All language subtitles for the answer

JAMES DONALD WALTERS:
My full name at birth

was James Donald Walters,

but my parents used
to call me Donny.

(PLAYING PIANO)

WALTERS: I was
trying to find truth,
but didn't want God

because the way
I'd been taught about God

seemed totally
meaningless to me.

But every pathway that
I took to truth proved
to be a dead-end.

And finally one night I said,
"There's got to be a God,

"but if there's a God,
what must he be?"

WALTERS: I wasn't born
in America, I was born
in Romania.

For 13 years,
that was my home.

This, my first born, Lord,
I give to Thee.

Guide his life according
to Thy will.

(LAUGHS)

Isn't he beautiful?

Of course, babies
are always beautiful
to their parents...

But this one,

our first,

looks so serene,
so thoughtful.

Let's name him James,
for my step-father,

and Donald
for my step-brother.

That's fine.

PRIEST: James Walter,

I baptize thee
in the name
of the Father

and of the Son,

and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

PRIEST: James Walter,
may you be a light
to the world

and to the glory of God.
Amen.

What wonderful colors!

I wish you could
see them too!

I'd like to, Donny,
but I'm too big to fit
under the table.

It's so nice being small.
I hope I never grow up.

I can hide in all sorts
of little places.

I don't want
to grow up, Mother.

Grown-ups have to take
everything so seriously.

To earn money,
to make plans.

And look at Ghicolescu,
our Ploiesti grocer,

he always looks so worried.

Life is to be
enjoyed, Mother,

it's wonderful
just to live!

Yes, it is.

Daddy, there really isn't
a Santa Claus, is there?

I mean, think of
all the chimneys
in the world...

And besides that,
think how many homes
don't even have chimneys.

How could Santa Claus
cover all those homes
in just one night?

Well, son,

a lot of people
do believe in Santa.

But you don't believe
in him, right, Daddy?

I understand.

But well, it's more fun
to believe in him,

so I think I'll believe
in him anyway.

There are two kinds
of truths, the ones
we know are true,

and the ones we wish
were true because
we like them.

And then, I wonder
if there isn't a third
kind of truth,

something I can't put
my finger on.

Well, son...

I'm a scientist.

I guess, maybe I'm a little
caught up in the reality I see
in front of my eyes.

But people should
be happy too, Daddy.

Somehow, I think
truth should also
help us to be happy.

(CHILDREN CHATTERING
INDISTINCTLY)

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

(GATE CREAKS)

Come on, Donny!

What's the matter,
Donny?

I don't know,
I feel strange.

You're all burning up!

I'll call your mother
at once, okay?

Donny, come on!

Oh, honey!

I must call the doctor.

Your son has colitis.

He must abstain completely
from all dairy products.

Milk, cheese, butter.

No dairy products at all,

and only bland,
soft cooked food.

And I also strongly recommend
that you send him
away to school,

in some place like Switzerland.

The climate there
will be healing.

(CRICKETS CHIRPING)

I wonder if I'll ever learn
to think as others do.

I keep asking, "Why?"

but nobody seems to care.

I keep trying to get things
clear in my mind,

but people don't seem
to think it matters.

Mother...

Sometimes I feel so alone!

We're all of us alone, dear,
before God.

BOY: Look who it is.
Not that kid again.

Get him.

Ow!
(BOYS SNICKER AND LAUGH)

Oh, God!

Why did you do that?

What do you mean?
He's English,
I'm Italian,

is that not
reason enough?

He's small,
and you're big.

No, that's not
reason enough.

(SCHOOL BELL RINGING)
Lunch is starting.

WALTERS: I don't like
what's happening in the world.

So many people

angry with one another,

and for what reason?

Hello, boys!

Mother, this is Gogu.

Hello, Gogu!

Do you like it?

You can keep it.

I'll help.

He lives in a slum,
across Boulevard Busteni.

Just imagine, his family have
to cover their windows
with newspapers.

They can't even
afford glass.

I'd like him to play
with my toys,

and if he likes them,
I'll give him a few.

Bienvenido, Gogu!

It's very nice, dear.

Thank you.

Pass it to me!

I got it!

Oh...

Give it back! Over here.
Here you go! Here you go!

BOY 1: All right,
got it, got it.
Come on!

BOY 2: Yeah, I got it.

Oh, man!

WALTERS: Gogu...

You wanna come join us?

(SPEAKING OTHER LANGUAGE)

So is that why you
brought me here?

Let's go home.

(WALTERS CRYING)

Donny...

Oh, Mother!

My heart is broken.

I thought those boys
were my friends,

Gogu especially.

How could they
possibly treat me
in that way?

Oh, dearest...

I feel your pain.

Come.

Sit down.

You must keep in mind that
there is much unrest in Europe
and in Romania.

To them, we are foreigners.

It isn't you who have drawn
their anger.

It's the fact
that you're American.

(PLAYING PIANO)

ADULT WALTERS:
From the loneliness
of my childhood,

I began to realize
that I couldn't rely on others,

but needed to find my strength
within myself.

