Striking of the Gong

On 21 October of 1979, I had just started post-college graduation travels through Asia, half-way intent on absorbing the spirituality of Asian Art and infusing my own future artworks with spiritual presence, and also vaguely considering a PhD in spirituality in Asian and Modern Art. At the same time I knew it was pointless to try and create spiritual art without being remotely spiritual, and if one got that far, one really ought to try and become ‘enlightened’ to do the thing right.  So with all that sorted out, I gave up the idea of becoming a starving artist/academic on the first night of my arrival in Japan. Considering my negligable artistic talent, coupled with immense relief at not having to learn Chinese, Japanese and Sanskrit in a rigorous graduate program, I was in great spirits and set out to find a spiritual teacher – preferably in the Indian tradition of which I knew nothing.

Completely clueless, I went immediately to the Japanese National Tourist Bureau in Tokyo on 22 October where they were bound to speak English and ask for maps! On the bulletin board was a tiny advertisement announcing that Sri Chinmoy was going to be giving a concert in Tokyo on 24 October. And then it all came flooding back: in the few weeks before leaving for Japan I was living in New York and pacing the streets looking for a photo or poster of a meditation teacher, and had seen ‘Dial-a-Meditation’ banner on the IRT Lexington Avenue subway line with Sri Chinmoy’s photo on it, but, being a snob, had hesitated calling. There had also been a restaurant owned by Sri Chinmoy's students called ‘Love and Serve’ in Larchmont, New York, not two blocks from my childhood home: I even did a tiny stint waitressing there! And sure enough, when Sri Chinmoy performed with such profundity that evening in Japan, I decided to became his student on the spot. As has been said, when the seeker is ready, God's hour strikes.

PHOTO: Sri Chinmoy performs at a concert in Kamakura, Japan, July 14th, 2006.