“If you do not have
A sincere heart-cry,
You will not be able to fight
Against the hostile forces
In the inner world.”
– Sri Chinmoy
The inner cry embodies and reveals one of the deepest truths and seeming contradictions of our spiritual life: our utter helplessness is our greatest strength.
Our inner cry is most sincere and effective when we feel we are completely lost, clueless and helpless, when we are crying out to God or our soul to save us, protect us, forgive us, guide us, illumine us and take charge of our life. For when we surrender our limited, little strength and understanding, we open ourselves to the flow of limitless power and wisdom-light within. Our inner cry invokes and binds us to this higher power. Reliant on this power, we are indomitable: no limitation can bind us, no negative thought or emotion can capture us.
“A genuine inner cry
Is of paramount importance
To outdistance
Ignorance-night.”
– Sri Chinmoy
When asked, what is the best way for us to break our ties with ignorance, Sri Chinmoy answered unequivocally:
“The only way for you to break your ties with ignorance is through your constant, conscious inner cry. When you pray, meditate and aspire, sometimes you do it consciously and sometimes you do it unconsciously. It is your obligation to be conscious all the time. When you pray and meditate you have to do it consciously. Your constant and conscious inner cry can alone free you from ignorance. It is the only answer.”
– Sri Chinmoy
Far from being an expression of weakness, our inner cry is our greatest strength, our most reliable protector, defender and fighter against ignorance, within and without.
Thus, a spiritual seeker proclaims:
“In my inner life,
I cry and win.”
– Sri Chinmoy