Preface

This is the most significant year for America, the Bicentennial year. It is my sincere wish to answer a few questions on the Bicentennial offered by the United Nations Meditation Group from the spiritual point of view. If each of you can kindly meditate for a couple of minutes and then give me a question, I shall be very grateful. This will help all the members of the Meditation Group considerably. If the questions are meaningful and soulful and the answers also are soulful, then it will be a great service not only to the soul of the United Nations but also to the soul of America. Something more: it will be a great service to the Universal Soul, for America’s independence is something most meaningful and fruitful in God’s entire creation.

Sri Chinmoy United Nations Headquarters 21 May 1976

Questions and answers

Question: What could America's contribution be to the family of nations in the next two hundred years?

Sri Chinmoy: In the next two hundred years America’s contribution to the family of nations will be equality’s universal birthright and reality’s transcendental height. America is great. America is good. America’s greatness is going to increase in infinite measure in the next two hundred years because America knows what greatness is and where it comes from. Greatness is self-giving and its source is love in peace and peace in love. America’s goodness lies in this: God for God’s sake, man for God’s sake. Aspiration for a higher life is for God’s sake. Truth-discovery is for God’s sake. Peace-distribution is for God’s sake. Delight-manifestation is for God’s sake.

America’s matchless contribution shall be her supreme universal friendship in which the family of nations will see beckoning hands, oneness-satisfaction and perfection-manifestation. America means contribution. Right now this contribution at times is conditional, at times unconditional. But either in the near or distant future, America’s contribution will always be unconditional in the outer life because America is undoubtedly going to make tireless efforts to become a supremely unconditional instrument of the Pilot Supreme.

Question: How can we rekindle the significance of America in our hearts and in the hearts of others?

Sri Chinmoy: We can rekindle the significance of America in our hearts and in the hearts of others by becoming glowing sacrifice in the inner life and growing service in the outer life.

Question: What is the difference between political independence and spiritual independence?

Sri Chinmoy: The difference between political independence and spiritual independence is this: political independence is the individuality of a particular party whereas spiritual independence is the independence of a seeker from darkness, bondage and ignorance.

Question: What is the most important thing America has learned in her first two hundred years and what is the most important thing she has to learn now in order to make the fastest progress?

Sri Chinmoy: In her first two hundred years America has learned the momentous necessity of the childlike heart. Now, in order to make the fastest progress, the most important thing is for her to have a life of conscious and continuous self-giving.

Question: How can other nations of the world feel their oneness with the United States in celebrating our Bicentennial?

Sri Chinmoy: Other nations of the world can feel their oneness with the United States in celebrating the Bicentennial if they feel that they have one goal and that goal is to love God and practise truth unconditionally.

Question: Do the Bicentennial celebrations add strength to the soul of America?

Sri Chinmoy: The Bicentennial celebrations without fail add strength to the soul of America, for a Bicentennial is not a mere celebration but a genuine invocation of the soul of America that liberated the body of America from a foreign yoke.

Question: Has the character of America changed significantly since the nation was born two hundred years ago?

Sri Chinmoy: Yes, the character of America has changed significantly since the nation was born two hundred years ago. Previously a soulful promise reigned supreme; now a fruitful hope reigns supreme.

Question: As our souls come forward on our birthday, does the soul of America also come forward during this Bicentennial year?

Sri Chinmoy: The soul of America comes forward during this Bicentennial year to bless America’s Heaven-climbing aspiration and America’s earth-transforming service.

Question: Is there any special significance to the outer events which will occur this year?

Sri Chinmoy: The outer events will bear special significance only if the inner awareness is conscious and complete. If not, the outer events in this year will have no special significance.

Question: Is there any special quality that Americans can especially work on now to help bring forward all their potential divinity?

Sri Chinmoy: There are two special qualities that Americans can work on to help bring forward all their potential divinity. These two divine qualities are the feeling of universal oneness and constant and cheerful self-giving to the Supreme Pilot, who is man’s own highest Reality.

Question: How can American politics return to the spiritual values that they had during the time of the Founding Fathers and some of our earlier presidents?

