Section 2

The Christmas Run

Early this morning I had run a mile and a half and had started coming back. I was at the 1200-metre marker when suddenly the Christ started running with me. While we were running, he showed me my presence inside his heart.

I said, "You can show me my presence inside your heart, and I can show you your presence inside mine." Then I started repeating his name in Bengali: "Jishu." He began repeating the Bengali word "ashu," which means speed, fastest speed.

I said, "You are mocking my running speed. But you should take a human body and then die here running."

"I am not mocking you," he said. "I am saying 'ashu' because you do everything on earth with the fastest speed."

"But here it does not apply," I said. "I have already run a mile and a half and I am dying, but you are in the subtle body. You are enjoying it.

Then we had a spiritual conversation.

-25 December 1978

Run Within, Run Without

Today I ran with two of my San Francisco children. I was so mean; I was running ahead of them. From time to time, the mischievous runner in me looked back to see where they were. I was happy to see that after covering one mile, the husband was somewhat behind me and his wife had stopped to take off her jacket.

We were running two miles. When there were 400 metres left, I was showing off like anything-running very fast. Then, after I crossed the finish line, I was breathing heavily, all out of breath.

I could not hear the husband's footsteps. That meant he was somewhere else. I saw that he was thirty or forty metres behind me, so I was very happy. That kind of thing is very bad, but it is due to the undivine human in me. The divine human in me would never have done that.

Actually, we had a wonderful time. As in the inner world we run together, so in the outer world we also run. In the outer world I have to keep my ears and eyes closed, because I know that most of my disciples are faster runners; I know what will be my fate. But in the inner world, I will be able to challenge all of them. So in the inner world I want my disciples to be as fast as I am. I ran with the husband and the wife as a token of my blessingful gift to the wife's birthday.

-30 January 1979

The Severed Head

As you know, this spiritual Master wanted to experience the marathon world, so I began practising a lot. But each time I ran a marathon, my time increased. Even then I kept going on.

On one particular morning when I went out to practise, I was very tired. From the very beginning I said, "Today I have to fight against my mind. I will run at least two miles to fight against my mind."

O God, I started running, and then I ran one, two, three, four, five, six miles, and I became extremely tired. When I reached a very desolate place in the Woodhaven area, near a park, the park sign said, "No fishing, no bike riding, no roller skating, no dogs, no children, no everything." At the edge of the park were four or five cars very badly smashed, and right on the grass I saw a dead human body covered by a blanket. The head had been severed from the rest of the body and was lying a little distance away. I got the shock of my life to see that this man had been murdered, but what could I do? These things do happen in America. It is a daily story. I was horrified, but there was nothing I could do. There wasn't any telephone nearby. And besides, I would be the last person to inform the police. If I called the police, they would just harass me. So I said, "The best thing I can do is to pray for the soul of this dead person."

So I stood nearby, observing the dead body and the head and I meditated for seventeen minutes. I had a wristwatch, so I knew it was seventeen minutes. He was just an ordinary, simple soul, but I meditated and meditated and meditated. And I did much for the soul. Then I ran one more mile before turning around to go back home.

In all, I ran fourteen miles that morning. It was raining heavily. In those days, we used to have a gym, where I would go every morning to see my spiritual children and give out prasad. But on that day I came back from my run very late, so I did not go.

What things happen in America! Therefore, I ask my spiritual children to be very, very careful. No place is safe, no place. Of late, many unfortunate and destructive things are happening in the Jamaica area. So I wish my spiritual children to be extremely careful and to pray to the Supreme before they run and while they run, and afterwards to offer gratitude. And to do the same thing also when they go cycling.

-12 May 1979

The Windy Marathon

The Western world always says that there is only one saviour and that is Jesus Christ. But I say that he is not the only saviour; there are many more saviours. Today I can prove that there are indeed many saviours; all my spiritual children are my saviours. Had you not been there, after two miles I would have saluted the race. As a bad carpenter finds faults with his tools, today-like a bad runner-I found fault with the wind. During the first six miles, before the disciples came to help me, you have no idea how hard it was. How I suffered! After two miles I had no strength left in my chest, arms or legs. Usually I have strength everywhere, but it was as if I were being pressed against a wall. After four or five miles, who could maintain his will power? It was like climbing up the Himalayas. There was so much obstruction that all joy, inspiration and aspiration went away. What remained was powerful disappointment, if you use a civilised word. The uncivilised word would be a curse. After two miles I was only looking around for the car, because the wind was so powerfully pushing me back.

I am so grateful when everybody began running with me, trying to block the wind, but actually, when it was a matter of relief, it helped very little. Today there was no relief.

The wind came from the front, the side and the top like a solid wall and weakened the runner. You people should have used your occult power to stop the wind. The Toledo marathon is nice. If there is a strong wind, they reverse the course so the runners don't have to run against the wind. Here they don't do that.

I was enjoying the way that one disciple would say one thing and another would inevitably and invariably contradict him. It wasn't that they were fighting. If one told the disciples running with me, "Go slowly!" then one second later another would say, "Go fast." For me, to go fast or to go slow was all the same; I was dying.

Those of you who sang the running songs along the route were so kind to me. You have also helped me so much. All those who have run with me and who have sung along the way, all those who have encouraged me in any capacity, please feel my gratitude-heart. I have finished the marathon because of you; otherwise, I could never, never have finished. It was self-imposed torture from beginning to end. Today, the best timing was 2:39; last year I think it was 2:27. So look at how bad the wind was! The second-best timing was 2:44.

Usually I select people-my running crew and a few others-to run with me. I tell the head of my running crew beforehand who the people are and he informs them at which mark they should join me. But today I told him that all the boys could join.

The organiser of the race was very nice. He gave me a special certificate and the mayor has also given me a proclamation. The organiser knew about us through the Montreal Centre. He has also heard about the Meditation Group that we have in Plattsburgh. Plattsburgh is so peaceful, soulful and beautiful. I have been admiring it since yesterday and appreciating the sincerity of the place.

-12 May 1979