Curiosity or necessity¹

I am extremely happy, fortunate and proud to be here this evening in your midst. I shall be in the British Isles for about a month. If I go back to New York, where I live, without paying my respectful homage to Wales, it will be the summit of my folly and ignorance.

I understand this is a small university — small in size, but not in height, not in depth. I understand that there are 350 students. I have been to Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Harvard and most of the important universities in the States. There you will find thousands and thousands of students. But what we need is quality and not quantity. What we need is aspiration and nothing else. The search for the truth — this is the thing that we all need. When we have that inner cry for truth, we do not need anything else.

Now, as you know, yesterday I was at Oxford. Today I am here. On the 23rd I will be in Cambridge. Then I will be visiting Scotland and then Ireland, France and Switzerland. What am I doing? I am doing only one thing. Like a bird I fly from one place to another. My wings are love and service. One wing is love, the other wing is service. I try to love mankind. I try to serve mankind. This is what I have been doing so far. So I have come here to love God inside you and to serve the divinity within you.

Aum.

Curiosity or necessity. Curiosity is not necessity. Necessity is not curiosity. These are like the North Pole and the South Pole. It is quite simple. A curious man does not want the truth. He does not need the truth. He just wants to hear from others what the truth looks like. On very rare occasions, he may want to see the truth from far distance. He is afraid of personally approaching the truth. He feels that the moment he approaches the truth, the volcanic power of the truth will destroy him, his earthly existence. His earthly existence is nothing other than ignorance.

Curiosity commits two unpardonable sins. It kills our spontaneous love for light, the illumining light that transforms our life and enables us to realise the highest truth. Curiosity also extinguishes our inner flame, which is a normal and natural fire. This inner flame we call aspiration. The higher this flame of aspiration rises, the sooner we reach the shores of the Golden Beyond.

Curiosity is afraid of two things — the highest reality and divinity. When reality, that is to say the transcendental reality, looks at curiosity, curiosity immediately runs and runs, looking for an escape, a hiding place, because curiosity feels that it will be, in no time, exposed. When divinity looks at curiosity, curiosity, out of tremendous fear, curses divinity. It feels that a perfect stranger is entering into its very breath.

Curiosity has, however, two intimate friends — doubt and jealousy. Doubt feeds curiosity just at the moment when the divine Peace, Love, Bliss and Power of the spiritual master want to help mankind unconditionally. Doubt feeds curiosity at that very moment jealousy makes curiosity feel that it is far inferior to the genuine seekers of the Infinite Light. So jealousy does not permit curiosity to make friends with the spiritual seekers or to take spiritual help from them. “If the spiritual seeker or master is so great, then what of it? Let me remain in the meshes of ignorance. No harm.” Here jealousy instigates curiosity to remain where it already is.

Now, let us focus our attention on necessity, divine necessity. Necessity is spirituality and spirituality is necessity. Now what is spirituality? It is the common language of man and God. Here on earth we have hundreds and thousands of languages to make one understand another, but when it is a matter of God and man, there is only one language and that is spirituality. If one follows the path of spirituality, one can easily speak to God face-to-face.

Necessity, divine necessity, is the pressure to see the highest and to feel the deepest. Today we see the highest, tomorrow we feel the deepest and the day after we grow into the highest and into the deepest.

God is not only a necessity, but the necessity. How and why is God the necessity? We know that everything has failed us or will fail us in one way or another, but God has never failed the sincere seekers after the infinite truth, and if we really cry for the inner truth, the infinite truth, God will not fail us.

We expect from mankind perfection, perfect perfection. Now, no person on earth is absolutely perfect. Then how can we expect perfect perfection from anyone? We expect absolutely divinity from human beings. But absolute divinity is still a far cry for the individual. But if we want to see perfect perfection, absolute divinity, then only God can show us perfect Perfection. He can show us His absolute divinity. What is more, He can offer us His perfect perfection, His absolute divinity.

Today’s desire compels us to deny and avoid truth, God. Tomorrow’s aspiration will compel us to see God, the divinity God, the Inner Pilot. There can be no choice. Now God is the only reality, or God is the necessity, only necessity. What do we mean by this? When we speak of God, what do we actually mean? We mean God-realisation or Self-discovery. Let us use the term God-realisation. God-realisation is not only possible but practicable and what is more it is something unavoidable, inevitable.

The outer cry we have. With our outer cry we feel satisfaction in possessing and being possessed. With our inner cry, we enlarge ourselves, we expand ourselves, we fulfil God here on earth.

The immortal poet, Shakespeare, said:

Necessity is the greatest blessing. We cannot fathom the depth of necessity. Man’s necessity is God. God’s necessity is man. Man needs God for his highest transcendental realisation and he will have it in God. God’s necessity is man for His absolute manifestation here on earth. We need God to realise our highest truth or highest existence. God also needs us to manifest Him here on earth, totally, divinely and supremely.

