The same smile¹

In Yogyakarta I wanted to buy a fan. The lady in the store smiled at me and said 500 rupiah.

I said 200, and she gave me the same smile. She gave me the same smile even when I bought the fan for only 200 rupiah.

Talking soul to soul²

In Bali I went into a music store to buy an instrument. The owner said, “80,000 rupiah,” and I said, “No, 60,000.” We were haggling for such a long time. Finally, he agreed to 70,000.

Then I saw two bamboo flutes on his desk. I examined the flutes, and one of them I liked very much. But the man said, “I am not going to sell this flute, because it is my personal flute. I play this one every day, so I don’t want to sell it.”

His soul was very open to me, and it was telling me to take that flute, but the man did not want to give it to me. He said, “Take the other one — the smaller one.”

To myself I said, “The physical plane and the spiritual plane will never go together.”

Because his soul was telling me to take the flute, I said to the man, “You have to give it to me. During the day there is no moon, but the moon will beg you to give it to me.”

Then I asked, “What is your name?”

He said, “Madhu Chandra.”

I said, “Are you a Hindu?”

“I am a Hindu,” he replied.

Then I took the flute I wanted and said, “I will break the flute over your head if you don’t give it to me.”

Savyasachi just looked at me.

Finally the man said, “All right. The flute has a fixed price of 1,000 rupiah. You are getting the instrument for 70,000, plus 1,000, so it is 71,000 rupiah.”

Then I gave him 70,000 and another 10,000 by mistake. I thought I had given him only 1,000. He looked at me and said that I had made a mistake and gave me the change.

Then he started helping Savyasachi with the big instrument. Savyasachi told him that I was a great musician, and the man was very happy that he had met a great musician.

His soul wanted me to have the flute, but his mind would not give it to me. So I said to myself, “The only way to get the flute is to threaten to break his head.”

Bali is the land of simplicity. Otherwise, would I ever dare talk to anybody like that? It was just soul to soul that we were talking. He was such a sweet soul!

How could he go shopping?³

I was in an Indian sweet shop in Bayside yesterday buying jalabee for prasad. A young man recognised me and was so surprised. He said, “Oh boy!”

Then he saw Databir and asked, “How could Sri Chinmoy come here and go shopping?”

He has come twice to our meditations at P.S. 86 and is used to seeing me in my high meditative consciousness. He couldn’t believe that I was standing in front of the counter buying jalabee.

Maybe she believed me!⁴

On my first piano anniversary, Sarah blessed me with a cake, and Chetana also blessed me with a cake. Then I went to a store to get three more cakes.

The lady asked, “The cakes are for whom?”

I answered, “They are for me, because I play the piano.”

She asked, “When are you going to play at Carnegie Hall?”

I said, “I have already played there.”

She did not believe me.

Then I said that I have also played at the Royal Albert Hall in London and the Sydney Opera House. In the beginning she did not believe me at all. After I mentioned five or six places, maybe she believed me. Or perhaps she herself had never heard of those places!

How much talking I do!⁵

Databir brought me to a mall and left me there, and I was nicely shopping. When I went inside one store, the shopkeeper asked me, “Are you from India?”

I answered, “Yes.”

He said, “That’s why you have such a tan.”

Perhaps he thought I was tanned because I had just come from India. He was very white.

I said, “Yesterday spring started.”

He said, “You are wrong. Today spring started.”

I said, “All right, yesterday or today spring started, but it is still very cold.”

He said something like “Bad luck!” Then he said, “Why are you not taking this item? If you don’t like it, you will be able to return it.”

I said, “I am not coming back here to return it.”

When I go shopping, how much talking I do with these people!

The wise guy⁶

This morning I went shopping in a mall. Databir drove me there, and Victor was the distinguished back-seater.

In one store I was browsing through a book called How to Become a U.S. Citizen. My soul was telling me not to waste my time because it does not want me to become a U.S. citizen. The book had so many facts that had to be learned if someone wanted to become a U.S. citizen: what was the capital of this state; how many members there are in the Senate and Congress; and so forth. How do people remember all these things?

