|
|
Oct 6, 2004
Education is for life and not just for a living...
Education is for life and not just for a living...
In these days of communal and sectarian strife, the message clearly sent down in the Sathya Sai system is - there is only one religion - the religion of love; only one caste - the caste of humanity; and only one language - the language of the heart. The students live this precept out; for the festivals of all religions are celebrated. A student of this system is equally at home singing Christmas Carols, chanting the Vedas and reciting the Suras of the Holy Koran.
A parable often retold by Sri Sathya Sai Baba is the story of a little boy who tore up his father's world map into bits. While the father was furious, the boy decided to make amends and starts putting the pieces back in place to stick them up. Even as he puts in all his efforts he fails to put the world together again. Then he notices that on the reverse of the world map there are bits of drawings of the human body; a nose here, a ear there, a foot here and an eye there... and then an idea strikes him. He reverses all the torn pieces and puts the parts of the human body together so that they form the complete picture of a man. Then he turns the picture to have the whole world again! Likewise says Baba, in these troubled times when the whole world is going into pieces, the only way to make the world united is by making each human being a wholesome person. There are no other short cuts to it.
It was precisely with this aim that Sri Sathya Sai Baba, revered as a World Teacher, began his educational mission in 1969 with the establishment of a women's college at Anantapur. Over the past three decades, the mission has grown to include a Deemed University (the Sri Sathya Sai University) under which come the Anantapur campus, the Brindavan campus of the Sri Sathya Sai Arts and Commerce College, Whitefield and the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL) at Puttaparthi itself, besides a dozen schools and colleges elsewhere in India and abroad following the Sathya Sai system of education.
The Ministry of Education, Mauritius, has adopted the Sathya Sai system of education. Likewise educationists in Zambia, U.K., Thailand, Brazil and many other countries around the world have taken up this programme entitled ``Education in Human Values'' (EHV). In fact it has created so many ripples that the UNESCO is organising a conference at Puttaparthi in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Network for International Education and Values Education, the Institute of Sathya Sai Education (Thailand), and the Flinders University Institute of International Education, Australia, this year. The conference will discuss the roles of teachers and parents in value education and debate on value education for the 21st Century and the evolving of a practical curriculum for value education. Importantly, the youth will also have their say at the conference.
EHV programme
Historically the EHV programme has its roots in the Bala Vikas programme started by Sri Sathya Sai Baba in the Sixties. Women, usually housewives, were the Gurus and once a week they would interact with children sent to them by willing parents. These sessions usually included retelling stories from the puranas and bhajan singing; discussions on how to tackle anger, envy and so on; enacting plays on nature, conservation etc.
This EHV programme, with suitable modifications, was made an integral part of the curriculum when the Sri Sathya Sai Seva organisation started educational institutions; and with the establishment of the Sri Sathya Sai University, of which Baba is the Chancellor, the EHV programme has blossomed to fullness.
Two thirds of a student's education takes place outside the classroom; therefore to ensure that there is no dilution of the EHV programme, these institutions are strictly residential.
Admission to the institutions is based only on merit; and beyond the primary school stage, there is segregation of the sexes; no fee is collected; even hostel accommodation is free; the students only pay a nominal sum for food. Except during vacations when they are sent home, everyday is a working day; even festivals and holidays are converted into learning opportunities.
Academically speaking, these institutions compare with the best in the world in terms of qualified faculty and facilities; besides, classes and examinations are held very studiously. Naturally, the results are enviable and many of the alumni are scholarship students with the CSIR, Indian Institute of Science and so on.
Sports and games also get pride of place. But the main thrust of the Sathya Sai system of education is on moulding the personality of the student, for Baba says, ``The end of education is character; education is for life and not just for a living.'' The watchwords in the Sathya Sai institutions are cooperation and harmony. Discipline, orderliness and patience needed for this are assiduously cultivated.
