Don’t Blink or You’ll Miss

Don’t Blink or You’ll Miss

Written by Hein Adamson

 The mere presence of an enlightened soul has the power to transform you inside and out. One glance and you will be unrecognizable to yourself and those around you.

Then of course, there are His words, all the highest teachings and wisdom of the universe distilled into something that we can digest and assimilate. I have heard that in the old times the Master would not give verbal teachings, His disciples would have to watch and learn silently.

This past month with Mohanji has flown by in what feels like a day or two. When I look back it seems like a blur, but, with moments that stand out clear and bright like islands or stars. Mohanji works on and for us unceasingly and continuously, but these are the moments where it is clear and you realize: “After this, I will not be the same”.

Mohanji carried a calm and perfect silence with Him wherever He went, and yet He is the most intensely active and busy being I have ever seen. At the same time, not one second is wasted, not one movement is frivolous or without purpose, every action and word is streamlined, lean and precise, like an arrow flying straight at its target. Along with this there is total spontaneity, nothing is preplanned and nothing is contrived, everything is natural and everything flows.

I saw Him go many nights with only two or three hours of sleep, but His focus and clarity was undiminished. I saw Him go from one type of company to a completely different type of company, changing fluidly and almost imperceptibly to suit the need and environment. I saw in Him displays of such humility that I could not but be aware of my own arrogance and assumption. I saw the transformation in those around Him. I saw people living an entire life, including death and rebirth, in one moment, at Mohanji’s touch and presence. I saw those who see in Mohanji a man, and those who see God.

I did not see something unattainable. I did not see a complicated being.

Cape Town was the first city we visited. It was here that I started getting an idea about the speed and pace at which Mohanji works, never stopping even for a moment. On the first morning after His arrival, some birds came to our room balcony, and only left after accepting a few bread crumbs from Mohanji. He said that we can never know what form His people will come in.

Two gulls stood on the roof of a car and it took me moment to realize that it was the same car we used to fetch Mohanji from the airport; the other cars were left un-birded.

A few conversations occurred, in which questions that had not been voiced were answered, a confirmation that to Mohanji, we are open books, that He sees and He knows. Vulnerable and naked, one should go fearlessly to the Master, it is well worth it. 

In Durban we felt His intensity and power as well as His softness and love. The opening of the first ever of Mohanji’s temples in South Africa was awesome and humbling. See http://mohanjichronicles.wordpress.com/2013/09/23/merudanda-ashram-a-place-for-mohanji-and-masters-to-gather//.

Yashik Singh performed a ritual to Ganesha and a fire ceremony, which were beautiful and powerful, I felt very blessed and grateful to be there. Mohanji said that doing it with heart is what makes the difference between mechanical and spiritual ritual. Going into the Temple the next day, there was no mistaking the potency and energy of the place; I thought that this might be what one of Shankaracharya’s four temples in India feels like, a sacred gift to South Africa.

Later we lit the dhuni. I could not believe that I could be a part of something like this! The fire represents purity and awareness and is associated with the Mohanji’s tradition. When I was in Shirdi with Him I got zapped by Baba’s dhuni, enough to convince me that this is no regular fire, but is a different kind of force, and mighty at that. This is why lighting the fire in Durban was very overwhelming. We saw Naga Devas in the fire; Mohanji was very pleased by this auspicious sign. Yashik and I had a few minutes alone in which we chanted Mohanji’s gayatri and made offerings to the fire. I will be ever grateful for that moment with my brother. Afterwards I could feel a lot of energy in my body and spine and mind was calm and peaceful, and I felt like a child, empty of knowledge, all that was left was surrender.

 

On two other occasions we went to the Sathya Sai Temple in Durban. Peace pervaded the entire property, and the moortis and pictures in the shrine room were covered in sacred ash and turmeric. Devan and the guys who live there and run the place glowed in their devotion to Sathya Sai Baba, whom they affectionately call Swami and were warm and welcoming, and really made us all feel at home. Mohanji said with a childlike smile that it was a homecoming for Him; He showed such grace and humility here. Baba and Mohanji are one, but all we saw was gratitude and joy that Baba had invited and brought Him here. At one point, Baba’s ashen foot prints materialized around the chair where Mohanji was sitting, as if Baba had walked around Him, later when we were eating lunch I asked Mohanji whether He saw Baba walking. He looked at me and smiled and said: “No, I am an ignorant man”.

While we were there I got the distinct impression, that for many of the people who attend the regular bhajans and prayers there, it is the only place of solace that they know and have access to, that without that temple, there would be that much more grief and loneliness, a big part of my purpose and Mohanji’s mission became clearer to me then.

The next thing that stands out for me is the three day retreat in Johannesburg. Being in a position to watch the changes that everyone went through by having such close and intimate time with Mohanji was a privilege. Some of my friends were there as well, and it brought joy to know that they were drinking up every drop, and really opening themselves up to the experience. It seemed like a gradual transformation, but I knew not be fooled, that Mohanji always works at warp speed, that years, if not life times, of baggage and hindrances had been annihilated by His energy and grace. On the last day of the retreat I conducted a short interview with the folks who attended, asking them about their experiences, how they felt and what had changed for them. I asked one lady: “What is next for you”? She answered: “Today”.

Next was meditation and satsang at Lam Rim Tibetan Buddhist centre. Here is one of the most beautiful shrines I’ve ever seen, with a huge moorti of Buddha. Buddha’s consciousness and teachings were some of the first to penetrate my mind and wake me up a bit. I love Him and I love Mohanji, it was a beautiful coming together of two sacred threads in this life!

Then we went to Haenerstburg in the province of Limpopo. We stayed in the home of a beautiful lady named Jax Rudman. This lady takes care of abandoned and abused horses. I saw here again Mohanji’s connection with animals shining through; a clear message that love is truly universal. After one of the meditations we were taking photos, and as I was pointing the camera at Mohanji, He started to glow very brightly and unmistakably, we are fortunate to have actually “captured” this beautiful moment.  

 

 That brings me to the end of this story. Many people have narrated miraculous experiences with Mohanji, but Mohanji’s example says as plain as a day that “Spirituality is simplicity” and that there is nothing that is not a miracle, it is all happening here and now, so, don’t blink or you’ll miss.