An elderly woman about 70 years old asked me, “Where do you come from?”

I answered, “India.”

She said, “Do you have a green card?”

I said, “Yes, I have a green card.”

She asked, “Now you want to become a citizen?”

“No, no,” I replied.

Then I turned around and started looking at books in the religion section. I bought some books about Socrates, Buddha and the Christ. I also saw a tiny booklet by Thomas Merton. Vidagdha had written her Masters’ thesis on him.

The lady was still watching me. I saw one of my booklets, The Fountain-Heart of Wisdom. The price sticker was over the word ‘Wisdom’, and I was trying to read the title behind the sticker. The lady saw me trying to read the title and she said, “Wisdom.” Then she said, “By Sri Chinmoy — wise guy Sri Chinmoy.”

I was quite amused and just smiled at her. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I was that wise guy.

Buying prasad⁷

Today I went to a bakery to buy heart-shaped cookies for prasad. I have been to that store so many times, and usually they are very nice, but this time they didn’t pay any attention to me.

While I was there, a young boy of 14 or 15 years took an ice cream cone from the display case and started eating it without paying. The lady went inside to inform the manager. Then a stout man came out.

The boy did not run away. He just walked out with no fear. He was so daring. There were two or three other customers, but they just watched.

For another five minutes they did not serve me. Finally I said, “I need about 200 of these cookies.”

They said they had no time to count them. Then I asked for a quarter pound.

They asked, “Why do you want a quarter pound?”

I replied, “I will be able to count how many are in a quarter pound, and then I will know how many pounds I have to buy in order to get 200.”

They said, “We don’t understand.”

Finally I got my 200 heart cookies.

The misplaced glasses⁸

While I am standing on a line, if I hear the word ‘credit card’, I go away! Today I was so lucky! The old lady in front of me said, “Cash!”

While the cashier was taking care of her, the poor lady removed her glasses and put them into her glasses case. She forgot to put the case back in her purse and went away without it. I saw what had happened, so I took the glasses and tried to find her. But I am lame and cannot walk very fast, and I didn’t know in which direction to go. I was praying to God that I could find her.

Then I saw her browsing only five or six metres away. I was a little doubtful that it was the right lady, so I asked, “Are these yours?”

She was so happy. She said, “I do this thing all the time. I am so grateful to you.”

The Taj Mahal shopping bag⁹

When I was waiting to pay in one store, I saw a shopping bag with “India Day” written on it. It also had a picture of India’s Taj Mahal.

The saleslady said to me, “Do you come from India?”

I answered, “Yes.”

Then she said, “Oh, here is your Taj Mahal,” and gave me the bag.

The wrong change¹⁰

I bought a white coat that cost $165.08. I gave the man at the cash register $166. While he was taking care of me, a young man came up and started talking to him. What keys they press on the cash register, God knows!

When the man left, the cashier gave me back one dollar and some change. I asked him, “Why did you give me the dollar?”

He said, “Why not? That’s what the computer says.”

I said, “They might fine you.”

“They will fire me?”

I said, “No, I said they might fine you.”

He said, “The world needs honest people like you. All right, then let me just give you the change.”

I said, “You already gave it to me. The change is in my pocket.”

When I went to Vinaya’s car, I saw that the change he had given me was only 58 cents instead of 92 cents. He had not meant to deceive me; he had wanted to give me more change.

The free battery¹¹

Today I bought a little clock for $20. It had only one battery, which was smaller than the smallest. The man at the counter said to me, “Are you ready to pay an extra 50 cents for the battery?”

Then the man’s wife came up and scolded him. “What are you doing?” she said. So I got the battery free.

American bargaining¹²

At Main Street, near my four-mile mark, there is a shopping mall. From outside you can’t tell that it is a mall, but once you enter, you see all the stores.

Yesterday Databir took me to that mall and I was buying something. The man said, “$60.”

I said, “$40.”

Then the man said “Come here.” He was very rough.

I said to myself, “Physically I know we won’t fight, so why do I have to worry?” So I went towards him very powerfully.

He said, “I said $60, and you have to say $40?”

