"But they know not to challenge
an avatar directly. Instead, they go after his disciples--
particularly those wide open to doubt."
For months I had grappled with the concept of Negative Forces.
Perhaps they existed, I told myself, perhaps they did not.
In either case, I did not take them seriously. Now, though, I tried
to imagine what they looked like. I pictured massive, menacing storm
clouds in a dark, foreboding sky. I imagined the "clouds" were
aware of my current thoughts. Suddenly the clouds seemed real.
I felt jolted. I looked around the room. I sensed the disciples had
taken Atmananda's caveat seriously. My stomach felt taut. I thanked
Chinmoy silently.
Atmananda had meanwhile flipped to a less somber mood. "One of
the best ways to combat the Forces," he said, "is to have fun."
So we went out to eat.
At an Italian restaurant during one party, Atmananda suddenly
slapped Sal on the back and, adopting the voice of the Godfather,
cried, "Heyyy Sal! You plenty-fine kinda guy!"
"Sure I'm plenty-fine, but I'm also plenty-hungry!" Sal replied
with an equally zesty accent, but without slapping him back.
Atmananda then denounced Sal for rescuing a maiden who had been
held against her will in "a large vat of ravioli.
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