Jakusui: By the way, there's a photo of the head priest and Sai Baba in the main hall of Saikouzenji. Could you tell me the story behind that?

Priest Danjo: I believe it was 1998. A person who was in charge of Sai Baba's events visited my Zen temple in Hiroshima. Centered around this person, they proposed gathering Sai Baba's followers and associates for a retreat at the temple.

The temple has accommodations for about 2,000 people. They invited participants from all over Japan, planned various programs, and held a three-night, four-day retreat.

That retreat led to a request from the person who organized the event.

The following year, a Buddha Birthday Celebration (Kōtan-e) honoring Shakyamuni Buddha was scheduled to be held at Sai Baba's ashram in India. This celebration (Kōtan-e) rotates annually among countries, and Japan was to host it the next year. The request was: “Mr. Danjo, would you be willing to help organize a Japanese-style Buddha Birthday Celebration at Sai Baba's ashram next year?”

At that time, Sai Baba had become very famous in Japan through television appearances and other media coverage.

The 1999 Indian Birthday Celebration was held on the day of the May full moon. We chartered two jumbo jets, including believers from Japan, and flew to Bangalore Airport. We traveled to the ashram in Whitefield, stayed at Sai Baba's facilities, and helped make the event a success.

It was my first time meeting Sai Baba in person. Actual meeting him, hearing him speak, and even witnessing various phenomena right before my eyes in places where Sai Baba himself wasn't present made me think, “There really is a world of the miraculous.”

Buddhism also has many stories about the Buddha that hold various mysteries. For example, it's said that when the Buddha was born, a rain of “amrita,” or nectar, fell from the heavenly realms. Our ancestors passed down that this event signified blessings from the heavenly deities, and it's still believed in India today.

In fact, miraculous phenomena occur at the places where the Buddha resided. As a Zen monk, I can understand this in my own way.

I met Sai Baba directly and heard his teachings. He particularly spoke about human life, explaining that even though we think of it as ‘our own life,’ it is sustained by connections to a greater, unseen world.

Of course, regarding mystical phenomena, I would never say, “Sai Baba is amazing, you should believe too.” I always stop at, “Believing is up to you.”

Actually, during the Birth Celebration, I once received a pendant from Sai Baba. The moment I placed that pendant on my palm, amrita began flowing abundantly.

It kept flowing without me even trying to make it happen. In no time, it filled about a cup. In India, it's said that amrita resides near the human heart. When one feels deep emotion or joy, this amrita gushes forth from the heart, bringing one closer to enlightenment.

Jakusui: Sorry to interrupt. What exactly is amrita? What form does it take?

Priest Danjo: It's nectar. Think of it as something like honey. As for its form, it's not a single drop. It's more like when you turn on a faucet and the water trickles out. That's the image – it overflows from the pendant like that.

Actually, you can put that amrita directly into your mouth. It's very sweet and has a wonderful fragrance. Normally, if you take a liquid home, the fragrance gradually fades, but Sai Baba's amrita retains its fragrance completely.

Jakusui: That's truly miraculous. Excuse me, could we return to the story of the Birth Celebration?

Priest Danjo: Right. After the ceremony ended, we moved to a small room for a talk session. Sai Baba came out, spoke with the devotees, and brought out various items like rings and necklaces.

I was standing very close at that moment. He asked me, “Danjo, is there anything you want?” I replied, “I'm a monk, so I don't think wearing a ring or necklace would suit me.”

Just then, a young man from Japan who plays the taiko drums was standing next to me. I asked, “Excuse me, please give it to him.” And then, right before my eyes! He just plucked a pendant out of his right palm.

At that moment, Sai Baba glanced sideways, and our eyes met. In India, they don't call Sai Baba “Sai Baba-san”; they use the name “Bajji.” ‘Baba’ carries the meaning of “holy.”

I exclaimed to Sai Baba in astonishment,

“Bajji, what you just did was magic, wasn't it?” The moment I said those words, the entire venue fell silent. Everyone was stunned. They probably thought, “What an outrageous monk!”