I asked an old student how this was achieved. She smiled and said, ``Standing silently and waiting patiently for one's turn - be it for a bath, breakfast, games or class and back; well, this disciplined routine itself is a great teacher!'', Time management is another concept learnt by practice. There are no holidays to laze around; no whiling away over a pack of cards; no watching the idiot box; no gossipping. A key factor that ensures the success of the programme is that the teachers lead from the front.
Practical training in living together as a community is imparted by Self Reliance programmes. Although there are cooks, electricians, plumbers and so on at the hostels, the running of the mess, cleaning of rooms, maintenance of hygiene, electricity and water supply maintenance, keeping music equipment and sports equipment in good condition - all these activities are done by the students. A history student may thus learn how to change a fuse; a literature student may learn how to take care of overhead tanks; a physics student may learn how to cook and so on. Within one hour, five hundred students eat noiselessly in a mess and leave after all the plates and glasses are washed.
EHV is infused into the teaching of academic subjects as well. Products from trees are used in the manufacture of perfumes, for example is converted into a fantastic EHV opportunity when the social studies teacher says, ``Look at the mango tree - you throw stones at it and yet in return it gives you delicious mangoes. And as for the sandalwood tree - it imparts fragrance even to the very axe that fells it. See their spirit of sacrifice! That is what we too should cultivate.''
The biology teacher while teaching about bacterial diseases explains how the loss of pain sensation leads to the mutilation of hands and feet in leprosy patients; as a spin off, he adds ``So pain and suffering also have beneficial role on life.''
The chemistry teacher while teaching about subatomic particle says, ``Just as electrons exist unseen in all matter, living or nonliving, so does divinity exist unseen in all things.''Another facet of the EHV programme is the awareness module. Adolescence and youth are biologically explosive times when hormones race through the system and cause violent emotions and feelings. The awareness programmes help students understand themselves better. Fear, ambition, success, failure, inferiority complex, birth, marriage, death - students thrash out all these issues with teachers; often the Chancellor too participates and guides. For a practical exposition, the epics of various religions, the lives of saints and the scriptures of various faiths are also studied. In these days of communal and sectarian strife, the message clearly sent down in the Sathya Sai system is - there is only one religion, - the religion of love; only one caste - the caste of humanity; and only one language - the language of the heart. The students live this precept out, for the festivals of all religions are celebrated. A student of this system is equally at home singing Christmas Carols, chanting the Vedas and reciting the Suras of the Holy Koran.
An in-depth exposure to Indian culture and spirituality is another exercise that contributes to the success of the EHV programme. Be it Adi Sankara, the Sufis, Buddha, the Thirthankaras or Gandhiji, the students are exposed to everything; and to make the exercise more meaningful, the lessons are driven home through mime, theatre, plays and concerts. Fine arts are also given great importance; for it is art that uplifts and refines man. At the Puttaparthi campus, on every Tuesday, the boys have a fine arts session, aptly named ``Saama,'' when everything ranging from Carnatic music, Kathakali, Bach'n Beethoven, and tribal music & dance are demonstrated and discussed.
The flagship of the Sathya Sai university is the MBA course. Total Quality Management and Re-engineering, the mantras of modern management schools are suitably modified here. TQM translates as ``Total harmony in the quality of thought, word and deed'' and RE as humility combined with co-ordination of head- heart-and-hand for without the former one would not accept the need for change and bench-marking; and without the latter the change would never take place. The cold, market economics usually taught at business schools acquires the warmth of compassion and human values at this institute.
DR. HIRAMALINI SESHADRI
The Hindu, Sept. 12, 2000
Posted at 08:00 am by saiavatar
Permalink
Who is Superior?
Baba said, "It is not good to dispute and argue, so don’t argue, don’t emulate others" in Sri Sai Satcharitra, ch. X.
Once upon a time the senses quarrelled among themselves as to who was superior, each saying: "I am superior, I am superior."
They went to Prajapati, their father, and said: "Sir, who is the best of us?"
He replied: "He by whose departure the body looks the worst – he is the best of you."
Speech then departed and, having stayed away for a year, returned and said: "How have you been able to live without me?"