My search led me to Charleston,
South Carolina,

where I studied stagecraft.

One evening, I took a long walk
out into the fading night.

I was 21 then.

I hadn't a newer belief in God.

But now I ask myself urgently,

"If there's a God,
what must he be like?"

He just can't be some
man-like judge,

waiting for us to stumble
so he can clap us into hell.

He must be something
great and inspiring

to have produced
his vast universe,

to have produced us.

The thought that came next was,

"What is making me
ask this question?"

Surely I'm asking
because I'm conscious.

God himself, therefore,
must be consciousness.

(TRAIN HORN BLARING)

What are your plans
for the summer?

(SIGHS)

I'm not sure yet.

Well, I'm being sent over
to Cairo, Egypt.

And I am going
to join him

as soon as
I get this house
packed up.

Ooh...

Bob and Dick
would be in college.

But I'm not sure
where I'll be.

I still haven't found
what I'm looking for.

Maybe I'll find it in nature.

I plan on taking my bike
upstate New York.

Some exercise
would do you good.

(SIGHS IN RELIEF)

I have a book
I borrowed from mother.

A short-word Bible.

Maybe there I'll find
the answer I'm seeking.

Here are the excerpts
from the Hindu religion...

(SIGHS) Whatever that is.

"For perfect bliss grows only
in the bosom tranquilized,

"the spirit passionless,
purged from offense,

"vowed to the infinite.

"He who thus vows
his soul to the
Supreme Soul, quitting sin,

"passes unhindered
to the endless
bliss of unity with Brahma."

(GASPS)

What marvelous teachings!

This...

This is what
I've been looking for.

Don!

Mother!

Where have you been?

Bike riding.

I'm so worried
about you, Don.

What will become of you?

You've left college.
You've left the theater...

Have you any plans?

I'll see what God wants.

At last, I hear
you use that word, "God."

Will you live
just a little
for him now?

I have no choice
but to go to Egypt,

but I promise I'll pray to Him
every day that He guides
your footsteps.

I know
I need help, Mother.

I have no idea
where to get it.

Perhaps your prayers
will help.

Dear...

Make sure you write
every week.

I will.

(SHIP HORN BLARING)

Oh, I hate
that sound.

I have to go.

I'll walk you.

I'd like to see your books
on Hindu philosophy.

You'll find them over there.

Okay, thank you.

"The Cosmic Eye."

What an attractive face.

"The author
lives in California."

How strange!

I've always known
I was destined to go there.

And he seems
somehow familiar to me.

I know he can help me find God.
Oh, it's just too fantastic.

"Dedicated to the memory
of Luther Burbank...

"An American saint."

But... How preposterous.

How could anyone
become a saint

in this land
of the almighty dollar?

This materialistic desert.

This isn't what
I am looking for.

(SIGHS)
An American saint,
indeed!

Is there something
in this book that I'm
meant to read?

How can you know what the book
is really like

if you won't even read it?

Don!

It's been years since
Scarsdale High School!

It's great to
see you again,
how have you been?

Say, I've got
this fantastic new job
in advertising,

right here in New York City.

I'll be working in radio.

Oh, I have
a great future
ahead of me!

I got this girl now

and we're going
to get married
and have a big family

and get a big house
somewhere nice,
like Scarsdale.

Maybe you can come
and visit me sometime.
Uh...

Us. (LAUGHS)

WALTERS: What desolation!

I'd rather die
than live that way.

This book has already become
precious to me.

(CAR HORNS HONKING)

Don, are you okay?

Doug,

it was good
to see you again.

I'm not sure
where I'll be, but...

I wish you all the best.

WALTERS: The family
was now living in Calcutta,

where Father had been
permanently transferred...

Following the patriarchal
Indian custom,

Ananda had brought his bride
to live in our home,

now at 4 Gurpar Road.

There, in a small attic room,

I engaged in daily meditations

and prepared my mind
for the divine search.

I find Yogananda is a monk.

I will be a monk.

WALTERS: I left
from New York
the next day

travelling by bus to Encinitas.

What joy I'll know
when I find God! What love!

I was prepared
to leave everything

for just a little peace of mind,

and now I know that
God is the perfection

of everything
I've ever longed for.

I'll be able to help others
in the best way possible, yes!

God is the answer,

but also having a true guru
will take me to that answer.

And I've found the fastest way
to reach him.

Oh, thank you, God! Thank you!

(MAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)

Okay, special on sourdough!

What'll it be?
Ham and eggs?

We've got some great
ham here today.

Thanks, but not the ham.

You see,
I'm a vegetarian.

A what? (LAUGHS)

My God,
how long have you been
whatever this is?

Three days.

So when did
the lightning hit you?

You see,
what changed me,

was this book
I'm carrying.

The author's
a vegetarian,

and I've made my mind up
to become like him.

That book made
such a great
impact on you?

Yeah.

Well... Must have
been some read!
(CHUCKLES)

Well, so what
will it be?

Have you any fruit?

Yuck! Monkey food!

(SOFTLY) Thank you.

These won't put
any hair on your chest.

