I entered the monastery in the northwestern part of India.

To be a monk in this tradition, the vows of detachment are quite extreme.

You are not allowed to speak to your parents ever again.

You cannot touch money, you're not paid, of course.

You cannot get married, you cannot talk to women, you cannot look at women intentionally. 45% of applications are sent back home.

And it was in this first few months.

I was prostrating in front of the images in the temple upstairs.

And I heard this voice, it wasn't so audible, but it spoke and it asked me two questions.

Have you made the right decision?

Are you in the right place?

Welcome, everybody.

This is Simon Gilbo with Inspired.

Inspired if you're new to us is meeting different friends of mine

from across the spectrum of human experience

who have had beautiful, challenging, inspiring, stirring stories

and basically I think we've all had enough

of being relentlessly bombarded in the press by negativity that stories that just induce

fear and cynicism and apathy and anxiety, all that stuff. And I love it that there are so

many beautiful stories out there that need to be told. And this is a story that's been told elsewhere, but I've got no doubt you're going to be inspired and challenged by it, because we've got with us the fantastic Rahil Patel. Welcome, Rahil. Thank you so much. This is such a kind introduction, Simon. Well, it's great to have you, but I've been looking forward to this for a number of months. I don't think I need to say much beyond saying

that you've written a great book, you've written a few books, but found by love, a Hindu priest

encounters Jesus. And that basically is what you'll be talking about. We've had on a few months

ago we had on Esther Baker talking about how she'd been a Buddhist nun.

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