Sathya Sai Baba is a an Avatar, who lived in India from 1926-2011.
His teachings spanned all religions and taught the Five Values:
Truth, Peace, Right Conduct, Non-Violence and Love
Baba said:
“I have come not to disturb or destroy any faith, but to confirm each in his/her own faith, so that the Christian becomes a better Christian, the Muslim a better Muslim and the Hindu a better Hindu.”
“All that you do is a reflection of inner action. Hence, to act according to your inner impulse is Dharma (right conduct). To speak what you feel inside is Sathya (truth). To contemplate on what you experience in your heart is Shanti (peace). To understand properly the promptings of the heart is Ahimsa (non-violence). Consideration for all emanating from the heart is Prema (love). The five values are thus reflections of feelings emanating from the heart.”
The same God dwells in all beings. There is no justification for differences on the basis of religion. It is attachment to the body which accounts for religious differences. Do not regard the body as permanent. It is a water bubble. The mind too is like a mad monkey. Don't follow either of them. Follow the conscience. Recognize the fact that the whole universe is within you. You have all the powers in you. They are derived from the Divine Spirit within you. Forgetting the supreme power of the Spirit, people rely on the powers of the body, the mind and the intellect.
Vedanta (Vedic philosophy) declares: "Brahman is Sathya (Truth); the Cosmos is Mithya (illusory)". Your primary concern must be to understand whether you are real or unreal or what in you is real and what is unreal. It is only when you have recognised the truth of your own being that you can recognise the world as illusory and your own self as the only reality. The realized person asserts: "I am Brahman". Wherefrom has this statement emanated? What does it mean? It is a spontaneous expression and not the result of a thought or feeling. The "I" is boundless Infinite. When the finite individual merges in the Infinite "I", the "I" alone remains.
Human body is meant to serve others, not to indulge in selfish deeds. Due to selfishness, one indulges in many sinful activities. Eschew selfishness, take to selfless service. Give up attachment to the body. Become attached to the Self. Understand that the same Atma (Self) exists in everybody. Though you find myriad bulbs glowing, the current that is passing through them is the same. Bodies are like bulbs, the principle of the Atma is the current that is present in them. With such a feeling of oneness, make efforts to alleviate the suffering of your fellowmen.
The same Atma, the same love and the same divinity is present in all beings. All are one. The heart is like a tank and all the senses are like taps. When the 'tank' is full of love, all that comes out of the 'taps' will also be love. Whatever you see in others is only a reflection of your inner being. Understand this truth. If you see evil in others, it is actually the reflection of your own evil feelings. What is outside is only the reflection, reaction, and resound of what is within you. If you wear blue glasses, you see everything blue. If you wear red glasses, you see everything red. If you are a good person, you will see goodness all around.
The Vedas deal with rituals and worship, which imply a dualism between the worshipper and the object worshipped. Vedanta spells out the principle of Adwaitha (non-duality). It is interpreted in different ways, but the real basis of the Adwaithik principle is Ekaatma Bhaava, the feeling that there is only one Atma pervading everywhere and none else. "Adhwaita Darshanam Jnanam" (Wisdom lies in the perception of oneness). The Upanishads preach this oneness, based on the concept of unity in diversity.
Oil is present within the sesame seed. Ghee is present in every drop of milk. Fragrance is latent in every flower. A fruit is imbued with sweet juice. In every piece of wood, fire is latent. In the same manner, the Divine is immanent in the entire cosmos in a subtle form as Chaitanya (Consciousness). The cosmos is the visible manifestation of the invisible Supreme Self. The Divine shines effulgently in every man as Sath-Chith-Ananda (Being-Awareness-Bliss). While the Divine is in such close proximity to him, man in his ignorance goes about seeking God outside himself.
Pure and selfless love towards all living beings, considering everyone as embodiments of the Divine, with no expectation of reward, is true Love. With this attitude, when one regards divinity as present in all beings, he experiences true love. Whatever be the vicissitudes one may face, whatever be the personal sorrows and privations one may undergo, true love will remain unaffected. Today, the moment a difficulty arises, love turns into hatred. True love is the sweet fruit that grows out of the fragrant flower of good deeds. Love rules without recourse to the sword. It binds without laws. Only one who has such true love can be described as human, for, divine love is the basic quality of a true human being.
Realize that you have within you the source of power, wisdom and joy. Assert that you are unconquerable and free, that you cannot be tempted or frightened in to wrong. So long as a trace of body consciousness persists in you, the search for God must continue. Do not get caught in the sticky tangles of the external world. Do not harden your heart through greed and hate. Instead, soften it with love. Cleanse it through pure habits of living and thinking. Make it your shrine, wherein you install and worship God. Then, you can enter the sacred precincts of Moksha (Liberation).
Every aspirant who seeks the Eternal through the path of Bhakthi (devotion) should strive to acquire these characteristics: He must (1) keep away from the turmoils, the cruelties, the falsehoods of this world; (2) practise truth, righteousness, love and peace; (3) discard as worthless both praise and blame, appreciation and derision, prosperity and adversity; (4) keep steady faith in his own Innate Reality; and (5) dedicate himself to spiritual uplift.
All that you speak is a reflection of inner thoughts. All that you do is a reflection of inner action. Hence, to act according to your inner impulse is Dharma (right conduct). To speak what you feel inside is Sathya (truth). To contemplate on what you experience in your heart is Shanti (peace). To understand properly the promptings of the heart is Ahimsa (non-violence). Consideration for all emanating from the heart is Prema (love). The five values are thus reflections of feelings emanating from the heart. Being truly human means having complete harmony between thought, word and deed. If there is divergence between thought, word and deed, what is the outcome? Fruitless action.
