I feel blessed that Sneh, my wife pushed me to travel 22 hours to Los Angeles from Mumbai to be with Nipun-bhai and Reverend Heng Sure at the Jaina conference. I must have done some good deeds, and my karma was ripe enough that I had a very intimate 72 hours in close presence of two great souls. I learnt some incredible lessons just being with them and watching them live their knowledge they speak about.

The beauty of this learning is that no one was teaching me nor even had any conscious intention that I learn from them. Their sheer presence rooted in virtues and effortless yes to what life brings to them was an incredible lesson in itself. Time spent with Reverend Heng Sure was truly a MasterClass in Humility.

Through these heartfelt words (and a cup full of gratitude), I would like to share lessons that my heart was able to observe in the close presence of Nipun bhai. I am sure his virtues are beyond what I can capture. But I would like to share nonetheless.

Seeing Divinity in all.

Nipun bhai had just delivered his Keynote in front of 3,500 people. A stirring speech that resonated across sections of the crowd and one that ended in a standing ovation.

A lot of people flocked him as was expected. "Great speech," "I loved what you said," "Very inspiring." So many people were complimenting the speech in different words, but the context was the same that it touched their hearts.



There were hundreds of people who came to greet him. Yet Nipun Bhai meets Greeter 1 and Greeter 302 with the same compassion, the same energy, and the same warmth. Everyone feels like he/she is the most special greeter.

Now for those who know Nipun bhai, that is nothing out of the ordinary.

The magic lies here. While Nipun Bhai was being flocked left, right, center, there were few who were shy and hesitant to reach out to him. Amidst the frenzy of meeting so many people, Nipun bhai would reach out to them with his trademark bear hug and involve them in the conversation.

He. Reached. Out. To. Them.

I was blown away. This man just got a standing ovation from 3,500 people a few moments ago. That's when it hits me. His humility lies in making everyone feel special. His celebrity lies in making everyone feel like a celebrity.

He realizes the speaker and audience are just roles. Temporary. What's permanent is divinity. And that's what he sees and seeks in everyone. All great. All divine.

I ask him how. I ask him why. He says. "Seeing all as a potential channel for divine consciousness helps me tap into my divinity. "

Amazing.

On a side note, Nipun Bhai was taking the Shuttle back to the Airport. He greets the driver. "I like your smile, man." The 60+ year old man blushes like a 16-year-old going for prom-- Bam!! Won his heart. After a few hours, I try the same. "I like your smile, man.”, I tell Heiu, my Vietnamese Uber driver. I don’t get the same reaction. I realize it's not the words but the deep love that they are wrapped in. I guess I'll have to fake it till I make it.

Effortless Love.

Through the 3 days of the convention and specially after the keynote, there was a non-stop flow of people coming to Nipun bhai. He hugs them all with full awareness. So much Love. Honestly, I am feeling tired just seeing so much action. I am like go rest man…spend some alone time and unwind.

I ask him." How do you do it? How do you meet all with so much love and warmth? It must be tiring?"

He says, "It’s tiring when you meet people with an agenda. If you drop the I'ness and know that you are just the vessel through which the universe is working its grace, there is less doership. When you are not doing much, it’s not so tiring. :)"



In the photo above, the woman stops Nipun-bhai to tell him how a Smile Card changed his son's life 5 years ago, and that if he could drop him a note of encouragement, it would mean the world to him. Not wasting a moment, he takes a selfie with her and emails him right then. So moved, that young man (on the right) takes an overnight flight from Chicago to LA and attends Nipun-bhai's talk in the morning. And Nipun-bhai opens the talk with his story about the power of small acts and the deep affinities that kindness creates.

The man truly loves nonstop, with a deep emptiness. Without any expectations. Effortlessly. I have witnessed this incessantly in the 72 hours with him.

On a side note, in one of our conversations, I ask him, "Do you really remember the names of all the people that come to hug you?" His reply, "No. But I do remember their smiles".

Kingly Giving.

A particular disciple of one of the religious figureheads is moved by Nipun bhai's speech on generosity and grace. Immediately post the talk, he introduces himself and now wants to introduce Nipun Bhai to his Guru. Nipun bhai is trying to excuse himself from it as he'd rather spend time meeting everyday hearts who want to dig deeper around the themes of his talk. But the disciple continues to do a hard-sell of how his teacher's miraculous powers will change his life, help him serve more, scale ServiceSpace, and so on. None of those aspirations particularly speak to Nipun-bhai.

At one point, however, Nipun-bhai notices that the disciple felt disappointed that his pitch wasn't working. So he tells him, "You know what? I'd love to meet your teacher, because I can see that it would make you happy -- and seeing you happy would make me happy." Elated, as they are walking out to the Guru's hotel room, the disciple gets a phone call that the Guru might not have time in his calendar. Again, seeing his energy dejected, Nipun-bhai adds, "When we are heading to a sacred place in ourselves, it's a pilgrimage. And pilgrimages have no destination. We don't need to see your teacher in person. I'm sure he'll feel our love from anywhere. Let's just go to the room and bow to his door. "

Bow. To. The. Door.

Immediately this young man realizes that Nipun-bhai really had no agenda. As the story goes, the door opened right as they went, and Nipun-bhai saw several others waiting in line for a long time and he took them in with him too!

In the prime time just post his talk, Nipun Bhai visits the Guru at his hotel room and sits down at his feet. Not because of who the Guru is. But because of who he is.

Kingly giving.

On a side note, from the person who helped him with his sound test to all the other distinguished keynote speakers. From a billion-dollar hedge fund manager to a 12-year-old teenager. From a beauty pageant winner to a 65-year-old housewife. He loves all effortlessly. He looks at them with the same divinity. He loves them not because of who they are but who he is. He truly gives like a king.



I remain deeply grateful (and deeply indebted) to witness these memorable moments of knowledge with Reverend Hang Sure and Nipun bhai. If wisdom is nothing but insight in action, then surely I was amidst the wisest.

On an end note, though I have shared just a few, there are multitudes of more micro-moments that parade Nipun bhai’s lived knowledge. It's not even about these moments or their bigness or smallness - that's just what my logical mind needs/wants to hold onto. It's really about who he authentically is and effortlessly brings to each moment. It's all embodied in his simple and kind presence. That, in fact, was the theme of his talk: You are not what you do, but who you become by what you do.