Ten Thousand Flower-Flames, part 76

7501. Why Am I So Happy?

```

If you ask me

Why I am so happy,

Then I shall unmistakably tell you

That is what happens

When you live for God alone.

```

7502. You And Your Faith

```

Your mind may resent you

Because nowadays you are paying

Less attention to it.

But do not be a fool.

Do not again become a good friend

Of your mind.

Eventually there will come a time

When you will pay no attention at all

To your desire-bound, doubt-bound mind.

That will be the time

When you and your faith,

Like two little children,

Will play inside the garden

Of your soul. ```

7503. Unmerited Suffering

```

I know at least

One thing well:

Unmerited suffering.

```

7504. Do Not Tire God

```

If you really love God,

Then do not tire Him

With your endless complaints.

```

7505. A Dead-End Road

```

In the inner life

Insecurity is a dead-end road.

In the outer life

Doubt is a dead-end road. ```

7506. The Dance Of Division

```

Indecision is

The confusion-frustration-dance

Of division.

```

7507. The Beautiful Beginning

```

Simplicity is

The beautiful beginning

Of Divinity.

Sincerity is

The powerful beginning

Of Immortality.

```

7508. The Best Authority

```

A suspicion-mind

Is by far the best authority

On life-exhaustion.

```

7509. Aspiration Illumines

```

Aspiration illumines

The inner confusion.

Determination destroys

The outer confusion. ```

7510. My Lord's Silence-Eye

```

My prayer-life is fond of

My Lord’s Sound-Body.

My meditation-life is fond of

My Lord’s Silence-Eye. ```

7511. Impurity's Invasion

```

Impurity

Invades my mind

Only to pervade

My heart. ```

7512. My Prayer-Life Tells Me

```

My prayer-life tells me

What I can receive from God.

My meditation-life shows me

How I can manifest God. ```

7513. Undedicated Money-Power

```

Undedicated money-power

Is more dangerous

Than doubt-poison.

```

7514. At The Halfway Mark

```

At the halfway mark

Between life and death,

We are forced to watch

The oneness-dance

Of hope and despair.

```

7515. A Life Of Deplorable Indecision

```

A life of deplorable indecision

Walks along the slow road

Of destruction.

```

7516. The Only Question Haunting Me

```

Am I ever going to transcend myself?

This is the only question

That is haunting me.

```

7517. A Perfect Life

```

A great mind

Wants to know more.

A good heart

Wants to love more.

A perfect life

Wants to satisfy God more. ```

7518. When I Speak To Ignorance-King

```

It is only ignorance-night

That loves me

When I speak to ignorance-king.

```

7519. Remember!

```

Remember,

God is watching your mind!

Remember,

Your mind is ignoring God’s Heart! ```

7520. The Capacity To Please God

```

As long as God has given me

The capacity to please Him,

I do not have to think

Of pleasing myself. ```

7521. When I Fail To Aspire

```

When I fail to aspire,

My life becomes

A complicated calculation

And an impassioned frustration. ```

7522. How Can I Be Useless?

```

As long as I do not

Find fault with God,

How can I be useless?

As long as I love

And need God only,

How can I be useless?

```

7523. My Lord's Concern

```

My mind’s perfection

Is my concern.

My heart’s satisfaction

Is my Lord’s Concern. ```

7524. My Soul Knows

```

My mind does not know

What to say.

My heart knows

What to say.

My soul knows

All that my heart knows

Plus how and why to say.

```

7525. Sailing In The Same Boat

```

Your mind enjoys

Nerve-racking arguments.

My mind enjoys

Time-consuming arguments.

Alas, both our stupid minds

Are sailing in the same boat. ```

7526. To Walk Alongside

```

My mind powerfully pushed

My heart aside.

My heart lovingly invited my mind

To walk alongside. ```

7527. My Heart Wants To Know

```

My mind wants to know

If you are thinking of me.

My heart wants to know

If you are thinking of God. ```

7528. Your Mind Cannot Have Fear

```

Your mind cannot have fear

Because your mind

Is astonishingly clear.

```

7529. My Sincerity-Heart Is Confused

```

My sincerity-heart

Is confused, puzzled

And even unimaginably surprised

When people say

That I am perfect.

