Meditation in Action

Question: What is the best way to meditate during action?

Sri Chinmoy: During action, the best way to meditate is to remember to offer yourself, the action and the result of the action to the Supreme. When you stop meditating and enter into the world of action, think of your action as a continuation of your meditation. When you meditate in silence, you go very high, very deep. And when you begin your daily activities, feel that this is another form of meditation, which is called manifestation. Action is meditation in manifestation.

God has to occupy your mind, and in this state of divine concentration, you should serve humanity. At that very hour, service itself becomes the highest reward. In the field of spirituality, work and devoted service are nothing short of pure meditation. Silent meditation and concentration only constitute a different approach.

In all your activities, try to feel the Presence of God. If you have something most important to do in the outer world, at that moment you need not go to your shrine and meditate on God with tears of devotion. Whatever you do, please try to think that you are given the opportunity to do that by God; think that you are doing something that is ultimately leading towards your realisation.

To perfect our actions we have to feel that we are not the doer, that the Supreme is the only doer. We have to feel that the inspiration for the action is not ours. If we can feel that we are just the instruments of the Supreme, our actions can be perfect.

Question: Sometimes I have a lot of things to do, and I do not know what my priorities should be.

Sri Chinmoy: If one is in the spiritual life, the priority should always be aspiration. Aspiration itself is dedication. If you are aspiring, you will know what you are supposed to do. Aspiration has inside it the message of dedication. We cannot separate aspiration from dedication, but aspiration has to come first. If we aspire, it is easy to know what we are supposed to do or whom we are supposed to serve. But only by serving, it is difficult to know what to aspire for or how to aspire. So aspiration must always come before dedication. Inside aspiration is dedication. We are able to appreciate the fragrance because there is a flower. If there is no flower, there can be no fragrance. So aspiration definitely will tell you what your priorities should be. Inside aspiration all the answers can be found.

Forget about all the unhappy experiences that you have given and received. Think only of how you can give joy to others and thus make yourself happy.

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