Grace

Grace

I had to go to a walk-in hearing for two $55 parking tickets that I had received after coming to work in New York on the American Millennium Peace Concert for Guru. I was praying to the Supreme in Guru to greatly lower the fees to an affordable amount for me, and that I would have a nice adjudicator. When I went into the hearing room, I focused on the soul of the lady and focused on seeing the Supreme in the room. I could feel Guru's presence. After she swore me in, she did not even ask me about my defense. Instead, she announced that both tickets were defective and would therefore be totally dismissed. So, with the Supreme's infinite Grace, I did not have to pay anything!

Lisa (Washington, DC)

Fight To The Finish

Fight To The Finish

I was working on a project that was due the next day. Late into the night I pursued it. Alas! Extreme exhaustion overtook me and I gave up. I went into my room and lay down, defeated but not caring. I must have been asleep for a short period, when I woke up to hear a very loud rapping on the window, as if someone wanted in, urgently. I went and looked, but naturally, no one was there. It was on the second floor, high above the reach of any hand. The boon: I stayed awake and finished the project. I was sure that Guru had awakened me to reach the goal. Years later I was in similar circumstances. Again, a project deadline was approaching the next day. Again, the late hours and, alas, again the defeat. I lay down on the floor of my office and went to sleep. The loud rapping on the window woke me after a short, refreshing sleep. I finished the project. Both times, beyond the sharp sound that awakened me, it was the sense that Guru was helping me to rally my determination and that he was truly there which allowed me to fight to the finish.

Nayak (Seattle)

Don't Worry

Don't Worry

Guru asked me to request a comment from the Prime Minister of Nepal for the service in memory of John F. Kennedy, Jr. held at the United Nations in late July 1999. Two months earlier, in May, an election had taken place in Nepal, and there was a new administration. My previous contact was no longer there, but I obtained the number for the Prime Minister's residence, and I tried calling. The second time I called, the secretary told me, "For this you need to speak to the First Secretary, N. Khadka." I was surprised because the man he mentioned had met Guru years ago in Ottawa, when Guru blessed his new baby at the Jharna-Kala Gallery. I was relieved and immediately called him. He was very kind but explained that the Prime Minister had already sent a message to the White House and that he might not have a chance to get another message in two days' time. Nevertheless I called him back the next day—on Sunday. He told me something "extraordinary" had happened—something he couldn't account for. When he had arrived home that night and sat down for a moment's rest, he noticed a newspaper on the floor. No newspapers were kept in his house—they were always thrown out the same day—so he looked at it, curious to see what the paper was doing there. It was a newspaper from February 1st, 1999—six months past. Then he saw the headline: it was a front page article with a photo of Guru meeting with the current Prime Minister and the previous Prime Minister, taken when we were visiting Nepal for the Peace Nation dedication. But how, he asked, had the paper appeared in his living room? Who on earth put it there? He had discovered the paper only five minutes before I placed the call. "Don't worry," he said, "you will get a comment."

Saudamini (New York)

Constant Concern

Constant Concern

When I had been a disciple for three years, I decided to go to Prague for two weeks to help with postering for Guru's big Peace Concert. We were trying to bring 17,000 people. I was in the train station waiting for the train, talking with a young disciple from the Padova Centre. In five minutes the train was supposed to arrive. Suddenly it occurred to me that I didn't have my passport and that we couldn't visit any of the Eastern European countries without a passport. I told the disciple, "Wait here for me," and I ran to take a taxi back to my home to get my passport. By the time I returned to the train station, nearly 15 minutes had gone by, and the only train that would be going to Vienna that day had left already, I thought. There would be people waiting for us in Prague, and so many problems would arise if we didn't get there. I meditated on Guru's Transcendental photograph, asking Guru to help me. Then I ran back to the track where my friend was waiting for me. She was smiling and told me that it had been announced that our train would be leaving in a few minutes from a different track. The first track was out of order because of a broken train. It so happened that our train arrived on time, but when it was time for it to leave, it had been impossible to move it! I felt so much gratitude to Guru. This was one of the most powerful experiences I had in the beginning of my spiritual life that made me feel the constant concern and presence of Guru in our daily life.

