Bhagavad Gita

The snow covered crags of the Himalayas were expanding in the vision panel as Dr. Karoll guided the air car earthward. Only in motion pictures taken from the air had I ever seen them before. The skyward jutting of upturned earth crust called forth an inner vision of prehistoric upheavals. The high flying experience I had just been through had heightened my awareness so that everything I looked upon took on more significance.

Our air car moved on down to the level of the higher mountain peaks and we slowed down to take in the majestic scene spread before us. When the idea had come to me of spending time in isolation amidst the natural beauty of a mountain setting, I was thinking a cabin would be available in the Blue Ridge near Dr. Karoll's home. In another moment, I was experiencing the spine tingling thrill of observing my retreat while poised in mid-air beside it in an air car over the Himalayas. Instead of a cabin, it was like an upside down egg sitting gracefully atop a tree trunk-like shaft, which clasped a jagged peak a hundred fifty feet below us. Like a tree with roots anchored in rocky terrain, the tower base had tentacles that gripped the irregular peak, following its contours and fastening to the solid grey rock. From its spreading base to the underside of the capsule, the tower varied in diameter from perhaps eight feet at the bottom to four feet at its smallest point. As we hovered next to the dome, our altimeter read twenty-seven thousand three hundred forty feet.

"You are going to leave me here?" I asked, knowing full well the plan. Questions raced through my mind and answers came with equal rapidity. Words seemed awkward and slow to express my thoughts. I was, indeed, to spend two weeks in this meditation capsule under the tutoring of a Tibetan Master. The Tibetan was not going to stay with me but would come by astral projection for two hours each day. Our conversation would be by mental telepathy. His form would be made visible to me by his power of materialization when I lit several floating wick incense burners containing perfumed oils from various herbs and plants. My two weeks in this retreat far above the clouds were to be spent entirely alone. Dr. Karoll and his family were not even going to enter the compartment for a moment, nor give me instructions on how to manage during my allotted time in it.

As Dr. Karoll maneuvered our craft near to one side of the capsule, I could see that there was a provision for the air car to make a pressure tight mooring at its entrance. In a moment I stood in the doorway to my meditation school room. I had no more sensation of our altitude or position than if I was stepping from one room into the next in Dr. Karoll's home.

There was no need for parting words between us. Dr. Karoll and Mrs. Karoll embraced me warmly and Alice pressed my hand. I understood Dr. Karoll had given detailed instructions and that all needed provisions had been made for me. I stepped empty-handed into the air lock vestibule, closed and carefully checked the door behind me, then turned and watched through the vision glass with mixed feelings as the air car drew a few feet away from the tower and shot skyward. I was going to spend two weeks entirely alone, alone in the midst of rugged peaks in the highest mountain range on earth, to seek to become more aware of my own soul and my relationship with the Source of all life. Immediately with this thought came a surge of joyous anticipation.

I began to examine the interior of my meditation capsule in the sky. It was conducive to reverence and awe and wonder. Instinctively, I knew what my first actions should be. I gave my body a thorough cleansing in the sparkling clean, efficient shower and washroom provided, a vigorous rub down, and then applied a thin, lightly perfumed lotion. I donned the meditation attire provided me which was a vibrant deep lavender one piece suite. It was lined with a fine weave cotton throughout and the exterior was a loosely woven wool. This garment was cut to provide the freedom of a one piece coverall ski suit and had the quality of allowing the skin to breathe because of the fabrics used.

My clothing and all that I had entered with were placed in a storage closet. When everything about my person had been cleansed and put in order, I turned my attention to the furnishing of this unique structure. The egg shaped enclosure was around fifteen feet high. The entrance door opened into the lower level which part had the facilities mentioned and other provisions for the physical aspects of life. A ship ladder and trapdoor led up to the meditation chamber. When the trapdoor dropped and closed behind me, I stood in the center of a full dome of unbroken transparency which gave the sensation of standing on a cloud. Brilliant sunshine reflecting from snowy peaks revealed their jagged crests in clear outline.

I glanced toward the sun momentarily and found myself wondering why its rays and brilliance did not affect me adversely. When I looked directly at it, it seemed as though the glass dome was smokey at that area where its rays entered straightest. It looked to me like an illusion but later it became apparent that the dome was automatically made opaque where the sun's harmful rays would enter most directly during any particular time of day.

