He (African prince) phoned me every day, nearly every half an hour, just for the initiation. He phoned me at 12 o’clock, he phoned me at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, he phoned me at 4 o’clock in the morning, 6 o’clock again, just to try to tell me how ready he is, and how he understands me, and he knows everything about me. Of course, he knows, but the thing he knows and the habit of the mind and the affinity with God are different things. […] Sometimes we know the flower. But to know and to enjoy are two different things. So I thought, “Ah, just wait. Later. First, eat vegan for a few weeks and then see how you experience it, and then later we’ll talk more.”
But he always, always, always pushed. So in the end he received the initiation and then he slept, the whole time. But then afterwards, while meditating on the (inner Heavenly) Sound, we woke him up. Then we woke him up at the time of the (inner Heavenly) Sound meditation, told him, “You sit there because you can’t sit here to meditate.” So, we sat him at the table and put him over there, and then he did it, but not very peacefully. The problem is he knows too much theoretically about spiritual practice, about God, about Master and about the Bible, about anything, but he did not practice. He knows everything. But knowing and practicing are two entirely different things. And because he knows too much, he’s proud. He’s satisfied with his intellectual knowledge, and he thinks he doesn’t need anything. That’s why. […]
But it’s alright. I have prayed to God. I said, “Please, God, tell me if I should give this kind of person initiation or not.” And then you know what? God’s always Merciful. Hes said, “OK, give it to him.” Should I give such people... Yes. Yes, give, give. When God says, “Give,” then I have to give everything – my time, my energy and my eyes, my meals and everything. They sit there and they don’t want to move. Everybody came to my place and talked all day, every day, since I’m in Africa. And I had no time to sleep, no time to eat sometimes, because they like to talk to me about anything. And after they knew about my spiritual mission, they talked more. And so, at the end of the initiation, I was also near the end too. I walked with my eyes closed to the airport. Luckily, I did not drive. Day and night. Day and night, always, and on the phone Day and night.
And when I went to the First Lady’s office, then I must talk to her about spiritual things, and I must pray for her in the office. And then her secretary also wanted to pray in the office. And the other people also wanted me to go there and bless the office. And the other one – bless the house. And the... da-da-da. No end. That is OK, that’s OK. But what I mean is, it’s not only the initiation day that I did not sleep. It’s many nights before, and many days before. Daytime: Go visit children. Nighttime: I have guests talking, eating, until 4 or 5 o’clock in the morning sometimes. So when I came to Paris, I was already half in Nirvana, half-dead.
But as soon as I stepped on the airplane, oh, some people came and immediately said “Oh, Master, welcome to Paris.” And then, immediately, problem, problem, problem, problem, problem. And speaking in French, and two persons at the same time, very difficult for me to understand. And they speak French just like the natives. They don’t care that I’m a foreigner, that I learned French for only one year, and that I have never been in France for 20 years. They don’t care. They just talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. So, I’m happy that I’m in München (Munich) now.
And it begins very good already on the airplane. Yes, I introduced you to the gentleman sitting over there. I don’t know his name. He’s my companion on the airplane, and that’s how he came here. I didn’t invite him. I said, “OK, come with us. We have a car, and we take you to your home.” But he likes to come here, so welcome. No, no, no, I invited him because he was so nice to me. He was so nice to me. Unconditionally, you know? I’ll tell you more. I told him, we have a car; if he doesn’t have a car, we may bring him to his house. That’s all. But he probably asked to come here alone. I did not introduce anything, I did not say anything. I said I’m a fashion designer. This is true. True, too. But he came here, so welcome.
That’s also true. That’s also true. It’s true. I earn my money from fashion and all the painting, all that. You see? Yes, it’s true. I did not tell you lies, just I didn’t tell you the whole truth, that’s all. Because I’m a very shy person. I cannot introduce myself as a spiritual Guru, things like that. It makes me very embarrassed. So, I always say something, but never the whole thing. Only if people have affinity, then they ask more, maybe the opportunity arises, then I will tell him something, but never to introduce myself as a Master and all that. Oh, God! God knows I’m very embarrassed.
So, meet (…) from Milano. Meet my friends. My friends, my students, my beloveds, my sisters and brothers, they are everything. So, anyhow, he was very kind, very unconditional, like because we are vegan and perhaps my people forgot to order, or perhaps the plane [trip] is too short, so people just serve whatever. So, he was worried that I didn’t have a thing to eat, so he gave me his portion. And that is very touching already. We don’t know each other, and he talked to me and he just was very kind, just very kind. You can feel it, not because of the action, but the love from inside. Not too small, too short. It’s not the action, it’s the love. So that’s the beginning.
And the second is the steward. He came with a tray full of vegan cheese. He gave me enough vegan cheese that I make a joke, I said I can open a (vegan) cheese shop, because that’s all he had for the moment. He gave me cheese and cheese because I don’t eat other things, so he worried, so he brought all the portions, the vegan cheese and put it on my tray. The tray was full of vegan cheese. And then after he offered me wet tissue and all that. And it’s not because he wanted to know me or where I come from, and he asked, but it doesn’t mean that he wanted to really, later, do something with me, not at all. Then he just said goodbye. That’s the unconditional love that I felt all the way from Paris to Munich. I told you, it already began very good on the airplane.
That’s why I told you before, that every time I come to Munich, I feel like God wants me to come here, because everything goes smoothly and everything is OK. No problem at all. And everybody is nice to me. Not always you are nicely treated on the airplane, not always. Sometimes the stewardess is very cranky and sometimes the passenger next to you is very lousy, and things like that, it can always happen. It can be very unpleasant on the airplane. (…and neighbors who are no good.) Those were your words, not mine. OK. So, I’m surprised and happy that he came, because I feel he is like one of us, unconditional and loving. And that is the way every one of us should lead our life, really, with or without initiation, with or without the consciousness of God. But with the consciousness of God is of course better and grander in scale.
OK, so with that, we’ll leave you. Maybe I’ll see you again tomorrow if you are here. I’ll try to have more and more time with you as possible. So, tomorrow you have time? (Yes.) In the evening, you can come again? OK, then you will see me. And anything you forgot to ask today, you ask tomorrow. Yes? (Yes.) (Nice.) You’re satisfied? (Yes.) As long as I’m in Munich, I will let you see more of me and I will beg you to let me see more of you, because it’s a blessing for me to see all of these Godly people with shining eyes and beautiful faces and so loving hearts. That is really a blessing for me. Yes, yes, yes, that I can feel. That I can feel; it’s a blessing for me.
I don’t know how I deserved your love and such beautiful and noble congregation as yours, but as God has arranged it, I just accept it. I just accept. Maybe Hes thinks I’m too small. Hes gives more all the time. She gives everything because the little one needs a lot. Hes thinks because I’m small, I need a lot more things, so Hes gives me an abundance of everything – love, friendship, money, fame, anything you name it, Hes gives. So maybe it’s good to be small, huh? When I was young, I was thinking to be tall is better, but now I think to be small is good. I am very satisfied. With my... my part. Thank you very much for your love and your blessing. Please, God bless you more. You go home now? Did you cook something for them? OK, then go eat. Why not? I want to eat too. Let’s eat together, OK? Let’s go eat. Then we don’t have to go to my house. We’ll go later.
Photo Caption: “Grateful for Life Even the Humblest Mushroom Shines Bloomingly to the World Beautify!”
