(Write about the discovery that a 'brick wall' limitation is actually an illusion.)
As a teen-ager and well before he became a renowned swami, Yogananda was the equivalent of the 50 kg. weakling who gets sand kicked in his face while sunning at the beach. Of course there were not beaches per say in Yogananda’s native Bengal nor were there any gyms in the early part of the 20th century to build up one’s sadly flabby physique.
Besides Yogananda’s fitness regime was always going to be based on Indian tradition, more psychic than physical. Meditation and mentorship with a guru was the go.
Even as an adolescent, in the long sessions of his meditation practice, Yogananda learned to cultivate extraordinary powers of awareness. One day a vision beckoned to him; it was unmistakably his spiritual teacher. The young seeker donned his sandals and set off trudging the rocky hills, plains, and valleys of Uttar Pradesh, until one magnificent day at the end of a dry plateau, he discovered the teacher of his vision, Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, living abstemiously in a thatched hut.
Swami Giri greeted his new pupil with a reverent Namaste and then, as Yogananda was later to describe: “We dissolved into a oneness of tranquility, words a barrier to what was for me a revolutionary new manner of dialogue – the Master communicating soundless content from his heart directly to mine.”
Thus commenced an intense year of mostly silent learning, Swami Giri mentally transmitting understanding to Yogananda. To borrow a modern notion, the process was rather like downloading the psyche of the guru into the acolyte.
Yogananda was a quick learner and with characteristic discipline practiced what are called in Sanskrit “siddhis”, mystical powers, like: clairvoyance, clairaudience, levitation, teleportation, and his personal favourite, psychometry, that is, being able to move matter just by the power of his mind.
Very nearly a year to the date, Swami Giri charged his young disciple with what would be his mission. He was to travel the world spreading his guru’s teachings on India's ancient practices and philosophy of yoga and its tradition of meditation.
By now, Yogananda was ready to take on the mantle of a great teacher himself. With his guru’s imprimatur and the powers now invested in him, Yogananda set off across the continents of Europe and North America.
New York of the 1920’s, as much as now, has the reputation for nurturing a kind of tough, cynical breed of people, not likely to be pushovers for someone selling spiritual ideals. This was the site for the beginning of Yoganada’s American tour.
As a guest speaker at the Congress of World Religious Leaders being held in the Hotel Lexington ballroom, Yogananda knew he had to stage an attention-grabber for these flinty New Yorkers.
Yogananda briefed the President of the conference who was about to introduce him, and then he left the room.
The President, at the end of his formal introduction, asked the delegates to stand, turn 180 degrees and face the wall at the back of the room. They did so slowly and reluctantly. In short order, smooth as a knife going through warm butter, Yoganada materialized in front of the delegation.
Stunned (one woman fainted), and completely silent, this group of religious seekers experienced the very cells in their brains being re-ordered to accommodate an event completely out of their ken.
Needless to say, Yogananda’s dazzling demonstration of the dissolution of matter guaranteed a felicitous welcome to New York City and entry into major city of the United States.
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4 comments:
I'll go out on a limb and guess that this came from Eve. An amazing short story about an amazing man. You had me running to my dictionary with words like "abstemiously" (I'm sure I once knew what it meant) and even checking to see whether Yogananda was a real person or whether you were making this all up.
He certainly had a brick wall to contend with in taking on New York of the 1920's.
A fascinating story. I can't think of much to change. I am a bit confused about his materializing in front of the delegation. Did he come through the wall at the back? Did he just appear poof-like in the middle of the back? And I'm not sure that "per say" is an acceptable substitute for "per se". But I pick nits.
I loved it.
Heather says:
You take a spiritual story from the Indian yoga tradition and tell it with vigour, modern idiom and twisted quirky humour. We see the "young seeker" transform himself AND a cynical NY audience in such a way that both cultures are alive and present for us.
I loved the easy, natural style of writing. "Donned his sandals", "downloading the psyche...", "flinty New Yorkers". The story flowed; I followed it joyfully.
Teleportation, telemetry, levitation are tough concepts for credibility with the modern audience. Perhaps there is a linking phrase or two where you could help us cope with what Yognanda did. Something to contextualise it for the sceptics, if you know what I mean.
Kerry says:
Eve what a terrific story about the 'enlightment' of Yogananda. He finds himself up against a brick wall in sceptical NY of the 20's. Or was it the materialism of Wall Street that challenged him?
I like the easy telling of this story. One event leads to another, no hurry, no short-cuts. It is a pace which leaves the reader at ease and interested to hear what's next. You have dropped little clues and hints along the way which gradually build up the story, such as using the business of Y's fitness to tell us that this story isn't set in the West of the 21st century.
At the same time I found some of the language a little jarring, for example 'was the go' in the 2nd paragraph.
And is it really possible to progress to such heights in one year? Amazing powers.
what an amazing story. this goes way beyond a scrivener story, you had better get published!! the story is about Yogananda gaining spiritual prowess and then going out to teach to the world. He starts in New York and to make a statement to that audience he materialises through a brick wall.
I loved the piece and was engrossed. I felt the names and some of the words suited a reader of high spiritual awareness, sort of well beyond the average person. this is a compliment and you've really matched the vocabularly to the story.
I have no idea how to improve it. Just in the last sentence, should it read a major city?
Well done, go you little yogi.
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