Self-Discovery and World-Mastery
A lecture by Sri Chinmoy
at 3:30 p.m. in the Marvin Center, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
Self-discovery is an inner movement. World-mastery is an outer movement.
Self-discovery is an inner journey. World-mastery is an outer journey.
Self-discovery is an inner adventure. World-mastery is an outer adventure.
Self-discovery is an inner experience. World-mastery is an outer experience.
Self-discovery is an inner perfection. World-mastery is an outer perfection.
Movement, journey, adventure, experience and perfection.
The inner movement is the vision of the silence-life. The outer movement is the vision of the sound-life.
The inner journey knows the goal even long before it has arrived at the goal. The outer journey knows the goal only when it has reached the goal.
The inner adventure is inspired by aspiration and sustained by dedication. The outer adventure is inspired by imagination and supported by determination.
The inner experience is: God and I are one; we are eternally one. The outer experience is: God need not and cannot remain always a far cry; He is within our easy reach and if we look for Him we are bound to see Him, feel Him and grow into Him.
The inner perfection is "I am." The outer perfection is "I have."
The inner journey of self-discovery encounters on the way an adversary by the name of doubt. Doubt delays our self-discovery indefinitely. The outer journey of world-mastery encounters on the way an adversary named fear. Fear delays our world-mastery indefinitely. Doubt tries to destroy the cosmic seed within us. Fear does not allow us to see either the cosmic seed or the cosmic tree.
We need meditation and we need concentration. For self-discovery what we need is meditation, a life of meditation. For world-mastery what we need is concentration, the power of concentration. Our meditation longs for Infinity's reality. Our concentration longs for reality's immediacy. Concentration wants something here and now, in the twinkling of an eye. Meditation wants everything slowly, steadily and unerringly. Concentration gives utmost importance to speed, while meditation gives utmost importance to silence.
Self-discovery shows us a road. This road is between our spirit's involution and life's evolution. Spirit is involved in matter and now it is trying to evolve itself. There is a road between the involution of spirit and the evolution of life. This is what we learn from self-discovery. Now, there is another significant road, the road between our revelation and our manifestation here on earth. This road is the road of world-mastery. We reveal what we have within and then we manifest our revelation. How do we do it? We do it on the strength of our world-mastery. We walk along the road between our revelation and our manifestation when we have world-mastery.
He who has discovered his highest Self is an instrument of God, conscious and illumined. He who has acquired world-mastery is also an instrument of God, conscious and fulfilling. He who has realised God in the inner world is undoubtedly a better instrument in the inner world than he who has only acquired mastery in the outer world. But he who has acquired mastery in the outer world is a better instrument in the outer world of dedication than he who has only acquired self-discovery in the inner world.
There are some spiritual figures who give more importance to self-discovery than to world-mastery, while there are others who give more importance to world-mastery than to self-discovery. Both are right in their own way. They feel that self-discovery is aspiration and world-mastery is dedication. But aspiration and dedication should go together. Again, when we dive deep within, we feel that in aspiration also looms large the life-breath of dedication; similarly, in dedication the life-breath of aspiration also looms large. They are one. They should be inseparable, like the obverse and reverse of the same coin. He who has discovered the highest in himself, he who has discovered his Source and at the same time has acquired world-mastery, is undoubtedly an unparalleled instrument both here on earth and there in Heaven.
In order to become a perfect instrument in the inner world and in the outer world, one has to practise both aspiration and dedication. Aspiration is the inner wealth, inner achievement and inner secret. Dedication is the outer wealth, outer achievement and outer secret. Both are of paramount importance. But at the time of the seeker's very start in the spiritual life he has to practise aspiration first, then dedication. When the seeker has been in the spiritual life for some time, then he can practise both simultaneously. At that time he sees they are like complementary souls. But at the very beginning, at the journey's start, it is always better for the seeker to pay utmost attention to his aspiration, and then to dedicate himself later. Once he is safe in his aspiration, then it is of paramount importance for him to practise self-dedication, too.
When we aspire, when we dedicate ourselves, we eventually discover what we eternally are: our eternal Self. And when we dedicate ourselves, we attain world-mastery. It is through our world-mastery that we can inspire our fellow citizens, our brothers and sisters of the world, to enter into the life of aspiration and self-discovery.
Published in Self-Discovery and World-Mastery
The World Within and the World Without
A lecture by Sri Chinmoy
at 5:30 p.m. in the Marvin Center, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
Silence is the world within. Sound is the world without. Silence is the seed-message of the world within. Sound is the fruit-message of the world without. Silence eternally is. Sound eternally becomes.
Progress is the world within. Success is the world without. Progress consciously liberates the finite. Success unconsciously dominates the finite. Progress devotedly and soulfully embraces the world at large precisely because it is an inner awakening, inner revelation and inner manifestation. Success unconsciously and sometimes deliberately tries to lord it over the world at large. Success quite often sees a yawning gulf between its own achievement and the world's lack of achievement; therefore, success quite often assumes the authority of superiority.
