Question: Is it more effective to pray for peace of mind or for cheerfulness when you are unhappy?

Sri Chinmoy: If you are unhappy, then pray to the Supreme for happiness. If you have restlessness, then pray for peace of mind. If you have a pain in your leg, you do not pray to God to cure your head. Your head is all right, so you pray to God to cure your leg. Here also, your disease is unhappiness. What you need to cure it is happiness. In peace of mind there is happiness, true; but peace of mind belongs to a different category. When your whole being is restless, when you can't meditate even for a fleeting second, when you are full of worries, anxieties and negative qualities, then what you need is peace of mind. If you do have real peace of mind, then naturally happiness will also be there. You have to know where you are most affected and take care of that place first. Then afterwards you can examine the entire being. If your finger is hurt, take care of your finger. Afterwards, you can take exercise to improve the condition of your whole body. If your whole body is in perfect condition, your finger won't hurt. But when you are suffering at a particular place, try to administer medicine there.

From:Sri Chinmoy,The giver and the receiver, Agni Press, 1987
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