Max assured his father that he understood. Abe felt assured until he got the next issue of Nails Quarterly, containing an ad showing Jesus lying on the ground below the cross with the caption: “They Didn’t Use Einstein’s Nails!”

These are the “three L’s” of my Philousia: life, love, laughter. Life is only a seed, love is a flower, laughter is fragrance. Just to be born is not enough, one has to learn the art of living; that is the A of meditation. Then one has to learn the art of loving; that is the B of meditation. And then one has to learn the art of laughing; that is the C of meditation. And meditation has only three letters: A,B,C.

So today you have to give a beautiful send-off to Vimalkirti. Give it with great laughter. Of course, I know you will miss him – even I will miss him. He has become such a part of this place, so deeply involved with everybody. I will miss him more than you because he was the guard in front of my door, and it was always a joy to come out of the room and see Vimalkirti standing there, always smiling. Now it will not be possible again.

But he will be here around in your smiles, in your laughter. He will be here in the flowers, in the sun, in the wind, in the rain, because nothing is ever lost – nobody really dies, one becomes part of eternity.

So even though you will feel tears, let those tears be tears of joy – joy for what he has attained. Don’t think of yourself, that you will be missing him; think of him, that he is fulfilled. And this is how you will learn, because sooner or later many more sannyasins will be going on the journey to the farther shore and you will have to learn to give them beautiful send-offs. Sooner or later I will have to go, and this is how you will be able to learn to give me a send-off with laughter, dance, song.

My whole approach is of celebration. Religion to me is nothing but the whole spectrum of celebration, the whole rainbow, all the colors of celebration. Make it a great opportunity for yourself, because in celebrating his departure many of you can reach to greater heights, to new dimensions of being, it will be possible. These are the moments which should not be missed; these are the moments which should be used to their fullest capacity.

I am happy with him…and many of you are getting ready in the same way. I am really happy with my people! I don’t think there has ever been a master who had so many beautiful disciples. Jesus was very poor in that sense – not a single disciple became enlightened. Buddha was the richest in the past, but I am determined to defeat Gautama the Buddha!

The second question: