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Hayne combines memoir with mystical truths in this portrait of Sri Lankan spiritual master Muhammad Raheem Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, who provided her with guidance and inspiration, often seemingly miraculous, and even at times delivered with genuine humor. As a young child schooled by nuns, she was forced to confess sins she hadn’t committed to placate the priests. She later rejected the church that refused to welcome unbaptized babies. Determined to escape to a prestigious girls’ school, she entered the sixties atmosphere, including free use of drugs. Her solace was found in world travel until she met Bawa, the focus of her ensuing experiences, realizing that this encounter was “after” a chance to live fully.
Boarding in the crowded master’s headquarters in Philadelphia, his followers were sometimes awakened in the early hours by his exhortations to “listen to the birds.” She and her companions were taught arcane subjects like the difference between “fool’s” worldly gold and true, spiritual gold, and what happens to body and soul after death. She once observed the master curing her ailing young son, sending him happily out to play. She remained with Bawa until his death. She then heard his otherworldly voice encouraging her to “trust yourself.”
Hayne has pursued a career in helping others, doubtless motivated by the help she received in so many realms of life from this remarkable sage, who humbly referred to himself as an “ant man.” She helpfully interjects in her chronicle evidence of how her contact with Bawa brought her friends, helped her family, and proved his extra-sensory gifts in many ways. Her candid recollections, with some emotive photographs included, can be shared by those who seek self-improvement through inner study and the offering of wisdom from those who, like Bawa, offer it freely and deeply to all.