Say, you're a cute kid.

How come you're alone?

Why isn't there
a girl with you?

I have decided
to become a monk.

What?

So you're cheating deserving
womankind of a good man!

What's wrong
with you, anyway?

Why are you so selfish?

Don't you think
you'd better get back
to your other customers?

WOMAN: Excuse me?

WALTERS: Is it selfish to seek
a way out of my little self?

There's a whole universe
out there

and people
think only, "I, I, I".

"Me, me, me!",
"mine, mine, mine!"

It's appalling.

Yogananda offers a way
of bringing bliss to everyone,

through the technique
of Kriya Yoga.

Is that going to be
a problem for me?

I'm a normal human being.

But I want God!

Excuse me, hi,

would you have change
for a dollar?

MAN: Call your wife?

Oh, no,
my grandparents.

They live in town.
Thank you.

Departure time!

I'll never forget
this summer.

It's the best summer
I've ever had!

We've loved having
you here, Timmy,

but it's time
for you to go home.

Oh, Grandma!
I'll miss you so...

You're not the only one.

We've become
very fond of you.

That you write to us,
do you hear?

Maybe come back
next summer.

Okay, I will.

Okay.

(TRAIN HORN BLARING)

All right, let's go.

Let us know
how things
are going.

Maybe next summer.

WALTERS: Families!
They mean so much to us!

Yet,

if a child were to die
and be reborn nextdoor,

would his former mother
even recognize him?

There is true kinship
only in God.

I love my grandparents,
but I won't call them now.

I'm on a sacred pilgrimage.

I must avoid
every possible distraction.

I must!

(WIND BLOWING IN DISTANCE)

(KNOCKS ON DOOR)

May I help you?

Is Paramahansa Yogananda in?

Oh, you must be here
to check the water?

Oh, no. (LAUGHS)

Uh... Paramahansa Yogananda?
Is he in?

No, I'm afraid he's away
for the weekend.

Is there something
I can do for you?

I wanted to see him.

He is lecturing
at the Hollywood church.

You have a church there?

I want to join his work.

I want to live here.

Have you studied
his printed lessons?

Lessons?

Uh... I didn't know there were
lessons to be studied.

There is a full course
of them.

I'm afraid you couldn't join
until you'd completed the lot.

And, uh,

how long does that take?

Four years.

Four years...

How am I to get
to the Hollywood church?

There it is! There it is!

Oh, hey, hey!
Church man!
It's $1.50.

Thank you.
Keep the change.

Hi.

Hi. How may I help you?

Could I please speak
with Paramahansa Yogananda?

Whom? Oh, I see.

I'm sorry,
you can't see him today.

His appointments
are fully booked.

Booked? Um,
for how long?

The next two
and a half months.

Uh...

But I came all the way
from New York.

I read his book there.

Hmm... Well,

I'm sorry,

but you'll just
have to wait.

Hi.

Are you a disciple?

Yes, I'm one of the monks
at Mount Washington.

Are you hoping
to join us?

Yes... Um...

But I'm told I must wait.

You see that young man
sitting behind you?

Yeah.

That's Herbert.
He's waiting too.

Has he been waiting long?

Oh, no, not long.

About three months.

WALTERS: Three months?

Could it be that
I'm just not ready yet?

Though, I think
if I were more
ready I'd burst!

Still,

could this be a lesson for me,
in humility?

I certainly need that.

Everything in my life
has come to me so easily.

I must realize that everything
comes only by God's will.

Pardon me...

Since you've come
such a long way,

I'll ask the Master
if he'll see you today.

His appointments
are finished now.

(SIGHS NERVOUSLY)

The Master
will see you now.

Now, please tell me,

how may I help you?

I want to be your disciple.

I should tell you
that I'm seeing you

only because
Divine Mother told me to.

I want you to know that.

I do only what

Divine Mother says.

Now then,

what brought you here?

I read your book
in New York.

How did you like it?

It was wonderful.

That is because

it has my vibrations.

It's the most
wonderful book
I've ever read.

Are you drawn
to any of the three
main delusions?

Sex, wine,

and money?

Money and wine
mean nothing to me.

But sex has been a problem.

I saw that
the moment you entered.

But I am glad
that you are truthful with me.

With your help,
I hope to overcome
the temptation.

You have no wish
to get married?

None.

Marriage just
wouldn't work for me.

It might be all right
for some people,

but for me
it would be a disaster.

I want to become
a monk like you.

Marriage isn't as fine
for anybody as people
like to make out.

I knew a couple once,

of whom everybody said,
"How harmonious they are".

But I could see
behind the scenes.

When the couple was alone,

they would shout
to each other angrily.

I said to them,

"Why do you put up
that false front
before others?

"Why not try to become
what they think you are?"

I could tell you
many stories
of heartbreaks

that I have seen.

The desire for
human love
is really

only the soul's longing
for oneness with God.

God.

Only God is the answer

to all men's yearning.

That is what
I yearn for.

So, tell me,

what talents have you?
What can you do?

Uh...

I wanted to be a writer.

A writer?