They replied: "Like the dumb - not speaking, but breathing with the breath, seeing with the eye, hearing with the ear, and thinking with the mind. Thus we lived." Then speech entered in.
The eye then departed and having stayed away for a year, returned and said: "How have you been able to live without me?" They replied: "Like the blind – not seeing, but breathing with the breath, speaking with the tongue, hearing with the ear and thinking with the mind. Thus we lived." Then the eye entered in.
The ear then departed, and having stayed away for a year, returned and said: "How have you been able to live without me?" They replied: "Like the deaf – not hearing, but breathing with the breath, speaking with the tongue, seeing with the eye and thinking with the mind. Thus we lived." Then the ear entered in.
The mind then departed and having stayed away for a year, returned and said: "How have you been able to live without me?" They replied: "Like children – not thinking, but breathing with the breath, speaking with the tongue, seeing with the eye and hearing with the ear. Thus we lived." Then the mind entered in.
Now, when the breath was about to depart, tearing up the other senses, as a strong horse about to depart might tear up the pegs to which he is tethered, they gathered round him and said: "Sir, remain. You are the best of us, do not depart."
Then speech said to him: "If I am the most prosperous, so are you the most prosperous." The eye said to him: "If I am the firm basis, so are you the firm basis." The ear said to him: "If I am success, so are you the success." The mind said to him; "If I am the abode, so are you the abode."
Hence these are not termed organs of speech or eyes or ears or minds.
They are termed signs of life.
For life itself becomes all these.
(From the Chhandogya Upanishad, XIII. v. 1, Translated by Professor D.S.Sarma)
Courtesy: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sabkamalikek/
Posted at 05:04 am by saiavatar
Permalink
Oct 5, 2004
Shirdi Sai Baba's Sayings
Shirdi Sai Baba's Sayings
Why fear when I am here?
I am formless and everywhere.
I am in everything and beyond.
I fill all space.
All that you see taken together is Myself.
I do not shake or move.
If one devotes their entire time to me and rests in me, need fear nothing for body and soul.
If one sees me and me alone and listens to my leelas and is devoted to me alone, they will reach God.
My business is to give blessings.
I get angry with none.
Will a mother get angry with her children?
Will the ocean send back the waters to the several rivers?
I will take you to the end.
Surrender completely to God.
If you make me the sole object of your thoughts and aims, you will gain the supreme goal.
Trust in the Guru fully. That is the only sadhana.
I am the slave of my devotee.
Stay by me and keep quiet. I will do the rest.
What is our duty?
To behave properly. That is enough.
My eye is ever on those who love me.
Whatever you do, wherever you may be,always bear this in mind:
I am always aware of everything you do.
I will not allow my devotees to come to harm.
If a devotee is about to fall, I stretch out my hands to support him or her.
I think of my people day and night. I say their names over and over.
My treasury is open but no one brings carts to take from it. I say, “Dig!” but no one bothers.
My people do not come to me of their own accord; it is I who seek and bring them to me.
All that is seen is my form: ant, fly, prince, pauper.
However distant my people may be, I draw them to me just as we pull a bird to us with a string tied to its foot.
I love devotion.
This body is just my house. My guru has long ago taken me away from it.
Those who think that Baba is only in Shirdi have totally failed to know me.
Without my grace, not even a leaf can move.
I look on all with an equal eye.
I cannot do anything without God’s permission.
God has agents everywhere and their powers are vast.
I have to take care of my children day and night and give an account to God of every paise.
The wise are cheerful and content with their lot in life.
If you are wealthy, be humble.
Plants bend when they bear fruit.
Spend money in charity; be generous and munificent but not extravagant.
Get on with your worldly activities cheerfully, but do not forget God.
Do not kick against the pricks of life.
Whatever creature comes to you, human or otherwise, treat it with consideration.
Do not be obsessed by the importance of wealth.
See the divine in the human being.
Do not bark at people and don’t be aggressive, but put up with others’ complaints.