One need not search for spiritual power, going around the world and spending a lot of money. You can stay in your own house and develop it within yourself. You do not have to run for it hither and thither. You are not a mere man, but God Himself. Do not be under the delusion that God is residing somewhere and that you have to search for Him; God is within you.
God is the great Unseen, the vast Unknowable. Though you do not see the roots or know how deep inside the earth they are, you pour water round the trunk, so that it may reach them. You expect that the roots will absorb the water and the tree will grow and yield fruit. Recognize that similarly there is God as the very basis of Creation; pray to Him, and He will shower fruit.
Man does not live by food alone. In fact he lives by the power of the Atma. So you must use your strength of body and mind, wealth and education with intelligence, in order to realize the power of the soul. Without discrimination, what is the use of physical strength? Everyday, when you take food, you are offering eatables to the Fire that God has put in you to digest food. You have to eat in a prayerful mood, in profound gratitude. The Bhagavad Gita says that the fire that cooked the meal is God; the meal is God, the eater is God; the purpose of eating is to carry on the work entrusted by God, or pleasing to God; and the fruit of that work is progress towards God.
God is the Antharyaami (Indweller), and so, when He is sought in the outer world He cannot be caught. Love Him with no other thought; feel that without Him nothing is worth anything; feel that He is all. Then you become His and He becomes yours. There is no nearer kinship than that. You have come from God; you are a spark of His Glory; you are a wave of that Ocean of bliss; you will get peace only when you again merge in Him. Like a child who has lost his way, you can have joy only when you rejoin your mother.
Man has springs of joy and peace in his heart, even as a child. Cultivate them, give them fullest freedom to gush forth and fertilize all fields of activity, that is the real purpose of education. Man is born to be perpetually happy, but he is always in misery. This is tragic; it is like the man who died of thirst though he was standing knee-deep in the running stream. The source of happiness is in you. Real education has to teach man how to tap this spring of joy.
Why is man so pathetically afflicted today with fear and anxiety? Are we to search for the reasons outside us or do they lie within us? The reason lies in the false emphasis we have laid on things of the material world, ignoring matters of the spirit. The body that man bears is essentially a receptacle of God. It is a temple where God is installed, where God is the Master. Hence, it does not behove you to pander to its every whim. Instead, realise it to be a very valuable instrument in your journey to God.
Gu' means darkness and 'Ru' means light. Guru (spiritual preceptor) scatters darkness through light; he imparts wisdom which roots out our ignorance. 'Gu' also connotes 'Gunaatheetha' (One who is beyond 'gunas' or attributes) and 'Ru' connotes 'Roopavarjitha' (One who has transcended Form). Do not seek human Gurus, however great their reputation. They are bound by the qualities they have developed and they are still in need of the Form so that they may conceive of Reality. They themselves being limited, how can they communicate to you the Unlimited? Pray to the Parabrahma Principle (transcendental principle) or God within you to reveal Itself. Accept that as the Guru and you will be illumined.
In this Kali Age, people have forgotten human values and exhibit animal qualities such as lust, anger, greed and hatred. One may study all the scriptures, perform all types of sacrifices, go on extensive pilgrimages, but it is not easy to control the senses and the mind, direct one's vision inward and maintain equanimity. In ancient times, the sages and seers maintained purity in thought, truth in words and righteousness in deeds. Purity of heart and selflessness are the hallmarks of human life
Man expects the New Year to confer on him and the world at large peace, happiness and prosperity. But the welfare of the world depends on man's conduct and behavior. Man's conduct depends on his mind. The nature of the mind depends on thoughts. Only when man's thoughts are based on truth will the world flourish. One who aspires for the welfare of the world should see to it that his thoughts and actions are in accordance with his aspirations. The New Year brings with it neither happiness nor misery. Man attains happiness or misery based on the actions he performs. So, he should perform righteous deeds.
What is spirituality? It is the resolute pursuit of cosmic consciousness. Spirituality aims at enabling a person to manifest in all its fullness the divine cosmic consciousness (Chaitanya) that is present both within and outside oneself. It means getting rid of one’s animal nature and developing the divine tendencies within one. It means breaking down the barriers between God and Nature and establishing their essential oneness. Today, people think that spirituality has no relation to mundane life, and vice versa. This is a big mistake. True divinity is a combination of spirituality and social obligations. National unity and social harmony are founded upon spirituality. It is the Divine that links spirituality and social existence
Attachment causes pain, and detachment results in joy. But, you cannot easily detach yourself from activity; the mind clings to something or the other. Make it cling to God, let it perform all actions for God and leave the success or failure, the loss and the profit, the elation or the dejection, to God. This is the secret of Shanti (Peace) and contentment.
He who considers himself free is free indeed, and he who considers himself bound remains bound. Constantly think yourself as being eternal, unlimited, Consciousness-Bliss, and you will be free and happy. So long as you trap yourself in body consciousness you are like a lion moping about in a musty cave. Do not feel satisfied by saying, 'I am the body'. Roar and say, 'I am the Universal Absolute. I am all that is, was and will be.' Pettiness, ego, time and space - all will flee from your heart and you will realize your own Divinity.
There is a tendency to interpret renunciation as merely giving up worldly attachments. Renunciation truly means attaining perfect equanimity. People may criticize you or praise you, take them both with a sense of equanimity. One may try to harm you while another may try to do you a good turn; treat both situations with equanimity. In one business venture, you may incur a loss while in another you may make a profit; treat them both alike. Equanimity is the hallmark of yoga (spiritual attainment).
This is a photo of the Risen Christ - manifested by Sai Baba.
The story goes that a woman came to see him with a photo of the shroud of Turin ~
and she asked Baba to bless it.
Baba said something like... “not this” …
Then he passed his hand over it and the photo went blank.
Then he passed his hand back over it again and this image appeared.
“He lives”