Sai Baba turned toward me with a smile. It was daytime, so he pointed to the garden and said, “Danjō, who created the trees and flowers you see outside right now? Is this magic?” "If you think it's magic, then maybe it is. But these were created long ago by the gods of the great universe. I believe that too. God is everywhere. We must broaden our thoughts and perspectives; it would be a waste not to."

For instance, things like hydrangeas—there are countless things in the nature we encounter daily that we could never create ourselves. When asked who made them, it's clear humans didn't create them.

Sai Baba spoke very precisely and mystically about the connection and meaning between humans, nature, and the lives we encounter daily.

Jakusui: Did you discuss your meeting with Sai Baba with Zen Master Mori?

Priest Danjo: Yes, I did. First, I asked Zen Master Mori, “There's a proposal to hold a Sai Baba event at the temple. What do you think?” He replied, “That sounds like a good thing.”

Actually, Zen Master Mori also practiced yoga, so he was familiar with Indian concepts and ideas. There was no sense of incongruity at all.

Jakusui: I see. Did you, Priest personally experience any shift in consciousness before and after meeting Sai Baba?

Priest Danjo: Meeting Sai Baba allowed me to learn more deeply about the myriad gods and goddesses, which was truly beneficial.

While Indians are perceived as Hindus, it's not a monotheistic religion. Among the many gods, there's a mutual recognition of each other's deities, much like in Japan. That's why Indians don't fight amongst themselves. There's also no concept of “you're number one and I'm number two.” To put it simply, there's no marathon within India. Historically, they've never ruled over other countries either.

Indians always take water from the Ganges River and bring it home. Their day begins by sprinkling this water at their home's entrance, showing gratitude to the deity of the earth.

This “gratitude” is deeply connected to “giving thanks to the eight million gods.” They express gratitude for everything. Furthermore, it's important to deepen this feeling of gratitude through daily habitual actions.

There is a fire god named “Agni.” Around sunset, there's a time to light a fire and pray. It's a habit of living with gratitude toward the fire god. I truly felt that the depth of this gratitude among Indians is extraordinary.

 Jakusui: Living in modern business society, I feel that as citizens of a scientifically advanced country, we sometimes get the sense that we can change nature. In contrast, while India expresses gratitude toward nature, there's also a negative view that its economic development is slow.

Priest Danjo: That's true. Regarding the flow of time, Indians are completely unconcerned about it. You might call it “Indian time.” Yet, it doesn't cause them stress. No matter what happens, they constantly say something like “no problem” in English.

At first, I thought, “You're being made to wait an hour for a train—how can it be no problem?” But Indians say, “Because everything is done by the gods.” This deep belief that God is handling everything comes from gratitude in their hearts. No one gets angry; it feels like they unconditionally entrust everything to God. My inner self has changed. Then, after about twenty-five or twenty-six years, based on various experiences and my own inner growth, it's true that my view of India has changed.

Indeed, cities like New Delhi are no longer the New Delhi of old; modern buildings line the streets. Yet, venture into the countryside, and parts of India remain unchanged from when I first visited.

People, however, haven't changed that much. Take music or painting as examples: while techniques evolve rapidly, the traditional elements remain constant. In India, there's a strong tendency to deeply value these traditional aspects, and it feels like life revolves around them.

Jakusui: That's wonderful. Nowadays, as many countries develop economically and trade expands, more advanced products enter their markets. This often leads people to think their own traditions are outdated, prompting them to want to learn the economies, cultures, and philosophies of advanced nations. But, why do Indians continue to place such importance on their traditional aspects?

Priest Danjo: I believe this stems from the influence of Mahatma Gandhi. India was a colony for three hundred years until it gained independence from Britain. During that long period of colonial rule, they adopted Western ways. But as a reaction to that, they likely realized that if they didn't cherish their own traditions and culture, they would remain colonized forever.

Jakusui: That's a very convincing explanation. Thank you.