There is a wall of separation between oneself and others and between you and me. Destroy this wall!
Give food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, and clothes to the naked.
Then God will be pleased.
Saburi (patience) ferries you across to the distant goal.
The four sadhanas and the six sastras are not necessary. Just have complete trust in your guru: it is enough.
Meditate on me either with form or without form, that is pure bliss.
God is not so far away. He is not in the heavens above, nor in hell below.
He is always near you.
If anyone gets angry with another, they wound me to the quick.
If you cannot endure abuse from another, just say a simple word or two, or else leave.
What do we lose by another’s good fortune? Let us celebrate with them, or strive to emulate them. That should be our desire and determination.
I stay by the side of whoever repeats my name.
If formless meditation is difficult, then think of my form just as you see it here.
With such meditation, the difference between subject and object is lost and the mind dissolves in unity.
If anyone offends you do not return tit for tat.
I am the slave of those who hunger and thirst after me and treat everything else as unimportant.
Whoever makes me the sole object of their love, merges in me like a river in the ocean.
Look to me and I will look to you.
What God gives is never exhausted, what man gives never lasts.
Be contented and cheerful with what comes.
My devotees see everything as their Guru.
Poverty is the highest of riches and a thousand times superior to a king’s wealth.
Put full faith in God’s providence.
Distinguish right from wrong and be honest, upright and virtuous.
Do not be obsessed by egotism, imagining that you are the cause of action: everything is due to God.
If we see all actions as God’s doing, we will be unattached and free from karmic bondage.
Other people’s acts will affect just them. It is only your own deeds that will affect you.
Do not be idle: work, utter God’s name and read the scriptures.
If you avoid rivalry and dispute, God will protect you.
People abuse their own friends and family, but it is only after performing many meritorious acts that one gets a human birth. Why then come to Shirdi and slander people?
Speak the truth and truth alone.
No one wants to take from me what I give abundantly.
Do not fight with anyone, nor retaliate, nor slander anyone.
Harsh words cannot pierce your body. If anybody speaks ill of you, just continue on unperturbed.
Choose friends who will stick to you till the end, through thick and thin.
Meditate on what you read and think of God.
I give my devotees whatever they ask, until they ask for what I want to give.
You should not stay for even one second at a place where people are speaking disrespectfully of a saint.
If you do not want to part with what you have, do not lie and claim that you have nothing, but decline politely saying that circumstancesor your own desires prevent you.
Let us be humble.
Satsang, that is associating with the good, is good.
Dussaya, or associating with evil-minded people, is evil and must be avoided.
What you sow, you reap. What you give, you get.
Recognize the existence of the Moral Law as governing results. Then unswervingly follow this Law.
All gods are one. There is no difference between a Hindu and a Muslim. Mosque and temple are the same.
Fulfil any promises you have made.
Death and life are the manifestations of God’s activity. You cannot separate the two.
God permeates all.
Mukti is impossible for those addicted to lust.
Gain and loss, birth and death are in the hands of God.
When you see with your inner eye. Then you realize that you are God and not different from Him.
Avoid unnecessary disputation.
The giver gives, but really he is sowing the seed for later: the gift of a rich harvest.
Wealth is really a means to work out dharma. If one uses it merely for personal enjoyment, it is vainly spent.
To God be the praise.I am only the slave of God.
God will show His love. He is kind to all.
Whenever you undertake to do something, do it thoroughly or not at all.
One’s sin will not cease till one falls at the feet of sadhus.
Be ashamed of your hatred. Give up hatred and be quiet.
The Moral Law is inexorable, so follow it, observe it, and you will reach your goal: God is the perfection of the Moral Law.
I am your servants’ servant.
Always think of God and you will see what He does.
Have faith and patience. Then I will be always with you wherever you are.
May the Merciful Sri Sai Baba always shower His grace on us and our families and remove our problems and anxieties by giving us all - strength, goodluck, success and happiness with peace of mind.
