Guru's love and encouragement to children growing up on the Path

Growing up on the path was very interesting. Guru is so sweet and so compassionate and kind. He would always ask me and my brother, and I'm sure the other children, to write him letters. He always wanted us to write to him. I used to write poetry, and he praised my poetry. He said, "Send me more poems, more poems." Guru was very, very warm and very encouraging and full of love and affection to us as children growing up.

Guru's philosophy for all his disciples—Guru would always tell us, his children, "Give me everything, all your unhappiness, your suffering, any problems you have." Guru really encouraged us to be open and to offer it to Guru, to literally write it to him and offer it.

I noticed as a child growing up, it was easy in the beginning. But then at a certain age, 12, 13, you become more ashamed of your difficulties you're going through in life and all the problems. Less and less my brother and I would write to Guru. But Guru would always say, "Please, please, just offer it to me."

This is the amazing thing: To have a Guru, a Master like Guru who can take all of these things. He just wants you to give it all and to be open. It's something that took me quite a few years to learn again, how to do that when I was older, to just give everything to Guru and just to surrender it and not be ashamed, guilty or awkward, but just to offer everything to Guru and allow him to transform you.

God does not open Our mind-letters.
He opens only our heart-letters
— Immediately.

Sri Chinmoy 1

• 1. Seventy-Seven Thousand Service-Trees, part 21, Agni Press, 2001