It reminded me of one of the experimental images which had emerged
from my father's darkroom.
"The Transcendental portrays Guru in his highest
transcendental consciousness," my brother told me.
Atmananda scanned the audience, mostly women in their sixties.
Then he began to lecture, not on meditation, but on reincarnation,
which he had done many times before.
"Maya, or illusion, eclipses the original perfection of the soul,"
he said. "The soul reincarnates over thousands of lessons known
as lifetimes."
I could not recall learning about reincarnation at Hebrew school.
"As the soul evolves, it transcends desire and attachment,
which is the root of all suffering. Finally, enlightenment occurs."
Unaware that he was borrowing Hindu and Buddhist doctrine, and intrigued
but not convinced that in a future life I would attain enlightenment,
I kept one eye on Atmananda and the other on Anne.
"Everything can be classified according to its level of
spiritual evolution. Rocks and minerals are very primitive,
whereas plants have more developed auras. After thousands of years,
the soul seeks an animal incarnation. Except in rare instances,
enlightenment occurs through the human form only."
I grinned and wiggled my thumbs, figuring I was already ahead
of the game.
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