One year, as autumn was drawing to an end, Master and disciples went into the mountains for a break. It was at dusk when we gathered in the bamboo forest, ready to bake chapatis. We started a fire and enjoyed the warmth as well as the sight of it; the atmosphere was loving and sweet.

There were some foreign disciples around Master. They and Master took turns telling jokes. Telling a joke might seem easy, but it did require some talent, especially when speaking in a foreign language, and it amounted to a test of language ability. Whether the speakers knew the trick could be discerned from the stare of those listening was unknown. But if they stared into the space, got lost in contemplation, or just chuckled dryly for a couple of seconds, we knew the joke teller still had a long way to go.

Our "Master of humor," on the other hand, was the Master of Masters in this field. As long as She felt like it, She could have the listeners laugh themselves into tears throughout Her lecture, and She could do that in several different languages. The international retreat was an even more spectacular occasion, where wave after wave of laughter, through the timing of translations, would spread among disciples from many different countries.

That day when Master and disciples were joking and laughing, casually She passed a slice of lemon to a disciple nearby. (Master once told us, baking chapatis with a little lemon juice on the top would make them taste better and help us avoid dehydration through baked foods.) No sooner had he received it, he put it right into his mouth and swallowed it whole, without so much as even peeling it. He then went on with his talk without a frown, as if nothing had happened.

Watching all this on the spot, I could have fallen on my glasses had I not strived to pull myself together. I kept thinking, "Master gave him the lemon to squeeze juice from, why in the world would he swallowed it?" I racked my fossilized brain, trying desperately to make sense of what I had seen, but couldn't figure it out. Finally, God took pity on this idiosyncratic fossil, fearing that it might be a loss to the "stone" circle if I should blow up my brains. Then something occurred to me, which made me broke into laughter: God lets all sentient beings have their own way. If that brother wasn't bothered by the sour taste, why should I care? What a rigid soul I had been! Besides, now I had another use for lemons.

Retrospectively, every time Master gave me an assignment, either one of "national importance" or just to pass a message, I would proceed with perfect awe and discretion. I would not even dare to take one deep breath, for fear that I might spoil God's grand deliverance of sentient beings, which is of life-and-death significance. Master has always been so democratic and amiable. Alas, my solemnity has always got on Her nerves, if not interrupted Her inspiration. Neither has ever been my intention.

On the contrary, some innocent fellow initiates have always been so easy-going but successful in their work with Master. I hope that Master will have more such disciples so She won't have to be exhausted as She often is. Now I know that relaxation does not interfere, but instead goes hand in hand, with concentration. How relaxed and burden-free people can be in the high spiritual worlds!

New "Stone" Documentary The Truth Is ... Follow Your True Nature