I wonder, sir,

I could be of
some help to you
in your own writings.

Beautiful as your book is,

I found in it
a few split infinitives.

Did you?

(INHALES DEEPLY)

Hmm...

I'm accepting
only those now

with good karma.

In fact,

I'm taking
very few disciples.

You have good karma.

God tells me

to accept you.

I give you
my unconditional love.

Will you give me yours?

Oh, yes.

With all my heart,

I give you
my unconditional love.

I love you not for
what you can give me,

but as your spiritual son
and disciple.

Come,

kneel before me.

Now repeat these words
after me.

I will live my life...

I will live my life...

Only for God.

Only for God.

I will do his will...

I will do his will...

In everything.

In everything.

Always.
Always.

I give...
I give.

...my unconditional love...

Unconditional love...

...and obedience...
And obedience.

...to you...
To you.

...my guru.
My guru.

And will no longer live...

And will no longer live.

...for personal
gratification.

For personal gratification.

Help me, Lord...
Help me, Lord.

...in this...
In this.

...my solemn vow.
My solemn vow.

Om.
Om.

Peace.
Peace.

Amen.
Amen.

Now you are part
of our spiritual family.

And what truer family
could there be?

Jesus Christ said

"Who is my father,

"my mother and brother,

"and sister,

"save him

"who loves God."

I got it.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

You all right?
Okay.
Yeah. (LAUGHS)

Welcome to Mount Washington,
the home of our
monastic family.

You'll be living here.
I have the room
next to yours.

(PANTS)
It's beautiful!

WALTERS:
Where do the men live?

NORMAN:
In the basement,
most of them.

This is it.

Don't mind the apartments,
they aren't altogether fancy.

Our schoolboys
from the Encinitas
colony,

they did
all the carpentry.

And Dr. Kennell,
the minister of our
San Diego church,

he invented the substance
used for the floor.

(EXHALES)

I like the
aristocratic air
of those windows.

But don't overlook
the floor.

Dr. Kennell boasted
that the substance
would outlast the Taj Mahal!

(LAUGHS)

Seems to fit
the ancient dictum,

"Dust dictum art".

Oh, don't mind
the bed either,
it's a little hard.

(WALTERS SIGHS)

We can get you a quilt
from the storage room
in the main building basement.

Folded up,
it should make
an adequate mattress.

Step.
WALTERS: (STRAINING)
Carpet's caught there.

Got it?
Yeah.

All right?

Yeah, thank you.

Okay.

You know, you can
protect the closet
from the dust on the floor

somewhat using that
strip of monk's cloth.

Okay. Thank you.

Uh, where would you
like the table?

Um...

Let it go over here.
Sure.

Thank you.
Got it?

Let's go over...

Perfect.
Okay?

(COUGHING)

(COUGHING)

I think...

I think
it's magnificent,
everything!

(LAUGHING)
Thank you.

Thank you.

(BOTH SIGH)

Let's go to dinner.
Thank you.

(CONTINUES COUGHING)

(WHISPERING INDISTINCTLY)

We have a new monk.

Welcome.
WALTERS: Thank you.

You've already
met Bernard.
Yes.

Harvey Allen.
Yes.

Clifford Fredricks,
and Bill Brown.

Hello, nice
to meet you.
Nice to meet you, too.

NORMAN:
This is Daniel Boone.
Nice to meet you.

WALTERS:
Nice to meet you.

I can't tell you
how happy I am
to be here.

Thank you.

Why do we have a picture
of Jesus Christ
on our alter?

Surely he is not
in our line of gurus.

Do we include him
just to

appease the
Christian denominations?
(LAUGHS)

Master has told us

that it was Jesus himself
who appeared to Babaji

and asked him to
send his teachings of
self-realization to the West.

"My followers,"
Jesus asserted
at that meeting,

"have lost sight of the art
of inner communion.

"Hourly they do good works,

"but they have lost sight
of the most important
of my teachings,

"to seek the kingdom
of God first."

When will we see
Master again?

(PANTS)

He's gone south
to our colony
in Encinitas.

Next Sunday he speaks
in San Diego.

But we expect him back
for the service
in Hollywood

the Sunday after next.

Okay.

Master wants me
to teach you our
energization exercises,

and the preliminary
meditation technique.

Shall we go?
Yes.

Feel the energy
flowing into your body...

(INHALES SHARPLY)

(EXHALES)

(BOTH INHALING SHARPLY)

And relax...

Never go to sleep
at night

until you feel
you have established
some contact with God.

Always remember,

this world is a snake pit.

Behind every rosebush
of pleasure

there lurks a rattlesnake
of suffering.

Money...

Money will not alleviate
your sorrows.

The desire for money
is one of life's
greatest delusions.

And remember this,

delusion never
keeps its promises.

(ALL LAUGHING)

Finding God

is the only
purpose of life.

I urge all
of you to read the
Autobiography of a Yogi.

It will inspire you
to live for God.

Many people are coming
from far and near

after reading that book.

One young man read it recently
in New York,

and left everything to...

Walter?
Walter, please stand.

