Page 299 - WLMIG_6132004.indd

I could feel Swami’s influence in my life at a distance, as well as when I was with him.
One time in India, when all four of my daughters were in college, Swami took me aside and asked, “Sandweiss, how much money do you make?” His timing was exquisite, as there was a strain on family finances. His unexpected and timely broaching of the subject told me that he knew. It brought me still closer to him. Nevertheless, I was embarrassed at this personal question and told Swami that it was somewhere between two amounts. He said that he knew and then picked the right amount.
Later, he again asked how my practice was doing. I told him that it was doing well. He stopped me and said, “No, not so well. However, it will be doing well.” He told me that I had a lot of expenses educating my daughters. He then surprised me by saying, “And you don’t even have a pension plan.” He had detailed awareness of my practice, my family finances, and my personal life.
He continued to play with me, and in the play showed me his omnipresent protection, all the while drawing me closer to him. One day while I was siing on the porch of the temple, Swami called me up in front of about two hundred students and asked in a loud voice, “Sandweiss, how much money do you make?” Swami was teasing, but I was embarrassed. Futilely trying to be private, I whispered, only to have Swami repeat it aloud to everyone. So much for privacy!
In this playful, teasing, and loving manner, he was showing me that he knew all about me and that it was he who was changing the course of my life. Upon my return home, I was amazed at the turn in my practice. Over the next seven years, I was able to support my family, send all my daughters to college, and develop a pension program. My practice expanded just enough to allow all these developments: not too much and not too lile. Swami says that too much money is like a large and slippery shoe that is uncomfortable and causes pain. Everything must be in proper proportion and balance, and
299