As I put my hand on the lever of the door, I heard a very clear and strong voice in my head say, “Don’t open the door.” Unfortunately, my comprehension of the message came a nanosecond too late to prevent me from pushing the door open.
Of all the senses, the subtlest and most addicting is that of touch. People who find immoderate delight in touch sensations become an easy prey to sex desires. Those who approach food greedily become enslaved to outwardness through the senses of smell and taste.
Why is one saved from suicide? In his heart of hearts, he was a good man driving a red truck, and his true colors came out (although reluctantly at first) even in his darkest hour. By saving us, he saved himself.
During my first days in North Carolina, I often found myself in the crossfire of distrust between my father and aunt. Although my grandfather was now facing serious challenges, their unresolved feelings toward each other made it difficult for them to agree on how best to help him.
I shouted out in a voice foreign even to me; it resonated down to the depths of my soul, “God, Christ Jesus, I DID NOT COME TO INDIA TO DIE!”
Although the trail to the bus was very slippery with rivulets of water running down the hill, the boy was effortlessly climbing upward. It was almost as though he was flying up the rocky slope.
According to Pentecostals, yogis like Swami Kriyananda were going to Hell. But all my prayers brought nothing. Kriyananda produced.
Yogananda said inwardly to himself, “Satan! How often has he tried to win me. This time it was with the offer of social prestige!”
There I was just another speck of humanity, unnoticed and left alone on the corner of 39th street and 6th Avenue in New York City, having a divine experience that profoundly changed my life. From that moment on, calmness descended upon me, and I knew that every minute of my life had unfolded perfectly.
When the motor scooter bucked, my body was launched into the air. Witnesses said I did at least one cartwheel, but I only remember a blur. I believe my right leg folded up under me as I hit the pavement with my full body weight. Then I rolled lengthwise several times until I was lying face up on the grass by the roadside.
