Question: In the spiritual life, when does the teacher get joy and frustration, and when does the student?

Sri Chinmoy: In the spiritual life, there is a time when the teacher gets frustration and there is a time when the teacher gets joy. When the teacher operates from his human consciousness, he gets nothing but frustration from his student. But when he operates from his divine consciousness, which is his inseparable oneness-reality with the student, he receives joy — pure, unalloyed and fulfilling joy. For God the Author of supreme Good has granted the teacher the golden opportunity to realise Him in the various stages of His own evolution.

The student gets more joy than frustration from the teacher if the student is lucky to have a genuine teacher, and if he is ready, constantly ready, to be moulded and shaped by the Will of the Absolute Supreme which operates in and through the spiritual teacher. The student gets frustration from the teacher when he forgets about his present aspiration-life and unconsciously or consciously wants to go back or insists on going back to his desire-life. The wise teacher cannot and does not satisfy the earth-devouring hunger of the student and, at this point, the student becomes frustration incarnate.