Without realising God we cannot have abundant peace, light, bliss and power. God-realisation is of absolute necessity here. Without God, we remain unrealised. Similarly, without man, God remains unmanifested.

Philip Sidney said, “Thy need is greater than mine.” When we follow the spiritual life, when we walk along the path of spirituality, one word constantly looms large and important and that word is “sacrifice”. We have to sacrifice our very existence for others — what we have and what we are. What we have is willingness and what we are is cheerfulness. This cheerfulness we can have only when we go deep within. When we are cheerfulness within, we are willingness without. If our inner existence is flooded with joy and delight, then only shall we be eager, more than eager to help the outer world. If there is a barren desert within us, if there is no light within us, how are we going to help or serve mankind? So if we have joy within, this joy today or tomorrow, sooner or later, we can bring to the fore and offer it to mankind. We have to love mankind soulfully, serve mankind unconditionally.

As I said before, curiosity is not necessity. Curiosity is not spirituality. True. But we all know that we cannot be sincere overnight. If I am not sincere, I cannot become sincere in the twinkling of an eye. If I have not realised the truth, I cannot realise the truth overnight. It is impossible. But if, out of curiosity I want to see what is happening in the sincere spiritual seekers who feel that God is the only necessity, then I can try to be sincere because I see something divine and fulfilling in them. God-realisation is of the utmost importance. First thing first and that is God-realisation, self-discovery.

So out of curiosity if one goes to a sincere spiritual seeker or a spiritual master, then he may see something which he has not seen before in him or around him. So I tell my students or acquaintances who come to me with very limited aspiration and so forth — “I beg to be excused, I must say that I do have most sincere students, disciples also. But those who are right now unfortunate and do not have genuine aspiration, I do not throw cold water on them. I tell them, 'Don’t worry. If you have come to me just out of curiosity, no harm. Mix with the sincere seekers. See what they are getting from their genuine spiritual life and then if you feel that their spiritual life has changed their nature or is giving them a new light, new peace, giving a new meaning to their outer life, then try to follow their example. Be one with them.'”

I have come across quite a few curious, totally and exclusively curious human beings who are now transformed into serious, sincere seekers. Truth, either today or tomorrow, has to be realised and for that, if we do not have utmost sincerity right now, no harm. Sincerity grows. Everything grows. Everything. Like a muscle, everything can be developed. If we don’t have implicit aspiration right now, no harm. We can develop aspiration, our inner cry.

So, dear sisters and brothers, here I am seeing many, many sincere seekers. To them I say — run fast, faster, fastest towards your destined goal. And I beg to be excused, here I am seeing one or two, very few, curious seekers. To them I say — do not stop with the achievement which is your curiosity. Please try to go one step ahead. Then you will see that today’s curiosity is being transformed into tomorrow’s sincerity and in your sincerity you will see the inner cry, the mounting flame which we call aspiration and today’s aspiration is tomorrow’s realisation. This is the only truth. This is the only realisation that I can offer to you, dearest sisters and brothers, seekers of the Infinite Truth. Start here and now.

The higher worlds²

Cambridge, I bow to your aspiration-height. I bow to your I knowledge-light. I bow to your divine pride. True, you are of England; you are in England, but you are of the world at large. The entire world claims you as its very own.

There are seven higher worlds and seven lower worlds. The higher worlds are: Bhur, Bhuvar, Swar, Jana, Mahar, Tapas and Satya. One of the Upanishads names seven higher regions. These are: Agniloka, Vayuloka, Varunaloka, Adityaloka, Indraloka, Prajapatiloka and Brahmaloka. Certain spiritual figures are of the opinion that the first-mentioned group of the worlds corresponds to the second. Others, equally qualified, strongly object to this belief. Strangely enough, all, without exception, agree that the worlds Satya and Brahmaloka are one and the same.

We can enter into these worlds on the strength of our aspiration and receptivity. When we have aspiration, these worlds can never remain a far cry. Aspiration — what do we mean by this term? The inner cry, the mounting flame within us. Aspiration is reality’s constant necessity. Receptivity — how can we have receptivity? We can have receptivity if we grow into purity and sincerity. When sincerity and purity loom large and important in our earthly existence, we can easily have receptivity.

A sincere seeker needs aspiration and receptivity. Without aspiration, he is rootless. And without receptivity, he is fruitless.

