Krish had been invited to an interview on a national television, primetime show. On top of being watched by millions of viewers, the anchor was taking questions from live audience members. Most of the questions were about the science and mathematics that went into the research.
One older woman stood to ask a question. The wrinkles in her face and slightly disheveled white hair hinted at the many years behind her. She wore off-the-rack grey pants, a grey top, and a checkered red scarf around her neck. As the cameras turned toward her, Krish noticed she wore minimal jewelry.
The woman held the microphone that had been handed to her too close to her mouth at first. The rest of the audience could hear her wheezing breath as she took a few seconds to calm herself. When she did speak, her voice carried a slightly irritated tone.
“Hello, my name is Shirley. Sir, you sound like a smart person. I don’t understand most of the things you’re talking about, but before I walk out of here, do any of the things actually mean anything to me? My husband was a veteran. He shot himself after a long fight with depression. My son is addicted to pain medication and lost his job after he injured his back and neck trying to save the victims of recent terror attacks. Does your science help me solve my problems in a way that’s real, tangible? Thank you very much.”
There was silence in the studio. The anchor looked at Krish to judge his reaction. Krish was quiet. He could have dodged the question by saying something about how his research added to human knowledge and such. But, instead, he saw an opportunity. He cleared his throat, took a sip of water, and spoke with genuine compassion.
“Ma’am, I’m very glad you asked this question. First of all, thank you for your husband’s service and your son’s willingness to help others. Please see me after the show. I would like to introduce you and your son to meditation—to help you realize your vast, true nature. Let’s see what impact it has on your life. I’m confident that you will see improvement.”
The rest of the audience broke into spontaneous applause. The moment went viral on YouTube and received more than a million views. Suddenly, the art of meditation was all anyone could talk about.
Shirley and her son spent some time studying with Krish and his master.
A reporter from a TV channel in New York, where Shirley lived, decided to do a follow-up on her question. The reporter interviewed Shirley in her home several weeks later.
“Did you follow-up with Krish? What did you experience?”
Shirley looked strikingly different. Her eyes were full of energy, there was a spring in her step, and she was beaming with positivity and joy. She displayed a huge smile as she answered. “I did. I’m so peaceful now, so happy. My circumstances don’t affect me anymore. Secretly, I was taking pills for chronic panic attacks. I haven’t needed them at all since my work with Krish began. And the best part is, my son’s pain medicines are much more effective at a much lower dosage. He’s getting better. My life turned around that day! Things have absolutely changed for the better.”
Shirley was showered with affection and support by total strangers. Her success only fueled the incredible interest in Krish’s research and accomplishments.
When Krish saw the video, he was with Kathy and Anton. Both of them had undergone training with Krish and had also seen spectacular improvements in their energy and satisfaction with life.
Anton said, “My chronic pain is easing. I feel much better now. Using more advanced prosthetics, I’ll be able to take a few tentative steps with my own feet next month! Can we do some meditation together Krish? It’s much more effective when you guide us.”
They sat down and were about to start the session, when Prisha entered the room.
“What are you guys up to?” she asked sounding annoyed.
“We’re doing some mediation. Would you like to join?” Krish asked. He had tried several times, but Prisha didn’t trust this ‘meditation voodoo,’ as she called it.
“I don’t believe in this non-sense,” Prisha said dismissively before walking away.
Kathy looked at Krish sadly. “I can’t stand to see her suffer like this while you help so many others! Think about it… meditation is better than what she has now—nervous breakdowns and numerous side effects from her medications. You need to convince her. It’s like she’s dying of thirst, yet standing right next to a river! It’s right here for God’s sake! What’s wrong with you?”
Krish replied calmly, “She was very unstable during the summer and due to changes in her medication. I can’t force her.”
Anton interjected, “I think she likes Brits better. Let me try.” Anton convinced Prisha to just sit there and observe as they practiced their meditation.
Prisha witnessed the whole process from a unique vantage point and saw the joy radiate from their faces. She felt the vibrant energy shift all around her and slowly started to pay attention to her own breathing. Although she didn’t fully trust these methods, she had to admit that she felt better from the experience.
Within just a few days of practice, she saw an amazing improvement in herself. Her moods were more stable. The bitter experiences and scars from her job loss, the struggles she’d faced in the US, and even the conflict with her parents didn’t seem to affect her as much. She realized the tremendous energy she had inside of herself and that enabled her to break out of old thinking patterns and work toward a new beginning. Her medications were effective at much lower doses, and more importantly, the frustration and hopelessness she felt were replaced by a new zeal to live life to its fullest.
After his initial success with Shirley, Prisha, Kathy, and Anton, Krish contemplated ways to spread the sweet nectar of his realizations to a wider population.
“Traditionally, to sell any product you need capital, right?” Prisha asked one day with great enthusiasm. “But, in today’s world, dominated by social media, decimation of information about your product can be achieved by directly going to the masses! I think we should start a social media campaign.”