```

7530. My Self-Control

```

My self-control

Openly helps me

And secretly helps others.

```

7531. Deliberately Unprepared

```

Alas, my mind does not think

That it is deliberately unprepared

For God’s Compassion-Eye

And God’s Satisfaction-Heart. ```

7532. If Your Heart Knows How To Cry

```

If your heart knows how to cry

For oneness

With God the universal One,

Then you cannot have a lonely life.

If your life knows how to smile

At God the transcendental One,

Then you can never have a lonely death.

```

7533. Tragic News

```

This morning my Lord Supreme

Gave me two pieces of tragic news:

My mind consciously loves

Self-deception,

And my heart consciously enjoys

Self-limitation. ```

7534. Even Winning Has Its Problems

```

Even winning

Has its most deplorable problems,

For a winner becomes

An immediate victim

To exorbitant pride

And feels that God’s Help

Was, after all, not indispensable.

```

7535. Self-Styled Perfection

```

God-discovery is possible

Only when you have gone

Far beyond the domain

Of self-styled perfection. ```

7536. Although I Cannot Lead My Life

```

Although I cannot lead my life

To the Beauty of God,

I shall not allow my life to lead me

To the ultimate human despair. ```

7537. Two Viewpoints

```

A limited viewpoint:

Earth-bound nature has no chance

To be illumined,

And thus it will never be able

To satisfy God in God’s own Way.

An unlimited viewpoint:

At God’s Hour

Impossibility surrenders to possibility. ```

7538. A Self-Invented Self-Portrait

```

A self-invented self-portrait

Can please neither Heaven nor earth.

It can only please

The stupidity-unreality. ```

7539. Love Of Immortality

```

My mind needs

The inspiration of Infinity

From the Infinite.

My heart needs

The aspiration of Eternity

From the Eternal.

My life needs

The love of Immortality

From the Immortal.

```

7540. My Soul's Only Sacred Dream

```

My soul’s only sacred dream:

My body will be totally transformed.

My body’s only secret dream:

My body will breathlessly listen

To the dictates of my soul.

```

7541. Uphill Will-Power

```

If you are always thinking

Downhill thoughts,

How can you see the beauty and divinity

Of uphill will-power? ```

7542. No Right To Be

```

I have no right to be what I am now.

I have only the right to say

That my Lord Supreme loves me

Infinitely more than I can ever

Love myself.

```

7543. Silence Waves Its Wings

```

Silence waves its transcendental wings

When I drink deep

The nectar-delight of my gratitude-heart.

```

7544. His Life Is Dancing

```

Upon the rock of inner illumination

His life is dancing.

Therefore, earth is fond of him,

And Heaven is both fond of him

And proud of him.

```

7545. His Heart's Gratitude-Song

```

His heart’s gratitude-song

Is deathless

In its purity-beauty.

```

7546. The Source

```

The source of an ascending cry

Is the great heart of humanity.

The source of a descending Smile

Is the good Soul of Divinity. ```

7547. The Newness That Glows

```

Surrender is the newness

That glows.

Gratitude is the fulness

That grows. ```

7548. Two Major Mistakes

```

Two major mistakes in my life:

I blame my soul

When I do anything wrong;

I underestimate the Compassion

Of my Source

And the beauty of

My heart’s Godward journey.

```

7549. Do Not Be Afraid

```

Do not be afraid

Of doing great things.

Just regard these things

As quite normal and natural,

And do them spontaneously.

This is the only way

You can bring to the fore

God within you

For His own supreme Manifestation.

```

7550. To Adore God The Dream

```

To adore God the Dream

And to love God the Dreamer

Is the very beginning

Of the life that lives only for Him. ```

7551. I Pray To Receive

```

I pray to receive.

I meditate to achieve.

I love to become.

I have what God is. ```

7552. Nothing Helps Like Self-Giving

```

Nothing helps like self-giving

At every moment.

Nothing destroys like insecurity

In the physical world,

The vital world,

The mental world

Or even in the psychic world.

```

7553. I Must Give Him Another Chance

```

Although he is totally undivine,

I must give him another chance

To transform his life

Of complicated insincerity. ```

7554. He Thinks He Is A Saint

```

He thinks he is a saint

And therefore his mind does not have to

Search for God

And his heart does not have to

Pray to God.

Luckily, the world does not need

A saint like him.

```

7555. Destructive Happiness

```

The destructive happiness of an insane man

Is real torture

To the man whose sanity

Is in perfect order. ```

7556. A Sorrowful Experience

```

If you have a sorrowful experience

In your inner life,

Disappointment must not break your heart.

