Question: What is the main quality that it takes to win a match? Is it something spiritual, mental or physical?

Sri Chinmoy: Suppose you are an excellent player and I am a useless player. What will my spiritual capacity do for me? A saint will come and box with Tyson, and Tyson will destroy him. Only if the saint has occult power and decides to use it will Tyson not be able to beat him. In one of my stories I tell about a great military man who had killed so many people on the battlefield. A spiritual Master said, "Lift up this ballpoint!" The soldier could not do it because the Master had used occult power to take away the soldier's life-energy.

Again, if two players have similar outer capacities, then the one with stronger inner capacities will definitely have the advantage. During a competition, if one player can bring tremendous determination to the fore, then naturally he will win. But this determination has to come from the dynamic vital and not from the aggressive vital. The dynamic vital has to transform the physical and the mind into good instruments. It has to energise the physical, which is normally lethargic, and tell it, "You have to be as dynamic as I am." It has to command the mind to give up its doubt. The mind may be saying, "Oh, my opponent's service is most powerful. How am I going to return it?" The vital has to tell the mind, "You have to throw away your doubt! Do not waste time doubting your capacities. Be one-pointed like me and have confidence!"

If the dynamism of the vital enters into the body and the body becomes fully one with the vital, and if the doubting mind surrenders to the dynamic vital, then there is every possibility that the individual will win the match. If the dynamic vital can take full control of the game, then even at the eleventh hour you can change the course of the game and win. Many times this happens, and it is the vital which deserves full credit.

From:Sri Chinmoy,I play tennis every day, Agni Press, 1994
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/ted