Some years ago I was asked to be the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the Southern California Plumeria Society. I was met by a lovely and gracious couple who took me to dinner at an American Indian Casino. The buffet room presented a sight I had only seen a few times as a child in Pennsylvania. Tables and tables of delicious foods were on display. There were tables for cheeses, breads, soups, salads, meats, desserts and more desserts!

We sat down and began to talk not of food but of the inner life. My host told me that he meditated and we spoke for a while about India and my life in the Ashram and his experiences. He then asked if he could share something with me and told me of a serious operation he had to have. I don't remember any longer exactly what it was (perhaps a severe hernia) but was spellbound when he told me the following.

He was wheeled into the operation theatre and the surgeon asked the anesthetist to began. My host, whom I now knew as a friend, said to the surgeon. "I do not want any anesthetic. I will meditate". He went into meditation and when he came out the surgery was completed and there was no pain.

This from a man who knew nothing about Sri Aurobindo and Mother. It is a lesson in humility to all of us who have been called to the path of the Integral Yoga. There are souls throughout the world that are open to the Divine Grace and Protection and we should be grateful at every moment that we have been chosen for this path and recognize that there are no borders for the Divine. His help is ever present to all who are open to Him regardless of all the accouterments of the past such as education, family, religion etc.