This led us back to our discussions about the old gardener and his unusual ideas. Peter admitted that listening to the old gardener was quite a bit different from sitting through the lectures we had attended. Then he said, "I've been mulling over some of the things Andy said. I'd like to ask him why he put such emphasis on forgiveness."
Janet immediately suggested we all play hooky from the next session, and, if possible, have some more talks with the gardener. Peter and I enthusiastically seconded the motion, while Tom somewhat reluctantly agreed to join us.
The gardens were not extensive but were cunningly designed to give the impression of space and vast variety, so we meandered through them for a bit, admiring the beauty and sticking our noses into some charming nooks and crannies. Finally we came upon Andy at the fish pond, feeding the fish. As usual, he greeted us with his congenial smile and a tip of his hat.
"Good morning, doctors. How is your conference going?"
"Not too badly," Peter replied. "But it's refreshing to take a stroll through the grounds and get a breath of fresh air. As a matter of fact, we were hoping that we might run into you and ask you a few questions regarding the conversation we had the other day."
"Oh! What questions would they be?" Andy said with a twinkle in his eye.
Without delay, Peter asked the gardener about his earlier statement that forgiveness led to peace of mind. "Why do you believe this to be so?"
The old gardener continued feeding the fish, leaving us in suspense. He stroked his chin for a short while, then said, "Surely it is only common sense. When emotions such as vengeance, resentment or lack of forgiveness exist in our hearts, we start to live in a world of negative feelings such as jealousy, hate, envy and selfishness. When a person is in this state, many ill thoughts torment the soul."
"Believe me," he continued, "you will never help anybody by encouraging them to get into their feelings of anger or hate. The way I see it, feelings are thoughts in action. What you have to realize is that feelings are a barometer of the soul and if your heart and mind are full of anger and negative feelings, it is a sure sign that life is going to be stormy."
"On the other hand," he concluded, "if you host positive feelings, it's a sure sign that life will be calmer and sunnier. Let's just say,
Love is the passageway to heaven and hate is the passageway to hell."
"But, what if a person has a reasonable right to be angry?" Peter insisted.
"Peter, I'm not judging one's right to be angry or not to be angry," Andy said. "I'm speaking about the impersonal, not the personal. I'm simply saying, our feelings are a barometer of how our thoughts are being utilized."
"Wow! This is remarkable," Janet exclaimed. "It's so different!"
"So what you're saying," Peter continued, "is that if people can learn to change their thoughts and forgive someone who has wronged them in the past, this will allow them to live without the heavy resentments they carried from those previous hurts?"
"That's about it," Andy nodded.
"Easier said than done," said Tom derisively. "What if you forgive someone for a malicious act and they do it to you again?"
With a very serious expression on his face, Andy replied, "Just because you forgive someone who has harmed you in the past doesn't mean you trust that they won't do it again."
"How can anyone just dismiss out of hand whatever experience is creating their problem with no assurance that the hurtful behavior will change?" Tom huffed.
Janet agreed, "It would be next to impossible for some people to forget all the ill feeling they have toward each other."
"You must remember," Andy told us, "you are forgiving the individual, not what he or she might have done to you."
Then he stood erect and, with the most loving smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes, said, "At least we can try. Forgiveness is the first step. Please don't take me wrong. I'm not judging you, your peers or anyone else. But may I humbly suggest that you may be looking in the wrong direction for your answers?"
"What do you mean by that?" Janet queried.
"Now, remember, Luv, I don't want you to get your feathers ruffled by what I'm about to say. I am not judging anyone—this is only my personal observation."
"We won't get our feathers ruffled or our noses out of joint," Janet replied with a laugh.
"In that case," Andy said, "may I propose this to you? At times your profession appears to concentrate on mental illness more than it does on mental health. It seems concerned more with the negative than the positive."
"You've got to explain that statement, Andy," I said.
"The way I see it, Eric, the secret to mental well-being doesn't lie in the past. It lies in the present or what many philosophies refer to as the now. What you have to realize is:
The power of Thought is one of the most primal force functions of all human beings. Without it, there is no way we could experience life."
"Don't you see Peter?" Andy continued. "One of the strongest antibiotics to heal the soul and help purify your mind is forgiveness. It assists the mind in returning to purity of Original Thought, where the peace and wisdom you seek lies."
For the longest time nobody said a word. I finally broke into the quiet by asking Andy for his definition of mental health.
He replied, "I imagine you doctors have a way of defining mental health that is altogether different from my personal idea, but I would define it this way:
When mind and soul are in unison, you will experience mental well-being."
Both Peter and Janet laughed, saying Andy's answer wasn't exactly what they had expected.
"Yesterday you mentioned consciousness to us," Tom interjected. "How can anyone possibly explain consciousness?"
"They can't explain it," said Andy. "Universal Consciousness just is."
"That's not much of an answer," Tom complained.
Andy thought for a minute. "Well, you could say Universal Consciousness is the power that enables us to experience reality, and the purer our thoughts are, the higher the state of consciousness we live in."
Peter said he was taught there were different types of consciousness, such as male consciousness and female consciousness. He explained that many believe black people have a different consciousness than, say, Hispanics or Orientals.
Andy shook his head slowly. "I can assure you, Peter, that whoever formulated such a theory was painfully mistaken. Universal Consciousness is the same for all living souls, whether they be black, white, yellow or somewhere in between. Consciousness, just like Thought, is a universal gift that has no form and is strictly impersonal."
Peter described the many consciousness-raising groups throughout the world, and said that Andy's theories on the subject were nothing new.
"That is perfectly true," Andy replied. "The things I discuss have been here on earth since day one. But now you have my mind just as curious as yours. Tell me, Peter, what do people look for in these consciousness-raising groups?"
"Oh, the group members look for little faults in their own characters and attempt to become better aware of them, or try to become aware of what is causing the problems in their marriages. In other words, they try to become consciously aware of what is happening in their lives."
Andy listened intently to Peter's explanation about consciousness-raising groups, then put two fingers over his lips as if deep in thought. "Correct me if I'm wrong, young man, but I think we're talking about two different things altogether. You are talking about the form our level of consciousness has led us to, such as a bad marriage or an unhappy life or whatever. However, I'm talking about Consciousness as a spiritual, neutral power before human experience."