Shadri (Padova)

Astonished

Astonished

A few years ago I spent my vacation at my house in the country. The weather was very hot, and every day I watered my garden for a few hours. It seemed to me that every plant was begging me to water it: flowers, vegetables, berry bushes and potatoes. I became so tired of watering that I began to pray to God every day for rain. Soon God fulfilled my request. For about 30 minutes there was a strong rain, and the ground was watered for about 15 or 20 cm deep. I was so grateful to the Supreme, and I was absolutely astonished to learn that although our village was quite big, this rain was only above a few houses—my neighbours' and mine.

Tamara (Moscow)

Ask Me For A Boon

Boon

Many times and in many ways Guru has saved our restaurant, Annam Brahma. At one time, when we were having great financial difficulties, out of the blue Guru arrived at the restaurant. He called Pranika, Shephali and me in front of him and said, "Ask me for a boon. I want to give you a boon, but you only have three possibilities, one from each of you, and you must do it right now." We were shocked and had no idea what to say. I tried to say, "Oh, you know, Guru, we would like always to please you." Guru said, "No, no, no, do not ask for this kind of thing. Ask me something concrete. I want to give you a boon. Ask me, ask me." Guru was very intense, very eager about it. Pranika tried, but Guru said, "No, no, no good." Then Shephali saved the day. She said, "Guru, I cannot think of anything, but it would be a great boon to me if you would one time cook. I've always wanted to see you cook." Guru was very pleased and delighted, and he immediately took this idea and created an incredible miracle. He cooked and took orders for his food from the disciples all around the world. The disciples made a love-offering to pay for the food. This was done at the time of our restaurant's anniversary, and Guru saved us by donating the proceeds from his cooking to help pay our back bills.

Nishtha (New York)

A Fateful Elevator Ride

A Fateful Elevator Ride

"So will I see you in August?" Guru politely inquired, breaking the awkward silence as we traveled up skywards in the elevator of the Regent one of Sydney's most premier hotels.

It was my first time in an elevator with Guru alone and one of the first times Guru had really spoken to me. So I kind of mumbled something in the affirmative that I would try and continued waiting dutifully for the elevator to reach Guru's floor. But my mind was racing, thinking that it was a little more complicated than that. You see it was July 7 and I hadn't worked since March. I'd been to New York in April, then on the New Zealand Peace Run, then on the Australian Peace Run, then working on the Sydney Peace Concert, which why Guru was in town. So I really didn't have any money and a ticket to New York cost about $1,500.00.

Somehow Guru had managed to plant the seed of possibility in me and on the drive home to Canberra the next day my determination to get to New York in August grew. It was not the kind of thing where you force yourself to be determined but rather a self sustaining, spontaneous urge.

The next day I looked in the yellow pages under fencing companies, I had done a little fencing in New York. I called ACT Fencing, a company based in the neighboring town of Queanbeyan. Somehow I bypassed the secretary and got the owner, Alan Berry, on the phone. He said, "Yeah, why don cha come in and we'll have a look atcha."

The next morning I fronted up to ACT Fencing and was asked to waited in their reception room. They had a few trade magazines related to their line of work so I immediately began a 15 minute crash course in how to construct a tennis court. Just as I was completing the first page Alan came in and introduced himself.

"So you've done a bit of this in New York have ya?" he inquired.

"Well yes I have, mainly fencing (which was true), clay court construction (well I'd swept one a lot) and some artificial grass courts (well not really)." I confidently replied.

Alan looked me up and down and then pronounced, "Okay then why don cha come in tomorrow and we'll see how ya go."

I couldn't believe my ears, I had a job and it only took about 5 minutes!! New York, all of a sudden got a lot closer.

Over the next month I work very hard at ACT Fencing and on the weekend I was helping my father build two sundecks at our house on the coast for which he was also paying me. So in 5 short weeks I miraculously accumulated enough to go to New York. This was a fabulous trip for me, Guru played tennis with me and asked me to stay longer for a couple of significant events.

I often muse about what would've happen if not for that fateful elevator ride?

Salil (Canberra)

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