Question: How should we deal with our defects?

Sri Chinmoy: In the beginning, all the defects that we have we consciously or unconsciously cherish. Then, when we become wise, we feel so sad that we cherished these weaknesses. But even when we want to overcome our weaknesses, we feel helpless. This is the time when we need determination, which has to come through God’s Grace.

Everything has to happen step by step. In the beginning, unconsciously or consciously we are cherishing all our weaknesses, which come in the form of temptation. Then we realise that these defects are no good and we separate ourselves from them. We do not want to be insecure; we do not want to be jealous. We do not want to have doubt, impurity and so on. Then we decide that we must conquer these weaknesses. At that time we cannot be relaxed; we have to be fully determined. And where does this determination come from? Its source is God’s Compassion. So ultimately we have to go to the Source, God’s Compassion, to get the determination to conquer all our defects.