Krish smiled. “Wow! Thank goodness we have a business person among this gang of scientists. Only your mind could think of this valuable wealth we have as a commercial product!”
Prisha shrugged her shoulders, feeling quite proud of herself. “I know what I’m talking about. It’s marketing. You’ve got to think along these lines if you want to spread your ideas. Period. The most common mistake entrepreneurs make is being too attached to their products. You can be passionate about your product, but you also need to be savvy when it comes to marketing.”
Kathy smiled as she witnessed Krish and Prisha interacting like a normal couple for the very first time. She sensed the warmth and enjoyed the healthy, witty back-and-forth between the couple she now considered close friends. She sat down next to Prisha, held her hand, and looked at her lovingly. Kathy hugged her genuinely.
“What’s wrong?” Prisha asked, unsure of what had triggered this act of affection.
“It’s just so good to see your brilliance shine once again! God bless you both.”
Just then, Krish received a call.
“Is this Krish?”
“Yes.”
“This is Elton Hardy. I saw your interviews and YouTube videos. I would like to talk to you about your work. Is this a good time?”
“Hold on one minute. Let me step outside.” Krish placed his phone on mute, and whispered to the group, “It’s Elton Hardy!”
“Elton Hardy, the billionaire, serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, environmentalist, founder of Europa Inc., who wants to be the first private company to land on Jupiter’s moon?” Anton exclaimed.
Everyone looked at Anton, amused.
“Are you a member of his fan club or something?” Kathy teased.
“The president actually,” Anton announced proudly. “I get daily updates on my LinkedIn feed. He’s an icon!”
“All right then. I guess I better take this call.” Krish walked out of the room.
“Thanks for taking my call,” Elton said. �
��Let me get straight to the point. I’ll be blunt. I’m piqued by your research. I think it’s bullshit. How many attempts at this spirituality thing have there been before? It didn’t work. How is what you’re propagating any different?”
Krish responded calmly, “Well, let’s see. The scientific work is published in top-tier, peer reviewed journals. If you have any questions about it, I’m happy to discuss it with you, or if you don’t know enough mathematics, someone who does.” Krish paused to feel the effect of his statement on the other side before he continued. “As for the practical aspect of meditation, so far it has helped five people, and they’re very happy with the results. Try it out for yourself. If it doesn’t work for you, discard it and move on until you find something that does work and that you consider fundamentally sound.”
Elton smiled on the other end. “Okay, I’m going to take you up on it. Come visit me in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ll have trusted people from the Powell Foundation and other like-minded, top-tier billionaire philanthropists there. And we’ll throw in some mathematicians and physicists from UC Berkeley and Stanford too. Are you up for it?”
Krish remained steady. “Are you? Are you open to a life-altering possibility?”
“Great… I’ll see you next week then.”
Krish presented the mathematics and physics related aspects of his work to a group of twenty individuals from the world of academics, entrepreneurship, and billion-dollar philanthropists who genuinely wanted to improve life on this planet. His presentation was impeccable. In fact, as he concluded, he received a standing ovation from his audience. Krish warmly acknowledged the adulation.
“Enough theory, let’s get to the practical side of things. A picture is worth a thousand words, and an experience is worth a thousand pictures, so let’s start with that.” Krish closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. “Please sit up as straight as you can in your chairs. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and repeat the sound I make.”
Everyone repeated it three times and slowly opened their eyes.
“The gist of the matter is that, if you felt something in the last few moments, you need to follow that experience and see where it takes you.”
“I didn’t feel nothing!” one physicist said in a thick Russian accent.
Everyone chuckled at his comment.
Someone else joked, “Maybe you shouldn’t have had that shot of Vodka this morning.”
The group shared a big laugh.
The Russian physicist played along with a big smile, “I did actually!”
Krish steered the discussion back to the topic, “Yep, Vodka would do it. But, jokes aside, even if you didn’t feel anything now, let me share some experiences to help with the discussion.” Krish took a few steps away from the podium to allow the energy to flow between him and the audience. He mentally scanned through the compartments of his memory banks. “There are experiences in life that make you question whether there is more to life than what you can see and touch. It’s the same in science also. You reach a point where you feel there is more than you can measure and observe.”
Krish had the audience’s attention—some nodded in agreement while others stared at him sternly. “For example, a few years back, I clearly remember, I was in Pasadena, at my work desk that Sunday morning. I felt some sort of signal in my mind, someone was saying something to me. It was like a ping. Slowly I realized, it was my grandfather saying goodbye. Thus, I clearly knew my maternal grandfather had passed away in India before I heard the news from my mother, an hour later. He was old, but in good health when he suddenly passed away.