Posted at 08:43 am by saiavatar
Permalink
Oct 4, 2004
Statistics of the Sri Sathya Sai Super Speciality Hospitals
Statistics of the Sri Sathya Sai Super Speciality Hospitals
Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Prasanthi Nilayam
Cumulative Statistics from 22nd November 1991 to 31st August 2004.
Procedures Done for - Number of Procedures
Heart Surgeries - 14,232
Cath Procedures - 14,538
Urology Surgeries - 24,137
Opthalmology Surgeries - 24,105
CT Scans - 3,839
Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences , Whitefield, Bangalore
Cumulative Statistics from 19th January 2001 to 31st August 2004.
Procedures Done for - Number of Procedures
Cardiac Surgeries - 4,682
Cardiac Catheterisation - 8,350
Neuro Surgeries - 4,061
CT Scans - 14,060
MRI Exams - 15,243
Source: Radio Sai E-Magazine October 2004
http://www.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_02/18Oct01/Index.htm
Posted at 03:41 pm by saiavatar
Permalink
Humanitarian Works are changing the World
Humanitarian Works are changing the World
Courtesy: Saibaba News
 
SRI SATHYA SAI BABA
His Universal Message
His Humanitarian Works
An Inspiration To Humanity
You are cordially invited to attend a meeting about a remarkable person whose life, teachings and humanitarian works are changing the world.
Saturday October 9, 2004 at 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.
Bloor Street United Church 300 Bloor Street West, Toronto
RSVP for confirmed seating: 416 224 8389
No Admission Fee & No Donations
Program
7:00 pm - Welcome & Introductions:
7:10 pm - Speaker: Dr. David Gries, Ph.D.
8:00 pm - Speaker: Dr. Yassin Sankar, Ph.D.
8:30 pm - Film:
‘His Work’ is a moving portrait, highlighting the sweeping scope of humanitarian projects initiated and inspired by Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Free super-speciality hospitals, schools, colleges and a university, free drinking water to millions, rural outreach programs – all bear testimony to his selfless and tireless saga of love and compassion
8:50 pm - Closing Remarks
9:00 pm - Conclusion
Speakers
Dr. David Gries, a native of New York, received his doctorate from the Munich Institute of Technology, Germany. Since 1969, except for a few years, he has been on the faculty of Computer Science at Cornell University, USA, serving as Department Chair for five years and currently as Associate Dean of Engineering. Since 1985, Gries has been associated with the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning in India, and he generally teaches there for two weeks each year. He is the webmaster of the International Sai Organization website, www.sathyasai.org and is currently Chair of Zone 1 of the International Sai Oraganization.
Dr. Yassin Sankar is Professor of Management in the School of Business Administration at the Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he has been on the faculty for 30 years. He has a Ph.D. in Education from the Johns Hopkins University. He has written several books and articles on technological change, education, human values, and ethics, and management. He is currently in the process of completing two additional books: The Quest for Ethical Leadership, and International Management and Comparative Ethical Systems.
His Life And His Message
Sri Sathya Sai Baba is a highly revered spiritual leader and world teacher, whose life and message are inspiring millions of people throughout the world to turn Godward and to lead constructive and virtuous lives. His timeless and universal teachings, along with the example of his own life, are attracting seekers of Truth from all religions of the world. He was born as Sathya Narayana Raju in 1926 in Puttaparthi, then a remote hamlet in South India. As a child he was brilliant in his studies, but what made him unique was his extraordinary wisdom and compassion. At the age of fourteen, he declared that he would henceforth be known as Sai Baba and that his mission was to bring about the spiritual regeneration of humanity by inculcating love for God and service to all beings. Or over seven decades, his life has been a stirring and moving saga of love and compassion. Today, Prashanthi Nilayam – his ashram (spiritual oasis) in South India – attracts thousands of spiritual seekers from virtually every corner of the globe. This ‘abode of highest peace’ offers solace and inspiration to all who aspire for Peace.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba uplifts man by teaching and demonstrating that man is inherently divine and his nature is selfless love. Quoting the scriptures of various faiths, Baba often reminds us that Love is God and God is Love, and that Love is immanent in the heart of every being. Through his own example, Baba demonstrates how to tap that unfailing Source. He re-emphasizes principles that form the foundation of the world’s major religions: Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love, and Non-violence. He repeatedly exhorts mankind to “Love All, Serve All” and asserts that the essence of all scriptures is “Help Ever, Hurt Never!”
