I was always interested in meditation while growing up, but it was something I associated with another world, a world of temples, monks, cold bare walls and the occasional bell.

As a matter of fact, both of my parents practised meditation.  My mother’s practise of TM largely consisted of her occasionally declaring a state of silence upon the household, setting herself up on the couch in the lounge and having a 15 minutes snooze. 

But “real” meditation, the kind that resulted in “enlightenment,” was not something, in my opinion, that a life in the Western world could support.  Having every intention of someday journeying into the East and plunging myself into silence for some 11 hours a day, I was quite up front with admitting to myself there were a few things I wasn’t ready to renounce, namely, particularly, my stereo.  So I consigned myself to remain in New Zealand to allow the natural course of growing older and wiser to take a few more years’ toll.

In the meantime, I thought, I’d take a course in meditation at the Sri Chinmoy Centre.  Sri Chinmoy –who lived in New York of all places, seemed genuine, but I figured the spirituality he was offering was “padded” for all us Westerners.  When I think about this now, having actually practised meditation, I see this idea as odd, and quite contrary to the maxim upon which I philosophically pondered – that the truth lies just at the tip of your nose.

Sri Chinmoy’s philosophy, I was glad to learn, is that the spiritual person can face the world as it stands, and see the goodness in the heart of mankind and all creation.  He embraced the Western world with it’s dynamism and creative urge as the counterpart to the East’s introspective nature and an equally necessary aspect of God’s earth creation.  He himself lived an active lifestyle, offering his complete service towards the betterment of mankind, offering inspiration through his writings, peace concerts, athletic achievements, and encouraging others in their personal endeavours.  To accept and live within the world, to serve with a feeling of oneness and hope for a brighter future for all is in itself embracing and heralding man’s higher self, and an increasingly urgent aspect of man’s self discovery – the discovery of his self within the wider world.

I have come to feel that spirituality lies in not just my inner life but my outer life too.  That in everything I say and do – in how I offer my good will to this world and work within it – in how much I am willing to do for this world and how far my love will take me – this is all the evolving manifestation of my own heart’s will and my own soul’s feeling of oneness with all of God’s creation.

“From the inner life we get a growing, flowing and energising consciousness to illumine and perfect our thoughts and feelings and to accomplish our aims.  We can grow into active and effective participants in God’s cosmic experience.  To live an inner life is to become fully conscious of God’s existence.  To become fully conscious of God’s existence is to love humanity’s heart with a boundless heart.  The divine harmony is and can be established in one’s inner and outer nature only when one accepts the inner life a s a source of constant inspiration to guide, mould and shape the outer life.

“Life’s battlefield

Will become all peace

When the sound of the mind

Gives way

To the silence of the heart.”

~ Sri Chinmoy

Susan Marshall