Beyond Within by Sri Chinmoy

Beyond Within A Philosophy for the Inner Life is like an encyclopedia for the spiritual life. In a style that is at once simple and profound, Sri Chinmoy answers age-old questions on the purpose of existence, the link between the inner and the outer worlds and how to find lasting fulfillment in life. It is a must-read for those who wish to uncover life’s deepest mysteries. An anthology of Sri Chinmoy's essays, talks and poems on the integration of spiritual aspiration into daily life.

When the simple yearning to know life's purpose and feel the reality of God has you swimming against the tide then the wisdom and guidance of a spiritual Master who has swum these waters is priceless. Sri Chinmoy offers profound insight into man's relationship with God and sound advice on how to integrate the highest spiritual aspirations into daily life. The single most comprehensive exposition of the author's
philosophy available, this anthology contains questions and answers essays and talks on a vast range of spiritual subjects with over 200 truth revealing aphorisms and poems interspersed throughout.

Beyond Within
Table of Contents

Introduction
Consciousness
The Human Psyche
   The Body
   The Vital
   The Mind
   The Heart
   The Soul
Death and Reincarnation
The Play of the Inner Forces
   Life-Problems
   Fear
   Doubt
   Purity
   Some Inner Qualities
The Inner Voice, Will and Freedom
   The Inner Voice
   Will
   Freedom
Spirituality
   The Spiritual Life
   Yoga
   Aspiration
   Spiritual Discipline
   Detachment and Renunciation
Serving the World
   Bridging the Inner and Outer World
   Service
Meditation
The Inner Treasure: Peace, Light and Bliss
   Peace
   Light
   Bliss
From Human Personality to Divine Individuality
   Ego
   Divine Individuality and Oneness
The Sunlit Path: Love Devotion and Surrender
   Love
   Devotion
   Surrender
God, Grace and the Guru
   God and the Divine Grace
   The Guru
The Goal of Goals
   Realization
   Manifestation and Perfection

Excerpts:

The earth is the field of realization, and, at the same time, the field of manifestation.  God-realization can be achieved only here on earth, and not in other spheres, not on other worlds or on other planets.  Those who care for God-realization have to accept a human body and come into this world.  Again, it is only on earth and through the physical body that the soul can manifest its own divinity, which is the infinite Peace, infinite Light, infinite Bliss.  The body needs the soul; the soul needs the body.  For the realization of the highest and deepest Truth, the body needs the soul; for the manifestation of the highest and deepest Truth, the soul needs the body.


If we accept the spiritual life, the body has to be active.  Even if it runs in the wrong direction at first, at least there should be some movement.  The body has to be energetic, but not restless.  Otherwise, although the physical body itself many not sleep twenty-four hours a day, the body-consciousness will be sleeping. An aspiring body is an active and energetic body.  We are fast asleep when we are not aspiring.
The vital has to become dynamic instead of aggressive.  It should try to energize and inspire others, instead of trying to control or destroy others.  It should say to others, “Don’t waste your precious time.  Get up and do something for yourself or for humanity.

The clear, pure, divine mind, the mind which is illumined by the soul’s light, will become vast.  It will say “I cannot be bound by anything: I will not suspect anybody, I will not belittle anybody.  On the contrary, I shall expand my own consciousness and help others to expand their consciousness.”


There are two types of mind:  the human or physical mind and the spiritual mind. The physical mind is enmeshed in the gross physical consciousness; therefore it does not and cannot see the proper truth in its own world.  The spiritual mind, which is the illumed or illumining mind, has the capacity to stay in the aspiring heart; therefore it sees the higher truth, the truth of the ever-transcending Beyond, and aspires to grow into this truth.


When we plan, we are very often frustrated because we do not see the truth right from the beginning.  We plan to do something because we feel that if we do it we will achieve a certain goal.  But between planning and executing, different ideas and different ideals enter into us and create confusion for us.  Then our planning goes on and on forever and we never enter into the world of action because ourplans are never complete or certain.  There is a yawning gap between our mental plan and the action itself. But if we have an inner will, soul’s will, which has come to us from meditation, then the action is no sooner conceived of then it is done.  At that time there is no difference between our inner will and our outer action.  When we enter into the totally dark, obscure, unlit room of action with our mental plan it is like carrying a candle.  But when we enter into the room with our soul’s light, the room is flooded with illumination. Right now we are laboring with our mind.  The mind says, “I have to achieve something.  I have to think about how I can execute my plan.” But God does not do that.  God sees the past, present and future at a glance.  When we are one with God, when – by constant aspiration – we identify ourselves with God’s Consciousness, then whatever we do will be done spontaneously.  Then we will not utilize the mind, but always act from our own inner consciousness, with our intuitive faculty.  And when we develop that intuitive faculty, we can easily act without having a plan. At each moment the possibility of the total manifestation that is going to take place will materialize right in front of us.


Question: is it desirable to bring our conscious mind from our subconscious?
There are many things in our subconscious mind which need not and should not come to the surface.   In the subconsciousness there is obscurity, there is impurity, there is negation.  These things should be purified, transformed and perfected from within without being brought into to the physical or conscious mind.  It is better not to disturb the subconscious mind at all.

Question:  But orthodox psychology states that the subconscious has to be brought to the fore and illumined.
Here you are making a mistake. If you bring down the Light from above or bring forward your soul’s light, automatically the subconscious will be illumined.  At that time the subconscious will enter naturally into the conscious plane.  But if you try to bring forward the subconscious without illumining it first you will only create more problems for yourself.

Question:  Is there a spiritual method of self-analysis?
No, there is not.  The psychological kind of self-analysis, from the highest point of view, is wrong.  In self-analysis we use the physical mind to try to examine our obscure past and our subconscious.  In self analysis we say, “I have done the right thing,” or “I have done the wrong thing.” There is always a positive and a negative.  But we have to go beyond the positive and the negative.

Your soul is unique. God wants to manifest and fulfil Himself within you in an unprecedented way.  God has a particular divine mission to fulfill only through your soul. And to fulfil this particular mission of His, He will utlilise your soul and no other soul as His chosen instrument.

Courage is absolutely necessary in the spiritual life. The very acceptance of the spiritual life demands enormous courage.  It is only a divinely courageous soul, only a divinely inspired soul, that can swiftly reach the highest Goal.
This courage is not the courage of a haughty, rough person who will strike others to assert  his superiority; it is totally different.  This courage is our constant awareness of what we are entering into, of what we are going to become, of what we are going to reveal.  We have to jump courageously into the ocean of spirituality, but we have to know that we are not jumping into the sea of uncertainty.  When we speak of courage, we have to know that courage means certainty.


You were chosen from among countless people to run toward the Light.  Others are still fast asleep.  It was sheer Grace, God’s unconditional Grace, that inspired you to come out of ignorance and look toward the Light.  Since it was He who inspired and invited you to join consciously in His cosmic Game, you have to feel that the one percent of faith you had In the beginning also came directly from God, the Absolute Supreme.


We who have started walking along the spiritual path are the forerunners.  All will eventually run toward the same transcendental Goal.  The majority of mankind will not always lag behind.  All the children of God, no matter how unconscious and how unaspiring, will one day run toward the common Goal.  This Goal is the supreme discovery of one’s Divinity and the constant and perfect manifestation of one’s everlasting Reality.

- Sri Chinmoy