Question: There are some people who believe there are different kinds of spiritual Masters. Some work openly in the world and their purpose is to work directly with humanity, physically. Others, some of whom have physical bodies and some of whom do not, work behind the scenes. Do you feel that this is true in your experience?

Sri Chinmoy: Yes, it is absolutely true. It depends on the spiritual Master. Some have accepted life as such, while others do not want to accept it. Some want to pray and meditate inside the Himalayan caves, while others want to pray and meditate in the hustle and bustle of life. It is a matter of individual choice. We do not know and we cannot say which one is the better of the two. Some spiritual Masters of the hoary past entered into the Himalayan caves and did realise God, the Highest. Again, there are others who did not believe in austerity or renunciation. They believed in the acceptance of life as such. We have to accept life and then we have to transform it to make it a perfect instrument of God.

I happen to be one of those who have accepted life as such and are trying to make the world better. I feel that if we do not accept the world, we can never transform it. If something is imperfect, only by touching it, by making it part and parcel of our lives, can we make it perfect. Present-day life as such is far, far from perfection, and if we do not try to transform our human nature, then it will remain always the same.