A Taste of baba's Teachings

Baba’s teachings cover many viewpoints, and seem to primarily be a resounding, world-emboldening ‘Yes!’ to all legitimate spiritual paths and the basic truths of all religions. Most of Baba’s teachings focus on love - love for God and for all beings - as the essential core of spirituality: “Start the day with Love. Spend the day with Love. Fill the day with Love. End the day with Love. This is the way to God!” And this Love is to be given to everyone, always, without exception: “Love all, serve all! Help ever, hurt never!”

Yet as I explored His teachings more deeply, I found that He is also a Master of advaithic philosophy, and a strong exponent of the jnana path (the path of Atmic wisdom). “The main aim of human life is to acquire the knowledge of the Atman. This is the true Purushartha [goal of life]. Human life will find fulfillment only if this goal is attained.”1 The various approaches are beautifully balanced in His discourses, with devotion and Atmic abidance given equal importance.

Baba also stresses the practice of what He calls the five primary human values, namely, Love, Truth, Peace, Righteousness, and Non-violence. In many of His discourses He asks us to dedicate all our actions to God and live in tireless selfless service to humanity. He also lays importance on the practice of kindness, and the use of sweet speech under all circumstances, saying, “You cannot always oblige; but you can always speak obligingly.” Baba advocates daily meditation for all, as well as repetition of God’s Names with love, devotional singing, and the practice of seeing and serving God within everyone, laying particular emphasis on continual remembrance of the Divine Reality. “Spirituality means constant integrated awareness.”

Interestingly, He does not encourage His non-Hindu devotees to become Hindus, but rather, to use His teachings to become the best Christians, Jews, Muslims or Buddhists they can be. Many of the devotional songs sung at Baba’s ashrams contain the names of Allah, Jesus, Zaroaster, Mahavir, Moses, Guru Nanak and the Buddha, in addition to the Hindu Avatars. It seems to be a clear a way of saying, ‘Hear, O world! The Lord is One!’

“There is only one Religion, the Religion of Love.

There is only one caste, the caste of Humanity.

There is only one language, the language of the Heart.

There is only one God, and He is omnipresent.”

As an aid to the realization of His primary teaching - that we are God - He often recommends use of the mantra ‘So Ham’ (meaning “I am He”, or “I am God”). He has also offered His devotees the following maha-affirmation:

I am God! I am God! I am not different from God!

I am the eternal undifferentiated Absolute!

Grief and anxiety cannot effect me.

I am always content. Fear cannot enter me.

I am Satchidananda! I am pure Existence, Knowledge and Bliss.

I am Omnipotent! I am all-powerful; nothing is impossible for me!

I am Omniscient! I am all-knowing;

there is nothing which is not known to me.

I am Omnipresent! I am present everywhere. I pervade this universe!

I am Krishna! I am Christ! I am Buddha!

I am Sai! I am Sai! I am Sai!

I am God! I am God! I am God!

(Try saying that ten times a day, and see how fast your life changes...!)

Sathya Sai Education in Human Values Programme

Love - Right Action - Non-Violence - Truth - Peace

One advantage which will accrue when the moral uplift programme is taken up in schools is that through the subtle influence of the children, the atmosphere in the home is also cleansed. When the boy or girl sits in silence and meditates on the Creator and His glory, the parents too will react in the same manner and the home will be filled with humility and love.

The Education in Human Values Program is intended to draw out the best in a child and to enable his/her personality to develop towards perfection. This process of blossoming human excellence calls for excellence in each of the five

domains or aspects of human personality. These five domains, namely, physical, intellectual, emotional, psychic and spiritual define the human system in to-to, as a whole.

The five basic values, namely Truth, Righteous Conduct, Peace, Love and Non-Violence correspond to the domains listed above.

Since the human beings everywhere in the world are alike, each can aspire to inculcate and internalize these values. These values, thus are universal and transcend all distinctions of country, religion, caste and creed. They embrace all beings, as their origin lies right within each individual.

Human Personality and Human Values

Note: Here the location of the all pervasive soul or life energy is just symbolic.

TRUTH

The life principle within each of us is the truth. We would not be existent without it and once we are not there, the world also ceases. This life principle is identified as the human soul which in turn is the 'resident divinity' within each individual. It is this truth which is the basis of every other thing and with the power of which the heart beats, the lungs breathe and the system works. The role of human intellect is to find out the truth.

Interestingly, when one realizes and experiences this truth, one sees that the same truth pervades every other person and object. And in essence we are all one.

