I first met Andrew in Lexington, Kentucky, in the mid-2000s when he joined the faculty of Matthew Fox's creation spirituality programs. We stayed at the same inn and got to know each other a bit. I remember his razor-sharp wit when someone asked him if the wallpaper reminded him of the inns in England, and he said, "Yes, except this one's on drugs!" Over the years, as he came to teach at the university in Oakland, we would meet, and sometimes, he would visit us at home.

Andrew is, above all, a mystic of the highest order. What is extraordinary about him is that he has the words for the experience. When it comes to mysticism, many people will say that it is difficult to describe. Not Andrew. Born in Coimbatore, India, and educated at Oxford, he became the youngest fellow at Oxford and later one the most influential spiritual voices in the world. His fiery, passionate way of speaking about mysticism became his trademark. 

When Asha and I left India, we bid farewell to our beloved ment...