“Besides experiences like these, there is always a yearning inside every human to find out the true nature of life. Some bury this feeling in work or whatever else they like doing—good or bad. Many of us don’t have a choice but to carry on with work due to responsibilities and bills to pay and can’t afford to explore, so we ignore! But, what about those of us assembled here? You’re billionaires. If you choose, you could decide to just sit in one place or play golf all day. But look at you. You cannot stop working. It’s not just empathy and compassion for fellow humans or about having a purpose in life. Even if everyone in this world was happy, you couldn’t stop your activity.”
Krish was interrupted by an old man with greying hair. The man wore an old sweater, khakis, and worn tennis shoes. He had thick glasses that covered the wrinkled skin under his eyes. His hair looked as though it had been combed in a hurry. He tried to sneak in without causing a disturbance, but everyone in the room noticed him and stood up to welcome him. It was James Powell, the second richest man in the world!
He grabbed a seat in the back of the room and said apologetically, “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt. My secretary, Ana, texted me just now saying that I needed to check this out. ‘This is the real deal’, she said. Please continue.”
Krish seemed to be focused on something within, and said without fuss, “Welcome Mr. Powell. We are glad you joined us. As you have seen, the mathematics and physics behind this research is solid. Meditation has improved the experience of my life exponentially, and I finally know what my yearning was for. All I must say is, if it helps you in any such way, keep it. Otherwise, keep looking for something that works for you. If what I have is the truth, you will come back to it eventually. If this isn’t the truth, it will wither away. It’s like the scientific approach—you always challenge the working model, make sure it predicts experimental data and observations, and if it doesn’t, you modify it or replace it with something that does. It’s really that simple.”
James Powell raised his hand. “What’s your vision for this work, and what’s the execution strategy to expand it to the rest of population?”
Krish thought for a moment before answering. “I have a slide for that. First things first, I would like to train people in this room so you have the opportunity for a first-hand experience.”
Krish browsed through his slide deck until he found the one that contained the action plan. “My master and I will train and certify as many teachers as needed. We can do this in small groups of forty to fifty interested practitioners. It will take each group two months to be ready to train others. As many people as possible need to be trained in these simple practices. It’s crucial to reiterate that people should only keep these practices if they work for them, if it answers their yearnings, if it improves their life in any way. Otherwise, they must keep looking until they find something everlasting and fundamental.
“Slowly, these practices will need to become part of the public and private school curriculum. One final aspect is this—the person at the top needs to have impeccable integrity. If he falls short or passes away, the entire structure will falter. The best way to ensure this doesn’t happen is with diffused leadership. We must go back to the traditional teacher-disciple relationship—individualized approaches where these practices are part of everyday life. I would like to remove myself from the picture and make the whole system as self-sustaining as possible. Slowly, it will become part of everyone’s daily practice, like brushing your hair or eating breakfast. Components would need to be added to the training so that people don’t become disconnected from life. A certain percentage can, if they wish, but others need to keep working on sustainment and diffusion of experiences and leadership. Again, analogous to the scientific world where some do pure research and others do applied research and engineering.”
Everyone in the room listened carefully.
One person finally spoke. “I would like to opt out. I’m not interested. Sorry.” He briskly got up and left the room.
Krish was unaffected.
Elton Hardy said, “I’ll decide what to do after going through the training you provide.”
“Wonderful. I’ll get my colleagues here, and you will be the first receiver of the Quantum Democracy Program. I hope it works for you.”
After the training, there was no response from Elton Hardy and the group. While the elitists and wealthy were un
decided about their own experiences, treating it like a philanthropic investment decision, the common people were utilizing these tools readily to solve their problems and change their lives for the better.
Krish, Prisha, Kathy, and Anton began putting their own money into the program. The participants were making voluntary contributions as well.
More and more people were trained as teachers.
One afternoon, Prisha was reading a selection of numerous ‘thank you’ e-mails, and comments on videos and websites, to Krish. The feedback was mainly from the Southern California region, near their home in Pasadena.
“‘I feel more alive and energetic every day!’ this person writes. Oh, and here’s another, ‘Keep up the good work, God bless you.’ ‘I can sleep better. Thanks.’ This one says, ‘My dosage for pain meds has gone down. I don’t feel drugged-out all the time.’ ‘I take very few psychiatric drugs now! Lot less anxious :)’ ‘You are so cute.’ I’m going to have to agree with that last one,” Prisha said planting a light kiss on his mouth.
Of course, there were also a few that said: ‘You are Satan. Get lost, dumbass!’ But such things left Krish unaffected.
As the program grew in popularity, the big money finally decided that it was a viable destination for their investment dollars. Funds started pouring in. With more resources, the program spread throughout California.
Back home in India, Krish also received an abundance of support—helped partly by the international recognition. People were improving their lives by implementing the meditation practices he was teaching. Slowly, local and state governments noticed the positive changes occurring in the population: dramatically reduced crime rates, increased productivity, a sharp decrease in health care costs, childhood and maternal survival rate close to 100%, and a burst of creativity with new business ideas resulting in 99% employment rates among those seeking work. A new outlook toward life was taking hold.
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