Leonard Bernstein: How can I go beyond the man when you keep reminding me of him with these two words?
Sri Chinmoy: An Indian mantra is like that. By repeating and repeating a mantra we grow into the very essence and quintessence of the mantra.
Leonard Bernstein: I have my mantra. It was given to me in the name of a cosmic god. It was very beautiful when I received my mantra. There were offerings of flowers, vegetables and dried things from the fields. I never get tired of my mantra but I get very tired of my name because it confines me; it restricts me to an individual person. The wonderful thing about a mantra is that it is not your name. You can forget your name and become what you are with this incredible leader.
Sri Chinmoy: Your name may confine you, but it illumines us in the world of music. It may confine you because it is your name. But, in our case, when your name enters into our minds or into our hearts, immediately it throws us into an ocean of musical light and delight.
Leonard Bernstein: I can understand that being somebody else's mantra, but for myself, it confines me. It can open gates, but not for me because it always makes me feel confined. I understand you; that is the main thing. But what I don't understand is them [pointing to the singers]. The memorisation of so many units of information — bits, as they say in information theory — millions and millions of bits of accents and notes and syllables and words and combinations. I don't understand it.
Haridas: But when you conduct a classical work by heart, you have to memorise so many more things.
Leonard Bernstein: But I could not sit in the orchestra and play one of the parts. I could have the overall picture. I could be a Rabbi, a teacher, and show them what they cannot see because they are confined to one part, just as each of you is confined to his or her part. So [turning to Haridas] I can understand your function. But all those people that I conduct have notes in front of them, as well as all the remarks and observations that I have made to them. To some it's a revelation and to some it's just information. But they have it all written in front of them. But you have it all here [pointing to his head] or here [pointing to his heart] or wherever it is. And my admiration is just unbounded. I can't understand it. I kneel before that.From:Sri Chinmoy,Four Summit-Height-Melodies meet with Sri Chinmoy, Agni Press, 1995
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/fsh