Hello from Southern California. This is the week for the launch of Swami Kriyananda’s book, Revelations of Christ. There were two special events on Wednesday and Thursday night. The Jewel in the Lotus was performed in Encinitas at the Seaside Center for Spiritual Living and in Malibu at the Malibu High School. Both were great venues hosted by wonderful souls.
Each time I watch the performance of the Jewel in the Lotus I am impressed, inspired and awestruck by the beauty of the words and the story they tell.
There isn’t a wasted word in this play. It masterfully portrays the journey of the soul from self involvement to the deep desire to return to it’s home in God. Through humor and accessible poetic wording, Swami Kriyananda opens our hearts and minds to the sweet longing of the soul for God. Tim Kretzmann did a wonderful job portraying a man whose “heart was a stone” and through his association with the storyteller found devotion and longing for God stirring in his heart. Jyotish’s portrayal of the Storyteller reminds us that no matter what our past contains the guru’s love is always there for us. I think every one of us watching the play feels the longing for God deepening in our own hearts.
Before the Malibu performance Swamiji stated, “I hope you can feel my devotion and sincerity in this play”. Through the performance and deep sincerity of the presentation I think everyone in the audience could feel Swami’s devotion and feel their own devotion deepening. In both the Encinitas and Malibu performance there was such a stillness in the audience. The actors stated the depth of their performance was partly inspired by what was being drawn out of them.
So, I thank Swami Kriyananda for his beautiful words and their ability to rekindle, re-inspire, and fan the flames of our devotion. I thank the actors for their devotion to the play—its message and spirit.