Question: Does my mind have any special message for me?⁶

Sri Chinmoy: The mind goes through three main stages. First is the sleeping stage, when the mind is fast asleep. Then comes the stage when the mind is awakened, and finally there is the stage when the mind becomes illumined. Again, there are many levels within each stage, but these are the three main categories.

Definitely your mind is not asleep anymore. You are not in ignorance-sleep. Your mind is between the awakened stage and the illumined stage. When you are in the illumined mind, when your soul’s light is powerfully working in your heart and inside your mind, at that time you are saying the right thing to the right person and doing the right thing for the right person. You are telling the right person to do the right thing, but the wrong person you are not telling this. It is not because the wrong person is your enemy or because it is beneath your dignity to tell him. No, only the wrong person’s hour has not struck, and if you tell him to do what for somebody else is absolutely the right thing, it will only expedite the other person’s destruction.

Again, when you are just in the awakened mind, at that time you show kindness and sympathy to people who not only do not deserve it but also misuse what you are offering to them. You will say that once you are kind to them, your task is over. But you have to know that your kindness can be used in a very wrong way. If somebody comes to you and asks for a dollar, because you have a big heart you will give him the dollar. But you have no idea whether the person is good or bad, or what he plans to do with the money. Perhaps he will use it to take a subway or taxi to a church, where he will pray and meditate and try to become a better person. That is very good. Again, perhaps the person will go to a bar and drink and lower his consciousness. Then who is the culprit? You are so happy that you have shown your generosity and charity, but you have actually made a mistake.

You may try to escape by saying, “I did not know.” But an unconscious mistake is still a mistake, and it can produce bad results. Even if unconsciously I touch fire, I will still burn my hand. Similarly, unconsciously you have helped someone become worse than he otherwise might have been. If you had not helped that person, at least for a short while he would have been a slightly better person.

In your case I will give you an example of what is happening. You are showing compassion to people who are misusing it and thus heading towards even greater destruction. When some people give up their spiritual life, you feel sad and miserable. You feel that perhaps if you had not said this or if you had said that, they would not have left the spiritual path — as though you are responsible for their leaving. God cannot save that person from destruction, the Master cannot save that person; but you think that perhaps if you had done something or said something, in some way you could have prevented or delayed that individual’s departure. That is a real mistake. I am saying “you,” but this applies to many people.

It is far better to remain in the awakened mind than in the mire of ignorance-sleep. But the awakened mind may not always have the necessary wisdom to do the right thing. You are awakened to the point where you want to be kind and nice to people. I am not asking you to be indifferent to people — far from it! But kindness has to be accompanied by inner light. If kindness does not carry inner light, then it can be misused very badly.

The awakened mind believes in charity, patience, compassion and so on. Because it is awakened, it feels a vast consciousness entering into it. It is like what happens when somebody’s flower-heart blossoms; at that time the heart becomes big. So the awakened mind immediately looks to this side and that side and tries to do the right thing. Unfortunately, it does not always know what the right thing is or how to use its expanded consciousness correctly.

So it is always good to use the mind that has got direct light from the soul, which comes through the heart. That is the mind that will save you. If you cannot use the illumined mind, then try to remain between the awakened mind and the illumined mind. But do not remain directly in the awakened mind. If you have got a big mind, and with your big mind you are trying to be generous, kind and hospitable, then you will be in trouble.

I am catching your mind; you have made mistakes. You have to know that, when the hour strikes, people come; and again, when the hour strikes, people go. We cannot make them stay on the spiritual path. It is very difficult, because our heart’s magnanimity comes to the fore and we want to use kindness. We see that so-and-so has been with us for so many years. For years and years somebody was on the top of the tree eating most delicious fruit. Now that particular person has come down, and there is every possibility that a hungry wolf or tiger will be waiting at the foot of the tree to devour him. But what can we do? Only at the top of the tree can he be safe.

I tell you, I make the same mistake; but in my case, I do not give up. In your case, you make the mistake and after two days you give up. But because I deal with the soul, I struggle and struggle and struggle. Some people who left our path ten or twelve years ago still very kindly show up at my heart’s door. At that time, my door is still not closed. Are you thinking of someone who left the path ten years ago? For you, enough is enough. But I go on trying to help them.