Question: When you see non-seekers, do you see them as being the same as you, as if a part of you is in them, but has been covered with ignorance or darkness?

Sri Chinmoy: When I see a non-seeker, at that time I do not really see him or her as a person. Inside the non-seeker I see the Supreme. It is something like seeing a large temple that is in very bad condition. This side and that side may be broken, but even then I can see a little shrine or statue. As soon as I see anyone, my goal is to see that little shrine or statue. It draws my attention like a magnetic pull. When I look around, I may see that the whole temple is practically smashed to pieces, but immediately the shrine draws my attention. So I see the divinity or the Supreme inside that person first. Then I will see all the things that need to be changed, fixed and made perfect.

From the spiritual point of view, you cannot separate darkness from light. God is both darkness and light. But we want the God who is in light, not the other one. Sri Ramakrishna said, "God is in the mad elephant and also in the man who is on top of the mad elephant. Will I listen to the God who is on top, shouting to me to get out of the way, or will I let the elephant destroy me?" Of course, if it is God's Will, the mad elephant will gradually become a docile elephant. It will become good and divine.

So when I see someone, immediately I see the divine aspect inside them. After realisation, you see everything as divinity. That is why I say that God sees you as another God. As soon as you look in a mirror or at another person, you see the physical body. But when I see someone, the magnetic pull is immediately to the highest divinity of the person. When I look at a person, even if he is a drunkard or hooligan, I will immediately see his divinity. Then I will see that the divinity is only one infinitesimal portion, an iota, and undivine things are all around it. But my focus or attention will be immediately on his divine aspect.

From:Sri Chinmoy,My Heart-Melody, Agni Press, 1994
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/htm