Sai’s Precious Teachings
Swami awakens us to our Divine nature. The
mind struggles and doubts, but Swami’s love tames it
and gives confidence. Resting our minds in Swami’s teachings
and remembering His words bring us freedom.
“The end of wisdom is freedom.”
I would like to look into Swami’s
endless stream of wisdom that fosters, protects and leads
us to God. His wonderful life-giving teachings are the essence
of the Vedas.
“My main tasks are the fostering of
devotees and the fostering of the Vedas.”
Swami’s teachings are practical guidelines
for a worthwhile life and peaceful society. First He brings
us close to Him and becomes our omnipresent friend. Then He
instructs us to see Him in each other.
“See Him in every being, every moment of existence.”
With this vision firmly planted in eye and
heart, He instructs us to practise His teachings in the community.
So, the community becomes His very form -- love, harmony and
unity. This is a critical step in the spiritual pilgrimage
- the practice of spiritual principles for the uplifting and
betterment of the community. Swami has said that His “miracles”
attract because of their inexplicability in order to “transform,
reconstruct, and reform” so that the person is made
useful and serviceable for society. In the process, the ego
is effaced and the person affirms the unity of all beings
with God.
The person who has undergone this transformation
becomes a humble, humane servant of those who need help. Service
of this kind, done with reverence and selflessness, prepares
man to realise the One that pervades the many. So, spirituality
leads devotees to become befitting servants setup on building
dharmic communities as a crucial step on the path to union
with God.
“The Lord incarnates in human form
to re-establish righteousness on a firm footing, and to re-educate
the human community on the path of peace”.
Swami has come to save the world community
and to re-establish Dharma on a firm footing. He is calling
each one of us to this high task. How glorious that an Avatar
has come to rally us to this task! For me, meditating on Swami’s
teachings has helped me to serve the community better. I have
been meditating on Swami’s marvellous teachings each
morning since meeting Him 28 years ago. One day, about a year
ago, I felt something gel - the emergence of a clearer overview.
I listed eight core elements which helped me deal more effectively
with disturbing problems. As I rest my mind on each element,
they speak to the problem and help me put it in proper perspective.
My mind finds a place to settle, where confusion can clear.
Eight Elements:
-
Remember
Man is God: What a glorious revelation!
We can believe this incredible truth because Swami shows
us His Divinity - which awakens us to our own. We are
infinitely blessed, because He does not show everyone,
-only a rare few. So, we must not lose this opportunity
of achieving unity with God. This is a new insight for
many people. It is an insight that transforms our lives.
Remembering turns the mind from the outer world of sensory
objects. And He helps us remember. Just being in His Presence
or hearing about Him helps us remember Him.
Dr. Hislop told me he saw Swami change into Lord Krishna,
and Professor Kasturi told me he saw Swami transform Himself
into Lord Siva. Many experiences have convinced me of
Swami’s loving omnipresence. What grace --- God
Himself is our friend and teacher! Swami’s closeness,
closer than our breath, helps us remember that man is
God! Loving Omnipresent Sai and feeling His love brings
confidence in our own divinity and ability to overcome
earthly problems.
“This confidence generates immense internal
power.”
-
The Mind
is the Key: We are unaware of our divine
nature because of the limitations of our mind. The mind
however has the capacity to overcome its own limitations
when aware of them.
“It is the thorn that removes the thorn.”
Turn the mind to the left, through the senses to the outer
world of objects, and we are trapped in delusion. The
mind is attracted by external objects and becomes attached,
addicted and deluded. We become locked in the dual world
of pleasure and pain, birth and death, happiness and suffering.
Turn the mind to the right, inward to God, and we open
to our own omnipresent divinity. This is the way to transcend
the “mad monkey mind.”
-
Develop
a Relationship with Sai: The only way
to tame the mind is to attach it to God, through love.
Swami instructs us on the nine steps of devotion, which
bring us closer to Him. These steps turn the mind/key
to the right, to Swami. They include listening to stories
about Him, singing His glories, contemplating on Him,
serving His feet, prostrating before Him, worshipping
Him, offering service to Him, taking Him as friend and
surrendering to Him.
-
See Sai
in the World: One of Krishna’s great
promises, which Sai Krishna also extends, is to “bear
the burden of your welfare,” when we offer all acts
to Him. This teaching instructs us to attach consciousness
to God at all times and in every place. We can find Him
in others and in the outer world once we develop a strong
inner contact with God. Thus, we begin the process of
attaching to God and detaching from the outer world of
sense objects.
-
Bring
Sai into the Community: Swami has come
to re-establish righteousness on a firm footing so that
man can live in harmony and love. This involves practising
spiritual principles. Swami gives us guidance. Right action
grows out of holding to virtue and acting according to
our conscience, He says. This is accomplished when we
constantly ask,
“Is this what Swami wants?”
Swami has given us the prototype of a Dharmic community
in His Centres. Dharmic communities are built on the foundation
of worshipping God through devotion, service and education
programmes. To become good instruments of unity and love
in the community/centre, we must overcome differences.
Finding oneness through love and helping to create unity
through selfless service is the spiritual path in the
outer world that leads us to inner oneness with Him. Practising
Dharma requires using our intellect to understand the
needs of the community and then to discipline and develop
ourselves to serve these needs as an offering to Sai.
“Help ever, hurt never.”
-
Commit
to the Process of Purification: When we
commit ourselves to any relationship such as building
a Dharmic community as an offering to Sai in addition
to experiencing love, we have to be ready to face problems.
Today, commitment is difficult for most of us. (In the
U.S., 60% of marriages end in divorce.) A marriage to
Sai must overcome the tendency to run away from commitment.
It requires the understanding that in order to “Follow
the Master,” we must be willing to sacrifice.
“Follow the Master; face the devil; fight
to the end; finish the game.”
We can expect to face trials, tribulations, troubles,
fears, anxieties and sadness along the path. When we stay
steady and focused, offering all to Swami, we go through
a process of purification and the giving up of our pain.
-
Control
the Senses/Mind: Swami has given us tools
for controlling the mind and releasing our pain. At the
Ashram, He teaches us to remain calm and peaceful and
turns us inward by making us sit silently and wait for
Him.
“Silence is the speech of the spiritual
seeker.”
And He teaches us to further quiet ourselves by putting
a ceiling on desires.
-
Merge in
Sai’s Peace: All the other elements
are part of the process of merging in Sai and finding
contentment by knowing that all is a gift from Him. And
Swami tells us there is a final state of oneness with
Him as well when He and I are one. Sai promises that if
we follow the path, it will free us from fear -
“You will draw near to Me, you will approach
Me, you will understand My mystery, you will enter into
Me, you will melt in Me, you will merge in Me, you will
become Me.”
Keeping Swami’s teachings in mind all
the time will bring peace and love to ourselves and our
communities. It will guide us to oneness with Him. How
fortunate we are to have the supreme authority, the embodiment
of peace and boundless love to be our guide, guardian
and God. Swami has come when we are so beaten and bewildered;
He has come with a love that will make us whole and happy.
I pray that we immerse ourselves in His love and with
dedication, discipline and discrimination become bright
instruments of His love and Dharma. We are beholden to
You, Swami for being such a clear bright loving light
that illumines our minds and dispels the darkness. Let
us all
“Be good, do good, see good."
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