Question: How do you view the process of enlightenment? Do you feel that there is an ultimate goal that one can reach or is there an ongoing process of deeper and deeper God-realisation?

Sri Chinmoy: God-realisation is not a fixed goal. You cannot say that you will run one hundred metres and then you will reach the goal. We are walking along Eternity’s Road. The road is always ahead; there is no end. Some seekers may think that if you can come and sit at the foot of the God-realisation-tree, that is enough. They will walk, march, run, sprint and finally arrive at the foot of the God-realisation-tree.

There will be another seeker who says, “No, let me climb up the tree, high, higher, highest. No matter how high it is, no matter how tall the tree is, I will climb up.” He climbs up and says, “Oh, now that I have reached the top, I do not want to come down. If I go down, who knows what will be my fate? Perhaps I will once again enter into the world of temptation and start suffering. I shall remain here at the top of the tree and eat mangoes to my heart’s satisfaction.”

There will be a third seeker who will say, “I suffered once upon a time. Now I see my sisters and brothers are suffering so much. Let me share with them and try to alleviate their suffering. So he comes down with most delicious mangoes and shares them with his friends and relatives and dear ones.

These spiritual figures are like heroes. They declare, “I will not be compelled to wallow in the pleasures of ignorance. No, I will be able to come down and share my experiences, which are like mangoes, with my fellow citizens, and I will not be affected. I will give them what I have and what I am. I am sure that God will protect me because I am trying to serve God the creation.”