Sri Chinmoy: American politics can return to the spiritual values that they had during the time of the Founding Fathers and some of the previous presidents only if the political leaders and other leaders feel the supreme necessity of an inner life that has the capacity to bring about outer success, outer achievements, outer perfection and outer satisfaction.

Question: How can we regain the nobility and wisdom of the Founding Fathers in America today?

Sri Chinmoy: You can regain the nobility and wisdom of the Founding Fathers in America best by meditating on the independence-spirit of America, which was treasured not only by earth’s aspiration but also by Heaven’s illumination.

Question: Is the soul of America like a child that keeps on growing and developing?

Sri Chinmoy: The soul of America, like a child, is growing, glowing, developing, illumining and fulfilling. It is a soul that is most progressive and most striking.

Question: When the soul of America and the soul of the world discuss things, what suggestions and advice do they have to mankind?

Sri Chinmoy: When the soul of America and the soul of the world discuss things, they have many suggestions to make, much advice to offer to mankind. But primarily they have one suggestion, one piece of advice to offer and that is, “Move on, move on! The Goal, the ever-transcending Goal, is ahead and not behind.”

Question: What is the spiritual significance of being two hundred years old?

Sri Chinmoy: The spiritual significance of being two hundred years old is that the journey of America will continue eternally toward the establishment of a better, more illumining and more fulfilling human family on earth.

Question: How can America make the most spiritual progress and how can America be of most service to the world?

Sri Chinmoy: America can make more spiritual progress if it can feel that it has been selected as a choice instrument of the Supreme, for the Supreme. America can serve the world most provided America feels that the service it renders to the community of nations is nothing but its own illumining and self-fulfilling expansion.

Question: What does the soul of America always try to teach its American children?

Sri Chinmoy: The soul of America always tries to teach its American children to be divinely brave and remain so eternally in order to fight against humanity’s outer darkness and inner ignorance. Humanity’s outer darkness is the sense of division; humanity’s inner ignorance is the life of doubt.

Question: In the next two hundred years will the spiritual forces tend to manifest more than they have in the first two hundred years?

Sri Chinmoy: Undoubtedly the spiritual forces will be able to manifest in the next two hundred years much more than they did in the past two hundred years, for not only America’s but also humanity’s aspiration is continuously proceeding forward, upward and inward.

Question: As citizens of the United States, what can we do to help our development in the next century?

Sri Chinmoy: In the next two hundred years, as citizens of the United States you can help yourselves develop just by clearing the mind of the thick forest of doubt and by liberating the heart from its insecurity-cave.

Question: When America emerged as a nation two hundred years ago, she stood forth as a symbol of hope, promise and freedom for the peoples of the world. How can she transmit these qualities to the world-body today?

Sri Chinmoy: America’s hope, America’s promise and America’s freedom — these America can transmit to the world-body today provided America does not claim them as her own personal achievements, but as compassionate boons from above, from the Almighty Father.

Question: Is independence as spiritually significant for other nations as it was for the United States?

Sri Chinmoy: Yes. The spiritual significance of independence is always the same for each nation. But one nation can receive much more Light from above and offer much more sacrifice to God than other nations, on the strength of its inner cry to become one with the universal Reality and the transcendental Vision.

Question: How can the American people realise their love for the soul of America?

Sri Chinmoy: The American people can better realise their love for the soul of America if they discover that the real and immortal reality in each human being, in each nation, is only the soul-reality. Everything else is transitory.

Question: How can we incorporate the spirit and the outer activities of the Bicentennial?

Sri Chinmoy: You can incorporate the spirit and the outer activities of the Bicentennial by becoming consciously aware that the spirit of the Bicentennial is carrying the outer activities along with their results to the most illumining and fulfilling Goal.

Question: Is there an art form that is intimately tied to the soul of America, such as music is associated with Germany?

Sri Chinmoy: Yes. There is an art form that is intimately tied to the soul of America, and that is America’s untiring inner and outer efforts to grow into a supreme God-seeker, a supreme peace-lover and a supreme satisfaction-distributor to humanity.