Perfection is the world within. Manifestation is the world without. Perfection is cherished and treasured by both the finite and the Infinite, by man and by God. Manifestation is measured by both man's expansion and God's transcendence. Perfection is the voice of the inner world. Manifestation is the voice of the outer world. The inner voice tells us that what we see and feel today is the reality that we are going to possess and grow into tomorrow. It tells us that everything is at our disposal, that there cannot be anything in God's creation which we cannot claim as our own, very own. The outer voice quite often tells us that what we see, we may achieve; but there is no surety, there is no guarantee. Still, the outer voice says, "Try, it is good to try. There is no harm in trying, but I can't assure you of success."
The world within inspires us first to dive deep and then to look around. This is what we hear from the world within. When we dive deep within and look around, to our wide surprise we see Immortality's life awaiting us with boundless love, boundless concern and boundless pride. The world without inspires us to go forward and look around. When we go forward and look around, to our wide surprise we see Infinity's beauty awaiting our arrival.
The world within tells us that to love God is our supreme responsibility, our sole responsibility and our bounden duty. The world without tells us that to serve God, the Supreme Authority, is our bounden duty.
If we live in the outer world and do not aspire at all, then we shall be plagued by many questions. The first and foremost question will be, "Who is God?" The answer will be given by the inner world, but we will not hear it. The inner world's answer is, "Who is not God?" This is the unmistakable answer we will get from the inner world. Although it is also a question, inside the question looms large the answer: everybody is God, God in the process of self-preparation, self-revelation and self-manifestation.
There are mature seekers and there are immature seekers. There are aspiring people on earth and there are unaspiring people on earth. The unaspiring people will tell us that the inner life is worthless. They will say that spiritual seekers are running after a goalless shore. There is no goal; it is all mental fantasy, mental hallucination and self-deception. Aspiring people who are not mature from time to time try to make others feel that they are mature. They offer their own wisdom and judgement. They say that the outer world is nothing short of a mad elephant, that aggression reigns supreme, destruction reigns supreme. They feel there is no soul, no goal, no reality, but only a mad elephant or a devouring tiger that is destroying the outer world.
But seekers of the supreme Truth who have some light know unmistakably that the inner world and the outer world are both God's creation. When we think of the inner world, we are at once reminded of God the Creator. When we think of the outer world, we are at once reminded of God the creation. The Creator and the creation must go together. God feels that He is complete and perfect precisely because He has creation within Him, with Him, around Him and for Him. Creation feels that it is perfect because God, who is all Perfection, is the Source. Without the assistance and capacity of the inner world, one cannot make progress; he is blind. He needs inner light in order to walk along the road of perfection or he cannot reach his destination, which is far, very far. Again, if one does not offer due value to the capacities of the outer world, to the achievements of the outer world, then he will not be able to make progress, for he will have no legs. Both eyes and legs are needed, both the inner world and the outer world are necessary in order to become perfect. The inner world embodies vision, which is the real reality. The outer world embodies power, the dynamic power, which is also indispensable. Light is necessary and indispensable for realisation in the inner silence-world and dynamism is necessary and indispensable for manifestation in the outer sound-world.
The world within and the world without. He who wants to grow into Infinity's Life, Eternity's Reality and Immortality's Beauty must offer due attention to both worlds. Both worlds are of paramount importance: the inner seed-world and the outer fruit-world. It is from the seed that we get the fruit and from the fruit that we get the seed. In the inner world God claims us and eternally keeps us as His very own. In the outer world we try and cry to claim God eternally as our very own and reciprocate God's Love for us.
When we pray and meditate, when we dive deep into the inmost recesses of our being, we not only feel that we are in the inner world, but we also feel that we are the inner world itself. When we make our outer existence into a helping hand, a serving heart and a loving life here, there, everywhere, when we become an all-loving existence — not only do we live in the world without, but we become one with the world without in all its reality's height.
In the world within there is an immortal, invaluable treasure, and that treasure is constant inner cry to know the Highest and to grow into the Absolute. In the world without there is also an invaluable, immortal treasure, and that treasure is smile, illumining smile. The seeker smiles at God's vast creation. His smile is the identification-oneness of his own existence-reality with God's entire creation. Both in his inner world and in his outer world the seeker cries and smiles devotedly, soulfully and unconditionally. He cries to reach the absolute Height in God's own Way, at God's choice Hour. He smiles in order to see, feel and manifest God. He sees God, feels God and manifests God, the Supreme Reality, in the way God wants him to see, feel and manifest Him.
Published in Self-Discovery and World-Mastery
Transcendence and Perfection
A lecture by Sri Chinmoy
at 7:30 p.m. in the Marvin Center, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
Transcendence and perfection are two supreme realities. At this moment transcendence plays the role of the seeker and perfection plays the role of the goal. The next moment perfection plays the role of the seeker and transcendence plays the role of the goal, the ever-transcending goal.
Perfection and transcendence at times play hide-and-seek. Transcendence searches for perfection. When perfection is caught, perfection surrenders and offers to transcendence its infinite wealth, which is the delight of Light. Perfection searches for transcendence. When transcendence is caught, transcendence offers to perfection its infinite wealth, which is the light of Delight. In this way both perfection and transcendence enjoy continual satisfaction.