His Work
Sri Sathya Sai Baba uplifts the institutions of mankind through his unique and noble works. The sheer range and scale of the humanitarian projects initiated and inspired by him is unprecedented in modern history. What follows are glimpses of his Love in Action…
Education: Sathya Sai Baba has established a model education system, which includes primary and secondary schools and an accredited university, offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees, with no fees from the students. It has been hailed as a crown jewel of the Indian education system by leading educators. In addition to academic excellence, Baba’s system of integral education is designed to foster character and self-discipline, for as he often asserts, “The end of education is character.”
Healthcare: Sathya Sai Baba has established four hospitals, two of which provide advanced tertiary care. The hospitals are equipped with state-of-the-art technologies in cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, nephrology and urosurgery, and ophthalmology. To date, thousands of surgeries have been performed absolutely free.
Drinking Water: Starting from the mid-nineties, Sathya Sai Baba has executed massive drinking water projects, bringing much-needed relief to millions of villagers. For these long-suffering people a century-old dream has come true – safe drinking water, available free and throughout the year, right at their doorstep.
Rural Outreach: Every year, the students and staff of Baba’s University fan out into neighbouring villages and spend nearly two weeks distributing food and clothes, house to house, bringing comfort and love. This has inspired similar long-term projects throughout rural India and increasingly in other parts of the world.
Information
The Sri Sathya Sai Organization has a presence in over 100 countries with more than 2000 Centres world-wide, over 50 of which are in various cities across Canada. The centres provide a place to meet, study, and practice the teachings of Sathya Sai Baba. These Centres are engaged in selfless service in their local communities. The Centres also offer devotional meetings with group singing, meditation and prayer. Two programs of character development – Sathya Sai Education in Human Values and Sai Spiritual Education – are offered to children to inculcate the five human values of truth, right conduct, peace, love, and non-violence and to teach the fundamental truths underlying all religions. Such value-based spiritual training is also the basis for the Young Adult Program of the Organization.
For more information about the life and teaching of Sri Sathya Sai Baba or about the Sathya Sai Baba Organization of Canada, please contact
Sri Sathya Sai Baba Book & Information Centre
58-B Arlington Avenue,
Toronto, Ontario, M6G 3K8
Tel: 416-481-7242
www.saibooks.org
www.sathyasai.org
www.srisathyasai.org.in
Where there is righteousness in the heart,
there is beauty in the character.
When there is beauty in character,
there is harmony in the home.
When there is harmony in the home,
there is order in the nation.
When there is order in the nation,
there is peace in the world
- Sathya Sai Baba -
Posted at 10:58 am by saiavatar
Permalink
Sai Baba talks to Russian Ladies
Sai Baba talks to Russian Ladies
(excerpts)
Om Sri Sai Ram
Prasanthi Nilayam 25.06.2002
Sai Baba: What is a meaning of puja?
Lady: Puja is a worship of God.
Sai Baba: It is not correct. You have to worship God inside, not outside. Don't see God as a picture, see the picture as God. See God in everything.
Sai Baba: Do you have any questions?
Lady: How to find an answer to the question: "Who am I?"
Sai Baba: Think like this. We say: "This is my handkerchief." It means that I am separate from the handkerchief. We say: "This is my body" It means that I am different from my body. "This is my hand". "This is my leg". It means that I am not the hand and not the leg. But who am I? I am the consciousness inside this body. Consciousness is everything. Consciousness is God. But nowadays too many people have body consciousness.
