Interview with a priest²

Ten years ago I came to America. I was inwardly commanded by my Inner Pilot to come to the West and serve Him in the aspiring Western souls. Since then, I have been trying to serve Him according to the capacity He has kindly granted me. I have given talks at over one hundred fifty universities with only one intention and that intention was to offer my dedicated service to the young generation. At the university, the students usually get the knowledge that helps the mind. But the knowledge of the mind does not lead us very far. It is only the wisdom of the heart that leads us to the highest and the deepest realities of life.

We have a path called love, devotion and surrender. This love is divine love. This devotion is divine devotion. This surrender is divine surrender. The difference between human love and the divine love is this: human love wants to possess. But before it possesses, unfortunately it is itself possessed. Divine love wants only to serve and illumine. And while serving and illumining, it is equally served and illumined. Human devotion is nothing short of attachment. Divine devotion is our intensity for the fulfilment of a divine cause.

Human surrender is a forced surrender. It is the surrender of a slave to his master. Divine surrender is a spontaneous surrender. It is the surrender of the lover to his beloved. Here the God-lover is the seeker in us; here the beloved is the Absolute Supreme.

I am also fortunate to be connected with the United Nations. Twice a week I offer my devoted service to the soul and the body of the United Nations. There, some of the members of the United Nations join me in my prayer and meditation. We are all spiritual seekers. We are trying to bring about world peace in a spiritual way, in the way we are well familiar with. The diplomats and delegates want to bring about world peace in their own dedicated way, the way that is known to them. Our way is the inner way. Their way is the outer way. Both the ways are equally effective. One way is to climb down the tree, the other way is to climb up the tree. A climber has to know how to climb up and how to climb down. If he cannot climb up, he will not be able to collect the fruits. If he cannot climb down, then he will not be able to distribute the fruits to hungry humanity.

What a seeker needs is satisfaction. But unless and until he has satisfied his countless brothers and sisters of the world, he can never be totally satisfied. So his own divine satisfaction and God-manifestation on earth go together.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Perseverance and aspiration, Agni Press, 1976
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/pa