"Seekers used to live in monasteries and in caves," Atmananda taught at Centre meetings. "But Guru recommends that instead, we live in a city. This gives us the opportunity to strengthen our psychic defenses and to better serve humanity. In order to live in the world, particularly as your consciousness evolves and as the vibrations of the world grow darker, you will need money." Most of the new disciples, though, were UCSD undergraduates; when Atmananda explained the etiquette of selfless giving--"You can give in the right way or you can give in the wrong way"-- many of us wondered how we could give in any way. But Atmananda had an idea. He suggested that we take out student loans for more than we actually needed. "You can then donate the extra amount to a worthy cause," he pointed out. "To a genuine spiritual centre, for instance." It was no coincidence that the Centre's finances improved significantly after banks issued checks for guaranteed student loans. Atmananda had another idea. "Accepting money from your parents is the spiritual thing to do. Why not give your parents the opportunity to help? Why shouldn't they be given the opportunity to make spiritual progress?" He even devised a way that we could earn money. "Why work for five dollars an hour when you could be making twenty? Work is not supposed to be fun. Believe me, they would not be paying you if it was. Unless you already have a career that you are happy with, you should study computer science. "Most of you developed software back in Atlantis, back when computers were far more advanced than they are today. Keeping track of all those variables will help you strengthen your mind. Besides, programming pays extremely well after a relatively short period of time." Atmananda interspersed talk of raising consciousness and money with stories from the rich world of his imagination. He told stories, for instance, about a legendary character that he called "The Gwid." "The Gwid is close friends with Roshi Megabucks," he said, stroking his chin and smiling. "The Gwid leases all of reality to God." At one Centre meeting, a UCSD anthropology graduate student pointed out that millions in the world were starving. "Shouldn't we be doing something to help?" she asked. "On the surface," Atmananda replied, "Elizabeth is asking a perfectly legitimate question. But if you could see, you would have detected the underlying hostility in her tone." The room filled with uneasy silence. "But that is why we study meditation," he went on. "We are constantly striving to perfect our different selves." He slowly scanned the disciples. "Many of you send Guru hostile vibrations in the inner worlds, so don't hide behind your holier-than-thou facade. It isn't necessary. We understand."