Question: Can a man be something else than what he thinks himself to be?

Sri Chinmoy: There is a saying that, “A man thinks, therefore he exists.” Also there are people who hold the opinion that man exists, therefore he thinks. Both theories, both views are correct. I exist, therefore I think. If I am dead, if I am not alive, how am I going to think? At the same time, I think, therefore I exist.

Now to come back again to the question. Can a man be something else than what he thinks himself to be? A man may think anything he likes, but in the field of expression he may not be embodying what he thinks himself to be. A man may think wonderful thoughts, have wonderful ideas, but in his outer life, he may be extremely cruel and act like a beast. So he thinks that he is a wonderful person, but in his action he is worse than any ordinary human being. His thinking and action are totally different.

Let us go a bit deeper. There are people, renowned people on earth who thought that they were useless, nothing. But friends inspired them, teachers or great personages told them that they had tremendous possibilities or inner capacity to do something great, unique. Then they followed some technique or teaching or they entered enthusiastically into their respective creative fields and they became well known all over the world.

Now, let us go a bit deeper. There are people who feel, who think, that they can never realise God. In their thinking, they feel that God is somewhere else, in Heaven, that they are not God’s children, they are useless and will never realise God; they are weak, they are ignorant, etc. But this kind of thinking is again absolutely wrong, for God is seated inside each human heart. Every one, sooner or later will realise God, no matter how many times one thinks that God-realisation can never take place in his life. So in his thinking, he may be afraid of God-realisation, the Infinite Truth, Eternal Life, but a day will dawn when to his widest surprise, he will not only see the Ultimate Truth, but he will become the Ultimate Truth. So I wish to say that if one negates the Truth in his thinking, then he is mistaken. One will ultimately have to recognise the Truth. This is the only way of entering into the Truth. That is to say, think of Truth and Truth alone. The more we think of Truth in its purest term, the sooner we grow into the Truth. At that time we can say, “As we think so we are.”

But if we think wrong thoughts, we must not say that we can never have true thoughts, we can never become the possessors of real Truth. Thank you.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Earth’s Cry Meets Heaven’s Smile, part 3, Aum Press, Puerto Rico, 1978
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