"When the Guru began to meditate, it became clear that he was not
entering into samadhi--though the disciples still believed that he was.
Nonetheless, I wanted to be absolutely certain that the Negative
Forces were not clouding my vision. So I visited Apeksha, a Queens,
New York, disciple who has studied with the Guru for as long as I have.
"At first, Apeksha thought I was crazy. But after we spent
hours looking at old Guru photos, neither of us had any doubt
as to what had happened.
"Apeksha is now in a real bind. On the one hand, he can see
that the Guru has fallen. On the other hand, he knows that he's
not strong enough yet to ward off the Negative Forces on his own."
Richard, who had bought the million-dollar Centre, raised his hand
and said, "Atmananda, isn't there anything we can do to help Guru?"
"Your sentiment is a noble one," Atmananda replied. "But you have
to be careful. If you are swimming near a sinking ocean liner,
it doesn't matter how nice a person you are--you'll be sucked under
when the ship goes down.
"You should understand that I am not criticizing the Guru.
Nor should any of you. You should give him a great deal of credit
for holding out against the Forces for as long as he did.
"The Forces are not exactly evil per se. They are merely playing
their role in the Cosmic Game. It just so happens that their role
is to destroy Light."
Several disciples shook their heads incredulously. Others cast
a glassy-eyed, soporific gaze at the renegade Centre leader--
as if this were a typical late-night meeting.
"In 1985, the situation in the universe will begin to get much worse.
A great cloud of darkness will envelop the earth for thousands
of years."