Yes, it is true. I do not believe in a deity with some human like consciousness interfering in history. And, throughout my life I’ve stumbled into such serendipitous events that calling those moments evidence of a good god is totally understandable. At least if you’re not holding too tightly on to what is being proved.
It turns out I’m not alone in having these experiences.
And with that a small anecdote from noted Buddhist scholar, Richard Hayes.
I first heard of Ram Dass (born April 6, 1931) in Ottawa in October 1970. A friend invited me to a gathering to hear a tape recording of a Harvard professor named Richard Alpert, who had taken the name Ram Dass. The gathering happened to be at a house in the neighborhood in which James Cross had been kidnapped by the FLQ. It had just been announced that the FLQ had killed Pierre Laporte, and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau had declared the War Measures Act. About forty people showed up to hear the tape, and just about all of them were smoking marijuana to help them understand the more subtle points of Ram Dass’s spiritual message. Suddenly, the front door opened, and several strapping RCMP officers burst into the room. The smoke was so thick, I could barely see them. “This is it!” I thought. “I’m about to be arrested, deported from Canada and sent to prison in the US for evading the draft.” The RCMP officers peered into the smoke for what seemed an eternity. Then one of them said, “Nothing going on here but a bunch of hippies smoking dope. Let’s move on.” And they left. And that’s how Ram Dass helped me realize that God exists and loves draft dodgers.
Now that’s evidence.
Of something…
Thank you, Richard!
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