Self-discovery - An Inner Journey....

• 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 manifestations 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.

 - Sri Chinmoy, Self-Discovery And World-Mastery