With your kind permission I wish to tell a few stories about Jamaica, West Indies. These are my personal experiences. I have been to Kingston, Jamaica, five or six times.
When I went to Kingston for the first time, all kinds of arrangements had been made for me to give a talk at the Unity Church. There were about nine hundred people in the audience. I happen to be a seeker, and I shall remain so forever. According to some people, I am a spiritual Master as well. By that time we had established a small Centre in Kingston. A woman who was Vice-President of Unity became my disciple, and the main minister of that church became my great admirer.
After my talk there were over eight hundred people who wanted to become my students, out of nine hundred in the audience! They all passed by me, and I had to choose. The ones that I accepted would be on my left, and the ones that I could not accept would be on my right. I chose about eighty from those who said they wanted to follow our path.
The following day they were supposed to come and meet with me, and we were going to discuss our path. Out of eighty, about forty came. I gave each of them a very, very short interview.
One striking thing happened. A young man sat right in front of me. I asked him, as usual, what his occupation was. He said, “I am a policeman.”
His name was Joseph. I said, “Oh, Joseph! You are the person to arrest me if I steal something.”
He said to me, “I cannot arrest you, even if you steal.”
“Why not?”
“Because you have already stolen my heart. You have already stolen my heart, so how can I arrest you?”
That was my first experience!
Now, the second experience: A student of mine who was the leader of our Centre wanted me to give a talk on Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Indian nation, at a university in Kingston. My student said, “It is Gandhi’s centenary!” He was well connected with one of the professors at that university, and the professor happened to be an Indian. The professor also insisted on my coming. I did give a very, very nice talk about Mahatma Gandhi, and they all liked it.
Now, my third experience: There happened to be another spiritual Master in Kingston at that time. In India, it is said that spiritual Masters grow like mushrooms. The way mushrooms grow everywhere, spiritual Masters also spread out all over the world from India! This other spiritual Master also had a few disciples. The spiritual Master used to smoke the Indian hookah, with a long pipe. When he talked to someone, he would speak in a normal way. Then immediately he would wash his face and wipe the hookah, because he felt that the other person had contaminated him. He said that he had become impure because he had talked to someone, so he had to bring back his purity.
My students said that this particular spiritual Master wanted to see me. He was ready even to come to me. I said that I would speak to him on the phone, and he agreed. One of my students was with him. My student said that, after he talked to me over the phone, this Master did not wash his face or his hookah. The Master begged me to come and see him. He begged me, and I did go to see him. Alas, alas — he wanted me to be a partner in his business! He was running a molasses business, and he wanted me to be a partner in his business from New York. He said that we would import and export things.
I had many, many experiences. This is the fourth one that I am going to tell. It was a deplorable experience. The leader of our Centre in Jamaica, West Indies was named Betty. I gave her an Indian name, a spiritual name. She was tall, and very, very nice. She brought me to the airport when it was time for me to leave, and at the last moment she gave me a beautiful rose with some little, little leaves. I put it in my pocket very nicely.
When I came back to Kennedy Airport in New York, the immigration officer suspected me. Then he took me into a tiny room with a red light. That red light meant that an individual had done something criminal. He wanted me to carry my suitcase. There was no problem. At that time I was physically strong; I was a great athlete and I did not have any problem, so I carried the suitcase into the tiny room. He opened the zipper. There was nothing there — only my clothes. He shrugged his shoulders. Then he noticed that, from my pocket, a few dry leaves had fallen into my suitcase. He said, “You see? This is marijuana!”
I said, “What is it, what is it?” I knew nothing about drugs!
Then he screamed, “You will be arrested!”
At the top of my voice I screamed, “Police, police, police!” Then, what did he do? He closed my suitcase and went away. Then I was able to come out of that tiny room.
This was my last experience here at Kennedy Airport after returning from Jamaica, West Indies. I had only a rose, a beautiful rose.
These are some of my Jamaica experiences! I had many, many experiences in Jamaica — funny and serious. I had a few Chinese students there. They used to prepare Chinese meals. Here in New York I have been to many Chinese restaurants, but even now I would like to say that my students’ preparations were far better! Those students of mine came from China.
Many of my students from Jamaica, West Indies now live in Miami. My heart is full of gratitude to Jamaica. I had many, many friends, many students, many well-wishers. They all loved me, and I loved them.
