It had worked. I had understood the first step. I beamed at Guruji and he smiled back at me.

      “You are a good pupil, Tara.”

      We continue to sit together for a little while, until Guruji finally said:

      “It’s time for you to go home now, back to your life. Integrate peace and quiet into your daily life, Tara! You’ll see how it does you a world of good.”

      Guruji folded his hands together and made a small bow, as he had done in taking his leave the previous time. So it was truly time to go.

      I really had to tear myself away from this wonderful place of peace and quiet.

      “Come back whenever you want!”

      I once again took a deep sip from the love and calmness brimming over in Guruji’s eyes, stepped out onto the landing pier, and the inevitable happened: just like the last time, I turned around and wanted to wave goodbye to Guruji, but…

      ...the raft had disappeared. I took a look at my watch and, like before, not a second of time had passed by between my arrival and now.

      Strange! The whole thing was very mysterious.

      And again I was quite puzzled. What was happening? Something like that just couldn’t be.

      I went to the riverbank and looked out onto the water. Still a little confused, I put my hands into my pockets and discovered the quotation Guruji had given me before. There was the proof – it had all actually happened!

      An so this slip of paper immediately became a true treasure. I ran home, hardly able to contain my excitement.

      I put on some candles, sat down on a cushion, and unfolded the slip of paper:

      Stillness is a great blessing, it clears up

      the mind and lends it vitality.

      And this stillness is a source of great energy,

      not only the energy of thinking

      or the energy of machines,

      but unspoilt energy

      that has immeasurable powers and abilities.

      This is the place where

      the very active mind can be still.

      It is exactly this intensive activity of the brain

      that embodies the character and beauty of stillness.

      (Jiddu Krishnamurti)

      I read the quotation through again and again.

      I woke up next morning lying on the carpet. At some point I must have simply fallen asleep, exhausted but extremely happy. In any case I felt really great that morning. I was full of energy and happy all round!

      Still radiant, I reached the office.

      That day I found working really easy.

      Anna, my assistant, seemed very surprised at the change in me and kept giving me quizzical sideways looks. One could actually see what was going on in her mind: she was astonished at my sudden good mood since recently I’d been nothing but frustrated and irritable. The way she was looking at me, she probably thought I was freshly in love.

      But just to be on the safe side, Anna didn’t mention it. It was wait and see for the moment. In any case it was a wonderful and even successful working day.

      As a reward, I visited my favourite bistro for lunch. What a wonderful day! – I ordered spaghetti mediterranea and a latte macchiato.

      I somehow felt like celebrating.

      I picked up the book I’d brought with me and began to read it.

      But suddenly a slip of paper fell out.

      I picked it up and was surprised to read the following:

      The more you concentrate on the inner world, the less problems you will have with the outer one...

      As yet you are still confined,

      but if you manage to meditate daily and

      expand your consciousness from the finite world

      to infinity, you will be free.

      (Paramahansa Yogananda)

      It took my breath away. Where on earth did this slip of paper come from? Was Guruji perhaps here, too? I looked around the bistro but everything was as usual. Although there were some people sitting around the tables, of Guruji there was not a single trace anywhere.

      Slowly it began to dawn on me that the things happening to me just now were not a matter of “common sense” and still less a matter of “understanding”.

      I read the quotation again. One thing was clear – this slip of paper was no coincidence. Of that I was absolutely sure. This note had to be a message for me! Meant for me quite personally! This was probably all Guruji’s doing. And I was immediately filled with affection for him. I popped the note carefully into my pocket.

      These notes with messages apparently from another world were as precious to me as a whole treasure of diamonds. In short – I began to understand that they would one day be much, much more valuable than anything one can buy.

      The rest of the day passed by in a flash. Together with the rest of the team, Anna and I sorted out material for the new summer collection. We found wonderful, colourful designs and marvellous soft-flowing materials. The mood in the office was relaxed and cheerful.

      Once I finally got home I decided to redesign my living room by transforming a corner of it into a place of meditation. I placed the new, saffron-yellow cushion I had bought during my lunch break onto the ground, placed a small table before it, and hung up a magnetic board on the wall, to which I attached my two precious slips of paper.

      No sooner said than done. I then set up a few candles – and the job was done.

      On finishing, I looked at the result and was happy with what I saw.

      Somehow it looked rather ceremonial, almost like a small altar.

      That was it exactly – now I had my own small private chapel.

      Happy with the effect, I sat down cross-legged on my new cushion and inaugurated my new meditation corner.

      Peace, quiet, and doing nothing, into which I took a deep dive, were my entry tickets.

      At first the wildest thoughts filled my head once again, but this time I let nothing deter me. Again and again I affectionately enveloped my irritating peace-killers in soap bubbles and let them drift away. For a while this continued, but finally I managed it: I was filled with a wonderful, deep feeling of joy and was moved to tears. It was an incredibly uplifting moment!

      This had to be what Guruji had been talking about.

      I felt simply incredible – as if I had bathed in pure happiness for a moment.

      The next few days passed by like an express train. I had quite a lot to do but the new collection was almost complete and looked very promising.

      As I was told later, apparently all the members of my team, and especially Anna, noticed that I was beginning to change. A new aura seemed to surround me in fact. I frequently had a big smile on my face and was suddenly full of understanding and consideration for others. Working with me was a lot of fun. And God knows, that hadn’t always been the case. The stress I had apparently