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."