Forgetting and Remembering

Calcutta. 1984.

Whenever Baba walks downstairs for field walk. He always passes by a door behind which I often peep through so that I can see Him.

Dada Amalvikashananda remembered an experience which he had in front of the same door.

“A few weeks ago,” he said, “Baba smashed my ego just beyond this door. I was standing there and talking with Him. He shouted at me about my poor work. I was so embarrassed, thinking that everyone was hearing. So very softly, I said to Him, Baba, excuse me, but maybe it’s better you rebuke me inside the house; the neighbors are listening, and they may get the wrong idea.'

“Baba raised His eyebrows and said sharply in English, ‘Prestige, huh? Prestige…’

“He let His words sink into my brain. Then without going inside. He went on shouting at me, with only one difference-His voice tripled in volume.”

New cultures: adapt or clash out

Tokyo, Japan. After 8 years working in Europe, I’ve been posted to the Far East Asia sector as the Public Relations Secretary, with additional duties as Medical Secretary and Publications Secretary. 78 Though our head office is in Tokyo, our greatest number of Margis are in Taiwan.

This posting is interesting for me from a cultural perspective. It may also have a radical psychological effect on me because Oriental human relations are completely different from what I’m used to. Until now I could get away with being individualistic, forcefully determined, even blunt and ambitious. Not so here. These qualities are generally unacceptable among Japanese, Chinese and Koreans.

[Author’s note: Such changes in myself did not come as easily as I hoped.

Though it did not take long for me to properly alter my external behavior, the more important development was a mental one. Orientals rarely directly say what they intend to communicate; most of them are more sensitive on the feeling level.

So the mental change I had to undergo to live and work with them related to becoming more silent and attuning my intuition. It was such a deep process that, even now years later, I don’t feel I have completed it.]

8 The Far East Asia sector consists of J apan, Taiwan, South K orea, Hong K ong, M acao,

M ainland China, Tibet, M ongolia, North K orea, Asiatic Russia, and thefiveAsian countries of theprevious Soviet Union. Because the last ten countries occupy 90% of the geographical area of the sector, yet were, at this time, under oppressive communist regimes, we were only able to work openly in ten percent of the sector.

Three months later. Public Home Concert program held for the public in the yoga center this evening. The program included mime, Indian sitar music, and modem dance. 79

Bad stimulates good

Train from Delhi to Calcutta. A song inspired by yesterday’s train journey in an over-crowded second-class wagon:

Riding on an Indian train, people sleeping brain to brain. Heads and feet in touch all the night, their minds adjusting more or less right.

It’s terrible to see men packed like sardines, sharing their chapatiis and beans. It’s terrible to see men resting in filth, only to enrich those with the wealth.

Refrain:

Lovers of life reject the status-quo. Those who accept don’t want to grow. Just now there’s no room to doubt: we’ve to open to the flow of Prout.

Those stinky lousy capitalists— in their faces they deserve flying fists to save them from the path of min, or else mankind will be destroyed soon.

But don’t you worry, Jimmy or Joe, there’s purpose in this painful show.

79 This was the first of our Home Concert series, which continued on a monthly basis for seven years. Renaissance Artists and Writers Association (RAWA) became well known to much of Tokyo’s progressive community because of these special programs. I say special because in all of J apan, R A WA’s concerts were the only informal affairs at which there was no smoking or drinking, at which the performers knew they would be watched with full attention, and after which fine vegetarian meals were served during which peoplehad an opportunity to socialize.

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Travels with the Mystic Master

Realization comes out of clash. So pity the man with excessive cash.

Refrain

Bad is made to stimulate good, without which wed not know what we should. Without black there’s no thing as white. Without love who could notice man’s fright.

To answer to the eternal call we’ve to polarize almost ail- so mediocrity becomes far less, and purpose comes from our unending stress.

Prout, Prout:

to get rid of all the doubt. Shout for Prout, and spout for Prout, bout for Prout. Come out for Prout.

Do you like It, my boy?