Page 307 - WLMIG_6132004.indd

First talk to the patient and understand his reality, then tell him about our reality. (SSB)
I didn’t follow these principles. My patient had the affair, and the families split apart. Everyone, especially the children, suffered. Even then, without having met Swami, I realized that I must be more active in therapy, follow my conscience, and uphold more vigorously what I considered to be right.
Once, while I was siing on the porch of the temple, Swami walked by and turned to me. Right there, in the middle of darshan and while surrounded by thousands, we had a brief private conversation. Swami asked my opinion about a devotee friend who was about to divorce. I answered that there had been sadness in the marriage and they thought it beer to be apart. Swami told me that the divorce was not good because it would hurt the children. Swami thought this spiritual lesson was the most meaningful one he could give me. Today, the world is so upside-down that we need God Himself to bring us back to such simple truths.
Once in an interview, Swami turned to a middle-aged, prominent man and in a serious tone said, “Why do you tell your children that you are going to be out late working and instead go out with so many women? Do you want a woman? Swami can find you a woman. Is that what you want? It is not good for the children. Do not act like an animal.” The man’s guilt was obvious and a clear sign of Swami’s omnipresent awareness of his moral behavior.
Rules Make the Game of Life Playable
On first meeting Swami, I thought that his emphasis on morality was a Victorian throwback. Not so! He teaches that rules and regulations bring freedom and happiness. Freedom comes from observing age-old moral standards that give healthy limits to the game of life. Without the sideline boundaries and rules, the game of football would be chaotic. Rules make the game playable. Similarly, with these rules of
307