Question: Guru, why do I always want special treatment?

Sri Chinmoy: If you want special treatment, that means you only want to boost your ego. You like to separate yourself from others. Again, you do not have to go to others for separation. If your consciousness is focused on your eyes, then you will think that your eyes are much more beautiful than your nose or your ears. It depends on where you have focused your consciousness. If you look at your right arm and your consciousness is centred on your right arm, you will feel that your right arm should be infinitely stronger than your left arm.

When you want to have special treatment, that means you are separating yourself from your friend Bimbika and from everybody else. When we want special treatment, we immediately have to feel that we are separating our existence, inner and outer, from others. Your sincerity I deeply appreciate and deeply admire, but unfortunately you are separating yourself. As I said, your nose is yours, your eyes are yours, your hands are yours, but where is your consciousness? It can be focused on one particular limb, or on your entire body. What you are doing is separating yourself from the rest of the world. But if you take the rest of the world as your own, very own, then you will not care for special treatment. If the Master gives special treatment, well and good. But if we want it, that means in some way we want to show our supremacy. We want to show that we are better, we are superior.

Again, the root of the problem is that you are separating yourself from the rest of the world, from others. When you have that desire to be special, the best thing is always to think immediately of others. Think of ten or twelve people who are your friends. Then you will feel that you are in a group. Instead of cherishing the feeling of separativity or the feeling that you want to be special, you will say, “I want to be special along with the rest of the world. I do not want to have Indian sweets alone, while Bimbika eats a vegetarian hot dog. No! If I am taking Indian sweets, which I like, I shall share them with Bimbika. Then only I will be very important.” Bimbika’s smile, when you offer her a portion of your food, will give you much more joy than you would get by separating yourself and secretly eating Indian sweets alone.

The more we can unite with others, prayerfully, soulfully and lovingly, the more joy we get. So your speciality will be in uniting, not in separating. Tell yourself that you want to be special by including Bimbika, Tirtha and Minati, your Centre leader. Just say to yourself, “I want to include all my friends. I want to be special only by uniting them with me, not by separating them from me.”

Spiritual Masters are special. Why? Because they love everybody. They love this country, that country, all the countries. That is why they are special. America is a superpower, true. But if America is united with all the countries, then will America not be special in a unique way? Again, some people will insist on being special only by separating themselves. One way to be special is through aloofness. It is beneath the dignity of some people to mix with others. They become special by negating, not by accepting. But another way to be special is by uniting with the whole world, by becoming part and parcel of the world, by embracing the whole world.

So your way to be special will be only by accepting everybody as your own, very own. The best way to be special is by offering this prayer: “Whatever Your Will is, O Master, O Supreme, let it be executed in and through me.” Then you are safe. If you give the responsibility to God, then whatever He feels is best in your life, He will do. That is absolutely the safest and the most perfect way of becoming special, I tell you, by giving Him the responsibility to take care of your life.