I shall tell two more funny stories about Jamaica, West Indies.
A young man came to New York. His uncle had become my disciple,
so the uncle spoke to his nephew about me. The nephew came to see me in New York, about thirty-four years ago. This young man was practically blind; his vision was very limited. He came with two pictures, and these were his girlfriends. One girl was black and one was white. As far as the outer beauty goes, the white one was more beautiful, but I always care for the inner beauty. The black girl was not outwardly beautiful, but her heart was very beautiful. I gave her a spiritual name that means “inner beauty.” The father’s name was Anthony, but I gave him a spiritual name that means “the light of the soul.”
In those days I was perhaps not as wise. Over the years God has injected a little wisdom into me. Nowadays when people present me with a choice, I am very clever. I say, “Whichever one you choose, I am one hundred per cent for that choice. You choose, and I shall be one hundred per cent for you. I shall pray to God and do everything to help you, but you have to make the choice.” In those days I did not have that kind of wisdom, so I chose the girl who was not outwardly beautiful for this boy. You can imagine what kind of trouble I received from the other girl when the boy told her that I had not chosen her!
That couple did get married.
Many years ago, when I needed a driver’s licence, I passed the examination the very first time. A few years ago I again wanted to have a licence. This time I made three attempts, but I could not succeed. It was a long, long story. Luckily, I finally got my licence. Since her husband was blind and unable to drive, this girl took the driving test six times. Each time she failed. She was so miserable. I said, “The seventh time God has to listen to my prayer. This time you have to pass. I will pray to God most sincerely.” When I deal with my students, I use my will power, occult power and spiritual power. But in this case I also used wisdom: I left the matter with God. I said, “I will pray to God most ardently. I am sure you will pass.” To my great joy and satisfaction, she did pass the driving examination, and she was very, very happy.
This couple wanted me to advise them about what kind of business they should have. I said, “You can run a restaurant.” Nowadays I advise all my students who want to run a restaurant that it has to be vegetarian. In Jamaica, West Indies, since everybody eats meat, I said that they could serve meat and fish.
A few years later, this couple was blessed with a child, a baby girl. When the child was two or three months old, I went to their place in Kingston. In those days I was all ready to go to disciples’ homes, wherever they were, but nowadays I do not do that. In those days I used to go everywhere. When people invited me, I went.
The father said to me that on the previous night Sri Ramakrishna, the great spiritual Master of the highest order, had come to him and said that he had taken birth in the body of this little girl. The father only wanted confirmation from me.
I said to myself, “O God!” Sri Ramakrishna I know. I have inner contact with him, and I have such adoration and devotion for him. I could not agree with the father. I said, “Definitely not!” First of all, there is the gender. In world history, only five or six times, not even ten times, the gender has changed. Once the soul takes a masculine form, it goes on in a masculine body. Again, if the soul takes a feminine form, it goes on in a feminine body. Only five or six instances I know inwardly where the soul has changed its form. Outwardly we know only that it happened on one occasion in India’s Mahabharata.
The husband and wife were quite displeased with me. They left our path because I was unwilling to say that Sri Ramakrishna had descended into the body of their daughter.
Again, it was this fellow, our first disciple in Jamaica, West Indies, who made the fervent request for me to give a talk on Mahatma Gandhi at Kingston University.
Some funny stories never end! I did not know anything about this couple after they left our path. We were not in contact. Then, about ten or fifteen years ago, I went to Toronto, Canada to give a Peace Concert. A few thousand people were gathered together. At the end of the concert, one of my disciples said to me, “The previous leader of your Centre in Jamaica, West Indies, is here. He would very much like to see you.” I knew who he was, so I said, “Do invite him to come.”
The fellow brought his child; the wife did not come. The daughter was now grown up. She was at least ten or twelve years old, and she was quite stout. Inwardly I blessed him, and I said how happy I was to see him. Then I was looking at the girl, whom I had not seen since she was two or three months old. My mind does not function in the usual way right after I have given this kind of spiritual concert; it takes a little time for me to come back to the ordinary life. I said, “Who is this girl?”
The fellow said, “You cannot recognise her?”
I said, “No, I cannot recognise her.”
“This is Sri Ramakrishna.”
I bent my head. Then I requested my attendants, “Please, please bring the next seeker.”
This is how the story ends!
