Prayer and Meditation – Poetic Offering – 01 Aug 1980

Filed under Poetry

A Poetic Offering by Sri Chinmoy, Leader of the Peace Meditations at the United Nations.


PRAYER AND MEDITATION

Prayer is man’s soulful cry for God.
Meditation is man’s fruitful smile in God.

Prayer is personal; also, universal.
Meditation is impersonal; also, transcendental.

Prayer is petition; also, adoration.
Meditation is absorption; also, perfection.

Prayer needs God’s Compassion-Shower.
Meditation needs God’s Illumination-Tower.

I pray for Immortality.
I meditate on Infinity and Eternity.

Prayer is night crying for light.
Meditation is light searching for delight.

Prayer reminds us of our hidden sins.
Meditation reminds us of our forgotten sun.

To prayer God says:

“My child, I am waiting for you.
Come and see Me.”

To meditation God says:

“My child, wait for Me.
I am coming to see you.”

Prayer is the purity that counts.
Meditation is the luminosity that mounts.

My prayer-teacher shows me

The beauty of soulfulness.

My meditation-teacher blesses me

With the duty of oneness.

Prayer soulfully reveals man’s faith in God.
Meditation smilingly reveals God’s faith in man.

God-who, you? No!
God-who, me? No!

Who then is God?

God is my prayer-purity’s Guest.
God is my meditation-divinity’s Nest.

My God is mad because nowadays

I do not pray
Either in the morning or in the evening.

My God is sad because nowadays

I do not meditate
Sleeplessly and unconditionally.

1 August 1980


Above was also published in: United Nations: The World’s Oneness-Home – book 2005 May 11