Part III — Japa-world

Question: When you close your eyes completely and hum that way, does that create a kind of hypnotism in your followers?

Sri Chinmoy: Not at all. My followers know that I am not a hypnotist. I do not believe in hypnotism and I do not encourage my disciples to use hypnotism. Whether I keep my eyes open or closed, they feel the same divine consciousness when I meditate. The chanting itself enters into their aspiring heart and creates a divine vibration which inspires them to pray and meditate. This has nothing to do with hypnotism.