A significant question

Long live Vijali! She is the founder of three Centres - St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix. Altogether we have about fourteen or fifteen disciples there, and they all came to see me when I went to the Virgin Islands. About seventy or eighty seekers also came to see me.

Previously I had had a few very discouraging experiences in St. Thomas, but this time it was most encouraging. For seekers to meditate for thirty-five minutes in silence is a great achievement! I also played the esraj, and afterwards many, many soulful questions were asked.

After I had answered a few questions, a girl who was five or six years old said, “I have a question.”

Everybody was amused. They wanted to hear what kind of question she had.

Then she said, “How do you know all that stuff?” Her question was shorter than the shortest, but it took me ten minutes to answer it. She was very moved.

Later, when I was about to leave in the car, she came up to me with folded hands to offer me some candy and asked, “Why do you have to go away today?” Afterwards I learned that her mother is a disciple.

— 22 November 1982