Question: How can a teacher learn to discipline children without bringing his own undivine qualities to the fore?

Sri Chinmoy: If children are unruly and undisciplined, that means that they have consciously or unconsciously surrendered to some undivine force. The undivine force here is restlessness, the mischievous monkey-consciousness. But the force that the restless monkey-consciousness embodies can easily be challenged and overcome by an infinitely higher force. That force is called inner poise. If the teacher uses his inner poise, no matter how undivine and unspiritual the children are, still he can bring the children under control. When the children behave like animals, if the teacher also becomes an animal and tries to fight them or conquer them with his greater animal power, then he is making a serious mistake. Animal consciousness has to be conquered by human consciousness. Again, it is not actually a matter of conquering; it is a matter of illumining. The animal consciousness has to be illumined by the human consciousness, and the human consciousness has to be transformed and illumined by the divine consciousness.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Soulful questions and fruitful answers, Agni Press, 1976
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