The higher worlds. Each individual seeker has the divine right to enter into the higher worlds. His aspiration can easily guide him and lead him to God’s Throne. To enter into high, higher, highest world, what we need is inner cry. We cry for name and fame. If we inwardly cry for abundant peace, light and bliss, here on earth, then our entire being can be flooded with peace, light and bliss. These higher worlds are within us and not without. When we concentrate, when we meditate, when we contemplate, we enter into these higher worlds. When we concentrate dynamically, we near the Door of these higher worlds. When we meditate soulfully, we enter into the Room divine. When we contemplate unreservedly and unconditionally, we reach God’s Throne.

Since we aspire to enter into the higher worlds, we pray to the cosmic gods. We feel that the cosmic gods will come to our aid. They will help us enter into the higher worlds.

Here at this point, I would like to invoke the soul of Marcus Aurelius, “Either the gods have the power to assist us, or they have not. If they have not, what does praying to them signify? If they have, why do you not rather pray that they would remove your desires than satisfy them and rather set you above fear than keep away the thing you are afraid of?”

Now if we want to enter into the higher worlds with a view to fulfilling our desires, then we can never enter into the higher worlds. We can enter into the higher worlds just because it is the Will of our Inner Pilot, the Lord Supreme. When we go deep within, when we meditate for a couple of hours, if it is most soulful and if the meditation is unconditional at the same time, then we envision the higher worlds. No sincere seeker of the highest Truth, ultimate Truth, will be denied the higher worlds.

Porphyry throws further light on the matter: "We must ask of God only such gifts as are we worthy of God, — that is to say such things as we cannot obtain from any except God."

In order to enter into the higher worlds what we need is sincerity, what we need is purity, what we need is peace, what we need is delight.

Sincerity
Inner beauty's other name is sincerity.

Purity
The name of God’s first child is purity.

Peace
Peace is unity's sovereignty and multiplicity’s divinity.

Delight
Delight is the name of God's permanent Home.

There are two things we observe in our day to day life — human and divine. In everything we do, say or grow into we see either the divine or the human.

The human world and the divine world. A clever man is he who knows how to deal with his outer world. He does not want to be deceived by the world, mankind but unconsciously or consciously he deceives the world, the world of ignorance. A wise man is he who knows all about the inner world, the higher worlds. He does not deceive anybody. He wants to conquer the outer world, the world of ignorance. But his is not the conquest of Caesar — “I came, I saw, I conquered — Veni, vidi, vici.” Far from it. When a wise man wants to conquer ignorance, he does so only because his inner being compels him to transform the face of the world. He does not take pride in conquering the world. No. He feels the very breath of ignorance and then he feels that this is his bounden duty to transform ignorance into knowledge, darkness into light, death into immortality.

There are two ways to enter into the higher worlds — one is the way of knowledge, The other is the way of devotion. Knowledge — I am the knowledge, I am the known, I am the knower. The other way — I am devotion, I am dedication and I am salvation. Knowledge enlarges itself, expands itself into infinity. Devotion identifies itself with the absolute Truth. On the strength of its identification, devotion grows into infinity.

A sincere seeker of the ultimate Truth can either follow the path of knowledge or of devotion. But at the end of the journey's close, the seekers who follow the path of knowledge and the seekers who follow the path of devotion will meet together and shake hands, because they have reached the self-same Goal. We live either in the world of human thought or in the world of divine Will. Human thought slows down and dies out. But the divine Will constantly grows and swiftly flows.

Similarly human power is born of futility. Divine power is born of reality.

Finally, we observe our love — human love and divine love. Human love is an express train. Destination: frustration. Divine love is a local train. Destination: Illumination. Human physical love is slow poison. Divine love is the running stream and unceasing source of nectar. Human love can be transcended. Divine love can be manifested. Human love is fruitless expectation. Divine love is fulfilled perfection.

Unconditional love God is.
Unreserved devotion man needs.
Mutual surrender God and man offer.

When the power of love replaces the love of power, man will have a new name: God.

The Golden Hour, God’s Hour is dawning fast. Let us offer our heart’s aspiration to the lofty realisation of the seers of the hoary past: “Anandadvaiva…”

"From Delight we came into existence. In Delight we grow. At the end of our journey’s close, into Delight we retire."

Peace is our birthright. How can we have it?³

[Sri Chinmoy sang:]

O Lord, where is the Truth?
“Where your Beloved is.”
Who is my Beloved, Who?
"In Whom your life is peace.”

Peace. Peace. Peace.

The outer peace and the inner peace. The outer peace is man’s compromise. The inner peace is man’s fulfilment. The outer peace is man’s satisfaction without being satisfied at all. The inner peace is man’s satisfaction in being totally and supremely fulfilled.

How can the outer peace have the same capacity as the inner peace has? The outer peace can have the same capacity if and when man’s creation and God’s Creation become inseparably one.

