Question: In this incarnation I have accepted you as my Guru. Will I have you as my Guru in my next incarnation?

Sri Chinmoy: This is an absolutely personal question, so I wish to tell you that in your case your soul has made a very, very, very close connection with my soul. I can assure you with all my soul's love, blessings and concern that I will be your Guru. But this is not so for everyone. The students have every right to change their teacher. Already I have ex-disciples here and there who belong to different groups and follow different teachers. I have no grudge against their new teachers; I am not jealous of them. So long as they are taking my former spiritual children to God, I am happy.

I also have disciples who have belonged to other Gurus in this incarnation. They have come to me for spiritual fulfilment. Sometimes their Gurus come to them during their meditation or during their sleep to tell them that they should come to me. So these seekers become my disciples. If the disciples that I have now want to change to another Guru in their next incarnation, I will have no objection. It depends on the disciple. If the disciple sincerely says, "I want to remain with you throughout Eternity," I will give him my assurance that I shall remain his Master. I say, "I shall take care of you, of your heart and soul, for all time." This has to be a mutual acceptance and a mutual promise. When the disciple makes the promise: "I want this Guru always to be my Guru," at that time the Guru may say: "Yes, I will keep you always as my close and dear disciple."

I have disciples already in Heaven. Do you think that because I am here on earth, I do not help them? Every day I help them. I have disciples, I have relatives, I have friends, I have my own parents there. A realised soul can enter any world and help any person in that world. Those who want this help, need this help, the Master is bound to help because he lives only to serve others.

Many people have started with a Guru and then their Guru has left the physical body. When a real spiritual Master leaves the body, he is not like an ordinary man who is "out of sight, out of mind". For him it is as if there is a wall between him and his disciples. He lives on one side of the wall and the disciples who are in the physical body live on the other side. The Guru sees his disciples because he has made a very big hole in the wall with his consciousness. An ordinary person does not see that hole; he only sees a solid wall.

In your case, since your promise to me is from your soul, you will get me in all your incarnations until you realise God. When you realise God, at that time you will not need me any more, because you will also be in the infinite Consciousness. But until then, even if I do not come back into this world in the human body, I will be able to guide you from the other world as I am now helping people in the other worlds from earth.

From:Sri Chinmoy,The inner journey, Agni Press, 1977
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/ij