Yes, Walter, please stand.

Walter read the book
in New York,

and left everything
to come here.

Now he has become
one of us.

I never wrote
the lessons myself.

They were put together

from lectures
that I had given,
memories of them,

and from old
magazine articles.

But I have
never been satisfied
with the results.

I would like
to rewrite them
from the beginning.

Dorothy!

"The three wise men...

(DOROTHY TYPING)

"...who came
to the Christ child

"in Bethlehem."

What I teach,
Jesus also taught.

Jesus appeared to Babaji
in the Himalayas,
and said,

"My followers
are doing good work,

"but they've forgotten
my teachings

"on how to commune
with God."

You know,

I was sent to the West
by God himself

to bring back
original Christianity,

and the original yoga teachings
of Lord Krishna.

WALTERS:
Master never got to
finish his lessons.

At his desert retreat, however,
he taught me their essence.

I spent many months
in this sacred place with him.

Years later,
I wrote them anew.

I'm so happy
you've made such
progress, Herbert!

You're already
taking charge
of the church in Arizona.

It is all
thanks to Master.

Herbert!

When you speak
to the congregation
in Phoenix

never feel that
you are speaking.

Always remember
that it is God who is
speaking through you.

Thank you, sir.

You have a great work
to do.

It is you
I'm talking to, Walter.

WALTERS: From then on,
Master often said
those same words to me.

(DOOR CLOSES)

Master wants you
to give the service
tomorrow in San Diego.

Tomorrow?

(STAMMERS) But I've
sent an announcement
to the papers

saying that Master himself,
after an absence
of two months,

will be appearing there!

Well, he seems to have
changed his mind

or something important
has come up.

In any case, he wants you
to speak in his stead.

But I'm only 22!

I've never spoken
in public before!

He also wants you
to give a Kriya
initiation afterwards.

What?

(STUTTERS)

I've only attended
one Kriya initiation
so far, I mean...

My own?

Here's some money.
Take the next bus.

Bernard?

Uh, Bernard?

From reports
I have received,

everyone was
especially pleased
with your humility.

(STUTTERS)

Under the
circumstances,
Master,

it was difficult
to express anything else.

Master has put me
in charge of you all.

I just want you to know

that I will do anything
any of you ask

as long as
it doesn't go against
our way of life,

and my own conscience.

Why should
we follow you, Don?
Who are you, anyway?

I'm sorry, Jerry.
I'm no one.

I'm only obeying
Master's instructions.

For instance,

he wants us to keep silent
at the dining table.

From now on,
I'm going to have
to ask you

to obey his rule
in the matter,
not mine.

I...

I don't know why
I hate you, Don.

I just...
I just hate you.

I'm sorry, Jerry.
I don't hate you.

I don't even understand
what hatred is.

To me, you're my friend.

Walter...

You've been living
too much in your mind.

You must learn to live
more in your heart.

Get devotion.

Devotion is the
most important thing
on the path to God.

Thank you, Master.

I know what
you've said is right.

I'll do my best.

Is the plaster ready?

I'm having the
hardest time with it.

It must be old.

(SIGHS)

I have to keep
adding water to it,
it keeps setting.

YOGANANDA: Boys!

Come here!
Come here!

(YOGANANDA LAUGHS)

I can see you are both
enjoying yourselves, huh?

You are both looking
like handsome karmajogis.

Come, let us go.

Bye-bye.

I think Master
must have kept us
here a good half hour.

I know.

I'll gonna have to
take a sledgehammer
to that plaster

to get it off the board.
Yeah.

(PANTS)

WALTERS: Oh, my...

Norman.

It's soft.

(LAUGHS IN ASTONISHMENT)

What?

It's a miracle!

(BOTH LAUGHING)

Oh, my God.
What?

It's a miracle!

You all must come again.

Thank you so much.
Thank you, Guruji.

Sit down, Walter.

WALTERS: He's teaching me
something, I know.

But I got it in.

Once I begin something,
I should never quit
until it's finished.

Now then,
I have something
to say to you, Walter.

When you are
with materialistic people,

please do not
talk about miracles.

You knew?

Yes.

I know every thought
you think.

For example,

what did you say last week
to that parishioner,
Joe Bentley?

Hmm?

Well, I said I'd be
speaking in church
the next evening.

He said he'd be sure
to be there.

I didn't
like his insincerity.
He'd have come, anyway.

Yes, but you told him
to check people's pockets

for garbage
as they come in.

Do not speak like that.
It is not dignified!

I'm so sorry, sir.
It won't happen again.

But, Master,

I am so grateful you keep
such a close check on me.

Please,
correct me anytime
you find me wrong.

WALTERS:
And that's how Master was.

I once heard of Master
visiting a thrift store.

Stop the car.

(DOORBELL CHIMES)

(DOOR CLOSES)

(BLOWS WHISTLE)

(SOBBING)

Oh, sir!

I so badly needed just
this sum of money today.

I was beginning
to despair that it was
near closing time.

This surely must be
the grace of God.

Thank you.

