KENDRA’S 1993 INTERVIEWS
My daughter, Kendra Hoffman, started attending Bhajans and center meetings with me. I had introduced my daughter to Sai Baba's teachings in 1991. Soon thereafter, she began having dreams with Swami and became deeply attached to Him. She joined the young adults wing of the Sai Center and participated in the service activities. Her longing to physically experience the presence of Sai Baba culminated in a trip to the Ashram in summer 1993 with an ardent devotee, Hal Honig and his young adults group.
Kendra was very excited about her first trip overseas, so there was a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. She told me that she cried during the flight, wishing I was with her. My daughter and I are very close; since I had her so young at age 22, we were more like sisters. We shopped together, went to shows, etc. Usually when you saw her, you saw me. Her journey to Sai Avatar was spectacular! The
group received two interviews, and for Kendra's first trip that was pretty mind-blowing! Kendra described the interviews in detail.
First Interview
“Baba came out graciously. He looked in our direction. He stopped to take letters from some of the people. I watched as He walked over to the men in our group and told them to go! I couldn't believe it! We all got up very quickly and walked through those beautiful gates. It looked like heaven on earth. We had to leave our bags behind, clutching only our letters. I felt apprehensive about leaving my passport, but then I realized WHO I was with and just let all of my fears go.
“One by one we all came in through the gates and sat down, women and men crying hysterically. I was in complete shock, and I don't know why, but I didn't cry until after the whole event was over. We all sat on a bench in front of an exquisite garden, birds and ants all around, flowers trees, and the smell of jasmine. I tried to control my heart from beating fast. We waited silently for Darshan to be over. That is when He would take us in. Slowly Baba walked towards us and went in the direction of the interview house. We filed into the house in one line. As we proceeded to sit down on the floor, Baba said, 'Sit... sit,' 'Move... move' so that He could pass. He spoke to some women who were sobbing and said: 'Don't cry' and then tapped them on the back. Afterwards, He sat in his chair. We looked at him filled with awe.
“We weren't the only ones in the room. There were other small groups of people in the room with us. He asked several people in our group as well as the others questions like: 'How are you?' 'Are you in school?' 'How's the wife?' 'What is education?' 'Happiness is union with God.' 'What is EHV?' 'What is the purpose of education?' Swami went on to emphasize that He is our true friend. No one is our true friend in this world except Him, and then He looked at me.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } “Someone showed Swami a sketch of a house they were having built on a street called Blueberry Hill, and asked Swami to sign it. Baba signed it and started singing, 'I found my thrill...' in the same melody as the rock and roll song: I found my thrill on blueberry hill. Everyone laughed hilariously.
“Meanwhile, Sai Baba materialized a watch for someone, a bracelet for young man named Armond which had an Om on it, and a diamond ring for another young man named Bob which appeared to not fit too well. Then, He put the ring on Bob. He inquired if someone was jealous. Swami said, 'Oh jealousy is not a good quality, very jealous girl.' I didn't know who he was speaking to. Everyone laughed. I was in a complete daze as if in a dream. I had to monitor my thoughts constantly. After some time, we all moved into the inner interview room. There were 28 of us; we could barely fit into that small room.
“Swami asked several people, 'What do you want?' Baba is so sweet yet strict. Because He is God, I didn't think He would behave in such a free flowing manner. He is so calm, warm and yet stern.
Father Sai looked at two young men inquiring if they were in school. They replied, 'Yes.' Baba told Gurdaf, one of the young men, that he had a monkey mind and that he was taking monkey subjects. He also asked him if he had a girlfriend. And further questioned, “Why so many girlfriends?” at the same time gently tapping Gurdaf and Armond on their faces. He asked Armond, 'Where is your girlfriend?' Looking serious, He said in a commanding voice, 'Girlfriend no good; if you like marry, no problem.'”
Then He looked at me and said:
Swami: Are you a student?
Kendra: (Nodding my head yes.)
Swami: What subject?
Kendra: Art (Before I could elaborate that I was studying to be an art teacher, Swami made a comment.) Swami: Monkey mind, monkey subject!
Swami: Where is your mother?
Kendra: At home. (Swami looked away for a moment.) When I reflected later, I really wished I had said: 'YOU are my mother Swami.' I had my hands out of sight behind my knee because it was so crowded. Swami: Did I give you that ring?
Kendra: No. (I was astonished because my mother had given me this ring with Baba's face embossed upon it earlier. It was from a batch of items she had gotten blessed by Baba in her previous trip.)
Swami: Do you have husband?
Kendra: No Swami.
Swami: No husband, boyfriend, right!
Kendra: Shaking head yes.
Swami: Not good! Western culture not good. (Looking around at everyone.)
If you like, get married. (Speaking generally.) Here Swami was commenting on the way people live together in our Western culture without getting married.
