With
his palms closed and seemingly anxious to express himself, he pronounced
each word distinctly in not so fluent English: "Perhaps, tonight,
God wants to give you ... a present!"
Recently,
while distributing sample booklets at a booth in a city street, I met
an unusual man. As I was preparing to close the booth, he held tightly
onto Master's magazine. My legs were already numb from four hours of
standing at the booth, and I was desperate to leave, especially after
being pestered by two beggar women. (Note: There are many beggars in
the country I was visiting, and like most people, I was tired of frequently
giving them alms.) Thinking that he was from the same gang as the beggar
women, I rudely snatched the magazine from his hand and put it into
my handbag. Surprisingly, he remained unperturbed. Still speaking slowly,
he articulated these words: "Must you really go?" Then, he
quickly helped me pack, his movements being very much different than
the way he stammered.
Later,
he showed up at the video seminar I was holding in the area, but throughout
the 90-minute screening, his head was bent over the vegetarian food
I had prepared for the occasion. Even as the instruction session for
the Convenient Method began, he was still holding his plate and relishing
his food. I was upset by this behavior and even felt a little contemptuous,
saying to myself, "So, he is really a member of the beggars' gang.
He even dares to eat in such a manner at a 'sacred congregation' like
ours!" After the Convenient Method meditation session was over,
the participants gave a warm response, following me and enquiring about
the address of the venue for future gatherings. This man also followed
me and asked for the address, but I ignored him. After the seminar,
several people escorted me back to my residence, and we had a hearty
chat along the way, so I did not notice when the man disappeared.
The
next day, I was humming to myself while preparing snacks for a group
meditation session at my dwelling. Suddenly the doorbell rang. It was
the man I had met the day before right at my doorstep! In amazement,
I shook my head and held my hands up, saying, "Today, today no
group meditation!" Sensing my fear and hearing my senseless remark,
he asked calmly, "Why?" Since I could not tell a lie, I had
no choice but to let him in. "Gosh! Now I was letting a perfect
stranger into my house. What would I do if he were up to something bad?"
I noticed that I was trembling and prayed hard to Master from deep within
my heart. Remembering the voracious way the man had eaten the day before,
I asked him reluctantly, "Are you hungry? Do you want something
to eat?" He didn't disappoint me. "Well..., it's okay; I can
eat a little bit," he stammered.
It
turned out that none of the people who had promised to come for group
meditation showed up. So, while serving the man my exquisitely prepared
food, I thought, "I spent two hours cooking--all for you!"
Suddenly, a warning resounded from the top of my head: "It is precisely
because of your contempt for him that he has to come back again to eat
your food, in order to give you a chance to compensate!" It shocked
me out of my fear, and I started to concentrate on my wisdom eye and
observe the behavior of this stranger.
Before
he started to eat, he toyed with the cutlery, seemingly deep in thought.
Then, he said in fluent English, "I eat very slowly because I have
only seven teeth. What others take five minutes to consume, I need half
an hour to eat." He even analyzed the process of mastication to
me, just like a professor giving a lecture.
My
face flushed, for he had read my mind! To conceal my embarrassment,
I quickly went to play a videotape. I had only one tape in Russian,
and had already played it at the seminar. So he asked, "Do you
have any other tapes?" I thought, "Yesterday, you just concentrated
on eating and didn't even raise your head to watch it! What's the problem
with playing the tape again?" But anyhow, I chose an English lecture
tape, which was my favorite. After a few minutes, he said that his English
was poor and wondered if I could play another tape. Then he added casually,
"But maybe you want to watch this one."
I
couldn't believe my ears! My limbs were numb as I searched for another
tape. Then he made another remark: "Do you happen to have a videotape
on Master's life?" His words sounded more like a reminder than
a request. My heart trembled and I thought, "I have just received
a tape entitled 'Journey to Africa' from Moscow. How does he know?"
In
the video, Master is shopping in a leisurely way at a market, quite
unlike Her image on the lecture stage. Mr. Wanderer remarked, "It's
Master! She is so simple, just like a child!" He loved the tape,
and slid down from his chair to the floor, sitting the way an Indian
disciple does before his revered Master. He looked back at me, as I
sat in a big sofa. "This is better; I like a simple life,"
he said. I was shocked again, and promptly spread out the carpet and
gave him a cushion. These had been prepared in case a lot of people
came, and as it turned out, the preparation proved worthwhile. While
watching the video, he commented that the photography and editing were
not bad, and said that he had once been a photographer. As he watched
the video with undivided attention, his dusty face took on a saintly,
radiant glow.
I
watched him from the corner of my eye. He had not finished his meal,
but he also wanted to view the video. So, in a well-bred manner, he
used his fork to rearrange the food on his plate, which he obviously
cherished. I was introspecting about whether I had shown a contemptuous
manner when I served him the food just moments earlier, and tears silently
rolled down my cheeks. Extremely ashamed of my snobbishness and blindness,
I silently turned away to wipe my tears.
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