I said, “You don’t have to sell it.”

Then he said, “Can you not go higher?”

I said, “I am not going higher.”

He said, “Just yesterday I sold one like this for $55.”

So I said, “No, I can’t go higher,” and I walked away. Later, when I was passing by him again, he said, “Hey! Why do you have to act like that?” Then he said something that was insulting. This time I did not go near him.

Then he said, “$55.”

I said, “I won’t give you more than $50.” Then he said, “All right, take it. Just because it is the last one, I am giving it to you for $50.”

Sometimes people treat you so mercilessly, but I enjoy their talk! When I go shopping, I become part and parcel of the shopping world and all my headaches go away. It is great fun! This is the only way I can mix with people at their own level.

The egg rolls¹³

While I was shopping, I wanted to buy some Chinese egg rolls. The lady didn’t understand my English, and I didn’t understand her English. I said, “No meat, no fish — only vegetables.”

She understood “vegetables.”

Outside in the display case the egg rolls had meat, fish and God knows what inside them, so she brought me egg rolls from inside. She repeated the words, “No meat, no fish!”

She was so simple and humble, but I suspected her. I said, “Can you cut one for me?”

When she cut it, I saw that it was full of fish. See how she wanted to deceive me!

I said, “I was going to get them, but now I don’t trust you.” Then I started going away.

She said, “Please wait for a few minutes. I will make special ones for you.”

I sat there waiting for five or six minutes. I said to myself, “This time I hope she will be sincere.” When she brought the egg rolls, I didn’t have the heart to ask her to cut them again. When I brought them home, I saw they were all vegetables.

I go shopping and bring back a Mahabharata of stories!

The sales tax¹⁴

In one store I was about to buy something for $20, but the lady said, “$21.”

I said, “It is written here — $20.”

She said, “There is tax!”

Then she asked, “Where do you come from?”

I said, “India.”

She said, “In India there is no tax?”

I said, “Yes; there is.”

She asked, “Then why are you surprised?”

I said, “But this is on sale.”

She said, “When something is on sale, there will always be sales tax.”

Indian devotion¹⁵

Some Indian shopkeepers show me such devotion! In one store I gave an Indian man $10, and he was supposed to give me $5 change. But I said, “I don’t need the change. You keep it.”

He followed me outside to the car with folded hands to give me back the money. He wanted to give me the full $10 back. I wouldn’t take it, but later we found that he had slipped the $10 bill inside the car.

The same book¹⁶

In my room I keep a book that contains difficult English words. Many times I have looked at that book, marking words here and there.

Today I went to a bookstore and bought another copy of the same book. I thought it would give me inspiration.

I didn’t see any other book in the bookstore that I wanted, so just because I wanted to buy something, I bought a book I knew was in my room!

A small world¹⁷

The day before yesterday I was in a boutique in Woodstock, which is my most favourite town. As soon as I entered the store, the young girl in charge said with wide eyes, “Sri Chinmoy? Sri Chinmoy? I know you! I saw you for the first time when I was three years old in Flatbush. My mother lives in Brooklyn, and she has come to your meditations many times.”

She gave me the store card and asked me to autograph it.

I said, “What is your name?”

She said, “You don’t have to write down my name. Just write your name.”

I said, “Yes, but I would like to know your name.”

She said, “Ayesha.”

So I wrote, “Dear Ayesha, with my good wishes,” and I signed it. She was so happy.

This world is so small. She used to live in the Flatbush area. I also used to live there. Now she is 16 or 17 years old and lives in Woodstock, which I have visited so many times over the past 24 years.

Nicholas is your best admirer!¹⁸

Today I went shopping in a Chinese store where the lady likes me. As I was paying, her husband came up to me and grabbed my shoulder. He was smiling.

He said, “7,000!” and raised his arm. On his wall was the picture of my 7,000-pound lift.

He has a 16-year-old son named Nick. He said, “Nicholas looks at your picture every day. He is your best admirer!”

The "far-off" milkshake¹⁹

In Seoul, Korea, I went into a 24-hour restaurant and ordered a milkshake. I asked how long it would take. The man behind the counter said, “Twenty-five minutes.”

