“”Baba asked, "How did you sleep on the train last night?"
Rick said, "Fine, Baba. I slept well, but naturally, I have been very excited the past few days."
“”Baba raised his eyebrows and asked, "Why?"
"The opportunity to see you now, at a time when your lovers all over the world are longing for even a glimpse of you ... I was tremendously excited by this chance to be with you."
“”"You are indeed very fortunate to be here at this time. I am in strict seclusion, and from this day on, my seclusion will be even more strict — I will be seeing no one outside the immediate mandali, not even any of my close lovers in Ahmednagar.
"Pay no attention to the thoughts of the mind," Baba continued. "It is the nature of the mind to have all variety of thoughts, good and bad. You should just keep longing in your heart for me."
Baba continued, "In fact, pay no attention whatsoever to the spiritual path, the planes of consciousness, or to any spiritual experiences — they are all nothing but toys for children, because they are nothing but illusion. You must strive to see me as I really am! Then you will be able to know me as I am.
"But, how will you see me as I am? You must long to see me in your heart. And where will you get this longing? By loving me."
After a few moments, Baba smiled and gestured, "God proposes, but man disposes." As Rick stared at him quizzically, Baba repeated the reversed epigram, gesturing, " God proposes, but man disposes."
Then he explained, "I had proposed to bring you here for just a few minutes, then send you away, but you have disposed of my proposal!"
After this lighthearted moment, Baba introduced Francis and asked him to read a recent poem of his which contained a reference to LSD:
Don't try to hold me up by offering me a trip on LSD;
I always travel unencumbered, guided alone by love — see!
At Baba's indication Francis read another poem he had written — an exquisite ghazal , which made Baba beam and snap his fingers as certain lines of finely crafted words came to a climax.
“”Baba then called upon Aloba to recite in Persian a couplet from Hafiz, which Baba translated as follows: "Millions of men of God stand in a queue to cross the threshold to the God-Man, and only one crosses the threshold. Out of millions who cross the threshold, only one can know me as I really am."
