devoted surrender to God’s illumining Vision and fulfilling Reality.Offence
We offend others, others offend us. But the worst possible offence is when we treasure our wee “i”. It binds us inside the body-cage, strangles us inside the vital-den and kills us inside the mind-prison.Unconquerable
Everything is unconquerable except God, and once we conquer God with our unconditional surrender, we immediately see that the things that were unconquerable are now only unconquered, and the things that were unconquered are now being conquered. To conquer God’s Compassion is to conquer the conquerable. To conquer man’s stupidity is to conquer the unconquerable.Infinite
Infinite is the Goal. Eternal is the soul. We make friends with the Eternal in order to grow into the Infinite.Direct
In order to have the direct knowledge of God, try to unlearn immediately what you have learned so far from humanity’s stupidity, and learn once more what divinity’s Reality has already taught you.Impure
An impure thought lasting for a minute is strong enough to destroy a man’s aspiration for the rest of the day. A day lost is the precursor of a new defeat. A new defeat in the life of aspiration marks a fatal destruction.Incomplete
By doing something we cannot complete our incomplete life. By becoming something we cannot complete our incomplete life. But by establishing a cheerful and unconditional oneness with God’s Will we can easily complete our incomplete life.Unique
God the created universe is unique, and God the unmanifested reality is unique. I need God the created universe to see God’s unique Face. I need God the unmanifested Reality to touch God’s unique Feet.Offering
The body’s real offering to God is lethargy.
The vital’s real offering to God is aggression.
The mind’s real offering to God is doubt.
The heart’s real offering to God is insecurity.
The soul’s real offering to God is unwillingness to work in and through ignorance-night for God-manifestation.Wealth
With material wealth we are apt to challenge the world. With spiritual wealth we are apt to establish our inseparable oneness with God’s entire creation.
[To be continued in next issue]Do I?
I try.God satisfies.
Do I? I shall try.I shall accept.
I shall not just accept. I shall transform.In terms of Eternity, Infinity and Immortality, God is asking us to meditate soulfully for only a few years. He is offering to give us His Eternity’s Wealth, Infinity’s Wealth, Immortality’s Wealth, and in return He is asking us to pray and meditate for a few years soulfully. His Infinity and Eternity we are buying for a few years of soulful prayer and meditation. If we do not have to pay even that much, we shall not value the return. If a rich man freely gives his boundless wealth, his son will just squander it. He will not know or feel its value.
Never be afraid of a problem. Think of it as an opportunity. If you overcome it, you will value the goal more. But at the same time, you will not welcome problems. If they present themselves before you, then accept them and illumine them, transform them or jump over them, but never try to avoid them. If the goal is just across the hurdle and you want to try going some other way, you can’t. You have to cross the hurdle. Avoidance is not the right answer, but to face each problem and then cross beyond it.You have to think of yourself as a tiny plant. Once you become a huge banyan tree, nothing will destroy you. But while you are just a tiny plant, even a cat or a dog can destroy you. So you have to be very careful when talking to people. You do not want to be rude, but you want to protect yourself. If you do not put a fence around yourself, how will you grow into a banyan tree?
Let their outer minds misunderstand your unfriendliness. They also have a soul, and their souls will know that you are doing absolutely the right thing. Their minds may think you are very rude and unsociable, but their souls want them to be exactly like you. You want to lead a spiritual life. Their souls want them also to lead a spiritual life; therefore their souls will not mind even if you have to snub them. Their souls know you are not indifferent; only you are trying to protect yourself. You should always try to protect yourself from the undivine, undeserving, unaspiring people, for they may at any time ruin your aspiration. Let them think whatever they want.Discipline, in our ordinary life, is like punishment, nothing short of it. You people have not suffered from malaria, and I do not want anybody to suffer from it. In India we do suffer from this disease. I suffered. You cannot imagine how painful malaria is. All the subtle and gross nerves start dancing with pain! You may not know any acrobatics, but as soon as you get malaria you become an expert. All kinds of acrobatic exercises you will do because pain compels you. Now, the only medicine for malaria is called quinine. It is extremely, extremely bitter. No other medicine is as bitter as quinine. But quinine is the saviour. You have to take it if you want to be relieved from this pain. If you do not take it, unpleasant as it is, then how are you going to get rid of the fever?
Now ignorance lords it over us. Ignorance has become our master. We do not want this master, so we need something stronger than this present master in order to overthrow him. Ignorance is our master, but we want knowledge to be our master. So if ignorance is the disease, discipline is the only cure. We have to consider discipline as our new master, new guide, new saviour. If we take discipline, then we can be cured from this ignorance-disease. Right now discipline is something we are facing like a kind of punishment. But if we think of it as our help, our guide, our inspiration, our aspiration, our realisation even, to conquer the undivine in us and around us, then it will give us joy.
Think of discipline as a new master who is helping you to learn something new, meaningful, soulful and fruitful so that you do not have to be under the domination of the old master anymore. The old master was lethargy, darkness, ignorance and all negative forces. Give discipline the utmost value. It embodies light and it is more than eager to offer you light. Then only will you not be afraid of discipline. Think what it is going to give you, or what it has and what you do not have. When you make a comparison, you will see that right now you are swimming in ignorance-sea and discipline is telling you, “Poor girl, why are you suffering? I have boundless light, delight, peace and bliss. Come and get it from me.” Discipline is your guide, your saviour.One truth speaks
To another truth:God is proud of us.
One life speaks
To another life:God is fond of us.
One love speaks
To another love:God is made of us.
```/Nami juga avatar/
/Smari ratula charana//Gahite bhajana/
/Dibe ki ebar adhikar//Rishi kabi prema avatar/
/Shata name daki//Shata bhabe anki/
/Nami toma shatabar//Mukti dishari manavatar/
/Amrita dani//Maraner glani/
/Bidurita karo juga avatar/I bow to You, O Avatar of the era!
Will You give me the right
To worship YouBy touching Your red lotus-Feet?
O Seer-poet, O love incarnate!
In hundreds of ways I call You,In hundreds of ways I paint You,
I bow to You countless times.O beckoning hands of humanity’s liberation,
Do offer Your Nectar-flood,And sweep away the dark disgrace of death.
I bow to You, O Avatar of the era!```
From:Sri Chinmoy,AUM — Vol.II-4, No. 4, 27 April 1977, Vishma Press, 1977
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/aum_119
