The sadhu had formidable healing powers. He claimed he could heal by just placing his hands on people. That is great said little Arunacub. He could go around the country healing everyone. Soon everyone in the world will be healed.
Tiru suggested that the sadhu could join them at their Hopsibal for Animals and heal patients sitting in one place. He would get all the idlis and sambar he could eat in exchange.Then Spotty told the cubs that there was one problem -- the sadhu charged a great deal for his healing.
Immediately, little Omcub got annoyed and asked (or said), why do people charge for something like that?
Yes, added Tiru, what does it cost him to heal a patient, he just puts his hand on them. How did he get this power, anyway?
Spotty replied that it was some divine power that came to him suddenly. I cant rememeber the details, he said, a lot of big words, but in a nutshell, he said it was something divine.
Then he must not charge, said Tiru.
Maybe there is some reason for charging, thought Om cub aloud. Can you guys think of some valid reasons? Ok, lets play a game.
All the cubs' ears perked up at the mention of a game. They all looked at Om cub.
Tiru, Arunacub and Spotty will pretend to be sadhus or swamis who charge money. You have to give me reasons why you wish to charge money. I will try to counter your reasons.
The cubs peeked to see that Mum Lioness was out of earshot. And then the game began.
We swamis need to earn so we can eat and live, said Arunacub.
It is said, said little Om, that the universe takes care of those who are realized or enlightened. You do not need to take money from people. Bhagavan does not.
What if we are not realized?, tried Aruna.
Oh, that's like the blind leading the blind, replied Omcub.
Tirucub remembered Swami Miracleananda and said, We gurus need to ensure that only serious aspirants come to us. If we don't charge then the whole world will come, and the serious person will never get a chance. In the beginning our deekshas were free but people did not take it seriously, so we had to charge.
Omcub: If you are what you claim you are, then the serious will find their way. The universe or God will ensure that. Even in Bhagavan's case, the serious are finding their way from near and far. Some take months to reach here by ship. A few oddballs do come, but they disappear and don't come back.
Arunacub: But we need money to conduct programs so people know what we are talking about.
Omcub: Wait, there is the internet. If you put your content on the internet the whole world can read it, without having to travel large distances.
Tirucub: But a website costs money, does it not?
Omcub: er ... Isn't our blog free? Mum said it was free! There are free websites. If you have good content, a free website will attract serious seekers. However, its when you don't, that you need to make expensive websites. That's just a marketing gimmick to cover up for lack of real content.
Spotty: There is that karma thing, too!
Omcub: what karma thing?
Spotty: One healer said that healing transfers karma from the patient to the healer. To offset that transfer the patient should pay money to the healer.
Omcub (suppressing laughter): A jnani has NO karma. So what karma transfer are we talking about.
Spotty: But that healer said that if no charge is taken then the healer would have to be born again many times so that the patient can repay him!
Omcub: That way every act of kindness would result in a person having to come back again and again. I think, but we will have to ask Mum Lioness, that if the healer heals without expecting any result, then he need not worry about any karmic baggage.
Even the Buddha never took money. Nor did Jesus. The Buddha walked all his life in the heat and cold spreading his message free of cost. So did all his followers. They took his message to most of Asia on foot!
Arunacub: Yes, but nothing is free today!
Omcub: You mean things were free earlier? You mean in the times of the Buddha things were free?
All the cubs got thoughtful, then Tirucub broke the silence saying, "I guess not. There has been money for several thousand years, so I doubt anything would have been free in the Buddha's time."
There was more silence, then Arunacub spoke: But some swamis and gurus do furlandthropressed work
(Mum Lioness suddenly peeked in the door and corrected Arunacub: philanthropic work)
Aw, Mum Lioness, you were listening! Come on in and join us!, shouted the cubs racing into her lap.
Omcub: But most of that goes in grand temples built in their name
Arunacub: Not all of them. One or two ackshlly do good furl ... flir .. philandthropressic work
Omcub: Still ... one need not charge for healing and just having darshan. If a jnani ackshlly does phil ... good work for others, won't the universe bring him money through donations to do his or her good work.
Tirucub: that's a point. When Bhagavan requires anything for His devotees or visitors, it just arrives. Mum Linoess and Unca Stripes say that Bhagavan never had to ask.
At that moment they heard a sound and turned. Unca Stripes came in wiping his brow.
Unca Stripes, shouted Omcub, if you become enlightened will you charge people money?
Unca Stripes behaved like he had been hit by a storm. He sat down took a deep breath, and then asked: What for, my dear?
Tiru explained: For you know, healing people, giving darshan, letting people see you and stuff like that.
Unca Stripes exploded: Good Lord NO! Perish the thought.
But first of all, should i ever become enlightened, and i have hardly the foggiest idea what that means ... I should just spend my life at Bhagavan's dear Feet. As a matter of fact, all I want is to melt into our Father's dear Feet! Oh, what a delicious thought!
Mum Lioness smiled in agreement.
Unca Stripes burst into laughter. He said, how hilarious, if enlightenment means the ego is dead and gone, should I tell people something like: Hey people, come and see me, my ego is gone, and by the way, you will have to pay to see my egoless self.
The cubs laughed. Then Unca Stripes continued, little cubs, I know very little about anything, but I do know this, that our Father Ramana is the standard, the gold standard, by which I would judge enlightened beings.
If Bhagavan does not do something like charge money or perform miracles or conduct enlightenment programs, then I see no reason for anyone else to.
If Bhagavan does something like meet anyone who comes, day or night, then I see no reason why other sages cannot. That's just my way of looking at it. Of course, Bhagavan cannot see anyone as apart from Himself, so He would never talk like this.
Mum Lioness then said, Annamalai Swamy sent some delicious fruit over, the one that Bhagavan loves. I put them in the milkshake. Anyone ready for some?
They all made a mad dash for the kitchen. As always they first prayed to Bhagavan to bless the milkshake before having it. When little Omcub gave the signal, they knew that it had been blessed, and began.
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