A planting strip made a full circle near the inside edge of the dome and a variety of exotic plants with exquisitely colored blossoms thrived. Under my feet was a soft standing pile rug, sky blue in color. Seven low tables, perhaps nine inches high and eighteen inches in diameter, were spaced around in a circle. On each was a large solid gold incense oil bowl. Each had its own design in deep relief on the side facing me. These pure gold bowls weighed possibly ten pounds each. The designs appeared to be religious symbols of different Mystery Schools. In the center sat a table just a few inches higher than the others that was large enough to sit upon in tailor fashion. The round center table had a heavy band of gold, possibly two inches square in section, running around its outer edge. Cushions of several different thicknesses and shapes were available. I felt pleasant radiant heat from all directions which, combined with refreshingly cool air, provided delightful physical comfort.

"David Alan Neuport," I was being addressed by a voice inside of my own mind and yet for a moment I was not sure if it could not be my imagination. "David," the voice spoke again, "don't be alarmed. This is Rama Sandlob, your meditation teacher. I am a Tibetan lama who was fifty years old when you were born back in the twentieth century. I am able to speak English but you are translating my thoughts into your own interpretation of them as you use the language. You may make conversation with me by simply directing your thoughts to me without speaking aloud but only forming them in your words."

"How wonderful!" I thought back. "It is an honor to me to be under your tutelage, sir. My school room exceeds anything that I could have imagined."

"The honor is mine, David. You are the subject of much interest among those in the earth who have developed psychic faculties. Your achievements of the past in bringing into the earth more knowledge of man's relationship to higher realms of consciousness are unknown to you at present. We know of them and give you the respect and honor which you are due."

"David, the influences that mold personality from the time of conception until the age of twelve make an incalculable difference in the achievements of an individual in a particular life. A soul entity capable of prodigious achievements when raised by enlightened parents may stagger amidst confusion, hardship and failure when it is subjected to unenlightened adults during its formative years. For your training it was needful for you to have a mother and father who were deficient in spiritual insights. Their confusion and frustration with their own circumstances were naturally passed on to you but this experience gave you the incentive to seek answers to the mysteries of life and to appreciate the internal struggle going on within others. While you have, in past ages, made a lasting contribution to the race, you are not nearly so developed or sensitive as many others who have distinguished themselves in history. Your intelligence is not so unusual nor is your sensitivity, but your powers of reason are exceptional. This combination made you more able to withstand the disintegrating forces of your times more successfully than many who are far more capable than yourself. This fortunate combination in you has enabled the God-Self within to use you to serve human society in difficult times. You have most to your credit the measure you have overcome selfish ambition. The wise of all ages have understood and taught that overcoming oneself, one's undisciplined emotions and appetites, is the very purpose of life. Service to humanity is the natural result of this self mastery."

Before going on with this strange conversation I had to pause and forcibly restrain my skepticism. When I had it sufficiently in hand I went on. "But, sir," I thought, "were there not many great composers and artists who were undisciplined in their personal lives, yet they gave much to mankind?"

"A discussion of this question is not appropriate just now, David. Meditation is the tool that will enable you to understand such apparent incongruities. We shall endeavor to keep your efforts in one channel. Tomorrow at ten a.m. you may light the incense burners for our first instruction period. In the meantime, you will want to become familiar with the entire meditation tower. Some of my assistants will influence your thoughts as you seek to be in readiness for tomorrow morning. God be with you until then."

"Thank you, sir, I shall be looking forward to seeing you."

I was alone with my own thoughts again. I spent another half hour looking at the panorama of jagged snow capped peaks that surrounded me. The sun was moving lower and the changing shadows altered the scene as I watched. After watching a breathtaking sunset, I decided to go down to the living quarters and explore its details. Just as I went down through the trapdoor, the impression came to me that my lavender meditation suit should be carefully hung in a place provided and a different outfit worn on the lower levels. The one piece meditation suit had feet and soles that felt like suede leather but the lower level garment, a soft gray in color, was in two pieces like an athletic practice warm-up suit and separate slippers were provided.