For you have deep within you

The wisdom to transform

This sorrowful and painful experience

Into a joyful and fruitful realisation.

```

7557. Lost Olympian Joy

```

When man forgets

His love for God,

His heart loses

Its Olympian joy. ```

7558. His Heart Will Be Blessed

```

Since he has successfully escaped

From the futile shallowness of the mind,

His heart will be powerfully blessed

By the fulness-beauty of his soul. ```

7559. Shock The Mind Into Waking

```

Shock the mind into waking.

Shock the heart into rising.

Shock the life into flying.

You will then be running fast

Along the sunlit road

To the perfection-temple. ```

7560. The Book Of Your Heart's Light

```

The book of your heart’s light

Is an excellent book.

Keep it always on your reading desk

To serve as your ever-ready reference book,

Especially when you enter into

The library of ignorance-night. ```

7561. Man's International Dream

```

A soulful oneness-experience

Is man’s international dream.

A powerful oneness-satisfaction

Is God’s universal Reality. ```

7562. A Breath Of Self-Effacement

```

A breath of self-effacement

Is the immediate birth

Of my life’s enlightenment-sky.

```

7563. If You Want To Succeed

```

If you want to succeed,

Allow not any disappointment

To set you back.

If you want to proceed,

Accept the invitations of a cheerful hope

And a fruitful promise. ```

7564. It Was You Who Chose Death

```

Alas, it was you who chose death

Long before you had any idea

Of the beauty and divinity of life.

```

7565. Heaven's Compassion

```

Heaven’s Compassion did not help me

Because I was too weak

To be helped.

Earth’s jealousy did not disturb me

Because I was too strong

To be disturbed. ```

7566. An Impossible Task

```

For a true seeker of the Infinite

It is an impossible task

To long for death

Before God-manifestation.

For an ordinary man

It is an impossible task

To strive to live

With a higher ideal in mind. ```

7567. A Heart Of Silence

```

A heart of silence

Teaches me how to swim

In God’s Compassion-Sea.

A mind of sound

Tells me that it can teach me

How to empty God’s Compassion-Sea. ```

7568. He Who Soulfully Listens

```

He who soulfully listens

Can powerfully speak.

He who powerfully speaks

Is a true messenger of God.

A true messenger of God

Ushers in God’s final Victory on earth. ```

7569. The Union Of Dreams And Reality

```

The union of my dreams

And God’s Reality

Takes place inside my perfection-cry

And God’s Satisfaction-Smile. ```

7570. More Pleasure In Defeat

```

Believe it or not,

He gets infinitely more pleasure

From the defeats of others

Than from his own teeming victories. ```

7571. The Meaning Of Loneliness

```

I have yet to learn

The meaning of loneliness,

Since my Lord Supreme

Has not created loneliness for those

Who serve Him unconditionally

In this lifetime. ```

7572. Man's Desire-Life

```

Man’s desire-life

Never expects to surrender

To God’s all-illumining Vision-Eye.

```

7573. Although God Is Infinite

```

Although God is infinite,

He prefers to live

Inside a tiny

Man-built nest. ```

7574. God Introduces Me

```

God introduces me

To His immortal Life every day.

I introduce God

To my immediate death every day. ```

7575. I Am Ready To Believe

```

I am ready to believe in everything

Except one thing,

And that is the radical transformation

Of my desire’s hot breath. ```

7576. Two Significant Things

```

Every day God does

Two most significant things for me:

He loves my innocence-life

And treasures my security-heart. ```

7577. A Whisper From My Insecurity-Life

```

A whisper from my totally helpless

Insecurity-life

Can completely ruin

The flower of my morning prayer

And

The fruit of my evening meditation. ```

7578. Earth's Soulful Love

```

Earth’s soulful love,

With sweet care and dear concern,

Asks man to sing

His own self-transcendence-song

Melodiously and perfectly.

```

7579. Your Soul-Power Can Baffle Death

```

Your soul-power can baffle death

If your heart invokes

The Compassion-Flood of God,

The universal Protection. ```

7580. Your Heart's Fading Flames

```

If you do not aspire every day

Soulfully and unreservedly,

You are bound to see unquestionably

Your own heart’s fading flames. ```

7581. The Flower Of Beauty

```

When your heart becomes

The flower of beauty,

Your life will produce

The fruit of earth-nourishing reality. ```

7582. What I Can Do For God

```

I shall see

What I can do for God

Since I am not doing

Anything worthwhile for man. ```

7583. Since I Love Man's Mind

```

Since I love even man’s treacherous mind,

I do not think it will be

A difficult task

For me to love God’s compassionate Heart. ```

7584. My Sincerity-Mind Tells Me

```

My sincerity-mind tells me

That I have not done anything great.

My humility-life tells me

That I have not done anything good.

My purity-heart tells me

That I have not done anything perfect. ```

7585. Determination

```

Determination within,

Determination without

At every moment!

