We all smiled at Andy's answer. Then I recalled another thing the mystic had been quite emphatic about, and that was the importance of living in the now. "I remember a woman saying to the mystic that she failed to see how we have any other choice but to live in the now. 'We are here at this moment, are we not?' she asked quite defiantly."
"How did he answer her?" Janet inquired.
"I don't remember his complete answer, but I do remember part of it. He said, 'Yes madam, our bodies are here. But where are our minds?'"
"What did she say to that?" asked Peter.
"Not one single word," I replied. "I think she was probably as mystified as we are. I remember him saying something to the effect that, 'Living in the now is seeing what is instead of what isn't. And what isn't is created from living in the memories of the past and contaminating the now.' His answer was so unlike anything I'd been taught that I failed to discern any meaning in it."
With a large smile spreading over her face, Janet remarked, "That's quite the answer!"
"To be honest, Janet," I continued, "when I heard that mystic talk, I thought to myself, 'How could such answers help anyone?' Yet, that evening after we returned to the house where we were staying, my friend and I realized that we had never felt so energized in all our lives. Both of us remembered little—and understood even less—of what the man had said, but we agreed it was one of the most uplifting evenings of discussion on our entire journey. Again, it was the feeling more than an understanding."
"Did you ever speak with this mystic again?" Peter asked.
"No, I didn't," I sighed. "The next morning, my friend and I went back to listen to more of his spiritual and philosophical views, but he was gone. It was he who told me that if I had enough faith, someday I would find what I was looking for."
"Did he tell you where or how?" Janet asked.
"No," I admitted. "He just said he had the feeling that some day I would find what I was looking for. I remember as if it were yesterday... just before he left, he told those who were listening to him,
'Meditate and seek peace, for it is in the silent chambers of your mind that you will uncover the wisdom you seek.'"
Chapter 13
Time to Reflect
After Andy said his goodbyes, Janet said she had never in her life had such a conversation. "I feel so elated! It's like walking on air. But I also feel I need some time to myself to reflect on the old gardener's unique ideas."
"Me too," said Peter. "I feel the need for some quiet time. I want to think about what he's said regarding the difference between the intellect and what he was calling wisdom."
Tom adamantly declared that he already understood precisely what Andy was saying—and that the man was completely misinformed in almost everything he said. Tom further claimed that Andy was a classic case of an ignorant person talking far beyond his understanding.
As for myself, I honestly didn't know what to think. All I knew was that this was the first time I'd felt so elated since my meeting with the mystic in Nepal. Andy had that same special something about him. It's nothing you can point your finger to and say this is what it is. But the way both Andy and the mystic answered questions with such assurance really impressed and fascinated me. Nevertheless, at that moment I felt just like Janet: I needed some quiet time to myself. We all agreed to spend the rest of the afternoon on our own, then meet up again later for dinner.
That afternoon I relaxed and took a stroll down by the river, thinking about some of our talks with the gardener. As I walked along the meandering footpath, I felt excited by the possibility that I may have found what I'd long been looking for. I thought about my wife, Norma, and longed to see her again so I could tell her all about our encounter with the unusual gardener. Every day, I thought how wonderful it would be to have Norma here so that we could experience the beauty of the English countryside together.
That evening during supper, my colleagues and I discussed what we had done during the afternoon. Janet said she spent most of the time in bed, having a good rest and thinking about some of the gardener's ideas. "The one that really got me was when he said, 'Going back into the past to fix yesterday's negative memories is like trying to blow out an electric light bulb.' That statement really resonated with me," she said. "It just sounded so right."
Peter mentioned that he, too, had spent most of the afternoon lying down, mulling over some of the old gardener's unique beliefs. With a smile, he added, "Especially the ones that annoyed me. What really bothered me the most was how absolutely certain Andy appeared to be about his philosophical views."
Janet asked Peter whether he really believed it would make any difference if Andy showed any doubts about what he was saying.
"Yes," Peter said with a self-conscious laugh. "I instinctively mistrust people who are so sure of themselves."
Looking down her nose, Janet smiled at Peter. "So what you are saying is that you would rather listen to someone who isn't at all sure of what they are talking about?"
Peter, waving his finger at Janet, said, "That's sneaky, Janet." But he had a good laugh at the trap she had lured him into.
After a lengthy silence, Janet remarked, "Who would have thought before we left the States that we would be so affected by a series of fascinating conversations with an old English gardener?" She then changed the subject by saying, "Eric, the transformation in your patient, Mrs. Taylor, was remarkable—and whatever she saw might hold at least part of the answer to the riddle that we're all trying to solve. I'd love to talk to her and ask her what she heard and experienced that changed her life so much."
"Me, too," said Peter. "Since hearing her story, I've become absolutely captivated by the whole episode. I tell you, Eric, if I'd heard this story from anyone else, I wouldn't have believed it. It still seems a little far-fetched, but if it is true, that kind of story could give new hope to millions of people who have all but given up in sheer despair."
"As I told you before, Peter, this is one of the reasons my practice has taken off like a rocket," I said. "Mrs. Taylor has been spreading hope to some of her friends. The most remarkable thing is that many who start to understand there is a relationship between their thoughts and how they feel from day to day are responding in a way I've never seen before. It doesn't seem to matter who or what they are. As soon as they connect their own thoughts to their way of seeing life, they just seem to change. I tell you, I haven't seen so many rocky marriages being healed in all my life."
At this point, the waiter announced that the evening meal was a buffet and asked us to help ourselves whenever we were ready. The spread was enormous, with hot and cold regional favorites as well as beautifully prepared international dishes. We exclaimed over the roasts of lamb and beef, the cleverly presented poultry and colorful vegetables, the appetizing array of savories, and promised to leave room for the truly decadent desserts, many of which were served with clotted cream.
After we had made our choices and settled ourselves back at the table, Janet said, "You know, Eric, after you told me about Mrs. Taylor, and what you said about her thoughts having a lot to do with her recovery, I started to think about a couple that came to me for counseling. They had been married for 10 years and had three wonderful children, but the husband felt there was something missing in their marriage. He also felt that he had lost his one and only true love before he met his wife. The wife felt her husband didn't love her any more because he constantly talked about the girl he had been engaged to as a young man in college.