Icon Show: Interviews
Gisela
Photo by Raj Kamal |
BiographyGisela had a very successful practise as a psychiatrist in Germany. She had taken a year off to travel to India, Nepal, and Shri Lanka. On the way she met a fellow traveller on a spiritual journey who knew about Swamiji, and many other places as well. There was something about Swami Shyam that fascinated her; the freedom in his words! Gisela felt that she had come home just by meeting people from the ashram, even before she met Swamiji, she thought the people were so beautiful. Upon meeting Swamiji Gisela was totally charmed. Gisela returned as soon as she could and has been in Kullu for over ten years now. Written by Gisele Beaupre |
Interview
Gisele: So Gisela, you came to Kullu while you were travelling, not knowing that much about Swami Shyam? How was your first meeting with Swamiji?
Gisela: I had been travelling and had heard about Swami Shyam. I had met some people from the ashram and was very impressed with them. I wanted to meet Swami Shyam myself. I had finally decided to walk up the stairs to the meditation hall. Satsang was over and Swamiji had just come out. He smiled at me and I smiled back. I liked him. I did not know it was Swamiji. Some people told me to write him a letter and introduce myself. So I did, and Veena interviewed me and invited me to the evening satsang, which turned out to be quite outrageous.
Gisele: What happened?
Gisela: Swamiji greeted me as if I was an old friend who had come home. He was very direct in his interactions with me, asking questions, even teasing and challenging. As I didn't speak much English at the time, and had no previous knowledge about Gurus and hardly any spiritual or philosophic knowledge, he took a very descriptive way to introduce me into the subject.
At some point Swamiji held up a rose flower, and he said "Is that real?" I could kind of guess that he was up to something mischievous. So I had to say "Yes, this is real." To my amazement Swamiji then ate the flower. Everyone was just killing themselves with laughter! So he said, "What is this reality, what happened to it?" A little bit later he showed me a blank piece of paper and said. "Is that real?" I thought, "He can't possibly eat that." So finally I said,"Yes!" Then he lit a match and burnt that, and he said, "What happened to that reality?" At that time I didn't completely understand, but I got the message that what we see as reality was actually changing and could decay. So I could conclude that there must be some reality that is unchanging. But of course he showed me that a little bit later.
Gisele: So Gisela, you came to Kullu while you were travelling, not knowing that much about Swami Shyam? How was your first meeting with Swamiji?
Gisela: I had been travelling and had heard about Swami Shyam. I had met some people from the ashram and was very impressed with them. I wanted to meet Swami Shyam myself. I had finally decided to walk up the stairs to the meditation hall. Satsang was over and Swamiji had just come out. He smiled at me and I smiled back. I liked him. I did not know it was Swamiji. Some people told me to write him a letter and introduce myself. So I did, and Veena interviewed me and invited me to the evening satsang, which turned out to be quite outrageous.
Transcribed by Gisele Beaupre