Question: When we are speaking to seekers, what is the one quality in ourselves that we should try to bring forward in order to bring forward their hearts and their receptivity?

Sri Chinmoy: Only humility. We have to identify ourselves with them and not make them feel that we are infinitely superior to them and therefore we have the right to teach them. In a class there are some new students and some old students. The old students are supposed to know a little more than the new students.

Let us say you have been studying in a class for three or four years, and someone has only recently joined your class. Naturally you will know more than that person. So you are helping him out before the teacher comes. You will try to teach him a little before he comes to the real teacher. In this case, I happen to be the teacher. Again, I will also lead the students to another teacher. I take them to the real Teacher, God. Only if you have humility can you lead the students to the right Teacher.

Otherwise, when some of the disciples give courses, O God, they all act like God-realised souls! They think that if they act like God-realised souls, people will think they are very high. When the new seekers come, they will feel that these disciples have climbed up the Himalayas and now they have condescended to come down to the foot of the Himalayas to take up some new seekers. When these older disciples tell the new seekers about the spiritual life, they make the new seekers feel that they themselves are on the top of the Himalayas, and the newcomers are at the foot of the Himalayas. Then the poor seekers look up and say, “O my God, we will never be able to reach that height. We will not be able to climb up the Himalayas. It is so high. At any moment those old disciples will go back to the topmost heights and then they will not return to teach us.” So these beginners are totally lost.

That is not the right approach. You have to be on their level. You are all in the same class or the same family, but you happen to know a little more than they do. I always say that I am the eldest brother in the family. I know a little more than you do, so that is why God has asked me to take you to Him. I am your oldest brother. I came into this spiritual family long before you did. Before you were even born, I started praying and meditating. Now I know a little more. So I am telling you all, “Come with me. I will be able to tell you where our Father is.”

Similarly, you will also have to tell the new seekers, “Come with me. I will be able to show you where my teacher is, where my source is. He is the source of knowledge, wisdom and love.” Then when they come to me, I will tell them where my Source of wisdom is. I will lead them to the Supreme. This is the way to bring new seekers.

When you are dealing with seekers, you do not have that problem. You mix with them on their level. But there are some disciples who do not want to be on the same level. They want to be high above. I am begging all the disciples who give classes to be on the same level as the beginners. Do not make them feel that you are very high, on the top of the Himalayas. Then they will be totally lost. When you make them feel that you have reached the goal, but you have condescended to come down and lead them to the goal, that is a real mistake.

When you are dealing with new seekers, always make them feel you are one with them and that you are all for them. You know a little bit more than they do. Now you can read a book because you have learned the alphabet. You are teaching them the same ABCs. Then one day they will start learning to read a page or two. When that day arrives, immediately you can bring them to me and I will give them lots of books to read!