Interviewer: The kind of surrender that you talk about — the willingness to totally give yourself to a Master — takes a lot of courage, doesn't it?

Sri Chinmoy: It is a matter of personal choice and inner conviction. In the past we always listened to the mind. Our mind told us to do certain things, and we tried to obey the mind because it was the boss. But we were not satisfied. Now we want our heart to be the boss. Our heart is telling us that there is another way — that if we can identify ourselves with a higher reality, then we will have more satisfaction and more perfection in our life.

Interviewer: What I understand you to be saying is that the mind itself never gives satisfaction.

Sri Chinmoy: You are right; the mind never gives us satisfaction. The mind tells us, “Do this, and you will be happy.” We do what the mind asks, but we never find happiness.

Interviewer: The mind keeps trying to convince us that we are happy.

Sri Chinmoy: The mind wants to convince us of certain realities, but when we dive deep within, we see that the mind is totally wrong. Real happiness we will never get by listening to the mind. Right now the mind is not deliberately fooling us. The mind thinks it knows the truth, but unfortunately it does not. Then there comes a time when the mind becomes fed up with its imperfections and admits that it has failed to give us happiness. It sees that when we knock at our heart’s door and enter into the heart’s room, we get joy. The mind also wants joy and happiness, so at that time the mind becomes the student of the heart.

Interviewer: That’s interesting. The mind then surrenders to the heart.

Sri Chinmoy: Yes, it surrenders because it also needs happiness and peace.