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Thank you, David, for your posting. When you mentioned
The Life and Teachings of the Masters of the Far East,
I recalled an encounter in the 60's which shows how the
masters can work with individuals who are reaching out for
the truth, and stumbling around on their way to it. My
first contact was when as a college student, I stood at
the threshold of a spiritual group's door and inquired
about a lecture. The response was, there was a payment
of $10 to listen to it. I mentally balked that I would
be expected to pay for something I knew nothing about,
and back in the day $10 was a bit of money for me as a
student. So I turned about and walked away.
The second encounter was at someone's home, an Asian
group which was chanting, which was okay as I rather
liked the cadence. Until an earnest soul, also a newbie,
innocently asked a question, to which the group leader
shouted a rebuke that you don't question any thing. I
was so shocked and turned off by this attitude and response that I promptly quietly excused myself from the
group and walked out relieved that I had escaped an
obvious hell to be, if I stayed.
The third encounter was on a well known southern beach.
I had discovered that a movie or tv show was being
filmed there and walked the entire length of the beach
to where the production was, and sat down next to a
young woman in a bathing suit, drew a question mark in
the sand, and we struck up a conversation. She invited
me to her home where I enjoyed a fruit salad, met her
husband, and she handed me a copy of the first volume of
The Life and ...., and loaned it to me.
Up to that point, my life had been extremely burdened
with many unresolved issues,so I was unprepared for
what I was about to discover. The first 2 chapters were
so full of enlightenment, it took me over 2 hours to
absorb the tremendous wisdom within. But I continued on
reading the book, and acquired the remaining volumes,
so hungry was I for the truth. I moved back home, and
it wasn't until 1975 that I picked up the thread for my
spiritual quest because of an injury in the spring in that year, which I alluded to in my previous reply above. So, however one stumbles about, sooner or later
you will strike gold when you've finally gotten to the
end of the search and found what you were seeking. Then, that's only the beginning of the path!
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