This place looks like something from Disneyland, right?
It's actually a hospital in Puttaparthi, India, that provides specialty care free of charge to anyone and everyone. Their motto is "Love All. Serve All," which is a philosophy that I admire greatly. I met two retired doctors who have been involved in the project. The idea of volunteering with them appealed to me immediately, so when they invited me to lunch to talk more about it I jumped at the chance.
The lunch conversation was, in a word, unique. Rather than talking about hospital volunteer opportunities, it veered oddly toward spiritualism.
I'm skeptical of everything they said, but my lunch hosts believed in the stories so ardently that it was kind of riveting to listen to them talk about it. At the very least, it inspires a sense of wonder when a person expresses deep faith in something, even if that something is impossible for you to believe. So rein in your doubt and join me for a zesty ride while I relay the highlights!
1. The hospital was founded by Sathya Sai,
aka Baba Sai,
aka Swami,
aka Guru.
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| aka Baba Sound of Music |
2. According to my lunch hosts:
- He could conjure rings and other jewelry onto your fingers
- He could pick mangos from a tamarind tree
- After being inspired to build the hospital, he made the 9-year project take only 1 year.
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| Give Baba Sai a high five for building that Disney Castle Hospital in one year! |
3. They told me three stories about the Swami's magic.
- A wealthy old American couple came to visit him in India. While there, the husband died. Three days later, his grief-stricken wife went to Baba Sai. Baba told her the husband was not dead, and sent her back to the hospital. Down in the morgue, the dead man woke up and told everyone that Baba had brought him to life again.
- A young couple got in a car accident. The man's legs were crushed, and the woman died. Baba Sai told the man that if someone would give the woman an injection (...of anything), Baba would use the injection to infuse the life energy back into her. One saline injection later and *poof* the woman came back to life. Meanwhile, all the shattered glass from the car accident appeared in their kitchen.
- An old guy was told he had lung cancer. He refused any treatment until he could go to India and ask Baba Sai's advice. Baba pointed to the guy's chest and said, "I cancel your cancer. No more cancer." The man eventually allowed doctors to take a biopsy while having open-heart surgery for something else 3 years later, and the biopsy showed only scar tissue.
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| Canceling cancer delights Baba Sai. |
So many questions about this...
- It's certainly different from my own beliefs, but different is not necessarily bad. I'm willing to think of him as someone who tried to help people, but reluctant to accept that he's some type of magic man. Am I wrong to doubt?
- It's unusual to meet highly-educated people with extreme beliefs, like these two doctors who believe in all the *poof* and reanimation stories. Can extremism in one domain (spirituality) be separated from all the other domains of life (profession)? Can you doubt someone in one domain while trusting them in another?
- They invited me to India to visit the hospital for a week, stay in an ashram, observe how the hospital runs, and lay the groundwork for returning to volunteer with them after residency. Given that I completely support their goal of providing quality free healthcare to the poor, but I think the Swami miracle stories are probably hooey, would I be a hypocrite if I volunteered there?
- Is it possible for something pure (like a good, honest, well-run charitable hospital) to be built on something dubious?
