Question: What is the spiritual value of the earth?

Sri Chinmoy: Those who accept life, those who accept Mother Earth as something real, feel that they have a bounden duty to perform here. This duty is nothing other than conscious realisation of God. Unconscious awareness of God everybody has. If one is not an atheist, if one does believe in God, then he will have awareness or at least unconscious awareness of God. But a seeker becomes consciously aware of God's Presence. He meditates on God and gradually, gradually, his own consciousness develops to such an extent that he feels God's Presence constantly, everywhere. He feels that it is his bounden duty to reveal God's Presence, which he feels and which he sees with his own heart and his own eyes. Finally, he feels that he has to manifest his realisation of the highest Truth. This manifestation has to take place here on earth and nowhere else. Realisation of the highest Truth has to take place here and manifestation of the Truth, the highest Truth, the ultimate Truth has to take place here on earth.

A real seeker, a sincere seeker, is a divine hero. He has to fight against teeming darkness and he has to fulfil God's Will here on earth. Otherwise, earth will remain earth and Heaven will remain Heaven. There will always be a yawning gulf between earth and Heaven. This earth of ours must be transformed into Heaven, into a place of Joy, Peace, Bliss and Delight.