Samadhi or not?

Having gone to all possible lengths to gain permission from the authorities to meet Baba, I set upon a new plan, a violent one. This time I was determined that nothing would stop me.

Taking permission from the guards, I entered the office of the prison warden. I was well known to him due to my numerous attempts in the past to gain permission. He politely invited me to be seated. One other man was also sitting there.

“I want to tell you, sir,” I said, “that this week I met the Vice-Gover-nor, and he also refused my request to meet Baba. So I’ve decided that if your response to my last-ditch request is negative, then I shall physically thrust you people aside and enter His cell by brute force.” I knew that Baba’s cell was only a few meters away, and that no locked door stood in-between. Out of respect they never locked the door of His cell.

“Sir, sir, you must not think such things. You know I am deeply sorry that I cannot allow you to enter. I would lose my job. I, too, am a devotee of Baba, so please believe me about my limitations.”

39 Namaskar is a hand gesture which means" I respect the divinity within you with my mind and heart".

40 16 Points is a summary of the most important practices suggested for all M argis.

“How can you say you’re devoted to Baba? If it were so, then you wouldn’t be afraid to take such a minor risk. You know my heart is breaking to see Him.”

“We here know all too well about Baba’s power and omniscience. But I am helpless due to my duty.”

“This is just a load of nonsense. I am going to break through now.” I started to get up.

“Wait! You don’t understand our realization of Baba.” He turned to the other man. “Doctor, please tell this gentleman about the experience you had the other day.”

The doctor cleared his throat. “Usually, I attend Baba every morning at 11:00. But three days ago I was busy all morning and had to delay my visit until 3:00 in the afternoon. When I approached the cell, I got a shock. Baba was sitting in meditation, but He was not sitting on the cot. He was floating about three feet above it! I couldn’t believe my eyes. All my thoughts disappeared, and I stood there, simply staring at him. How much time passed I don’t know. But I slowly became aware that His face was changing. He had become Lord Shiva! Trembling with fear, I ran back to this office.”

“I can attest that he was shaking like a leaf when he dashed in here that day,” said the warden. “I thought he was having an epileptic fit.”

“Well, I don’t care for your explanations or your experiences,” I said. “If you won’t give me permission to enter Baba’s room, then I shall proceed there in my own way.”

lust as I started to rise again, a third man entered the room. The warden turned to me, saying, “Please! Wait at least a moment while I speak to this officer.”

While the warden was occupied, I closed my eyes. Without the slightest effort I dropped into deep meditation. Losing awareness of surroundings, I saw Baba smiling sweetly. He was holding me in His lap. Stroking my head repeatedly, He said, “My dear Dharmapala. There is a very good reason why I am not allowing you to meet Me … a very good reason.”

I became lost in His smile… His voice… the feeling of His soft hand. The next thing I knew, I heard a voice saying, “He’s in samadhi .” I thought, “Who is that? And who is he talking about?” Gradually I remembered where I was. Ah, it’s the warden speaking … speaking about me, I thought.

I parted my lips, thinking I would say, “No, I’m not in samadhi” But instead of these words, only incoherent mumbles issued from my mouth. I opened my eyes, and tears fell out.

“Wait until you come into normal mood,” the warden said softly. He looked at me with a new gentleness.

A few moments passed while the warden was speaking to the third man. I stood up, and all three of them clearly became apprehensive— on their guard as to what I would do.

“Please reconsider…” the warden started saying to me.

I cut him off by doing namaskar with my hands, and said in a breaking, feathery voice, “It’s…alright…now.”

Almost simultaneously, all three of them dropped their jaws in surprise. They were speechless as I walked out of the office into the outer courtyard.

There in the sunlight stood Baba’s personal assistant together with another Dada. They knew of my intention to somehow get into Baba’s cell today. On seeing my shining, tearful face, they exclaimed, “You’ve seen Baba!”

I didn’t know whether to say “yes” or “no.”

Transcending drugs

Huskvarna, Sweden. Our first three residents moved into our new rehabilitation project today. They are all drug addicts. The city government has given us a free lease on the building with an understanding that we would establish a halfway-house for drug addicts.

We only accept young men who demonstrate an interest to improve themselves. In that case, it is not overly difficult to cure them. Our staff joins them in practicing meditation to gain inspiration and will-power, vegetarianism and fasting to eliminate body toxins, yoga postures to balance the hormones, and social work to provide a sense of personal value. The system appears sound, but the most important ingredient is loving care. Enforcing external discipline has little worth in itself.

A few years ago one of our workers first demonstrated this process by curing some heroin-addicts in Berlin.