And then, just before I began my long drive home, my hosts -- seeing how exhausted I was -- invited me to stay the night. In their living room. In my sleeping bag. Just a few feet from the largest framed picture of Maharaji I had ever seen.

I slept like a baby.

That is, until 2am when the lights went on and 20 highly animated people in pajamas came bounding into the room.

Apparently, one of them had just returned from India and wanted to show everyone, on his classic Kodak projector, some never-been-seen-before photos of Maharaji.

I yawned. They oohed and ahhed and oohed again.

This totally baffled me. Though I, too, had received Knowledge, I wasn't feeling anything remotely close to oohing and ahhing.

The more everyone expressed themselves so effusively, the more I felt there must be something terribly wrong with me.

I wasn't oohing. I wasn't ahhing. I wasn't even smiling.

"Maybe this isn't the path for me," I thought. "Maybe I'm not loving enough. Maybe I'm too mental... too Western... too self-absorbed."

At the height of my doubt, a particularly radiant, bald-headed man from India shot me a very powerful glance from across the room. And then, with a simple, downward sweep of his hand, he signaled me to lie down and go back to bed.

I did, waking four hours later when the sun came up -- fully rested, happy, and very much alive.

I realize now, some 38 years later, that I learned a lot that night.

And though my experience may have only been meaningful to me, I think it's possible it may have meaning for you, too.

Here goes:

1. Comparing yourself to others is a total waste of time.
2. There is no one right way to express love.
3. Everyone grows in appreciation of their Beloved in their own sweet time.
4. There is no rush required to feel anything "special" at all.
5. I am who I am and that is good enough.
6. "Devotion" isn't always visible.
7. The practice of Knowledge is a very individual thing.
8. There's nothing wrong with going to sleep when you're tired.
9. Devotion is not emotion.
10. It's always a good idea to keep a sleeping bag in the trunk of your car.

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