Following in the footsteps of bliss

by Claude Pezet

It was in the autumn of 1973 while studying at university that a unique, close encounter with the ‘Fourth Way’ completely shifted and realigned the tectonic plates of my life. 
At the time I was researching a project on the sublime cave paintings from Ajanta. I was captivated by a particular image, of one of the bodhisattvas , or compassionate forms, of the Buddha. In this representation he delicately holds a lotus flower in his right hand while gazing contemplatively upon those gathered around him. Trained in Western iconographic religious art I nevertheless found myself deeply moved by the graceful, sensual yet deeply spiritual quality of this form. It was imbued with a masterful elegance and radiated an extraordinary presence, with its body seemingly filled with life giving force. I found myself spontaneously drawn back to this intriguing 2000 year old image again and again for several days. And then it happened…
After working late one night on cataloging a selection of paintings I’d chosen for the presentation I finally went to bed. Before I knew it I found myself hailing a cab in New York City near where I’d lived for several years. A cab stopped and jumping in the back seat I was immediately struck by the appearance of the driver. He was diminutive yet somehow huge and was garbed in flaming orange including a beanie on his head. And whoever this character was he had a mischievous smile on his face. Before I could even complete the instructions for my destination this unusual person interrupted and said “No, you follow me.”
The taxi, or was it a chariot, quickly accelerated at enormous, dizzying velocity. We seemed to be flying away from all that was familiar and quickly arrived to a place unlike anywhere I’d ever been or even imagined. As we came to rest, this man led me from the vehicle into a world of soft, scintillatingly beautiful blue light. Everything around me glowed with this tender, loving light. My mysterious guide and I were also glowing blue and I utterly filled with an indescribable sweetness and sense of total purity, as though all the confusion and self doubt that seemed to ordinarily inhabit my sense of identity were peripheral and no longer defining core qualities of my being. I felt totally at peace and at rest. My Friend for whom I had no name then said “This isn’t the goal, keep following me…”   And before I could even reply we were off again.
We now seemed to travel without the aid of any vehicle and this time alighted in a realm of sound. The beauty of the music that surrounded us was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It made me feel intoxicated and totally still simultaneously. I felt that I would never want to leave this place, and of course, my Friend gently chided me “This isn’t the goal, keep following me…”
The final destination in this journey was a realm of sensation. The golden light present all around us seemed to produce a response of exhilaration as it touched my skin. My friend produced a golden chalice from which he drank and handed it to me. I drank deeply and as the ambrosia poured into my body it transformed into pure energy. I was overwhelmed with the potency of the fluid and fell unable to manage the intensity of the experience. Once again my Friend called to me “This isn’t the goal, keep following me, keep following me…”
I awoke. I was audibly repeating the phrase “Keep following me, keep following me…”  My body felt so different from when I’d gone to bed a few hours before. It was as if every part of me had received the most delicious massage, all flowing like liquid. I marveled at the bizarre dream and had no context by which to try to understand let alone assimilate what had transpired. I got going as I was to meet with a friend that day for lunch who had just returned from touring India for a month.
We sat in one of the university cafeterias as he told me of his adventure. Gary had practiced meditation for several years and had travelled to India during the winter break to visit several meditation centres. He had been particularly impressed by the last of his stays, at an ashram near Bombay (now Mumbai) in a small village called Ganeshpuri.   With 10 days remaining on his trip he had arrived at Shree Gurudev Ashram only to find that the Guru was away travelling with some of his students on a pilgrimage. Gary determined to leave that day but ended staying for the night…and the next and the next until nine days had elapsed. He said this place had such power and peace he couldn’t bring himself to leave.  
On his final day before having to depart the teacher returned. Gary stood in line to meet him struck by the irony of the situation; he was going up to say goodbye not having had the opportunity to have studied with this teacher. Before he knew it he was weeping, how he loved this place, how could he leave now? The teacher, who he called Baba looked at him and said “It’s ok. I’ll be with you.   You will be fine.”   Gary hadn’t said word to Baba. And he was fine. He was radiant. He leaned forward and showed me a picture of this Baba. It was the face of my Friend who had just visited and guided me on the most incredible journey I had ever undertaken.
Within 12 months I was sitting with Baba Muktananda and I remained. More than 30 years have elapsed since that night and over twenty years have passed since Baba passed away. I still sit with him even as the journey continues to unfold. And my Friend is here to guide and instruct with his ever present love, his words reverberating within “Go deeper still, this isn’t the goal. Keep following me.”

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