Part VIII

SCA 479-480. On 21 September 1997, Sri Chinmoy answered these questions from one of his mountain-climbing disciples.

Question: It takes a very long time, a lot of effort and a lot of money to go on mountain-climbing trips. Is it really worth all the time, effort and money, or would it be better to do something else with our resources?

Sri Chinmoy: You have to change your attitude. When you climb a mountain or swim the English Channel, you may call it a silly adventure, but I take it as part of our manifestation. In the world of manifestation, there is an outer history and an inner history. One is in the mind and one is in the heart. The mind’s history we will forget the next day, but the history of the heart we will forever remember. We will forever remember that somebody became inseparably one with his Guru’s will and achieved something remarkable.

Recently one of our Swiss disciples, after swimming the English Channel, went on to do cycling and running all the way to Paris. If you look at her, who would ever imagine she could do this kind of thing?

We now have at least a solid three thousand disciples. Out of three thousand disciples, only five or six are entering into this mountain-climbing aspect of our manifestation. I am sad; if I had the money, I would be the first person to give you money to meet with your expenses. For everything, money is needed. There are many, many disciples who have enough money. But where are they? They have the money, but they do not have the willingness, the eagerness, the self-giving — which you do have. How many people have the daring capacity to climb? As you know, some people are afraid of climbing up stairs, even. It is too much for them. If there are eight floors, they will wait eight hours for the elevator to come!