Question: As we physically encounter each other in our daily lives, what can we do to bring peace, love and harmony to our immediate family members and also to those we do not know?

Sri Chinmoy: Suppose there are three members in a family. One, let us say, is spiritually advanced, one is mentally strong and one is physically strong. The one who is physically strong may not have the necessary wisdom to offer his physical strength to his brothers and sisters because he is not spiritually awakened. Again, the one who is mentally strong, because he has not developed oneness, also may not share his mental strength with the other family members. But the one who is strong spiritually will feel his oneness with the others, since spirituality knows that everything comes from God.

The one who is physically strong does not think of God; he thinks that he is strong because he has taken exercise. The one who is mentally strong may feel his knowledge comes from reading books. But the one who is spiritually strong knows that he cannot take credit for what he has. He feels that God, out of His unconditional Bounty, has blessed him in a special way so he can serve each and every other human being on earth. He knows that he is spiritually strong not because he has risen early each morning to pray and meditate, but because God Himself has prayed and meditated in and through him.

For this reason, the spiritually strong member will tell the one that is mentally strong: "What I have is all yours. I want you to have an equal share of my spiritual wealth." Then he will tell the one who is physically strong, "Look, what I have is all for you. We will share." So if we want to have peace, love and harmony in life, those who are spiritually strong must come forward to serve the ones who are physically and mentally strong.

The soul knows everything; it sees and feels its oneness with others because it knows they also are part and parcel of God. The heart at times feels and at times does not feel its oneness with others. The mind knows only how to divide and separate; it does not know and does not want to know what oneness is. The vital also does not know and does not want to know. Neither does the physical want to know its Source, which is divine Light.

As seekers, we must pray to God to make us spiritually strong so that we can see light, brightness and goodness in each and every individual in our physical family and in our world-family. If someone in our family has ten bad qualities and one good quality, we should only see that person's good quality and pray to God to increase his good qualities. Then, we have to pray to God to make each and every member of our family spiritually strong so that they can see and feel their oneness with others. Only if we pray like this can there be happiness, harmony and a sweetness-flood inside the whole family.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Sacred Rock welcomes Sri Chinmoy, Agni Press, 1994
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