The sari-clad woman who had sold incense at the last lecture placed a frame on the table beside Atmananda. The Transcendental was a photograph of Atmananda's Indian guru, Chinmoy. But it was so underexposed that it seemed not a picture of a guru, but rather a mug-shot of a ghost with high cheekbones. It reminded me of one of the experimental images which had emerged from my father's darkroom. "The Transcendental portrays Guru in his highest transcendental consciousness," my brother told me. Atmananda scanned the audience, mostly women in their sixties. Then he began to lecture, not on meditation, but on reincarnation, which he had done many times before. "Maya, or illusion, eclipses the original perfection of the soul," he said. "The soul reincarnates over thousands of lessons known as lifetimes." I could not recall learning about reincarnation at Hebrew school. "As the soul evolves, it transcends desire and attachment, which is the root of all suffering. Finally, enlightenment occurs." Unaware that he was borrowing Hindu and Buddhist doctrine, and intrigued but not convinced that in a future life I would attain enlightenment, I kept one eye on Atmananda and the other on Anne. "Everything can be classified according to its level of spiritual evolution. Rocks and minerals are very primitive, whereas plants have more developed auras. After thousands of years, the soul seeks an animal incarnation. Except in rare instances, enlightenment occurs through the human form only." I grinned and wiggled my thumbs, figuring I was already ahead of the game. "Humans in their early incarnations are responsible for many of the world's problems. But evolved people are not better than others. Are college students any better than third graders?" This diffused my concern that Atmananda's line of reasoning justified the formation of an evolved elite. "Karma is a cosmic feedback mechanism triggered by past actions. In a universe governed by karma, few experiences are coincidental." I supposed a lottery winner could have been a generous philanthropist in a past life. But remembering the various times I had been robbed while growing up in New York, I doubted that I had spent incarnations as a mugger. Still, I liked his contention that it was karma's role not to punish, but to educate. "After thousands of human incarnations, you become ready to study with an enlightened teacher. You may suddenly notice a teacher's poster. You may have seen the poster many times before--only this time something *clicks*." I looked at the Transcendental and wondered if the Guru, who looked like he badly needed sleep, could make something in me *click*. Atmananda turned toward me, as if in response to my newest doubt, and said, "An enlightened teacher can take a person through thousands of lives in just one lifetime." "What's the rush?" I thought. "The sooner you attain enlightenment, the sooner you can help others transcend this world of pain and suffering."