1. God taking care regardless of where I am
My wife and I have been full-time seekers in the Spiritual Research Centre and Ashram, Goa, India since the summer of 2014. In March 2016, we had to go to Canada and the USA to take care of our visas. Before going, we got a chance to meet with His Holiness Dr Athavale for a few minutes and I will never forget the look He had on His face. It was a look of utmost care and concern as if we were His own children. Actually the look conveyed even more than that.
We were expecting to be away from India for a few months. However, while we were away in Canada, we realised that we needed to stay longer due to some unexpected circumstances. Initially, I felt stress because as I had given up worldly life to live in an Ashram, I had very little savings. I wondered how we would be able to take care of our expenses. However my concerns soon faded away as we stayed at various seekers’ houses and they took care of us just like it was in the Ashram. Also my parents helped us out and took care of our needs. Due to their care I was able to continue full-time spiritual practice. Later, I started to look for a part-time job but as I was about to get one, the work we had to accomplish got completed and we could travel back to the Ashram in Goa.
Looking back over the 8-month period, I began to realize that once a seeker earnestly makes a commitment to do full-time spiritual practice, the Guru principle takes care of all his or her needs. Through this life incident we learned the aspect of how to surrender to God for all our needs and to have acceptance for the various situations we faced. This whole incident increased my faith in His Holiness Dr Athavale as I felt that His resolve for our wellbeing abroad was active from the moment I saw that look on His face. It was this resolve that made the 8-month period an opportunity to deepen my spiritual practice.
2. Feeling that His Holiness Dr Athavale acknowledged my internal experience of gratitude to Him
I was attending a spiritual workshop in the Spiritual Research Centre and Ashram in Goa, India in January 2017. One morning during the workshop, I was remembering His Holiness Dr Athavale and all that He has done for us seekers to facilitate our spiritual practice so that we can make the best use of our time on Earth. I remember feeling a lot of gratitude and spiritual emotion as I was engrossed in thoughts about Him.
That evening, all the seekers attending the workshop got a chance to meet His Holiness Dr Athavale. Though there were many seekers present, as He walked into the room, He paused, smiled at me and asked about me, and He did the same thing as He left the room at the end of the meeting.
Even though I had not told anyone about the experience, I felt that His Holiness Dr Athavale knew about my experience that morning through subtle knowledge and in stopping was acknowledging it.