What is perfection? Perfection is not and cannot be a finished product; it cannot be an ultimate height that defies transcendence. Perfection is something that continuously transcends its own reality, its own height, its own goal. Perfection is like a river that flows constantly to the ever-expanding, ever-transcending sea. It is not like a stagnant pool or lake; it is a dynamic river that flows towards the ever-transcending Beyond.
Here on earth we observe perfection in two sublime realities: cry and smile. When a child cries soulfully, in his soulful cry we observe perfection. When a child smiles soulfully, in his soulful smile we observe perfection. Perfection is bound to be there where the existence of the soul looms large. The soul is the direct representative of God, the conscious messenger of God. The soul is the harbinger of new life, new light, new dawn, new realisation, new perfection on earth.
There is an inner perfection and there is an outer perfection. The beauty of a flower is the outer perfection; the fragrance of the flower is the inner perfection. Anything that has to be transcended inwardly is bringing us the message of perfection in the inner world. Anything that has to be increased, illumined and fulfilled outwardly is bringing us the message of perfection in the outer world.
When we can feel and really see each individual being as another God, at that time we observe perfection in the inner world. To see each and every individual on earth as another God is to see nothing but inner perfection. Again, to see and feel God's presence in each human being is to see outer perfection. In inner perfection we see each individual as another God. In outer perfection we see God and nobody else inside each individual.
What is transcendence? Transcendence is a never-ending climbing process, a dynamic reality. The Goal also is a transcending reality. Why do we want to transcend? We want to transcend precisely because we need satisfaction within and satisfaction without. How do we achieve satisfaction? We achieve satisfaction by becoming a mounting flame of aspiration. And when we become a mounting flame of aspiration, satisfaction is achieved by the God-lover in us, the truth-server in us.
Our world has two realities which we use in order to transcend ourselves. Ignorance-night is a reality and wisdom-light is a reality. Ignorance-night we conquer. By conquering it we transcend the reality that we have been forced to embody for millennia.
Wisdom-light we inwardly are. When we become aware, fully aware, of the wisdom-light within us, we transcend the reality which we already are and we grow into a higher reality. Ignorance we conquer, and by conquering ignorance we derive satisfaction. Knowledge we increase, and by increasing knowledge we derive satisfaction.
Transcendence and perfection give us one most significant thing: satisfaction. This satisfaction is in God, it is of God, it is for God and, finally, it is God Himself. In our world of reality, there are quite a few rungs of the satisfaction-ladder. It starts with imagination, then inspiration, then aspiration, then realisation, then revelation and then manifestation.
Imagination is a world of its own, which embodies reality. A scientist enters into this world of imagination and discovers something unknown. Then the scientist offers satisfaction to the members of the world-family.
Inspiration is a world of its own. It is a world of movement. Either this world enters into us or we enter into this world. Forward, upward, constantly it wants to move, and it invites us to move along with it. It tells us, "Movement is satisfaction. Movement is the harbinger of perfection."
Aspiration is a world. In the world of aspiration, God, who was at the very beginning one, wanted to become many. When He wanted to become many, He sang the song of self-transcendence. By fulfilling Himself in the world of multiplicity, He offers us the dance of perfection. It is in the aspiration-world that we see God the One and God the Many, God the eternal Silence and God the infinite Sound.
Realisation is a world. In the world of realisation, perfect realisation, we see that the finite and the Infinite are inseparable. Here on earth the finite unconsciously and consciously wants to maintain its sense of separativity. It is afraid of the Vast, of the Infinite; it feels that only by remaining alone is it safe. The infinite says to the finite, "Brother, by remaining alone you will never see the face of supreme satisfaction. I am within you and I wish to serve you. Allow me to do the needful. The supreme satisfaction is also within you. Only surrender your ignorance-vision, your ignorant way of seeing the truth. Feel that the Lord Supreme has a special message to fulfil in and through you. He is inside the tiny ant and He is also inside the universal creation. But there is a specific message which He wants to fulfil in and through the finite. Be conscious of His message and thus become perfect. The world of realisation is the world of perfection in God's tiniest possible creation and also in God's largest possible creation."
The world of revelation is the hyphen between the realisation-world and the manifestation-world. It unites both realisation and manifestation. It is aspiration that feeds revelation. It is on the strength of aspiration that revelation can grow into manifestation. If aspiration is taken away from the inmost recesses of the revelation-reality, realisation will become soulless and manifestation will become hopeless.
At our journey's start what we need is aspiration; at the end of our journey's close what we need is aspiration. Aspiration is the mounting flame which has neither beginning nor end. It is a birthless, deathless reality. There comes a time in the march of world-evolution when we grow into this ever-mounting flame of aspiration which is always transcending its already achieved goals. It is aspiration which is the real satisfaction in transcendence, and it is aspiration which is the real satisfaction in perfection. With aspiration God commenced His journey and with aspiration He will eternally continue His journey, for aspiration is constant transcendence, constant perfection and the ever-increasing satisfaction of His infinite Vision and eternal Manifestation.
Published in Self-Discovery and World-Mastery