WALTERS:
Master's presence there
at that moment

was surely the grace of God.

(CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY)

(MEN GROAN)
Oh.

Be careful how you
move that tree!

Can't you feel it?
It is alive!

I'm always amazed
at Master's compassion

for every living thing.

God is in everything.

We should try to feel
His presence

everywhere...

Not only in other people
and animals,

but even in plants.

I guess that means
we shouldn't kill
anything.

But, Master,
is it all right to kill
harmful creatures,

such as rattlesnakes
and black widow spiders?

In such cases it is right,

not for killing's sake,

but because human life
is precious.

We should protect it
from harmful creatures

who are lower in the
evolutionary scale.

What about
harmless insects,
like flies?

They aren't a threat
to human life,
just a nuisance.

Nevertheless, in countries
where they are allowed
to proliferate,

they spread diseases.

Their presence
should therefore
be kept under control.

Harmlessness is an
important principle,

but in the realm
of relativity

no principle can be
applied absolutely.

I...

I once asked
Mahatma Gandhi

what he would do if a madman
were to come to his village

and start shooting
everyone in sight.

He replied,

"I would let him
shoot me first."

I did not want to argue,

so I refrained from asking him
the obvious next question.

"What if he killed you,

"then went on
to kill everyone else?"

Obviously, it would be
better to restrain

and, if necessary,
kill one man

than to let
hundreds be killed.

We have to be realistic.

That means we should also be
practical in our idealism.

In this world,
principles must be kept

within the bounds
of common sense.

Was Gandhi a saint,
Master?

He was very saintly.

Dorothy!

Please bring me
that package of things
I bought today.

Walter...

Thank you.

(TOY PISTOL FIRES)

(LAUGHS)

(CHUCKLES)

(GASPS)

(TOY PISTOL FIRES)

(LAUGHS)

How do you like that,
Walter, huh?

It's fine, sir.

Oh, Walter,
you are too serious.

"Suffer little children
to come unto me,

"for of such
is the kingdom of God."

Jesus Christ said that, yes.

You want to become
more childish, Walter.

Not so serious,
more childish, mmm?

Hey, Joe, be careful
with that ladder.

Oh, I'll be fine.

Master! I'm ashamed
for you to see our
dining room in such a mess.

Oh, well,
things might be worse!

(LAUGHS)

(SIGHS)

The most important thing
for the disciple

is attunement with the
guru's consciousness.

(CHUCKLES)

(SIGHS)

Walter...

As it says in the Bible,

"As many as received him,

"to them gave he power
to become the sons of God."

The guru's role is,

through the disciples'
attunement with him,

to bring them to God.

Some of you will fall.

Master!

Oh!

But it needn't be...

It needn't be,
if you stay in tune.

But, Master,

isn't it important
also for us to develop
our own free will?

But your will
is not free

so long as you follow
what your ego tells you.

But it saddens me to see
how little you have
understood...

How little you
have understood of
the need for attunement.

It isn't...
It isn't personal.

I am not the guru,
God is your guru.

And there is so much,
so much you all could...

You all could do,
not only for yourselves
and for God,

but for others.

Walter, why don't you
grow a beard?

Do you think so,
Master?

None of the other monks
have beards.

(CHUCKLES)

Try it.
It will give
you character.

It will, uh, also
make me a character!

Try it.

I'm glad you played
the part of Jesus
in the tableau.

(CHUCKLES)

You know, people wrote
to me to tell me

how much you looked
like him.

Master, I'd rather
be like him

than look like him.

That will come.

YOGANANDA: Walter...

What keeps the Earth
from shooting off
into space?

It's the gravitational pull
of the sun, sir.

Then what keeps it
from being drawn
into the sun?

That's the centrifugal force

which makes it

try to keep moving
ever farther away.

WALTERS:
I thought Master wanted a lesson
in elementary astronomy.

Months later, I realized that
he'd been speaking to me,

allegorically, of the
soul's relationship to God,

the Bhagavad Gita
is a short excerpt

from the Mahabharata,

one of the two
great epics

written in ancient India.

The Mahabharata,

and therefore
also the Bhagavad Gita,

were written by

Vedavyasa.

The Mahabharata
is not a straight history.

It is a deep allegory

based on actual persons

and real events.

The battle of Kurukshetra
actually took place.

The Pandava brothers,

and much of what
happens in the story

took place also.

But Byasa fictionalized...

Fictionalized them
to give the story

a much more deep
and spiritual meaning.

The story concerns
a war between the good,

upward-moving tendencies
in every human being,

and the bad,
downward-moving
tendencies also.

That was Byasa's quality.

The names of most of the
warriors in the story

are derived from
Sanskrit words

that mean pride,
jealousy, and other
negative qualities.

And also kindness,
generosity,

and other
very positive qualities.

Yes, that was
Byasa's genius.

(SIGHS)

Well, Walter,
now I want you to stay
at the monks' retreat

and simply edit.

Yes, Master.

I have three main books
I want you to work on,
the Bhagavad Gita,

which you will do later
as it is not yet ready
for editing.

