Question: Does the soul decide what it is going to go through on the earth plane?

Sri Chinmoy: It is the soul that determines what we will do here on earth. But our human mind very often makes friends with ignorance and darkness. So what happens is that some souls have minor difficulties while other souls have great difficulties. The soul has accepted human fate. If the physical mind continues to enter into worldly desires and worldly enjoyments, then naturally the soul will have to fight harder to come out of ignorance. For some time it may be completely covered by ignorance. But at the same time there are some souls that do not have personal problems. They are very large and wide. That kind of mighty soul feels that all humanity is his family. With all sincerity he takes others’ problems upon himself, as if they were his own. These souls are most gracious and most willing to accept and harbour others’ sufferings. The great spiritual Masters accept the difficulties of humanity as their very own. If they wanted to be completely separated from humanity, they would not suffer. But they choose to suffer by accepting humanity and they do suffer most intensely for humanity. An ordinary human being who tries to help others who are suffering is himself caught by their suffering. But a realised soul will accept everyone and everything and at the same time he will be flooded with absolute Delight. Even while suffering he has inner Delight because he is constantly one with the Divine, with the Supreme.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Eternity's Soul-Bird, part 2, Agni Press, 1974
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