Question: Do you think one should work in the world or retire to an ashram to realise God?

Sri Chinmoy: One must not retire to an ashram in order to realise God. One must not enter into the Himalayan caves to realise God. Those days are gone. One has to accept life as it is. In the modern-day world, one has to play the role of a hero, a divine hero. If you enter into a room and close the door and then feel that you will be able to meditate, you will be mistaken. Your mind will remain a victim to undivine thoughts even there. A real seeker will face the world. He realises that there is nothing to renounce. Why should I renounce the world or the members of my family if the reality that I am seeking is inside each individual? God is inside everyone. By renouncing the world and entering into an ashram I am not going to find God and manifest Him.

Escape is not the answer. Who escapes? Someone who has done something wrong. The master of the house does not escape. He does not have to hide, for he has not stolen anything. Why should a spiritual seeker try to escape? Why should he be afraid of humanity? If right now humanity represents doubt or other negative qualities for him, then let him try to transform this doubt into certainty. Let him try to transform humanity's fear into courage. At every moment the seeker gets the golden opportunity to face the world. If a potter does not touch the clay, how will he be able to transform the clay into a beautiful vase? Each individual seeker has to accept humanity and then, with his own aspiration and his own realisation, he has to transform the face of mankind. If he is afraid of his neighbours and tries to hide, he is taking the wrong approach.

In the spiritual life, if one really wants to help mankind, then one has to live in the world. If a spiritual Master has an ashram and the seeker goes there to meditate, that is wonderful. But if all seekers renounce the world and enter into monasteries or secluded places to meditate, then who is going to transform the face of the world? We have to accept the world as it is with the view of transforming the world. The world is not perfect, but neither are we perfect. No human being is as perfect as God. He is inspiring us to be perfect, and if He gives us the inspiration and capacity to perfect ourselves, He will also give us the inspiration and capacity to perfect others. But to do this we have to mix with people and help them in their inner awakening and their inner realisation.

In order to realise God, what is necessary is the inner cry, and this inner cry we can have even when we are walking along the street. It is a mistake to feel that we will have the inner cry only if we are at the top of the Himalayas. Even there our minds will roam and we will think of our friends, our relatives and our enemies. Again, here in the world, in the hustle and bustle of life, we can easily think of God. So God-realisation can take place, must take place and will take place here on earth in the midst of multifarious activities, as long as our activities are dedicated to God. Each action has to be dedicated to God, no matter what we do.

You are working here at a radio station. Now, for about two hours you have been serving mankind. This is an act of dedication. With this act of self-offering to the world you will please God more than those who enter into a room and think of all the undivine thoughts in the name of meditation. The moment we offer ourselves, we extend and expand ourselves. So God-realisation can be achieved in our daily life. We do not have to enter into seclusion.