I said, “It will take such a long time?”

He corrected my English and said, “It is not too far, not too far.”

I was thinking, “What will happen if I fall asleep? Let me see how much time it will take.”

I set my watch and saw that it took not even 11 minutes. Such a language barrier!

He will come on my deathbed!²⁰

In Korea, I bought a beautiful swan pin for Tanima. As I was paying, right behind me I saw an Indian man and woman. The man was dressed in Indian dress and the lady was wearing a sari.

They were speaking in Bengali, so I asked if they were Bengali, and we started talking in Bengali.

The man asked me, “Do you live here?”

I said, “No, I come from America.”

He told me that he had been living in Korea for six years. He said he was a famous engineer.

Then he asked me what part of Bangladesh I came from.

I said, “I come from Chittagong.”

He said, “I come from a place you do not know.”

When he told me the name, I said, “It is a very famous place. So many great Bengali writers were born there.”

The man did not know the names of the writers that I mentioned.

Then his wife said, “Please come to our house to give us the dust of your feet.” That is the Bengali way of saying, “Just come and eat.”

I said, “I am here with so many people. I will not be able to come.”

She said, “Just come for a few minutes. You are such a wise man.” But the husband did not want me to come and got very mad. He and his wife started fighting. The man said, “He will come on my deathbed!”

I said, “I don’t want you to die.” Then I disappeared.

Indian-style bargaining²¹

In another store in Korea, I saw something I liked and asked the elderly lady at the counter how much it cost.

The lady said, “$13.” I had bought a few things already from her, so I said, “No, $10!” and gave her $10.

She said, “No, you have to give me three more.” Since I was bargaining, I told the lady I had no more money.

I thought that all my money was in my left pocket and that only some papers were in my right pocket. To show the lady that I had no more money, I pulled all the papers out of my right pocket. O God, so much money came out!

The shopkeeper said, “You have money.”

What was I going to do? I smiled at her very soulfully and offered her the other three dollars, but she didn’t take it. She gave me the item for $10.

When I said I had no money, I was not telling a lie. I was just bargaining in my Indian manner. But after she saw all my money, I smiled at her and she became so nice!

Why buy such a stupid thing?²²

I went to another store in Korea and was looking at a dirty wallet. The owner asked me, “Are you Japanese?”

I said, “No, I am Indian.”

He said the wallet cost 10,000, but after I took one step out of the store he said, “Since you are an Indian, I will give it to you for 3,000.”

I went back into the store, but when I was about to buy the wallet, he said, “No, the price is 5,000.”

So I didn’t buy it. I said to myself, “For 5,000, why should I buy such a stupid thing?”

You have to be an Indian²³

I was buying T-shirts in a store. The owner said, “It is 2,500 for one.” After I bargained with the lady, she agreed to sell me six shirts for 12,000.

While I was paying, a man came up to me and said, “Are you free?”

I asked, “Why?”

He said, “I want to ask you what price you are paying.”

As soon as he asked me the price, the lady immediately said, “2,500.” I was not trying to hide the amount that I was paying, but he did not see how much it was.

He was an American, so he did not bargain. I did not have the heart to tell him what I was paying. I didn’t want to get into a fight with the shopkeeper.

You have to be an Indian to bargain!

Buying yo-yos²⁴

I had such a fight while trying to buy yo-yos. The yo-yos had a light in them and were so nice. I wanted to buy them for the young singing girls. I said one price, but the man wouldn’t come down. Then I said another price, but still he wouldn’t come down. I tried a third time, but then I had to surrender. After failing three times, I had to buy at his price.

The key ring²⁵

As soon as I see something I like, I try to think who can use it. One key ring I saw was so beautiful; it had two deer. Mahasamrat’s wife is very fond of deer. As soon as I saw the key ring, I immediately thought that she was the right person.

I don’t think of the person first. Only after I see something that I like do I ask myself who I can buy it for.

A warning in Greece²⁶

In Greece everything had a fixed price. On the street they were selling very cheap things, but all for a fixed price. The items they were selling were so bad — worse than useless.