Question: How can American citizens best further America's role in the world in the next two hundred years?

Sri Chinmoy: American citizens can best further America’s role in the world in the next two hundred years by claiming the rest of the world as their very own. This feeling of oneness can alone bring to America an unprecedented leadership and a unique friendship.

Question: We celebrate the spirit of 1776. What exactly was that spirit, and also what is the spirit of the United States today?

Sri Chinmoy: Previously a soulful promise reigned supreme; now a fruitful hope reigns supreme. The spirit at that time was promise; now it has become hope. The spirit of the past was the discovery of inner adamantine will to fight against bondage. The present spirit is the aspiration for God-manifestation plus the aspiration to become humanity’s brother, humanity’s selfless lover and divinity’s constant server.

Question: What birthday gift would the Supreme want the soul of America to place at His Feet on this Bicentennial?

Sri Chinmoy: The Supreme would like to have a gratitude-heart from each and every American placed at His Feet as the birthday gift.

Question: How can American citizens learn to love their country more?

Sri Chinmoy: American citizens can learn to love their country more by realising the supreme fact that there is no difference between true love of one’s country and true love of God. One’s country is nothing short of God’s concentrated creation.

Question: Will the next two hundred years see the manifestation of the soul's qualities of America and, if so, how will it take place?

Sri Chinmoy: Yes. The next two hundred years will see the manifestation of the soul’s qualities of America. This manifestation will take place in America’s conscious and unconditional leadership of humanity and America’s constant and self-giving friendship with humanity.

Question: What gift will the United Nations give to the United States on its Bicentennial?

Sri Chinmoy: There are two gifts the United Nations may give to the United States on its Bicentennial. One gift is gratitude, for the United Nations is housed in the United States. The other gift is its promise to help and fulfil America the way America’s soul wants to be helped and fulfilled.

Question: When the government of America was young, it seemed to have a greater spiritual aspiration. How can that be regained in the government today?

Sri Chinmoy: Today’s government can regain the same spiritual aspiration if it feels that there is only one thing both on earth and in Heaven that will satisfy and fulfil the real in it, and that is aspiration.

Question: How will the degree of unity in the spiritual community affect the spiritual progress of America?

Sri Chinmoy: The degree of unity in the spiritual community automatically reflects the spiritual progress of America. Spiritual unity is not and cannot be a stagnant pool. It is a flowing, glowing and running river which is going to enter into the universal sea of humanity’s perfection.

Question: Is the soul of America satisfied with America's outer and inner progress?

Sri Chinmoy: The soul of America is satisfied, but since there is no end to outer and inner progress, the soul of America could be more satisfied if America cared more devotedly for its outer and inner progress.

Question: Does the United Nations have a role to play in the celebration of America's Bicentennial?

Sri Chinmoy: Yes, the United Nations has a significant role to play in the celebration of America’s Bicentennial. America’s dynamism, America’s speed, America’s willingness to help mankind toward world success and world progress can be brought to the fore by the conscious appreciation of the United Nations.

Question: What role can gratitude play in America and the world at large during the Bicentennial?

Sri Chinmoy: Gratitude during the Bicentennial can easily expedite America’s dream for fulfilling satisfaction, and this dream will be seen in the transformed face of the world at large.

Question: America gained her independence two hundred years ago. What will the spiritual independence of America be like?

Sri Chinmoy: America gained her independence two hundred years ago by virtue of determined will power. Now her spiritual independence will be founded upon her conscious oneness with God, and this can be established only on the strength of her implicit surrender to God’s divine Dispensation and Will.

Question: We know that the United States is very powerful militarily and politically on the world horizon. In God's scheme of things, what is the role of the United States in the evolution of mankind's spiritual development?

Sri Chinmoy: Militarily and politically the United States is very powerful. Your statement is perfectly true. In the Supreme Pilot’s scheme of things, the United States is going to play the role not so much of leadership as of friendship, nay, brotherhood, in mankind’s evolution. And evolution is another name for mankind’s spiritual development.

Question: After two hundred years, has America accomplished much of her main goals?

