Men of Miracles – Part Two
According to the teachings of the Rishis of old, all that is necessary to perform miracles is the power, plus the conviction that such miracles are possible. Enlightened beings like Jesus, as well as Elijah and Lahiri Mahasaya, acquired the power to raise people from the dead once they obtained Supreme Awareness. Others who have yet to reach this level of consciousness may still restore life, if they have the desire as well as the conviction.
In the early years of the last century, an English journalist by the name of Raphael Hurst roamed the secret corners of the world in search of ancient knowledge, and the underlying wisdom of the East. He subsequently wrote a series of books under the pseudonym Paul Brunton. In his book “A Search in Secret India”, he described meeting a man of singular talents in the city of Benares. His name was Vishudhananda.
Among the array of skills demonstrated by this unusual man was the ability to produce a variety of floral scents. Vishudhanada did this by focusing rays of sunlight through a magnifying glass upon a silk handkerchief. At the author’s request, he produced such varied scents as white jasmine, violets, and attar of roses. Then, to Brunton’s surprise, he agreed to demonstrate a far more startling accomplishment.
Vishudhananda produced a live sparrow. In full view of his guest he proceeded to strangle the bird until it was completely lifeless. Brunton was allowed to examine it closely to assure himself that it was really dead. The bird was placed on the floor and remained inert for over an hour. At this point Vishudhananda picked up his magnifying glass and began to focus rays of sunlight on the dead bird’s eye.
He continued to do this, all the while uttering a weird, crooning chant in a language that Brunton did not know. Suddenly the bird’s body began to twitch. There was a slight fluttering of feathers and the sparrow stood upon its feet. The two men watched as it hopped around the room. The resurrected bird then began to fly around the room, moving from one perch to another. Then, after half an hour of busy activity, the bird unexpectedly fell to the ground. When Brunton picked it up, he found that it was again completely dead.
When asked to explain this amazing feat, Vishudhanada merely shrugged. He replied enigmatically that his miraculous powers were limited. He was only able to restore the bird to life for a short period of time. It brought to mind the reponse of Jesus to his disciples, who asked why they were not able to heal the child suffering from a critical illness. “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting”. (Matthew 17: 19-21) In other words, they lacked the necessary power.
The power to restore life may not be a common occurrence in our material world of doubt and disbelief, but it is certainly not impossible. One evening Jorge Lopes (whose confrontation with the bright metallic spider was described in an earlier instalment) was relaxing with his brother in their home in Banos, Ecuador. While they sat in the lounge listening to music, they were astonished to see a large butterfly float into the room through the open windows.
The butterfly was about four inches across. It was brilliantly colored, and quite unlike any they had seen before on their walks in the neighboring jungle. Although Jorge’s first response was to kill the insect and preserve it as a specimen, he could not bring himself to kill such a beautiful creature. When they both retired for the night, the butterfly remained in the room.
When he awoke the next morning, Jorge’s first thought was to look for the beautiful butterfly. However, as he walked across the room, he felt something soft beneath his feet. Looking down, he was dismayed to see the crumpled form of the butterfly. He picked it up by its wings and gently shook it, but it was clearly dead. Its body was crushed and its feelers were intertwined.
Although anguished at the thought of having caused the death of the butterfly, Jorge recalled that Jesus had once raised a person from the dead. Then, holding the lifeless form in his cupped hands, he prayed that he might be used as an instrument for restoring life to the tiny creature. As he did so, he felt a warm force radiating from his forehead. He raised the butterfly to the level of his eyes.
No sooner had he done this than its feelers began to straighten and its wings began to unfurl, until its full beauty was restored. The butterfly flew into the air, circled the room, and then returned to Jorge, landing on his arm. After resting there for a brief period, it flew across the room and disappeared from sight through the open windows.
