An early spiritual experience

From a young age, I was really determined to learn how to meditate. Of course right away as soon as I started meditating with Guru, my meditations got better. I remember sitting in front of my shrine for hours. This was way back in my first few months on the path, and I had a deep and real spiritual experience. I came downstairs, and my mother looked at me and said, “There is something different about you. Did you get a haircut?” She could not understand. I had really had an enlightening experience. So I went to our group meditation, and after the meditation Guru was still in a very high state of consciousness. He eventually came down from his height and said something like, “Oh, now some of you think that just because you have had a spiritual experience, you have realised the highest. No, no, no. You have a long way to go.”

I knew right away that Guru was talking to me. I felt very embarrassed, but it was also good because Guru made it clear that this was only the beginning. It was nice, because Guru usually does not like us to share our spiritual experiences with other people, but this one particular time he said, “If you have had a spiritual experience, then you can come up and tell about your most profound experience.”

So I went up and spoke about my experience, although I did not say what had happened—that Guru had exposed me (although no one knew it was me). I just said that the experience and its effect went on for a few days, but then it went away. Guru responded, “No, no, no! It did not go away. It will always remain carved on the tablet of your heart.”