Sri Chinmoy: America’s goal, like the goal of all the nations and human beings, is always in the process of self-transcendence. There is no fixed goal. America’s main goal is a flood of satisfaction, inner and outer. This satisfaction has undoubtedly been achieved to a certain extent. But since everything is progressing and evolving, America’s goal is an ever-loving and ever-illumining and fulfilling goal of continuous self-transcendence.

Question: What is the relationship between the American Declaration of Independence and the United Nations Charter?

Sri Chinmoy: The American Declaration of Independence had the pioneer vision of faith, dignity and humanity’s basic needs: equal rights, justice and freedom. Basically, the same things are found in the Charter of the United Nations. Therefore we can safely say that the Declaration of Independence and the UN Charter are two close friends walking along the same road. One came and joined the other later on the road, and now both are walking together to reach the self-same goal, the goal of world peace and satisfaction.

Question: Is America's Bicentennial inwardly significant in any special way?

Sri Chinmoy: America’s Bicentennial is inwardly significant in a special way because it is bringing to the fore once again the all-illumining faith of the soul and the all-fulfilling promise of the heart.

Question: How can the United Nations body derive benefit from the Bicentennial and take part in its activities?

Sri Chinmoy: If the United Nations body feels that America’s Bicentennial is the birthday of its own brother, then naturally it will want to congratulate the brother. This act of congratulation demands cheerful participation in the Bicentennial activities. Needless to say, in doing so the United Nations body will derive not only much joy but also great benefit.

Question: I would be grateful if I could love America much more sincerely and soulfully. What can I do to make this a practicality, especially on America's Bicentennial?

Sri Chinmoy: You can love America much more sincerely and soulfully provided you feel that America is not a vast piece of land and a machine-driven country, but a life-illumining, love-fulfilling, peace-spreading country.

Question: Does America have anything special to offer to the United Nations during its Bicentennial year?

Sri Chinmoy: Yes, America has something special to offer to the United Nations during the Bicentennial year. America is not going to intimidate her weak, small brother and sister nations, even unconsciously. America will offer her unprecedented capacity to the community of nations and make all nations feel that her height and depth and speed and power are for them to claim as their very own, and thus create a satisfying and satisfied world-family.

Question: Will this year of the Bicentennial help us to feel the same patriotism Americans used to feel?

Sri Chinmoy: To be very frank with you, the patriotism you are seeing in the Bicentennial is no match for the genuine sentiment that the pioneer American leaders had. The divine feelings, divine sacrifice, divine vision that they had will remain unparalleled. When I think of what took place in 1776, I feel that in those days there was no difference between theory and practice. Now there is a yawning gulf between theory and practice. The genuine enthusiasm of this year should have been infinitely more than what it is. What God wants in the Bicentennial is our determined will power to dive deeper than the deepest, run farther than the farthest, fly higher than the highest. He does not want us to remain self-enamoured by the grandiose achievements of the past but to aspire for higher ideals and higher goals that will promote in a significant way the cause of world-peace, world-perfection and world-satisfaction.

Question: What does the soul of America feel about the different nations eventually making decisions rather than the individual will of America?

Sri Chinmoy: The soul of America can play the role of the mother and feel that all the other nations are her children. The children mix together, play together, sing together, dance together. Then, when it is time to achieve something, if all the members meet together and jointly do something, it is like children coming to a conclusion on the strength of their genuine effort. So, America’s children play in her heart’s garden and come to a conclusion together. Naturally, the soul of America will be highly pleased, for she feels that it is a harmonious family. Together they achieve, together they accomplish, together they fulfil.

Editor's note

The Liberty Torch Bicentennial Group was inspired by Sri Chinmoy to embark on a 8,800-mile relay run through each of the 50 states in the summer of 1976 to celebrate the United States Bicentennial. A "libertytorch" was to be passed from runner to runner symbolising the rekindling of spiritual values.

During a January 1976 Liberty Torch run from New York to Washington, one of the runners dips his "liberty torch" in the Eternal Flame at the Kennedy Memorial in Arlington National Cemetry and salutes Sri Chinmoy.