" Dana, the former model and occupational therapy student,
often grew icy with the power that Rama gave her over other disciples.
But I knew that as Rama's office manager, hers was a particularly
trying position (she typically slept three or four hours a night),
and I missed her. I missed Anne, the nurse, who had known Rama
the longest, and who was also under intense pressure to perform.
Once I overheard Rama advising Anne to accept her "true" cold
and callous nature. Despite his remark, she mostly lived up
to her spiritual name, Prema, which symbolized a higher form
of love.
I missed the disciples whom Rama had dubbed "assholes of the mountains."
I missed UCSD recruits Doug and Eric, whose adventuresome spirit
and love of the outdoors was evident in their winter assaults on
12,000 foot peaks. And I missed Mike. Tall, with thick red hair,
Mike looked, ate, and at times acted like a wild Viking.
In reality, he was a wild UCSD medical student. Once he told
me that he occasionally slept in his Volkswagon bus in campus
parking lots.
"You really do that?" I asked.
"Yeah. The cops don't like it, though."
"What do they do?"
"They shake the van and try to get me to come out."
"Do you?"
"Nah. I usually go back to sleep.
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