Lo, unimaginable achievements

Are within your easy reach.

```

7586. I Want To Remind Myself

```

I do not want to know

What God thinks of me,

But I do want to remind myself

Of what I can do

To deserve God’s infinite Compassion.

```

7587. A Colossal Hope

```

Yesterday God-realisation

Was a colossal hope.

Today God-realisation

Is a free Heaven-climbing rope. ```

7588. Be Careful Of Your Commitments

```

Be careful of your silence-commitment.

Be careful of your sound-commitment.

If you are careful,

Then happiness will be your name. ```

7589. Be Prepared For Surprises

```

Be prepared for surprises.

Today God may invite you.

Be prepared to immediately accept.

Again, today the hostile forces

May invite you.

Be prepared to make the strongest refusal. ```

7590. Follow Your Intuition

```

You do not have to imitate

Others’ successes.

You do not have to learn

From others’ mistakes.

Just follow your intuition.

Your intuition embodies

The beauty of success

And

The purity of progress.

```

7591. Do Not Forget

```

As you climb the ladder of success,

Do not forget

It is your determination

That is enabling you to succeed.

As you climb the ladder of progress,

Do not forget

It is your surrender

That is enabling you to proceed. ```

7592. A Serious Mistake

```

It is a serious mistake

To broadcast your opinions all the time.

Keep your wise opinions to yourself

So you can escape the ridicule

Of the world

And also save the world

From having to tolerate your stupidity.

```

7593. Not A Difficult Task

```

First punish your unruly vital,

Then show it an illumining light.

You will see that it is not

A difficult task

To immortalise your life

Of self-dedication. ```

7594. Incomparably Sweet

```

An ordinary human life

May at times be sweet,

But the life of a soulful seeker

Is always incomparably sweet. ```

7595. Each Painful Thought

```

Each painful thought

That you are experiencing today

Is due to the pressure

Of your disobedience-life. ```

7596. My Life Of Hope

```

My life of hope is fast perishing.

Will my heart’s sky of sorrow

Also perish

Along with my hope-life? ```

7597. If Ever I Look Behind

```

If ever I look behind,

What do I see?

Purity?

No.

Sincerity?

No.

Love of God?

No.

I see only the constant birth

Of an all-devouring hunger. ```

7598. Your Poor Heart's Thirst

```

If your vital indulges

In selfishness,

Then your poor heart’s thirst

Will remain ruthlessly unquenched. ```

7599. You Resent Perfection

```

You unconsciously resent perfection.

Therefore, you don’t care to see

God’s Satisfaction-Smile

Inside His evolving universe. ```

7600. My Smiling Eyes Tell Me

```

My smiling eyes tell me

My Beloved Supreme

Is coming towards me.

My crying heart tells me

My Beloved Supreme

Has come.

```

Editor's introduction to the first edition

This is the seventy-sixth volume in a series of ten thousand “flaming flower-poems” which Sri Chinmoy is placing devotedly, unreservedly and unconditionally at the Compassion-Feet of God, our Beloved Supreme. They stand as a supreme offering from the unfolding beauty of his flower-heart and the flaming heights of his realisation-sun. Indeed, a treasure-tower which will at once be claimed by humanity’s self-ascending cry and Divinity’s God-descending Smile.

Editor's note to cover photo

Sri Chinmoy presents Ali Akbar Khan with a trophy after the musician gave a special concert for Sri Chinmoy and his students in Jamaica, New York, on 17 October 1973.

Editor's note

Some poems in this first edition were later selected by the author for a special collection of 207 Flower-Flames (FFP). The author also chose to revise some of his original poems for this anthology: FF-7573: FFP 184 (revised version).

From:Sri Chinmoy,Ten Thousand Flower-Flames, part 76, Agni Press, 1983
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/ff_76