An Authentic Life 1.1 for pdf - Universalist Radha-Krishnaism

wanted to be like Swami and know what he knew.
The only way to do that was to follow his path.
After living together for six months, Carolyn
and I argued and talked of breaking up. We asked
each other what we planned to do. Both of us wanted
to follow Swamiji, as his disciples called him. We
went to his apartment to ask for initiation.
Swamiji sat on a madras cloth covered mattress
on the floor of his bedroom-office.
"We'd like to be initiated by you."
Swamiji beamed broadly. He remembered us
from his classes during the previous month. He knew
I had monist tendencies, the desire to merge with
God's undifferentiated oneness, and he tried philosophizing
with me, "If I asked you to jump out the window,
would you do it?"
I said, "Sure." I thought, “This is a test.” I read
about someone who upon being rejected for initiation
threw himself off a cliff and when his dead body was
brought before the master, the master said, "Now he is
ready for initiation," and brought him back to life.
"That is another thing.” Swamiji said.
Pointing to a print of a painting on the wall of
an old devotee named Surdas with a shaved head and
a lock of hair coming out of the top, Swamiji said,
"You should shave your head like that."
Being a long haired, bearded hippie who decided
to never cut my hair, I said, "I don't think I can
do that. Krishna had long hair. Rama had long hair.
Jesus had long hair. Why do I have to shave my
head?"
36