The Last Story by Christopher Pike Page A

Master or the son of God?"

    "Were you Buddha in a past life?"

    "Is your form of meditation more powerful than TM?"

    "Is kriya the fastest way to get enlightened?"

    "If there is a God, why does he allow so much suffering?"

    "Are you enlightened?"

    "Are there angels?"

    "How much money do you make a year?"

    "Can a person gain enlightenment through sex?"

    The questions went on and on. The yogi took them for half an hour, simply nodding at each one.

    I wondered how he could possibly keep track of them all, and how he would have time to answer

    half of them. Finally, however, the arms came down and he sat silently for a minute or two, smiling and staring off into space. Then he burst out laughing.

    "I don't know the answers to any of these questions,"

    he said. "What are we going to do now?"

    The audience exploded with laughter; it was such a perfect response. Peter leaned over and spoke in my ear. "See what I mean?" he asked.

    I nodded. "He's funny." Of course, I had wanted to hear his opinion on several of the topics. The Rishi had answered many of my questions in a straightforward manner.

    "Why do you want my opinion on these things?"

    the yogi asked. "If I say something that agrees with your point of view, you'll be happy.
    You'll go home and say he is a wise man. If my opinion is the opposite of yours, you will leave here and say I'm a fool. In either case what I say doesn't affect what is.

    The reality is not affected by our opinions. It is what it is. For that reason I have no opinions."

    An old woman stood up. "But are you enlightened?"

    The yogi considered. "If I say I'm enlightened, then you will want me to prove it in some way. I will have to give a wonderful talk or else strike you with divine energy. Or I might even have to heal someone. People expect this sort of proof from someone who says he's enlightened."
    He paused to chuckle. "For that reason I always say, 'No, I'm not enlightened.' It's much easier that way for me."

    The audience chuckled again. To my surprise, my hand went up. He nodded in my direction and I stood, feeling weak in the knees. "I would like to learn to meditate. Could you tell us a little about the technique you teach?"

    His gaze lingered on me for a moment before he spoke. "Meditation is very valuable. It allows us to fathom our inner being, and gives meaning to our life. The time we spend in meditation is the most important time of all. The technique I teach is very simple, very natural, completely effortless. Correct meditation never involves effort. You see in life we do things with our body and we do things with our minds. When you want to accomplish something physical, there is always some effort. You want to climb the stairs, you have to move your legs up and down. You sweat and get out of breath. You cannot shine your car perfectly without putting a hundred percent into it. On the other hand, when it comes to mental things, if you try too hard you accomplish nothing. When it is time to sleep, if you try to nod off, you'll be up all night. You go to a movie or play and want to enjoy it because you have heard so many good things about it.
    But if you sit there trying to enjoy it, you get frustrated. The only way to enjoy is to let go."

    "I write for a living and that is a purely mental activity," I said. "But when I write it is hard work. I have to concentrate on what I'm doing or I get nowhere."

    He shook his head. "That is not so."

    I forced a smile. "But it's true. It's hard work.

    There is effort."

    "No. Thinking is an effortless process. It happens automatically. The creator designed the human brain that way. The human brain is the greatest creation of the creator. You write best when you let go, and let it flow. It is only when you settle down that you experience true inspiration. Isn't it?"

    I started to disagree, but paused. It was true; I wrote best when the words flowed effortlessly. The trouble was it didn't always do that. I said as much to him and he