Fiona Neary describes a dinner at Daaji’s home in India, where meditation under the stars and stories in the garden create a lasting memory that continues to inspire her approach to life.
I had the joy of being invited to dinner at Daaji’s home during my visit to Kanha Shanti Vanum, the Heartfulness Institute’s headquarters, in January 2023. I travelled to India with my mother for the first time, and we joined a small group from New York that gathered inside his living room. It had big round windows looking into the garden and natural boulders emerging from the floor, as if there weren’t a clear boundary between nature and the building’s elegant structure.
When Daaji arrived in his white car, he greeted me happily through the window with “the Neary girl!” (my parents have practiced with him for years), only adding to the warm feeling in my heart. We were guided outside to the patio under the night sky for meditation, sitting in blue chairs in a crescent around our spiritual guide. My new friend, Ishaa, was sitting next to me. Something about the atmosphere changes when you’re in the presence of a spiritual personality. Observing my thoughts, I noticed a spaciousness and peace inside, with love filling my heart.
In the system of Heartfulness Meditation, there is always a living guide, or Master—someone who has attained a very high level of consciousness and can guide others to master their own inner world, assisting them energetically on the spiritual journey. They transmit directly to the hearts of those who practice, silently passing down the wisdom of the teachers before them. It is beautiful that a living Master is available to us now, offering guidance we can receive directly—guidance tailored for us and our time.
Feeling the lightness of my heart, my awareness expanded into the vastness of the starry sky above, and I felt it was connected to all the cells in my body. Silence became a sound, and the quiet presence of people around drew us further into introspection.
After a while, we moved into the garden and were served the most delicious Indian food while Daaji told stories and guests asked him questions about life. Events create memories and carry emotional signatures within our hearts. It’s essential to have positive moments stored in our hearts as we travel through life, because difficult experiences often stand out more. Whenever I recall this memory, I immediately feel connected within, as if I were still there in that moment.
When I think of Daaji, I see the majestic tree-lined paths, palm trees illuminated after sunset with string lights, the misty air rising above the Yatra Garden at sunrise, the thriving rainforest, and the sound of birds’ wings flapping above the meditation hall, while others flock around the canopied rooftops at a distance. All of this was once a beautiful dream—just ten years ago, Kanha was only arid land. I intend to embody these same qualities, creating similar spaces of peace in the way I observe the wildflowers I paint and connect with strangers around me. Like the boulder inside his living room, like the stars I felt within my heart, simple and always a part of nature’s web.
Illustration: On the Path, by FIONA NEARY
Fiona Neary
