Nils Lodin: I agree with you, but in another way, because I think that we are part of the world. I can reach the highest point only by fulfilling myself, and that is not to be an egomaniac, but to do things that I feel are right, that are real. But all the same, I feel that in a way we are just lumps of clay.

Sri Chinmoy: Yes, we are lumps of clay. But who has given the form to this clay? When we see a vessel, we know that somebody has made it. It did not just come out of the blue. We have to go to the Source. The earthen pot is not the ultimate reality. Somebody has shaped it. That somebody is the one we are searching for. We can call it the Ultimate Reality, we can call it God, or we can call it by any other name. But we have to give credit to someone. When we go to that somebody, after a long search, we see that the one we sought was our own highest Self. The highest in us was being sought by the lowest. We just climb up from the foot of the tree to the highest branch. When we climb up to the top, we start eating the fruits. Once we know how to climb up, it is up to us to remain either at the foot of the tree or at the top of the tree.

God created us. God gave us the motivation to run. It is an inner urge. It is not that we just come out of our house and run aimlessly. Something within us, an inner urge, inspires us to go outside and run. Who gave us that inner urge? Again, we have to go to the Source. The questions never end until we dive deep within. Then all questions are answered. But it does not happen overnight. As you know, you had to practise for months or years to complete the marathon. Similarly, we have to pray and meditate for years if we want to cover long inner distances. It is a lifelong process.