My commentaries
on the Gospels

and The Rubaiyat
of Omar Khayyam,

a great Sufi poem
which was deliberately
disguised as a love poem

to protect it
from the hands of
religious fanatics,

but which God...
God himself revealed to me

as a deeply
spiritual work...

Yes, start with
The Rubaiyat.

Thank you, Master.

Oh, my!

What depth!

But it puzzles me
why Master says,
of this stanza,

that it means such and so,

and in the very next paragraph
he say sit also means
so and such.

Can't he make up his mind?

WALTERS: This became the
supreme test of my life.

I began to doubt my own
guru's wisdom.

I knew he was my guru,
I knew he was great,

but I reached the point
where if he'd said
"It's sunny in San Diego,"

an insidious voice
within my head
would have replied

"I'll bet it's raining."

Satan was testing me.

Sometimes I'd simply
collapse on my bed
in despair.

I had no desire
to return to the world,

but this nagging demon of doubt
caused me unceasing agony.

For four entire months
I suffered intensely
from doubt.

Still, I worked,
and I think
I did good work.

(SIGHS)

Work like lightning,
there is not a moment to lose.

But do not change a word.

How is it possible to edit
and not change a word?

It just can't be done!

WALTERS: All I felt
I could do legitimately

was change unnecessarily
capitalized words

in the old magazine
to lower case,

and to erase a lot of
unnecessary commas.

Other monks got to come out,

and to go over
to Master's retreat.

But I was left alone.

It's so wonderful
to see Master writing.

I've always liked
his sense of humor.

Today he said to us,
smiling

"Your teeth are like stars,
they come out at night!"

(BOTH LAUGH)

What misery.

Donald...

Master has finished
with his dictation.

He wants you to
come over tomorrow

and help him
with his commentaries.

I, uh...

A new scripture
has been born.

I did not write
this work.

I asked Vedavyasa
to write it through me.

Millions...
Millions will find God
through this book.

Take it home, Walter.

Go through it.

Then we will discuss it

and you can give me
any ideas you have.

Oh, Master,

this is the
most wonderful thing
I've ever read my life.

Now,

let's get to work.

WALTERS:
But I was still not
his main editor,

that person's name
was Laurie Pratt.

She lived separately.

One day while I was there
she came over to Master's.

My, that certainly
was a lot of work

you did on The Rubaiyat!

Not that it did
any good.

She shouldn't have
said that.

And you did such
good work!

All those capitals,

they would have
made us a laughingstock.

But she was right,
Master.

You are defending her?

Never mind.

We will do good work now.

I understand, sir,
what you meant by
"don't change a word".

You meant,
"don't change a thought."

Very good, Walter!

Too many of my editors
in the past have changed

my thoughts
to their own idea

of what I ought to
have written.

One editor,
every time I complained
at a change she'd made,

waited a few days,
then sent me pages,
single spaced,

explaining how wrong I was,

and what a wrong position
I had taken.

Virginia claims
credit for putting
the lessons together,

but it was really she.

She did all the work.

And she has
such deep devotion!

Sometimes she sends letters
to the editor of the
Los Angeles Times.

And when they pay her $15
or whatever small amount,

she always gives
the money to me.

She is a wonderful soul.

She will get there
in this life.

Your work in this life
Walter, will be editing,
lecturing, and writing.

Writing...

But, Master, haven't
you already said

everything in your
own writings

that could possibly
be said?

Don't say that!
Much more is needed!

Apart from my
foremost disciple,
Saint Lynn,

every man
has disappointed me.

And, Walter, you must
not disappoint me!

There have been good men,

but they have all sought
their own enlightenment.

There is very much more
that God wants me

to bring to the world...

You must understand that,
Walter, please...

You have done
good work, Walter.

It is enough, Master,
just to be with you.

Just a bulge
of the ocean!

I killed Yogananda
many lifetimes ago.

No one dwells
in this temple now

but God.

A life of renunciation
is not for everybody.

It needs a lot of

sincere dedication,
meditation.

Sir, my parents are coming
for a visit next week.

They've been living
in Egypt. My father...

You have no father!

I'm sorry.
I meant my earthly father.

He has been very worried
about the path I've chosen.

I don't think this will be
an easy meeting.

(CHUCKLES)

One thing I know
that he won't like
is this beard!

Over the past months,
it has become very shaggy.

Now it is quite a bush.
(CHUCKLES)

Louise?

Louise, bring me
a scissor and comb.

(LAUGHS)

(LAUGHS)

(LAUGHS)

There.

That is how
you should keep it.

If I were
to get opinions

from a few doctors
about these teachings

about the energizing
the body by willpower,

would you accept
their verdict?

Dad...

Doctors aren't omniscient.

We are just pray
you'll find what
you're looking for.

I have.

(LAUGHS)

Now, I would like to ask
my special guest to speak
a few words to you.

As you all know,
this event

is to benefit his work
in America.

Great Master,
Paramhansa Yogananda,

would you please address
a few words to our guests?

(ALL APPLAUDING)

This day marks
the birth of a new era.