“After this some other people went into the inner interview room with Swami. When Swami returned, He fixed the ring He'd materialized for Bob because it was too loose. He took the ring and blew on it 3 times and it shrunk to fit the size of his finger. Everyone laughed merrily and stared in awe. Then Swami announced He was going to give each of us a personal interview. Before concluding the interview, He distributed vibhuti to some of the men and women. I and two others did not get any vibhuti. At first I felt sad and left out, but then I realized it was for a good reason. Later, Hal Honig told us that when Swami gives out vibhuti packets, it usually means He won't see those receiving the packets again. So, I thought maybe I would see Him again. I was so sleepy after the interview I could barely keep my eyes open. When we got back to our room, I slept for a few hours in unconscious bliss.”
Second Interview
“We did see Swami again. Surprisingly, He called us in for a second interview. Baba accepted my letter which asked Him how to control my anger, how to see God in all people, and why is there fear of death if you know you are the Atma. He didn't speak to me directly, but He answered all of my questions.
“He said to all of us, 'Don't think of the body as yourself or a person as he, she, man, lady, etc. Think of every person as God including yourself.' During the interview it was hard to really believe I was God. I guess I was caught up in ego. He somehow indirectly let me and everyone know that the only way we can serve Him is to 'Love All and Serve All.' Swami continued, 'Don't think about yourself all the time, think about everyone as God.' He stated, 'You are dark and you are dark, you are light and you are light. All are the same.' When He said this, the room suddenly went dark, then it became light again as if to emphasize His point. Again, the light dimmed, the room was dark briefly, after which the light came on again. In the dark we could see a glow of light all around Swami. People gasped and cooed, — 'Ah-h-h.' Swami talked about the mind and explained how the mind could be likened to a piece of cloth. He demonstrated this by holding up His handkerchief. He went on to explain that in order to get rid of the mind and its desires you have to pull each thread representing desires out of the cloth until there was nothing left and no mind.
“Baba taught me to not be so focused on myself. He inspired me to be more compassionate and caring towards other people. He demonstrated this by having a handicapped person in our group. I realized I am not the only one in the world with problems. After the interview we discovered there wasn't a power outage in the room it was HIS Power dimming the lights on and off!”
-Kendra Nicole Hoffman
SOURCE: SAI RAPTURE, THE ECSTATIC JOURNEY OF A MODERN DAY GOPI
BY SONYA KI TOMLINSON
Available on Amazon in a beautiful perfect bound paperback: $12.00 or kindle version: $2.99
Click on links below to purchase.
My daughter, Kendra Hoffman, started attending Bhajans and center meetings with me. I had introduced my daughter to Sai Baba's teachings in 1991. Soon thereafter, she began having dreams with Swami and became deeply attached to Him. She joined the young adults wing of the Sai Center and participated in the service activities. Her longing to physically experience the presence of Sai Baba culminated in a trip to the Ashram in summer 1993 with an ardent devotee, Hal Honig and his young adults group.
Kendra was very excited about her first trip overseas, so there was a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. She told me that she cried during the flight, wishing I was with her. My daughter and I are very close; since I had her so young at age 22, we were more like sisters. We shopped together, went to shows, etc. Usually when you saw her, you saw me. Her journey to Sai Avatar was spectacular! The
group received two interviews, and for Kendra's first trip that was pretty mind-blowing! Kendra described the interviews in detail.
First Interview
“Baba came out graciously. He looked in our direction. He stopped to take letters from some of the people. I watched as He walked over to the men in our group and told them to go! I couldn't believe it! We all got up very quickly and walked through those beautiful gates. It looked like heaven on earth. We had to leave our bags behind, clutching only our letters. I felt apprehensive about leaving my passport, but then I realized WHO I was with and just let all of my fears go.
“One by one we all came in through the gates and sat down, women and men crying hysterically. I was in complete shock, and I don't know why, but I didn't cry until after the whole event was over. We all sat on a bench in front of an exquisite garden, birds and ants all around, flowers trees, and the smell of jasmine. I tried to control my heart from beating fast. We waited silently for Darshan to be over. That is when He would take us in. Slowly Baba walked towards us and went in the direction of the interview house. We filed into the house in one line. As we proceeded to sit down on the floor, Baba said, 'Sit... sit,' 'Move... move' so that He could pass. He spoke to some women who were sobbing and said: 'Don't cry' and then tapped them on the back. Afterwards, He sat in his chair. We looked at him filled with awe.
“We weren't the only ones in the room. There were other small groups of people in the room with us. He asked several people in our group as well as the others questions like: 'How are you?' 'Are you in school?' 'How's the wife?' 'What is education?' 'Happiness is union with God.' 'What is EHV?' 'What is the purpose of education?' Swami went on to emphasize that He is our true friend. No one is our true friend in this world except Him, and then He looked at me.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } “Someone showed Swami a sketch of a house they were having built on a street called Blueberry Hill, and asked Swami to sign it. Baba signed it and started singing, 'I found my thrill...' in the same melody as the rock and roll song: I found my thrill on blueberry hill. Everyone laughed hilariously.
