Part I

SCA 761-762. Sri Chinmoy answered these questions on 5 April 1999.

Question: Once someone loses his inspiration, is it totally reversible, or is something lost forever?

Sri Chinmoy: No, it is not necessarily lost forever. In some cases, seekers who had lost their inspiration have been extremely successful in restoring it. These particular seekers were all ready to leave the spiritual life. Then some friends inspired them or by God’s Grace some very sincere and devoted feelings came to the fore within them. They remembered that fifteen or twenty years ago they were wonderful disciples. When those reminiscences came forward, they changed their mind.

In a few cases it has happened that seekers did leave the spiritual life. Then they found that they valued the spiritual life much more than before. While mixing with ordinary, unaspiring people — their friends, relatives and so on — they saw that their situation was infinitely worse, and they asked themselves, “What have I done? What have I done?” Then they came back to the spiritual life.

Unfortunately, in many cases I see that seekers started with abundant inspiration and aspiration. Then they lost it, and still they are not getting it back. Many years ago they had the determination to conquer insecurity, jealousy, depression, frustration, impurity and other negative qualities. Now, even after thirty years, the things that they wanted to conquer, they have not conquered. What is worse, those undivine forces they have taken as their own weapons. Can you imagine? They wanted to conquer jealousy to become very close to me or very devoted to the path. Some of them have become close, but even now they are not conquering those wrong forces. On the contrary, the enemies that they wanted to conquer — jealousy, insecurity, rivalry and so on — they have taken as their dear friends. Then if they see that somebody else is promising, if somebody is progressing and has tremendous inspiration and enthusiasm, they are blocking them. The ones who once upon a time fought against their wrong forces are now using them against others who are trying desperately to increase their inspiration and aspiration.

When you are losing inspiration, you have to tell your friends, “Save me, save me!” I have a few disciples who knew that they were losing their inspiration. They had no joy, nothing. They were about to leave the path. But something inside them, something deep within them wanted to save them. So they told their friends, “Look, I am now in such difficulty. Please, please inspire me. Save me, save me! A part of me wants to leave the path, and I am almost ready. But again, something within me is saying not to leave. Please help me!” These disciples showed their sincerity. Then their friends helped them considerably, and they are still on the path.

Again, sometimes it happens that the ones who regained their inspiration are doing well, whereas those friends who inspired them are now down. The situation is reversed. Then the people who were inspired to stay on the path desperately try to save those who were once upon a time their saviours. Sometimes they are successful; sometimes they are not.

I try very, very hard to inspire the disciples who are having problems. Inwardly, outwardly, in so many ways I try to help them, especially if they are very close to me. In many, many ways I try to help them regain their inspiration. If there is no inspiration, there can be no aspiration. Inspiration comes first. If I want to walk two miles, first I have to be inspired to go out of my house. While I am inside my house, how am I going to walk? It is inspiration that brings me out. Then my aspiration is to cover a few miles.

If anybody loses inspiration, even your dear ones, you have to pray, pray, pray for their inspiration to come back. Inspiration will come back if their friends inspire them to once more enter into their heart-garden. These true friends will say, “We do not want you to be inside your mind-jungle. You are so dear to us. Please listen to our request.” Then, when the person comes back to his heart-garden, he gets his inspiration back.