Truth has different levels. There is the truth of sense perception such as: 'the fire burns'. One can ascertain this with one's senses. There is also the truth by inference: such as 'man is mortal'. We base this statement on the strength of our observation of those around us and extend it to arrive at a general conclusion, even though we may not have seen every human being born in this world dying. Apart from all these is the truth which is incapable of being destroyed or hurt. It persists and pervades the whole cosmos.

Righteous Conduct

Truth in action is Righteous Conduct. The action takes place on the physical domain and behind each action there is thought. If this thought derives its sustenance from the human will, as opposed to human desire, the resultant action will be righteous.

What is of significance here is to understand the distinction between will and desire. Will is the colourless component of human resolve which motivates and inspires him to act in accordance with the truth. Different from this is the desire that prompts action. More often than not, this desire springs out from some myopic assumption or misbelief. The child has to be encouraged and trained to ignore impulses like this. In fact, it is the will to succeed which precedes everything else.

To ensure that Righteous Conduct becomes a way of life for a person, the education and training has to start in the childhood itself. This capability is developed in a child by some basic training in some important skills.

PEACE

Peace is the end purpose of all human endeavour. Right or wrong, whatever a man thinks or does is with the intention of attaining peace and happiness.

Peace would certainly become a far more attainable entity, if one were to know the domain of personality at which it is acquired.

It is only when there is an emotional equilibrium that one experiences peace. This equipoise is not inert or vegetative but a dynamic realization that the emotional conflict and upsurge can never withstand the test of Truth and

Righteousness. Peace is a state of 'power packed stillness' and follows the awareness that the source of human fulfillment is within.

Often dubbed as a mirage, peace can be a reality for each of us if we have faith in our innate power to do good, to be good and see good.

What is equally important is to recognize that nothing in this universe is ever responsible for absence of peace within us. It is only when our internal emotional system is disturbed that restlessness and confusion find a home. By conscious efforts we can certainly avoid such lacunae.

LOVE

"How can one cultivate Prema? Firstly, consider always the faults of others however big to be insignificant and secondly, consider your faults however small to be big and feel sad and repentant. Whatever you do, with yourself and others, do it remembering that God is omnipresent. Endeavour every moment to be aware of the omnipotence of God."

The psychic domain of the human system is the source of love. Love is the expression of the individual divine within and is the power of soul. It is the mightiest of forces in the world and is truly representative of human nature.

Love is not an emotion. It is a form of energy which each individual transmits and receives every moment. It affects all forms of life. It is a peculiar possession which grows with sharing.

Love is the answer to the question: 'What in me loves - What in another person'. It is the reflection of the same Truth that one loves. What to say of children, even animals and beasts respond to this power of love. love helps us overcome the sense of fear by promoting better understanding and appreciation. Since Love springs from the Truth, it is in nature of Righteous Action and results in peace.

NON-VIOLENCE

Love has to begin by manifesting itself towards parents and grow and gradually to include family, neighborhood, country and most of all God.

Non-violence is the zenith of human achievement and perfection. It is universal love that goes beyond our relation with our fellow beings and embraces all living and non-living things. It is the spiritual domain of existence. Here, one experiences the essential oneness and unity of all creation. It blossoms from the understanding that man has an obligation towards every object and component of this universe. And the least one can do is to try and extend one's sphere of love to all.

In the context of human beings, Non-violence means amity, harmony and the understanding; in the context of plants and animals it means non-injury that is, desisting from avoidable harm in the context of nature as such, it means non-violation of the law and balance of nature.

Thus the practice of non-violence is not restricted to the physical plane alone but includes all the three, that is, thought word and deed.

Approaches to Education in Human Values

"Children must grow in the awareness of the brotherhood of men and the fatherhood of God. If no provision is made for this type of teaching, then we are denying them their due. Faith in man involves faith in God and faith in God generates faith in man."

"Children should be like a lamp at home. They should carry the lights outside. They should become street lights serving as an example and guiding others. They should emulate the pole star which is a light unto the whole world."

Baba's Birthday Cake.

Dear viewers , You are now seeing not the Lord Sri. Krishna's idol, It is the Birth day Cake of Bahavan Baba, presented by the students.

83rd Birthday Discourse

Dear Viewers, I want to share with you the Birth day discourse of Bahavan Baba Delivered on Nov. 23 rd. Please read and enjoy.