“Meanwhile, Sai Baba materialized a watch for someone, a bracelet for young man named Armond which had an Om on it, and a diamond ring for another young man named Bob which appeared to not fit too well. Then, He put the ring on Bob. He inquired if someone was jealous. Swami said, 'Oh jealousy is not a good quality, very jealous girl.' I didn't know who he was speaking to. Everyone laughed. I was in a complete daze as if in a dream. I had to monitor my thoughts constantly. After some time, we all moved into the inner interview room. There were 28 of us; we could barely fit into that small room.
“Swami asked several people, 'What do you want?' Baba is so sweet yet strict. Because He is God, I didn't think He would behave in such a free flowing manner. He is so calm, warm and yet stern.
Father Sai looked at two young men inquiring if they were in school. They replied, 'Yes.' Baba told Gurdaf, one of the young men, that he had a monkey mind and that he was taking monkey subjects. He also asked him if he had a girlfriend. And further questioned, “Why so many girlfriends?” at the same time gently tapping Gurdaf and Armond on their faces. He asked Armond, 'Where is your girlfriend?' Looking serious, He said in a commanding voice, 'Girlfriend no good; if you like marry, no problem.'”
Then He looked at me and said:
Swami: Are you a student?
Kendra: (Nodding my head yes.)
Swami: What subject?
Kendra: Art (Before I could elaborate that I was studying to be an art teacher, Swami made a comment.) Swami: Monkey mind, monkey subject!
Swami: Where is your mother?
Kendra: At home. (Swami looked away for a moment.) When I reflected later, I really wished I had said: 'YOU are my mother Swami.' I had my hands out of sight behind my knee because it was so crowded. Swami: Did I give you that ring?
Kendra: No. (I was astonished because my mother had given me this ring with Baba's face embossed upon it earlier. It was from a batch of items she had gotten blessed by Baba in her previous trip.)
Swami: Do you have husband?
Kendra: No Swami.
Swami: No husband, boyfriend, right!
Kendra: Shaking head yes.
Swami: Not good! Western culture not good. (Looking around at everyone.)
If you like, get married. (Speaking generally.) Here Swami was commenting on the way people live together in our Western culture without getting married.
“After this some other people went into the inner interview room with Swami. When Swami returned, He fixed the ring He'd materialized for Bob because it was too loose. He took the ring and blew on it 3 times and it shrunk to fit the size of his finger. Everyone laughed merrily and stared in awe. Then Swami announced He was going to give each of us a personal interview. Before concluding the interview, He distributed vibhuti to some of the men and women. I and two others did not get any vibhuti. At first I felt sad and left out, but then I realized it was for a good reason. Later, Hal Honig told us that when Swami gives out vibhuti packets, it usually means He won't see those receiving the packets again. So, I thought maybe I would see Him again. I was so sleepy after the interview I could barely keep my eyes open. When we got back to our room, I slept for a few hours in unconscious bliss.”
Second Interview
“We did see Swami again. Surprisingly, He called us in for a second interview. Baba accepted my letter which asked Him how to control my anger, how to see God in all people, and why is there fear of death if you know you are the Atma. He didn't speak to me directly, but He answered all of my questions.
“He said to all of us, 'Don't think of the body as yourself or a person as he, she, man, lady, etc. Think of every person as God including yourself.' During the interview it was hard to really believe I was God. I guess I was caught up in ego. He somehow indirectly let me and everyone know that the only way we can serve Him is to 'Love All and Serve All.' Swami continued, 'Don't think about yourself all the time, think about everyone as God.' He stated, 'You are dark and you are dark, you are light and you are light. All are the same.' When He said this, the room suddenly went dark, then it became light again as if to emphasize His point. Again, the light dimmed, the room was dark briefly, after which the light came on again. In the dark we could see a glow of light all around Swami. People gasped and cooed, — 'Ah-h-h.' Swami talked about the mind and explained how the mind could be likened to a piece of cloth. He demonstrated this by holding up His handkerchief. He went on to explain that in order to get rid of the mind and its desires you have to pull each thread representing desires out of the cloth until there was nothing left and no mind.
“Baba taught me to not be so focused on myself. He inspired me to be more compassionate and caring towards other people. He demonstrated this by having a handicapped person in our group. I realized I am not the only one in the world with problems. After the interview we discovered there wasn't a power outage in the room it was HIS Power dimming the lights on and off!”
-Kendra Nicole Hoffman
SOURCE: SAI RAPTURE, THE ECSTATIC JOURNEY OF A MODERN DAY GOPI
BY SONYA KI TOMLINSON
Available on Amazon in a beautiful perfect bound paperback: $12.00 or kindle version: $2.99
Click on links below to purchase.
