Part II

During a meeting of the Manhattan Centre at New York University’s Meyer Hall of Physics on 15 September 1973, and the following day at his New York Centre, Sri Chinmoy invited the attendants who were present to ask him a question on power. The questions and Sri Chinmoy’s answers follow.

Question: How can we have power and humility at the same time?

Sri Chinmoy: Power in the physical finds it difficult to be humble. Power in the vital finds it difficult to be humble. Power in the mind also finds it difficult to be humble. But the power in the heart finds it quite easy to be humble. Power in the heart has the feeling of oneness. The mother is much stronger and wiser than the child. But the mother does not feel that it is beneath her dignity to touch the feet of the child. She knows that she is doing it on the strength of her complete oneness with her son. In the mother’s case, her love is her power. Inside her love is the power of oneness. But when two ordinary human beings are together, one finds it difficult to touch the feet of the other because there is no sense of oneness. When there is oneness, there will never be a feeling of superiority and inferiority. An individual does not feel that it is beneath his dignity to touch his own feet. It is no different from touching his own head. Feet and head are equally important to him. When necessity demands, I touch my feet. When necessity demands, I touch my head. There is no question of humility or humiliation, because my head and my feet are one.

How can we have power and humility at the same time? Think of Mother Earth, which is right around us. Mother Earth is holding all power, but she is so humble. We are doing so many undivine things on earth, but Mother Earth has infinite compassion. She is infinitely more powerful than any individual, but her heart is all forgiveness, because she feels her oneness with God’s creation.

Or take a mango tree. It has hundreds of mangoes. When we human beings achieve something, we are bloated with pride. If we have a dollar, we are bloated with pride because somebody else does not have a dollar. But the tree is not like that. When the tree bears fruit, at that time it could be very proud because everybody needs its mangoes. But the tree does not become proud. On the contrary, it gives its wealth to us and we are nourished. By offering its wealth to us, it feels a sense of satisfaction. True satisfaction is divine contentment. So, the tree teaches us how humility and power can go together. When we achieve something, our achievement is a form of power. But this power is not destructive power. It is a power that feeds. When the tree bears fruit, it offers its wealth, its life, to mankind. This wealth we can call power. The thing that helps mankind undoubtedly is a form of power.

Whoever is in a position to give is stronger than one who receives. I need something from you. That means that you are superior to me. The tree is in a position to give us fruits, leaves and everything. But when the tree becomes great as a result of its possessions and achievements, the tree bows down. When it offers us all its capacity, it bows down. A tree is a radiant example of how power and humility can go together. Humility means oneness with the rest of the world, whereas divine power is the power to give and become one. When we give, immediately we expand our consciousness. Again, on the strength of our humility, we become vast. Vastness itself is power.

In the spiritual life, when a Master really becomes great, at that time he becomes a child. Because of his prayer and meditation, God gives him spiritual power, occult power, many things. When the spiritual Master becomes flooded with inner power, at that time he will mix with humanity like one child mixing with other children in a garden. God is all Love, all Power; again He is all Humility. How does He do it? God is an eternal Child and this Child is always sweet and humble.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Creation and perfection, Agni Press, 1976
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/cap