What is man's creation? What is God’s Creation? Man's creation is fear. Man’s creation is doubt. Man’s creation is confusion. God’s Creation is Love. God’s Creation is Compassion, God’s Creation is Concern.

Fear is the feeblest ant in man. Doubt is the wildest elephant in man. Confusion is the devouring tiger in man.

There is no yawning gulf between man’s cherished fear and forced fear.

Doubt God, forgiveness granted. Doubt yourself, your complete destruction decreed.

Yesterday’s confusion was the beginning of your insincerity. Today’s confusion is the beginning of your insecurity. Tomorrow’s confusion will be the beginning of your futility.

God’s Love for man is man's aspiration. God’s Compassion for man is man’s salvation. God’s Concern for man is man’s perfection.

Man’s fulfilling and fulfilled search for the Real is Peace. God the Love is man’s eternal Guest in the inmost recesses of his heart. God the Peace is man’s eternal Host in the inmost recesses of his heart. That is why we can unfalteringly and unmistakably claim that the loving and fulfilling peace is our birthright.

Now, how can we have peace — even an iota of peace, in our outer life, in the hustle and bustle of life and amidst multifarious activities? Easy — we have to choose the inner voice. Easy — we have to control our binding thoughts. Easy — we have to purify our impure emotions. The inner voice is our guide. The binding thought is the dark and unpredictable weather. We have to face it and then dominate it. The impure emotion is the inner storm. We have to refrain from the luxury of the emotional storm. We have to be aware of the binding thoughts. These thoughts have tremendous vitality. We must never allow them to swell into mountains. These thoughts are absolutely non-essential and we have no time to fret over nonessentials. Impure emotion is the harbinger of our immediate frustration and frustration is the harbinger of our total destruction within, without.

How can we choose the inner voice? How? To choose the inner voice we have to meditate early in the morning. To control and dominate our undivine thoughts we have to meditate at noon. To purify our unlit impure emotion we have to meditate in the evening.

What is meditation? Meditation is man’s constant awareness and conscious acceptance of God. Meditation is God’s unconditional offering to man.

Peace is the beginning of love. Peace is the completion of truth. Peace is the return to the Source.

[Sri Chinmoy sang:]

There was a time when I stumbled and stumbled,
But now I only climb and climb beyond
And far beyond my Goal’s endless Beyond
And yet my Captain commands:“Go on, go on!”

Already invoked and received from God. Again with your kind permission I wish to invoke more peace from above. Those who would like to join me in invoking peace are most welcome to come up to the platform and meditate with me for peace, inner peace and all-fulfilling peace. Please come up to meditate.

[There was an immediate response from the audience.]

1.

I am my Beloved’s. Lo, His spontaneous Love flows towards me. My Beloved is mine. Lo, my spontaneous cry carries me towards Him.

Faith and doubt

Oh what is faith and what is doubt?
Faith is life-sun beyond the grave.
Doubt is the battle lost, within, without.
A doubter cries: Me none can save.

My life and my mind

I have a life, I have a life;
Within its heart a venom-knife.
I have a mind, I have a mind;
All darkness wild and bondage blind.

My sky and my soul

I have a sky, I have a sky.
Alas, no wings have I to fly.
Yet I have a sky, I have a sky.

I have a soul, I have a soul.
Alas, nowhere I see my Goal.
Yet I have a soul, I have a soul.

God then

God then was Love
So nice and fine.
God then was mine
Below, above.

God now

God now is Light
Delight, Delight.
My All, my All.
God now is Light.

Within and without

Within, within, within, within, within
No ire, no dole, no fear, no doubt, no din.
Without, without, without, without, without.
Human soul and earthly goal together shout.

Above and below

Above, above, above, above, above
My Lord the dreaming Dove and glowing Love.
Below, below, below, below, below
Darkness and bondage sing and dance and flow.

Oh come and sing with me

Oh come and sing with me
Oh come and sing with me,
I shall give You, I shall give You
My love and all my beauty free.

Oh come and dance with me
Oh come and dance with me,
I shall give You, I shall give You
My breath and my life of nectar-sea.

Oh come and cry with me
Cry with me, cry with me
Oh come and cry with me
Cry with me, cry with me.

Oh Beloved, Oh Beloved
Oh Lover, Lover Sweet,
We shall shine, we shall shine
Through Eternity.

2.

Life and death. These are two Blessings that I have received from God. Life inspires me to realise the highest Truth. Death wants me to wake up and hurry up.

3.

The body is a temple. The temple needs some windows. Its windows are books, elevating and soulful books. But the temple door, the main door, is aspiration.

4.

I love life because God is Life. I love God because God alone knows and tells me that He and I are one.

5.

Man is Infinity's Heart.
Man is Eternity's Breath.
Man is Immortality's Life