Question: I have meditated on the pictures of many Masters, but I did not get any strong feeling for any of them. I was wondering if that means I am not ready for a teacher.

Sri Chinmoy: It may be that your Master has not come, or perhaps your receptivity was not strong enough for you to feel anything at that time. There are many Masters; perhaps you have not yet seen your Master. Or while you were meditating, perhaps you were not in a very receptive consciousness. Perhaps you were meditating with only mental inquisitiveness or curiosity. If you have more sincerity or intensity, then you may get the answer from within.

Please have patience. It is only a matter of time until you discover the right Master. In the meantime, since you are not sure, please continue meditating on different Masters. Meditate one day on one Master and the next day on another Master. If you feel that one particular Master is giving you more joy than the rest, then meditate only on him. But even this may not be your Master. You can be certain of your Master only if you get intense joy and a spontaneous feeling of oneness with his will. So do not make the final choice until you are fully satisfied.

You want to buy something, so you have entered into a shop. But if what you see does not satisfy you fully, then you need not buy it. Just because one item in the shop is satisfying you more than the rest, you need not feel that you must buy that particular thing. You can wait and go into another shop. There also, if you do not get complete joy, then please wait. You may finally get this joy from one of the Masters on whom you have previously meditated or on whom you will meditate at some time in the near future. If you have patience, and if you meditate soulfully on different Masters, then one day your inner receptivity will come forward and you will get intense joy from one of them. But if the right one has not yet arrived, then you have to wait.