"They start being more spontaneous – they have to. They become more responsible, and each moment they have to be alert, watchful, because there are so many things to destroy their treasure. The very existence of the anti-forces becomes a constant challenge for them. It helps integration.

"So you need not be worried; the fragrance will remain with you. The nectar is already a part of your being. And while you are in Chicago you will find yourself closer to me than you can be here, because here there are so many sannyasins, you are lost in the many. There you will be alone and you can relate to me more directly, more intimately. And the physical distance makes no difference at all. Love knows no distance. Then Chicago becomes a suburb of Pune. And whenever you close your eyes, you will find me there. The right way to see me is to see me with closed eyes. With open eyes you can see only the physical part of me, with closed eyes you can see the real me.

"A great Indian mystic, Paltu, has said something very strange; nobody else has ever said it. He has said: 'Only those who are blind will be able to understand me, only those who are blind will be able to see me – who I am.' A very strange statement when you think of other statements made by other mystics. For example, Jesus says: 'Those who have ears, hear me. Those who have eyes, see me.'

"Paltu says: 'Only the blind ones can see me.' He means, 'I can be seen only with closed eyes.' When your eyes are open your energy is moving in an extrovert way. And I am not there. You can find me only when your eyes are closed; then in the deepest core of your being, at the innermost shrine you will find me. That's how the disciple always finds the master.

"And that's how the disciple, in one sense becomes absolutely devoted to the master, and in another sense becomes absolutely free of the master –because when you have found the master within yourself, then there is no dependence on the outer master."