A s someone who started off as a boy practicing martial arts in the Netherlands, looking for an authentic spiritual teacher who could initiate me into the mysteries of meditation, mantras, and the purpose of life and how to live it meaningfully, I can understand why Jeremy decided to write this book.
Meeting Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar during a public program in Amsterdam when I was sixteen years old changed my life, and not just for the better, but for the best. It led me to India following the completion of my university studies, where I eventually ended up dedicating my life to sharing the profound wisdom and powerful techniques that I learned from my Master.
I ended up traveling across continents, visiting many interior places, such as rural and tribal areas in Northeast India, Nepal, and Southern Africa to share what I had learned with the people there. More than once, I met people in these places who asked me if I knew Jeremy Occhipinti, as he had visited there once or multiple times already, many years before I had.
Some of you may have known Jeremy for many, many years, and some of you may have never met him or have not yet met him. I guess I would put myself in the middle of this spectrum, having met him at various times in different parts of the world over the years, at different points in my journey, and in his. We shared a special bond from the first time we met, and we still do. We are both walking the paths shown to us by our spiritual Master-paths that have crossed more than once.
I still remember talking to Jeremy in 2010 at the Bangalore Art of Living International Center, where he told me about asking Gurudeva about His plans for him. He had gone to meet Gurudev in the German Ashram a few months earlier, and his question to Gurudev had been something along the lines of, "What is Your plan for me? Will you get me married, or make me the first white swami?" This question shows the very personal and direct connection that Jeremy shares with his Master.
Laughing about the unusual question, Gurudev replied some-thing along the lines of: "You are too late, Alex is already there! But maybe I can make you the first American swami."
This news came as a shock, as this was the first time I got a glimpse into my Master's plan to bless me as one of his swamis. Had it not been for Jeremy, I would have never known that my Master had already planned this so far in advance. And this is precisely what makes this book so precious and fascinating.
It is said that an enlightened master cannot be understood and that his ways and reasoning cannot be fathomed. However, we can see glimpses of his superhuman abilities and his divine nature through the eyes and experiences of faithful devotees.
Jeremy is one of such blessed souls. His commitment to service, his passion for music, and his love for people of all cultures and back-grounds have allowed him to travel and live in many countries and on several continents, making a difference in the lives of whomever he meets.
At the same time, he also has the ability to be very open and honest about his challenges, feelings, doubts, and experiences, taking readers along on this journey that is his life. He shares very intimate and personal details of his journey, struggles, challenges, and how he moved through and beyond them. By doing this, he not only allows us to relate his experiences to many of the challenges that we may face throughout our own lives, but he may also give us the insights or faith to move through our own challenges successfully.
n a cool, mystical evening in Bali, I was onstage at a local temple's large outdoor amphitheater. I sat with my favorite guitar, "Kripa," nestled on my lap, and an SM-57 microphone two fists away.
As I had so many times by then, I was sharing the stage with some of my favorite people and absorbing the magnificent beauty surrounding me. Near us, a group of young Balinese temple singers chorused out their sparkling ancient wisdom with devotion. I turned up the volume of my guitar and played along.
I wondered how a kid from middle-class America had wound up here. A wild child of Italian descent, with a ready smile for most and an explosive temper for the rest, I barged through my early years blindly, without direction, full of anger and angst. My rowdy child-hood had been further blighted with health issues, a drag on my ardent dream of becoming a rock star.
But here I sat, playing and gazing out on a sea of people dressed in beautiful Balinese colors.
In the middle of these waves of splendor and rivers of sound was the man they had all come to see. Not me, of course. They were there for Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. In fact, I too was there to be with him.
Gurudev is one of the most respected humanitarians in the world and one of the world's most profound contemporary proponents of ancient spiritual knowledge. But it is the helpful wisdom, uplifting feeling, and the subtle inner transformation you go home with that is the real draw.
The main experience I have come away with in his presence is just simple joy. There is always happiness about him, and I feel elated, a similar experience to when I was a child. I also feel creative around him; my jokes flow easily, and music just flows from me. And there's always endless laughter being with Gurudev. He is also, by far, the sweetest, most innocent human I know. And I know a lot of sweet and innocent people, having made my living for many years teaching four- and five-year-olds.
After a few moments of silence, Gurudev gave me that familiar look to prompt me to start singing. I closed my eyes and strummed those familiar chords: GD Em CGD, "Narayana Hari Om," a song I've sung with Gurudev across India, North America, and now Bali.
As I sent out those Sanskrit words, the atmosphere was instantly transformed into a sing-along merriment beyond description, the crowd singing each line back in unison, the energy and volume growing with every call and response. The temple was ablaze in oneness, and subtle bolts of lightning were shooting through my oversized body. The power of the music could not be denied. We four thou-sand humans sang so sweetly together, and it seemed all our minds were on the same wavelength. With eyes closed, I continued to steer the song in this musical miracle.
After the last line ended, everyone settled in silence, and Gurudev guided us deeper into meditation. That silence and meditation was unlike anything I'd felt, but it also felt so recognizable.
This special night with my guru was one of many prized and priceless moments I have experienced over the past twenty-five years. All like snowflakes, unique and beautiful.
An open but fickle heart, a knack for mischief and trouble, a growing desire to serve, and an unreasonably compassionate spiritual master, Gurudev. I invite you to step into my world.
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