“You can’t know God or see God,” Bawa Muhaiyaddeen said to the people gathered around him on that first night, “but you can know the qualities of God.”

The moment I heard him speak, something clicked into place, explaining and easing my confusion. The knowledge that had been right before me like an open secret, unfolded in a wonderful way; I didn’t need some complicated spiritual technology or script to find God.

I could be close to Him by recognizing and cultivating good qualities.

Within just a few minutes of meeting me, M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen had given me the key to the mystery of life.