An incident narrated by James Coller to Swami Kriyananda
James Coller, another disciple, visited us at about this time from Phoenix, Arizona; Master had appointed him to be the minister of our church there. James, though deeply devoted to God and Guru, had a tendency to be a little casual about hermitage discipline.
‘I was driving from Phoenix to Encinitas recently,’ James told us, ‘to see Master. It was late at night, and I was getting hungry. After some time I came to a restaurant that was still open, and eagerly went in. As bad luck would have it, all they had to serve was hamburgers. What was I to do? I knew Master wanted us to be vegetarians, but still. . . . I mean, I was really hungry! ‘Oh, well,’ I decided finally, ‘he won’t know!’ So I ate two hamburgers. After I reached Encinitas, I spoke with Master. At the end of our conversation, he remarked gently:
”By the way, James, when you’re on the highway late at night, and you come to a place that serves nothing but hamburgers’better not eat anything.” It may comfort those who have similar problems with self-discipline that Master said James would be spiritually free in this life. His saving grace was deep love for God.