"The same Divine Compassion that blessed Dhruva, saved Gajendra, restored Kuchela, and stood by Prahlada has come on earth as the Refuge of the refuge‑less, as the Lord of Peace, Harmony and Righteous­ness, as the Lord of all the Worlds, as the Sat‑Chit‑Ananda-Murti, as the Puttaparthi Sathya Sai Sat Chakravarti—the King off Kings.” On the Divine Birthday of Bhagawan in the year 1978, Bhagawan elucidates on how we could give Him happiness. Read on for an enlightening discourse.

How fascinating is the face of the baby, resting in the lap of the Mother! It has no fear in its eyes; it has joy on its lips; it is full of peace. It is unaffected by those evil forces that rob man of his peace and joy‑envy, greed, anger, hatred. It has no egoistic desire, no anxiety to impress others and show off. It has no plans for the future, no regrets for the past. Its faith in the love and strength of the Mother is so unshakable that even if the sky collapses and falls, its calmness cannot be disturbed. Why is it that, when the baby grows into adolescence and manhood, this calmness and this joy disappear, giving place to fear, anxiety and hatred? The reason is to be found in the increasing mastery of the senses and their clamour for being catered to. Again, the grown person sees only the `many'; it leaves aside the vision of the One. It encounters, as a result, competi­tion and conflict, and lives its days in sor­row, disappointment and despair.

As the child gathers more information and experience, and becomes more learned and intellectual, it sees the world as a battle­field of opposing forces and armies and therefore, it struggles for victory by devious means. Each head has its own thoughts, says the Shruti (Munde munde, mathir bhinnaah). No two agree; differences breed disputes; and finally, life becomes an arena where ego fights against ego. The situation is as bad in the medical field, where specialists who can diagnose and deal only with the illness of the eye, the nose, the throat, the stomach, the liver, the heart, the skin etc, forget that these are all unified by the organism called body, and that it is not advisable to study them separately as many distinct parts. The Universe, the Individual, the Paramatma are all insepa­rably unified. Scientists parade the little peeps they have of the Truth as big victo­ries. Even the technology that Science has encouraged so far is fraught with danger to mankind. They cut up the Cosmos and the Forces behind it and specialise in minute parts and thus present false pictures of Reality.

Devotees are also caught in this game of seeing many where there is only One. They seek the path that is popular, that will bring them fame, rather than the path that can ensure liberation and illumination. They place their own idea of God in the forefront and fight for precedence and sup­port. The Vedic Sutra—Ekoham, Bahu­syam—I am One, I shall be many—is igno­red. It is the One that pretends to be many. So, one has to feel the impact of the One, rather than of the many, while moving in the world.

Faith is very essential for the pilgrim on the Adhyatmic path. Man is now caught up in temporary and trivial pre‑occupations in the too short interval between birth and death, and he deceives himself by placing faith in these, rather than on truer and more lasting realities and experiences. He does not hold on to discrimination and deeper realities; so, he is carried away by every gust of doubt or disappointment.

The baby is calm and unaffected on the lap of the Mother, since it has faith in the Mother. The mother points out to some­one as its Father, to another as its Grandfather and to another as its Sister or Brother. The child accepts these statements with­out question. The Mother creates the Faith in the Father for the child. So, too, Mother Nature proclaims that there is a Father, who has designed and who is ener­gising and motivating these worlds; but, man does not accept it, for he has lost the capacity of Faith. Faith is the basis of every act; you do not run away from the barber because he is armed with a sharp razor. You place faith in him and allow him o give you a haircut, quietly sub­mitting to his idiosyncrasies. You give away costly clothes to the dhobi, since you have the faith that he will return then washed and ironed. You have faith in the driver of your car, in the engineer who built your house. So too, believe in the Inner Motivator, the Atma within, the voice of God. People are going about now, advising that one should believe only things that one has `seen' and `experienced'. Something happens somewhere and the news is published in the papers. It is belie­ved without question. So too, believe in the experience of seers and sages, who had no other purpose than discovering the Truth and sharing it with others who are unaware of it. In India, we have had millions who believed in God and in the seekers after God, and who have themselves realised the Truth of God. This has made their lives happy and contented.

Of course, the seeker has to encounter many obstacles, both inner and outer. But, each one of them is a challenge, which must bring out his latent faith. Where there is no darkness, there can be no appreciation for light. Without the pangs of hunger, no one will seek food. It is the possibility of death that makes even the mother love the child and deal with it affectionately.

