Diary 1963 - Murshid Sam's Living Stream

Diaries 1963-2“Robert, you and I are mere nobodies. We can’t get an audience of over 30 people here. Butthere is not a King, Prime Minister, Cabinet Official, Head of a University, professor or peasant fromone end of Asia to the other whom either you or I could not meet if we haven’t met already, butnobody would believe us.”“How true, Samuel, how true.”Don’t conclude I am kidding. It is a laughing joke around Asia Foundation. I came into Indiowhen preparations were being made for Independence Day Celebration and despite that saw thePresident, the Chief of Protocol, the head Holy man of the Hindus, the head Holy man of the Muslimsand then left, just like that. The American cultural people would not believe it and later when Ioffered to prove it by inviting them to a celebration they stayed away. I did not see the President andPrime Minister when I left because they were guests of honor in one pavilion and I in another closeby.And now my non-scientific life can be divided into two phases—rejection by Americans, acceptanceby Asians, all over, all levels. With the death of Robert his disciples came here and now wehave a solid group of real Buddhism. And on top of that, in face of all the experts and book-writers, Ihave been chosen to join the staff of the encyclopedia of Buddhism and am leaving here shortly to goto Los Angeles therefore. You ain’t heard nothin’.So I’ll skip to the most remarkable of series of events. Although direct romance always ironyizes—andthe door isn’t closed, I got two stories as big as the one below which I am not going torelate. I met Khawar Khan in society and we were drawn to each other by a superlative force as if wewere part of each other. Within two months I became two things we do not have here:a. Her god-father. When a person, especially a woman, is an orphan, she finds a god-father or agod-brother, etc. and these persons become her legal and even moral confidants.b. Her spiritual teacher. This is something I cannot explain because we have nothing exactlylike it in this country and besides, my story is practically never believed by Americans—but alwaysby Asians.Inasmuch as there are restrictions on women this meant gossip but step by step the wholething has now reversed. Khawar was the youngest whole professor in Pakistan who is a woman, oneat 26. In addition to that she had gone to Mecca which made her prestige rise. One of the stories I amnot telling is about Julie Medlock. She begged me to go to an international philosophical conferenceto face the Russians. I refused; the Americans give me no recognition. So I ghost wrote and Khawarwon first prize.Then I found she was very wealthy although I did not know this. She also owns the propertywhich was Gandhi’s before partition and this may be very important. Now she has won first prize atan all-Asian conference of Psychologists and because of this my own prestige has gone up and up.And now we are both called into two projects on the history of Islam—education and philosophy.This is just one facet of my life. The rest will keep although I do not have any rest. The story ofKhawar’s romance is itself as fascinating as any too. All I need to do is to meet a fiction writer andthey can have 100 stories…. Later on I have to go to Middlebar wherever that is, and will stop atModesto, but with notice—I just came down on a dare.Love,S. A. M.(which has four meanings)