Information about what I should find and how I should conduct myself filtered into my mind. It was rather like I turned my imagination loose and thoughts were being created by it. My diet was to be entirely of liquids and I looked around to see where they were. Ah, the thoughts came, my liquids were to be prepared just before I used them from refrigerated vine and tree ripened fruits and vegetables that had been selected and stored for me. The device that would prepare the juice was already programmed to select the appropriate fruit or vegetable from its storage place and prepare it for me on a schedule. The diet had been determined specifically for the needs of my body and mind. First there would be a blood cleansing effect, then a nourishing period and, finally, stimulation of the endocrine system to raise my awareness and sharpen all of my faculties. This was to take place progressively over the fourteen day period. The highest mental and spiritual stimulation would be reached upon the twelfth day and be maintained for three days.

There was an exercise room at the base of the tower, if my impression was correct, and an elevator just large enough for one man would take me down. I began to look for the elevator which I had not noticed previously. Upon slipping into the cylindrical elevator and looking at the control panel, I learned that there were three levels at the base of the tower. The exercise room included familiar equipment with improvements. The most interesting to me was a versatile treadmill that could be set up or down to a steep angle, could be power operated at selected speeds and would keep mileage and time. A bicycle provided could be ridden upon it because the speed of the treadmill and its angle were remotely controlled from its handle grips. A ladder, similar in operation to the treadmill, had a gauge which gave readings in foot-pounds and in decimals of one horse power while it was climbed. Its speed was automatically controlled by the rate it was climbed. It was intended that I should spend several hours each day in the exercise room. Meditation, exercise, listening to music, reading, playing chess for recreation with a Tibetan monk by means of a glowing, remotely synchronized pair of chess boards, and being tutored by Rama Sandlob were all to be done alternately to a carefully worked out schedule. My willingness to undergo the training had been established and thus, these informative mental impressions told me, help would be given me by way of strong hypnotic-like mind force that would be applied as needed to overcome any weakness of will on my part. That thought made shudder a little because I knew my schedule included a twice daily plunge into a tank of ice cold water freshly drawn from a deep well. I had been wondering just how they were going to get me to do that by mental instruction alone!

Above the exercise room there was a room for physical therapy with provision for steam baths, osteopathy, internal irrigation and the use of various rays. When a person required such treatments in preparation for advanced techniques of meditation, one skilled in these administrations would accompany the student for a few days. Above this was the music, reading, chess and relaxation room. The taped musical recordings were on units about the size and shape of a thimble with the fine magnetic wire winding between two spools inside of it. There was music with power to heal the body, the nervous system and to stimulate spiritual faculties.

The reading material included adventure stories and humor, as well as profoundly spiritual writings. I questioned in my mind why all of the literature was not of a devotional character, then I thought I became aware of someone laughing. "Evidently you have forgotten how the Bible read," was the thought that broke into my own train of thinking.

Without even raising my eyebrows at this invasion into my private thoughts, I responded, "What part are you referring to?"

"Surely one could not read the Old Testament account of Saul, King of Israel, and all the details of the story of David without finding high adventure, humor, pathos and every element of human emotion that is portrayed in the best works of Shakespeare. If one will allow his natural powers of intuition and imagination to reconstruct the scenes as he reads the Bible, he will experience a fascinating adventure."

Conversation in thought took only seconds. As rapidly as an idea formed itself in thought, it was possible to absorb it and respond. Rama Sandlob's assistant continued on with information about the meditation tower and my use of it. He told me how the designs on the golden bowls aided Rama Sandlob to make himself visible. By mind power he could organize the matter and energy which was made available while the incense oils were burning. It was an application of the principles that Moses embodied in the design and construction of the Tabernacle, the Ark of the covenant and the Mercy Seat and its accessories to enable Spiritual Beings of a high order to make themselves manifest to the high priests who were guiding Israel.

The same natural laws operating at lower voltage, so to speak, allowed the materialization of Rama Sandlob in the meditation dome.

All of this information pouring into my mind so rapidly began to make me feel agitated and nervous. I pointedly asked to be left alone with my own thoughts so I could relax. A mental impression of assent to this request came quickly, and then I had a distinct sensation of the departure of my mental telepathy visitor.

If my first few hours were as remarkable as this, I thought to myself, what will transpire in fourteen days?