Question: I would like very much to work on accepting God's outer Body, the world, and also on accepting my conflicts. How can I begin to do this?

Sri Chinmoy: How can you accept yourself and how can you accept the outer world? Now, before you answer this question, try to answer another question: "Why to accept?" Then your task becomes easier. How to accept? There are many ways, but all ways will be fruitless if you do not know why to accept humanity or yourself.

First you have to accept yourself; then you can think of accepting humanity. Why should you accept yourself? You should accept yourself because the Lord, who is all-Love, all-Mercy, all-Compassion, all-Protection and all-Power, has accepted you and is utilising you as His chosen instrument. He has accepted you; this is the main reason why you should accept yourself. The Infinite has accepted the finite and through the finite the Infinite wants to express Himself. What greater reason do you need to feel divinely proud? When you feel that the Infinite has accepted you to express Himself, then with the deepest joy and pride you are in a position to accept yourself.

Now, how to accept the outer world? If you see the world as something around you or outside you, then it can never be your world. This world can be your world only when you see it inside yourself, as part of yourself. Then you possess the world. If you see the world as something around you, then either the world possesses you or you feel that there is a vast gulf, a yawning gap between you and the world. But if you see the world inside you, then there is no gap. The world is yours, your possession.

What do you do with your possession? You utilise it. Either you utilise it in a wrong way or in a right way, but you have the capacity and the right to utilise the world inside you because it is your possession. If it is not your possession, then you cannot do that. So how to accept the world? First try to see and feel the world inside you. When you see the world inside you, then automatically you accept the world.

Then, do not expect anything while you are bringing the outer world inside you. Do not think that you will do something grand, something marvellous for the world and do not expect anything from the world. If you expect, then you are bound to be disappointed. Your expectation must lie in the Supreme. If you want to expect something, then you have to expect it from the Supreme in the world, but not directly from the world. If you ask a man to help you with something in some way, then he will be the cause of your frustration. But if you ask the Supreme in him and pray to the Supreme in him for a favour, then that particular person is going to help you.

If you want to know how you can accept the world, I wish to tell you, accept the Supreme in man and see in him more perfection than imperfection. Consciously try to see more truth in him than falsehood. See his positive side, his brighter part. Each individual represents the world. So when you are trying to bring the world inside you, do not take it as imperfection, bondage, limitation and death. No, take it as something which has infinite possibility to do something wonderful and unique for the Supreme and for yourself. In that way it becomes extremely easy for you to bring the outer world into yourself and make yourself feel that it is you who have to take care of the inner world, this world inside you. Only do not allow the world to remain around you or outside you.

How to accept? I tell you, you will be able to accept the world by changing your attitude towards the world. The world is doomed to disappointment, the world is going to the dogs, the world is past perfection; these ideas you have to throw out. The world carries the message of God; the world is bound to be the Kingdom of Heaven. This world is really God's chosen field. Here He will manifest and here He will fulfil Himself. With these ideas if we look at the world, then we will see that easily we will be able to accept the world.