I am an artist at living — my work of art is my life.
Suzuki
True to his word, Julian showed up at my home the next evening.
At about 7:15 p.m., I heard four quick knocks on the front door of
my house, a Cape Cod design with awful pink shutters that my
wife believed made our house look like something out of
Architectural Digest. Julian himself looked strikingly different
than he had the day before. He still embodied radiant health and
exuded a wonderful sense of calm. It was what he was wearing that
made me a little uncomfortable.
Adorning his obviously supple body was a long red robe
topped by an ornately embroidered blue hood. And though it was
another sticky night in July, the hood covered his head.
"Greetings my friend," Julian offered enthusiastically.
"Greetings."
"Don't look so alarmed, what did you expect me to wear —
Armani?"
We both started to laugh, softly at first. Soon our giggles had
turned to guffaws. Julian certainly had not lost that wicked sense
of humor that had kept me entertained so long ago.
As we relaxed in my cluttered but comfortable living room, I
couldn't help but notice the ornate necklace of wooden prayer
beads dangling from his neck.
"What are those? They're really beautiful."
"More about these later," he said, rubbing some of the beads
with his thumb and index finger. "We have much to talk about
tonight."
"Let's get started . I could hardly get anything done at work
today I was so excited about our meeting."
Hearing his cue, Julian immediately started to reveal more
about his personal transformation and the ease with which it
was effected. He told me of the ancient techniques he had
learned for mind control and for erasing the habit of worry
that was consuming so many in our complex society. He spoke
of the wisdom that Yogi Raman and the other monks had
shared for living a more purposeful and rewarding life. And he
spoke of a series of methods to unleash the wellspring of
youthfulness and energy he said every one of us ha s
slumbering deep inside of us .
Though the conviction with which he spoke was clear, I began
to grow skeptical. Was I the victim of some prank? After all, this
Harvard-trained lawyer was once widely known within the firm
for his practical jokes . As well, his story was nothing less than
fantastic. Think about it : one of this country's best known trial
lawyers throws in the towel, sells all his worldly goods and trek s
off to India on a spiritual odyssey, only to return as a wise
prophet from the Himalayas. This could not be real .
"C'mon Julian. Stop pulling my leg. This whole story is
starting to smack of one of your gags. I'll bet you rented that robe
from the costume shop across the street from my office," I
suggested, breaking into my best fear grin.
Julian was quick to respond, as if my disbelief was something
he had expected. "In court, how do you prove your case?"
"I offer persuasive evidence."
"Right. Look at the evidence that I have offered you. Look at
my smooth, lineless face. Look at my physique. Can't you sense
the abundance of energy I have? Look at my peacefulness. Surely
you can see that I have changed?"
He had a point. This was a man who, only a few years ago, had
looked decades older.
"You didn't go to a plastic surgeon did you?"
"No," he smiled. "They only focus on the outer person. I
needed to be healed from within. My unbalanced, chaotic lifestyle
left me in great distress . It was much more than a heart attack
that I suffered. It was a rupture of my inner core."
"But your story, it's so . . . mysterious and unusual."
Julian remained calm and patient in the face of my persistence.
Spotting the pot of tea I had left on the table next to him, he
started to pour into my waiting cup. He poured until the cup was
full—but then he kept on pouring ! Tea started to trickle down the
sides of the cup and into the saucer, then onto my wife's prized
Persian rug . At first I watched silently. Then I couldn't take it any
more.
"Julian, what are you doing? My cup is overflowing. No matter
how hard you try, no more will go in!" I yelled impatiently.
He looked at me for a long moment. "Please don't take this the
wrong way. I really respect you, John . I always have. However,
jus t like this cup, you seem to be full of your own ideas. And how
can any more go in. . . until you first empty your cup?"
I was struck by the truth of his words. He was right. My many
years in the conservative legal world, doing the same things every
day with the same people who thought the same thoughts every
day had filled my cup to the brim. My wife Jenny was always
telling me that we should be meeting new people and exploring
new things. "I wish you were just a little more adventurous, John,"
she would say.