That is the reason why one saint advised his followers `Do not ask God for any­thing. Let Him deal with you as He wills'. Did Jatayu ask that Rama should come to him and perform the last rites? Did Sabari plead with Rama? Earn the qualifications ‑ holiness, purity, faith, universal Love; He will approach you on Foot to console, com­fort and save! Purity of heart, mastery over the senses—if you have those two, credentials, Grace is your right. Imagin­ing that Bliss is available in the outer world, men stray away from the inner path and are caught up in misery. They seek it in the family—the wife and children—and, to keep up a standard of living for them, they take to evil ways. The funda­mental flaw is their belief that the Body is the be‑all and end‑all of existence. They ignore the Indweller, who has to be re­cognised, revered and responded to.

The Avatar is the Atmashakti, that has put on the raiment of Kriyashakti, and Yogashakti. Generally, Avatarana or the process of Incarnation, is described as a 'coming down' from a higher status to a lower one. But, no. When the child in the cradle weeps and wails and clamours for help, the mother stoops and takes it up in her arms. Her stoop is not to be des­cribed as a 'coming down'. The aeroplane has to fly up above; it cannot move along the road. But, it does not fly all the time. It comes down at the airport, because there are persons there who have purchased the tickets which entitle them to journey in the plane. If you earn the credentials, the Incarnation will come and save you. If on the other hand, one multiplies one's demer­its and descends lower and lower, how can he be saved? Have Love and Ananda your heart. Ananda comes from pure sight, pure hearing, pure speech and pure ­actions.

The Day you establish yourselves in this Ananda that Day is My Birthday for you. I must tell you another fact. Swami's birthday is being celebrated at Puttaparthi, because so many thousands are coming from far‑off places, in spite of great difficul­ties during the journey and the expense. Do not be under the impression that Swami's Birthday is being celebrated and therefore, you are coming. I have no desire to have My Birthday celebrated; such trivial thoughts can never come to Me. My only desire is to share My Ananda with you, to encourage you to lead lives full of Ananda. My Birthday is when you get Ananda. My mission is 'Lokassamasthaa Sukhino Bhavantu'. May all the worlds be happy and prosperous. Become aware of the unity of mankind; promote by love and service the joy and contentment of every one on earth; fill your hearts with that yearning. Then, it becomes verily, the Sai Mandir. From that moment I am where you are.
Since this morning many people have come to me with the greeting, 'Happy Birthday!' No one need wish for happiness for me, since I am always happy, everywhere. For Anandaswarupa why talk of happy birthday? You too must be happy, all through and not wait for the Birthday to recur every year, to accumulate Ananda.

Yagam atParthy.

Sahasra Poorna Chandra Darshana Santhi Mahotsavam Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba's 83rd Birthday Celebration
Greetings Dear listeners, Here is an important announcement.
It is an ancient indian tradition going back to Vedic times, that when a person has lived through a thousand full moons, his children honour the person through appropriate and time-honoured ceremonies, that express gratitude to the Lord for blessing their elder with a long and glorious life. What does one do, when the blessed Lord Himself, who created not only the entire universe but also all of us, comes in human form and enters the 83rd year of his advent, completing 1000 appearances of the full moon, a moon that He has Himself created? That landmark event would occur this November, when our beloved Swami enters the 83rd year of His advent.Clearly something very special and unique is called for, since we are dealing with the Lord Himself. Recognising this, devotees of our beloved Swami are planning to celebrate this unique event in a grand manner by conducting a special function lasting many days. This sacred program, would not only give expression to our adoration for Bhagavan but also offer special prayers for the well-being of entire humanity and for world peace. The program would commence on the morning of Saturday, the 15th of November, 2008 and culminate on Monday, the 17th of November with Poorna Ahuti. Vedic scholars from all over India would be participating in the ceremonies. As a prelude to all this, talks on the sacred Srimad Bhagavatham, the comprehensive story of the Lord as recorded in ancient scriptures, would be delivered every day for one full week, starting from 10th November.Dear devotees, this is not only a once-in-a-lifetime occasion for all of us, but indeed for this entire Kali Yuga. When else would we get the chance to witness such a unique and landmark event, and celebrate divine glory in the divine presence, expressing our limitless gratitude to the Lord and praying to Him directly for peace and harmony in a world that so badly needs them? Start planning your trip now. Make sure you are here during this momentous event, have Bhagavan’s darshan, receive His blessings, and share in the limitless joy of the occasion.

JAI SAIRAM