My spoken words
are registered
in the ether,

in the Spirit of God.

And they shall move the West!

Self-realization has come
to unite all religions.

We must go on,
not only those who are here,

but thousands of youths

must go north, south,
east and west

demonstrating
that simplicity of living

plus high thinking

lead to the
greatest happiness.

World brotherhood colonies...

WALTERS:
What marvelous inspiration!

I vow this day

that I will do everything
in my power

to bring his dream
to outward manifestation.

Remember this, Walter.

Living for God
is martyrdom.

Everyone who ever
finds Him

must go through
many, many tests.

The metal of his
very being must be
purged of every impurity.

God...

God also tests
through the guru.

You know, Walter,
only one person in my life

has passed all my tests.

Saint Lynn.

Sister Gyanamata
is very close.

I have, many times,
searched her life

and found therein
not a single sin, not even...

Not even of thought.

My most
advanced disciples
are, in order,

Saint Lynn,

Mr. Black, of Detroit,

and Sister Gyanamata.

But I'm worried most
about Mr. Black
of Detroit.

You know,
I asked both him
and Saint Lynn

to come here
as often as possible.

Saint Lynn comes,
comes regularly,

but Mr. Black...

He almost never comes.

Mr. Black thinks that he can
get there on his own.

But he is slowly
finding out

he is bogging down
just a little.

I am... I'm trying to help him.

I visited Master
in Encinitas last year.

It was raining
cats and dogs.

A monk came to my room

and told me Master wanted me
to go out with him for a drive.

I looked out the window

and saw it was still raining
as heavily as ever.

But then I thought,
he knows what he's doing.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

I looked around me in amazement.

The sky was completely blue!

The ground was dry!

The driveway was dry,
the car was dry.

Master just looked at me
with a quiet smile and said...

For you, Oliver.

How he was able
to change God's dream

so suddenly and completely
just baffles me.

(LAUGHS)

Master...

As I have said
many times,

I have searched her life

and found therein
not a single sin.

Not even in thought.

For 20 years,
she suffered in great pain.

I saw her yesterday.

She said to me

"Please, let me go."

And I said

"Yes... Yes."

And then she left her body

and cried out

"What joy! Too much joy!

"Oh, too much joy!"

I saw her merge back
into that watchful state

of Infinite Spirit.

Her soul is
completely free now.

In God.

I feel that Master too
is about to leave us soon.

Hot!

Walter, give me your arm.

I find it difficult
to walk steadily.

I am in all bodies

but, still, I must remember

to keep this one body moving.

Master, who was that saint
you saw in Encinitas?

Which saint?

It was on the bluff,
overlooking the ocean.

But how can I know
to which saint you refer?

So many have come to me.

Really?

Why be surprised, Walter?

Where God is,
there His saints come.

My work is nearly finished.

My life is nearing its end.

Master...

Will you be as close to us
after you've gone
as you are now?

To those who think me near,
I will be near.

You have pleased me
very much, Walter.

I want you to know that.

What a relief it is
to hear you say that, sir.

I'm so sorry for having
doubted, sometimes.

(SIGHS)

It is your
karmic burden, Walter.

In past lives, you were
eaten up with doubts.

But you have always...

You have always had my love.

Always, Walter.

(EXHALES)

Rogers, you have
clear sailing.

What about me?

What about me?

And you will all have
clear sailing

if you stay in tune.

How people will change
this work after I am gone?

I just wonder,

were I to return
after 100 years,

whether I would even
recognize the organization

I had established...

Well, at least the message
will be there.

¶ Door of my heart

¶ Open wide I keep for Thee

¶ Door of my heart

¶ Open wide I keep for Thee

¶ Wilt Thou come
wilt Thou come?

¶ Just for once come to me

¶ Wilt Thou come
wilt Thou come?

¶ Just for once come to me

¶ Will my days fly away

¶ Without seeing Thee, my Lord?

¶ Will my days fly away

¶ Without seeing Thee, my Lord

¶ Night and day, night and day

¶ I look for Thee night and day

¶ Night and day, night and day

¶ I look for Thee night and day

¶ Door of my heart

¶ Open wide I keep for Thee

¶ Door of my heart

¶ Open wide I keep for Thee

¶ Wilt Thou come
wilt Thou come?

¶ Just for once come to me

¶ Wilt Thou come
wilt Thou come?

¶ Just for once come to me

¶ Will my days fly away

¶ Without seeing Thee, my Lord?

¶ Will my days fly away

¶ Without seeing Thee, my Lord?

¶ Night and day, night and day

¶ I look for Thee night and day

¶ Night and day, night and day

¶ I look for Thee
night and day ¶

WALTERS: I dedicate
my entire life to
serving you, beloved Guru.

And to doing everything I can to
bring your mission to mankind.

Who knows how many
days of Brahma

we have wandered in delusion.

But the end, the only reality,

and we'll have to find it,

because there's
no other reality...

We have to find God,
because we have come from God.

¶ My Lord
I will be Thine always

¶ My Lord
I will be Thine always ¶

(INAUDIBLE)