I wanted to enter into a shop to see if they had anything different. At the entrance to the shop were two English-speaking ladies. One of them touched my hand to stop me from going in.

The lady said, “These people are rogues. They have cheated us. You must not go in there.”

So I didn’t go inside.

Two doubters²⁷

Vinaya and I went to buy potatoes with broccoli. We ordered 16. The man at the window said, “Are you kidding?” He didn’t believe we wanted 16 potatoes.

We paid him and asked how long it would take. He said it would take two minutes. Then we didn’t believe him!

First he didn’t believe us; then we didn’t believe him. So we went away to do something else. When we came back in five or six minutes, our order was already waiting for us.

Two sincere bargainers²⁸

I was buying a gift in Bangkok. The price was 250 bahts. I offered the lady 150.

She said, “200.”

I said, “No, 160.” She didn’t say anything, so I went up to 170. But there was still no sign that she would give it to me. After I said 180, I was about to go away.

Then she said, “Yes, you can have it.”

I gave her 200 bahts, and she returned 30 to me. I said, “Why are you giving me 30? The price was 180.”

She said, “No, I decided in my mind to sell when you said 170.”

I said, “No, I agreed to pay 180,” and I returned 10. She started jumping with joy and giggling. She was so happy that I gave her back 10 bahts.

The garlands²⁹

I wanted to buy two small garlands for Ranjana. I thought that the little girl who was selling them said that they were five bahts, but then she said, “No, that is for the shorter ones.”

Then Savyasachi helped her by saying, “These are a little larger.”

I wanted to buy two for five bahts, but she said, “No, five for each.”

Finally I said to myself, “I have to buy them.” So I gave her 10 bahts. Then she started giggling because she had gotten such a high price.

The advantages of knowing Tamil³⁰

Sometimes when I speak Tamil, it is all wrong, but the owners of one store in Singapore were very pleased with my Tamil.

I wanted to buy something, so I asked, “Can you not reduce the price?”

They said, “Of course we shall reduce it.”

They reduced it and I asked, “You won’t reduce it any more?”

They said, “Oh, no, no!”

Then an elderly lady, the aunt, said, “If you can say correctly the total price in Tamil, then we shall reduce it more.”

I was very happy and I said the price correctly. So when the total figure came, the old lady said to reduce it by three Singapore dollars.

The younger one, who was around 14 or 15 years old, said, “No, Auntie, he speaks Tamil, so please give him a five dollar reduction.”

So I got a five dollar reduction by knowing Tamil.

Time to visit the ear specialist³¹

People can be so kind! I was buying a garment for Alo at a store in Kuching, Borneo. The man said, “$90,” but I said the price was too high. Then he came down to $70.

I said “$50.”

After some time he said, “Yes, yes!”

Then I gave him $50 and left with the garment to go to another store.

While I was in the second store, the fellow from the first store came running up to me and gave me $35.

I asked, “Why?”

He said, “You gave me $50, but the price we agreed on was only $15!”

From the beginning he was saying $19, whereas I thought he was saying $90. Then when he said $17, I thought he was saying $70.

So he came running after me to give me $35 back. I looked at him and gave him a $10 tip. He was so happy with that $10.

How nice he was! He could easily have kept the $35.

While giving him the $10, I said, “It is time for me to visit the ear specialist!”

The Tamil bookstore³²

I bought quite a few Indian books in a Tamil bookstore in Kuala Lumpur. The bill came to 57 Malaysian dollars. They told me there was a $5 discount, so it became $52.

I said, “Can you not give it to me for $50?”

One manager and two assistants were there. The manager said, “Already we have given you a discount. We will not go any lower.” She was showing off, and then she went away.

The two assistants were very sad that I was not going to buy the books. They were speaking together in Tamil.

As soon as she left, I took $50 out of my wallet and gave it to them. In Tamil I said, “It is sufficient.”

O God, the manager overheard me speaking Tamil. She practically came running over and grabbed the bill from her assistant. She smiled at me and said, “You speak Tamil?”

I said, “For twenty years I lived in South India!”

Then she gave me the books for $50.