I couldn't remember the last time I had read a book that didn't
deal with law. The profession was my life. I began to realize that
the sterile world I had grown accustomed to had dulled my
creativity and limited my vision.
"Okay. I see your point," I admitted. "Perhaps all my years as
a trial lawyer have made me a hardened skeptic. From the minute
I saw you in my office yesterday, something deep inside me told me
that your transformation was genuine, and that there was some
sort of lesson in it for me. Maybe I just didn't want to believe it."
"John, tonight is the first night of your new life. I simply ask
that you think deeply about the wisdom and strategies that I will
share with you and apply them with conviction for a period of one
month. Embrace the methods with a deep trust in their
effectiveness. There is a reason why they have survived for
thousands of years — they work."
"One month seems like a long time."
"Six hundred and seventy-two hours of inner work to
profoundly improve every waking moment of the rest of your life
is quite a bargain, don't you think? Investing in yourself is the best
investment you will ever make. It will not only improve your life,
it will improve the lives of all those around you."
"How's that? "
"It is only when you have mastered the art of loving yourself
that you can truly love others . It' s only when you have opened your
own heart that you can touch the hearts of others. When you feel
centered and alive, you are in a much better position to be a better
person."
"What can I expect to happen in those six hundred and
seventy-two hours that comprise one month?" I asked earnestly.
"You will experience changes within the workings of your
mind, body and even your soul that will astonish you. You will have
more energy, enthusiasm and inner harmony than you have had in,
perhaps, your entire life. People will actually begin telling you that
you look younger and happier. A lasting sense of well-being and
balance will swiftly return to your life. These are just some of the
benefits of the Sivanan System."
"Wow."
"All of what you will hear tonight is designed to improve your
life, not just personally and professionally but spiritually as well.
The advice of the sages is just as current today as it was five
thousand years ago. It will not only enrich your inner world, it will
enhance your outer world and make you far more effective in all
that you do. This wisdom is truly the most potent force I have ever
encountered. It is straightforward, practical and has been tested
in the laboratory of life for centuries. Most importantly, it will work
for anyone. But before I share this knowledge with you, I must ask
you for a promise."
I knew there would be strings attached. "There are no free
lunches," my loving mother used to say.
"Once you see the power of the strategies and skills shown to
me by the Sages of Sivana and observe the dramatic results they
will bring to your life, you must make it your mission to pass this
wisdom on to others who will benefit from this knowledge. This is
all that I ask of you. By agreeing to this, you will help me fulfill my
own pact with Yogi Raman."
I agreed without reservation, Julian began to teach me the
system he had come to consider as sacred. While the techniques
that Julian had mastered during his stay were varied, at the heart
of the Sivanan System were seven basic virtues, seven
fundamental principles which embodied the keys to self-
leadership, personal responsibility and spiritual enlightenment.
Julian told me that Yogi Raman was the first to share the seven
virtues with him after a few months in Sivana. On a clear night,
when all the others had drifted off into deep slumber, Raman
knocked softly on the door of Julian's hut. In the voice of a gentle
guide, he spoke his mind: "I have observed you closely for many
days now Julian. I believe that you are a decent man who deeply
desires to fill his life with all that is good. Since you have arrived
you have opened yourself up to our traditions and embraced them
as your own. You have learned a number of our daily habits, and
have seen their many salutary effects. You have been respectful of
our ways. Our people have lived this simple, peaceful life through
countless ages and our methods are known to but a few. The
world needs to hear our philosophy on enlightened living. Tonight,
on the eve of your third month in Sivana, I will begin to share the
inner workings of our system with you, not only for your benefit
but for the benefit of all those in your part of the world. I will sit
with you daily as I sat with my son when he was a child. Sadly, he
passed on a few years ago. His time had come and I do not question
his exit. I enjoyed our time together and cherish the memories. I
now see you as my son and I feel grateful that all I have learned
over many years of silent contemplation will live on within you."
I looked at Julian and noticed that his eyes were now shut, as
if he were transporting himself back to this fairy-tale land that had
showered the blessing of knowledge on him.
