Year of the Search

In the aftermath of my January 1980, 3-day 'Enlightenment Intensive' (see 'The Awakening'), I knew that there was something amazing and wonderful inside me ... but how to tap into it, become one with it, and how this relates to God and the secrets of the universe, I had no idea.

I was desperately searching for answers ...

Exploring the Big Picture

I attended many workshops on self-discovery and related subjects. I went to new-age bookshops and read anything I could find relating to a deeper meaning of life, the inner self, and the workings of the big picture.
The variety of people and ideas I came across was endless:
Everything from spiritual masters (living and past), religions, new-age movements, Sufi dancing, various types of yoga (bhakti, hatha, jhana, karma, kriya and raja), mantras, charkas, sutras and chanting ... to,
... the seven rays of the soul, the seven levels of initiation and the seven planes of consciousness ... to,
… saints, sages, yogis, avatars and various levels of samadhi ... to,
… palmistry, astrology, numerology, the supernatural, extra-terrestrials, dolphins and the apocalypse ... to,
... juice fasting, organic farming, Perma-culture, mud brick housing and saving the planet.

Memories/ highlights

• Read ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ by Paramahansa Yogananda – a wonderful book that touched me deeply. I felt very sad that he and his master Sri Yukteswar had already left this earth, as I knew that I would have wanted to go straight across the world to try and meet them.
• Drove from Adelaide to Melbourne (730 km) to hear a talk by and briefly meet Swami Kriyananda (a direct disciple of Paramananda Yogananda) – A sincere man who sang and played the guitar before talking about his life with his Guru.
• Went to a talk given by Swami Satchitananda the founder of Integral Yoga – I felt his compassion and wisdom but was not sure if he was my teacher.
• Attended workshops and talks by American new age teachers Paul Solomon and Dr Richard Alpert (also know as Ramdass) – Ramdass was very entertaining and refreshingly natural. He told me to go within my self for the answers I was seeking.
• Looked at alternative lifestyles in the Victorian high country and New South Wales new age communities. On one high country farm, I met a very nice American millionaire who practiced meditation and hatha yoga and was building dams all over the property to store water in the event of the apocalypse!
• Stood in a circle along with about 100 strangers, during a ‘Back to Earth Festival’ on a farm in Daylesford, Victoria, and chanting AUM during a heavy rainstorm. I did not know what the Aum meant but I was drawn by its powerful presence.

An Opportunity

I met people who said you need a teacher and people who said that the real teacher is within you. After a year of searching, I had come across many new aspects of reality but my mind was becoming very confused and I yearned to find a way forward.

In January 1981, I saw a hand written note on the notice board at a vegetarian cafe near where I worked – it said 'Free Meditation Classes' and had a contact phone number. I called the number ... a woman answered and said her name was Sipra ... and that there was a class the following Sunday evening.
I mentioned it to a friend who said, “Sipra is from the Sri Chinmoy Centre. They have nice meditations ... I think you will like it!"