Question: Is it best that a spiritual Master be in sahaja samadhi when he deals with his disciples?

Sri Chinmoy: In sahaja samadhi, one is in the absolutely highest consciousness and, at the same time, one enters into earthly activities like an ordinary human being. In my case, the sahaja samadhi consciousness started when I was eighteen or nineteen, but after the age of twenty-three it became permanent. In many cases I have to hide that consciousness when I am dealing with individuals; otherwise, the disciples and others may not take me seriously. They find it difficult to understand that someone can be absolutely, totally and inseparably one with our Beloved Lord Supreme and at the same time function normally on the earth plane. They have more faith in me and take me more seriously when they see me in a deep meditative consciousness. That consciousness is better able to serve my purpose.

But for me, this kind of meditative consciousness is not the highest type of samadhi. The reason is that sometimes when I am in absolutely the highest meditation, I may completely ignore the earth-bound aspect. But in sahaja samadhi one can remain in the highest consciousness and simultaneously come down to the earth-consciousness to manifest.