"Yogi Raman told me that the seven virtues for a life
overflowing with inner peace, joy and a wealth of spiritual gifts
were contained within a mystical fable, thi s fable was the essence
of it all. He asked me to shut my eyes as I have now done, here on
the floor of your living room. He then told me to picture the
following scene in my mind's eye :
You are sitting in the middle of a magnificent, lush, green
garden. This garden is filled with the most spectacular
flowers you have ever seen. The environment is supremely
tranquil and silent. Savor the sensual delights of this
garden and feel as if you have all the time in the world to
enjoy this natural oasis. As you look around you see that
in the center of this magical garden stands a towering, red
lighthouse, six stories high. Suddenly, the silence of the
garden is disturbed by a loud creaking as the door at the
base of the lighthouse opens. Out stumbles a nine-foot-tall,
nine-hundred-pound Japanese sumo wrestler who
casually wanders into the center of the garden.
"It gets better, " chuckled Julian . "The Japanese sumo
wrestler is naked ! Well, actually he is not totally naked. He has a
pink wire cable covering his private parts. "
As this sumo wrestler starts to move around the garden,
he finds a shiny gold stopwatch which someone had left
behind many years earlier. He slips it on, and falls to the
ground with an enormous thud. The sumo wrestler is
rendered unconscious and lies there, silent and still. Just
when you think he has taken his last breath, the wrestler
awakens, perhaps stirred by the fragrance of some fresh
yellow roses blooming nearby. Energized, the wrestler
jumps swiftly to his feet and intuitively looks to his left.
He is startled at what he sees. Through the bushes at the
very edge of the garden he observes a long winding path
covered by millions of sparkling diamonds. Something
seems to instruct the wrestler to take the path, and to his
credit, he does. This path leads him down the road of
everlasting joy and eternal bliss.
After hearing this strange tale high atop the Himalayas,
seated next to a monk who had seen the torchlight of
enlightenment first-hand, Julian told me that he was disappointed.
Quite simply, he said that he thought he was going to hear
something earth-shattering, knowledge that would stir him to
action, perhaps even move him to tears . Instead, all he heard was
a silly story about a sumo wrestler and a lighthouse.
Yogi Raman detected his dismay. "Never overlook the power
of simplicity," Julian was told.
"This story may not be the sophisticated discourse that you
expected," said the sage, "but there is a universe of sensibility in
its message and a purity in its purpose. From the day you arrived,
I have thought long and hard as to how I would share our
knowledge with you. At first I considered giving you a series of
lectures over a period of months but realized that this traditional
approach was ill-suited to the magical nature of the wisdom you
are about to receive. I then thought of asking all of my brothers
and sisters to spend a little time with you every day tutoring you
in our philosophy. However, this too was not the most effective way
for you to learn what it is we have to tell. After great deliberation,
I finally arrived at what I thought was a very creative yet highly
effective way to share the entire system of Sivana with its seven
virtues. . . and that is this mystical fable."
The sage added : "At first it might seem to be frivolous and
perhaps even childish. But I assure you that every element of the
fable embodies a timeless principle for radiant living and has great
depth of meaning. The garden, the lighthouse, the sumo wrestler,
the pink wire cable, the stopwatch, the roses and the winding path
of diamonds are symbols of the seven timeless virtues for an
enlightened life. I can also assure you that if you remember this
little story and the fundamental truths that it represents, you will
carry within you all that you need to know to raise your life to its
highest level. You will have all the information and strategies you
will need to profoundly influence the quality of your life and the
lives of all those you touch. And when you apply this wisdom on a
daily basis, you will change—mentally, emotionally, physically and
spiritually. Please write this story deep into your mind and carry it
within your heart It will only make a dramatic difference if you
embrace it without reservation."
"Luckily John," said Julian, "I did embrace it. Carl Jung once
said that 'your vision will become clear only when you can look into
your heart . Who looks outside, dreams ; who looks inside,
awakens.' On that very special night, I looked deep into my heart
and awakened to the secrets of the ages for enriching the mind,
cultivating the body and nourishing the soul. It is now my turn to
share them with you."
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