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practicing the talks and memorizing almost every word in them. In New York just before my first talk, I felt vulnerable as a child. Only my developing faith in Swami allowed me to face a fear that I likened to that of jumping off a cliff without a safety net. I have found that forbearing beyond our comfort zone in acts of service and surrender, develops our inner control and expands our faith and devotion.
A Difficult Assignment
This story is about how giving our fear to Swami helps us develop inner strength, skill, faith, and devotion. About eight years aer meeting Swami, he invited my brother Donald and me to travel with him by car to his women’s college in the town of Anantapur. Donald and I sat together in one of the front bucket seats. We were big men and we were almost
siing in each other’s lap. I’m sure it looked funny seeing both of us squashed together, twisting our heads to see Swami in the back seat. Swami is immensely aractive, and you can’t help but want to look at him all the time. Thus, we stayed in
this contorted twist all the way to Anantapur. Just 25 minutes before arrival, Swami said, “Sandweiss, you will give the girls some advice.”
At that time, I was still finding it hard to speak in public. I wondered what I was going to say. What did I know about spirituality or Swami that I could share with Swami’s students? This moment was humbling. As I contemplated this question, I realized that the more I knew about Swami, the less I knew
Sri Sathya Sai
Institute of Higher Learning, Women's campus, Anantapur
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