Question: Does it matter to the soul whether we meditate every day at the same time?

Sri Chinmoy: I wish to say that those who are awakened, those who are no longer in the world of ignorance, should make it a point to be sincere, regular and punctual in the spiritual life. Their very regularity and punctuality will dispel the darkness which comes in the form of sloth and inertia. So try to be regular always in your meditation and try to be punctual always. Then you will see that regularity and punctuality have abundant power. You can always use them as a measuring rod, because each day when you meditate punctually you are one step closer to your Goal.

Some individuals don’t give enough importance to regularity in their aspiration. You may think that you have meditated for three months and come so far in your spiritual life that you can take rest for a few days before starting again. But unfortunately it is not like that. Once you give up the spiritual life and take rest for some time, you start running backwards; you go right back to your old life. Doubt, fear, suspicion and all kinds of negative forces enter into you and destroy all your inner possibilities. The potentiality for you to realise God remains; naturally one day you will realise God. But previously you ran forward continuously with your possibility; that golden opportunity you have now lost. The progress that you have made will be totally lost when you take rest. That is to say, the essence of the progress remains inside the soul and is never destroyed, but your past progress will not be manifested in your outer life. You won’t be able to speak the truth, you won’t be able to give your soul’s smile, you won’t offer a good vibration or give inspiration. No one will have faith in you.

After falling off the spiritual ladder, it is extremely difficult to climb up again. But because the quintessence of your spiritual development will remain inside your heart, in your next incarnation or whenever you want to meditate again, that quintessence will come to the fore. It will gradually, gradually loom large again if you most sincerely pray to God to help you return to the spiritual life. But you have delayed your progress.

That is why I always say regularity must be maintained. Once you have reached your Goal you are safe. But before that, even if you are only an inch from the Goal, there is no certainty. Ignorance can pull you back. Many people on the verge of realisation have been attacked by hostile forces that have prevented them from realising God. These unfortunate seekers will get their realisation, but it will take them much longer. So until you have reached the ultimate Goal, there is no security, there is no fulfilment, there is no continuous delight. Always be on the alert and run as fast as you can towards your ultimate Goal. Until the Goal is won, do not stop, because ignorance will pull you back again to your starting point.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Eternity's Soul-Bird, part 1, Agni Press, 1974
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/esb_1