Question: How can we enter into the consciousness of another person or object in order to more fully understand him or it.

Sri Chinmoy: Here we have to be very, very careful. Most of the time it is not at all necessary for us to enter into the consciousness of another person or object in order to more fully understand him or it. Why? Very often when we try to understand someone we unconsciously or consciously bring upon ourselves the unlit and ignorant parts of that human being. There is no assurance, no guarantee, that by understanding someone we are throwing more light on him or that our own conscious being is receiving more light. But if it is the Will of God, then we should try to invoke more light into our own system and try to see more divinity in the person whom we are trying to understand. The more we can consciously see light in another person, the sooner we are bound to understand him. But first it is most important to know whether or not it is the Will of God for us to understand someone more fully. Very often when we try to understand someone, we only fathom, we only explore unlit and undivine qualities in him. Today we observe these qualities and tomorrow, in spite of our best intentions, they enter into us and create unnecessary problems for us.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Consciousness: God-Journey to man, man-journey to God, Sri Chinmoy Lighthouse, New York, 1974
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/gjm