Light Reading March 1977 Vol 1 No. 9
1Noon. Right on schedule, the doors of the arena open and the long line of premies begins to flow into the hall. Before long, there is music flowing and the huge crowd settles down to one point. Maharaj Ji isn't wasting any time today. He'll be here before we know it. And he is. And that beautiful thing we call darshan, which many of us experienced only three weeks before, 1,200 miles away, is happening again. Soft music, premie music. Long lines down the aisles. Smiles. Tears. Gentle brothers and sisters with dedications clutched in their hands, walking slowly, feeling deep things, beautiful things, wordless joys, deep inside.
/ 2Almost simultaneously the entire of staff of Light Reading experienced a realignment of priorities. Two powerful darshan programs of our Guru Maharaj Ji and a two hour session with Joe Anctil (Maharaj Ji's press secretary) helped us far more clearly perceive what our true service is – to focus on Knowledge and its infinite manifestations individually and collectively within our community. Guru Maharaj Ji has given us everything. He has shown us the Light of God and how to live within that Light. He has manifested a world family of love. And most of all, he has given us himself. What need is there to look elsewhere? Sure, rebirthing, EST, and pyramids are "interesting," but our hearts and souls crave something a little more substantial.
3"It was very beautiful to see Maharaj Ji and be so close to him. When I touched him with my lips, it was just such a beautiful feeling to be able to be so close to him and to experience him inside of me too."
4"I don't want to think about it, it's too much, after Portland – three weeks, then Denver … I just want to be with Him. I only care about devotion, that's all I want, just to be there, that's all I need. It's unreal, how He gives you back everything, everything and more and your mind keeps asking "but whyyyy?" … I don't care about receiving Knowledge. I only care about having devotion. I was worried about receiving Knowledge for a long time, but I don't care about it any more as long as He gives me devotion, as long as He keeps me there at His Feet. When I'm with Him there's just nothing there, just that Love."
5Many of us, primed by Portland, expected a special Valentine's Day program. A quiet affair, you know, something simple … a nice stage, mellow music, Guru Maharaj Ji, Durga Ji, Premlata, Hansy, a few initiators, 600 or so Denverites and perhaps a few love-sick souls who would inevitably wander in from other parts of the country. But by the end of satsang that night, the guest list grew from 600 to 6,000, splendidly surpassing our wildest conceptions once again. Premies were coming from all over the U.S., Canada and who knows where else. A charter bus was already on its way from Portland, Maine.
6"The time has come when that peace bomb is really going to start exploding. And so premies, I'll let you know when the next program is going to be. But I'd very strongly suggest you start preparing for it as soon as you get back. Otherwise you might be surprised."
Because I Love You Bogota, Columbia January 18, 1976
That's one way to put it. Another way you can put it is that Knowledge was always there, and that is the thing that is keeping us alive right now. There are billions and billions and billions and billions of people walking around, and they don't know it, but Knowledge is what's keeping them alive. But they're not making that real effort that all the premies make, which brought them to Knowledge. Just that little effort, just that little question to ourselves, that little inspiration to ourselves, like, "Okay, wait a minute!"
7That's one way to put it. Another way you can put it is that Knowledge was always there, and that is the thing that is keeping us alive right now. There are billions and billions and billions and billions of people walking around, and they don't know it, but Knowledge is what's keeping them alive. But they're not making that real effort that all the premies make, which brought them to Knowledge. Just that little effort, just that little question to ourselves, that little inspiration to ourselves, like, "Okay, wait a minute!"
11In the last two weeks the satsang hall at the Community Center has been packed. Inspiration has really been flowing. Many premies have expressed the desire to give satsang and for more opportunities to listen to satsang. As a way to meet our growing community's needs, a new time has been set for satsang. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, at the Community Center, satsang will begin at 5:30 p.m. This has been tried in several East Coast DUO communities, and has met with great success. See you there.
12One day Maharaj Ji invited us to come to the sound room. It was really fun because he was fixing the amplifier, taking two wires and soldering them together. There we all were packed into this little room watching him do this. And that's exactly what we had been feeling, that Maharaj Ji was soldering us together. He put on a record and it said 'Wherever we are we are bound together.' Everything from the music, to what he was doing to us, just let us know that there was an unshakeable, unbreakable permanent bond Guru Maharaj Ji was establishing with each of us.
15GOLD RINGS – Guru Maharaj Ji has asked for a ring to be made with his seal on it to be used for sealing documents and letters with wax. If you have any class rings or other rings you are no longer using and would like to donate, give them to the receptionist or Michael Bramel at the DUO office.