God is one but He has many names. Christians call Him Jesus, Muslims call Him Allah, Hindus call Him Rama, Krishna, Govinda. But God is only one. When a doctor wants to make a blood test, he takes some blood from your finger. But the blood is the same in the shoulder, in the chest, in the leg. You can wear different types of jewelry - bangles, rings, chains, earrings, but the gold is one and the same. All of you here have different names and forms, but all are ladies. Similarly, God is one, path is one, goal is one. If you want to reach the goal you have to stick to one path. Some people go to one lady, then go to another lady. This is not good. There should be one path, one goal.
Now in Russia husband and wife often live separately. They fight with each other. Husband doesn't want to take care of the family.
Ladies have two stomachs. One is for food, another is for baby. In that other stomach often there are some diseases. One man comes and gives his blood. Another man comes and gives his blood, and so on. This blood mixes inside and causes problems. Ladies also take pills to prevent being pregnant. This is another reason for a disease. This is not good. Control your senses and you will not fall sick.
Sai Baba: What do you eat?
Lady: We eat vegetables.
Sai Baba: Very good. Vegetables contain all necessary proteins and vitamins. Vegetables and green stuff are very good. Meat is not good. It is very harmful. Animals eat impure food. Sometimes they eat dead bodies. If you eat non-vegetarian food all this poison goes to your body. Ladies are usually more careful than gents. They eat only good food. But gents go to the restaurants and eat anything. They buy different snacks in the bazaars and in the streets. This food is not good.
Many people nowadays are sick with cancer and TB. But look at the animals. They don't suffer from cancer and TB. Why? Because they eat natural, raw food. Their food is not cooked. Human beings, on the contrary, eat unnatural artificial food.
Lady: Can we eat fish?
Sai Baba: Fish is not good. Nowadays the water in the ocean is polluted. Such countries as Japan and China throw bombs and nuclear waste into the ocean. Fish is therefore gets poisoned and is not good. Do not eat fish.
Sai Baba: It is very important to control your five senses. This is the best sadhana. Meditation and repetition of Gods Name is not necessary. If you control your sense organs just for eleven days you will get Moksha, Mukti, Nirvana, Liberation.
Buddha also did tapas and meditation, visited different teachers and sages but finally he gave up all these practices. He understood that five senses are given to us by God and that we have to control them. He learned to control his senses and in eleven days he reached Nirvana. Once a very bright, effulgent Light came down on him from heaven. Ananda, who was sitting next to Buddha, also saw this light. He understood that Buddha is going and started crying. Buddha asked him: Ananda, why are you crying? Don't cry, I am going to God. My life is fulfilled. Thus Buddha went to God. After some time Ananda also was engulfed in Light and reached the state of Nirvana.
First of all you should control your tongue, eyes and ears. Tongue is the most important among the five sense organs. Many ancient sages observed mauna (period of silence). As a result they were in the state of bliss. Silence is gold. You should talk less.
Sai Baba (addressing one of the ladies): What sadhana are you doing?
Lady: Every morning I meditate on Your Name and Form.
Sai Baba: Very good. During meditation you should look at the tip of your nose, like this (demonstrates). If you keep your eyes fully open, your attention will be easily distracted, this is Raja guna. If you close your eyes completely, you may fall asleep, this is Tamo guna. Therefore you have to keep your eyes half-closed, looking at the tip of your nose. Then you will reach Sattva guna. And you always have to keep your mind here (points at the area between the eyebrows, third eye), and not there (points at the chest). Here is the minds real place. Here is God.
Lady: Why do bad omens come true?
Sai Baba: This is because of your mind. Mind is everything. If you think that something bad should happen, it happens. If you think of something good, then good thing happens.
Don't talk evil, talk what is good.
Don't hear evil, hear what is good.
Don't see evil, see what is good.
Don't do evil, do what is good.
Don't think evil, think what is good.
You are what you think. Yad Bhavam Tat Bhavati (As is the feeling so is the result). If you think you are a man, you are a man. If you think you are God, you are God.
What is mind? Mind is just a bundle of desires. Desires are like luggage in this journey of life. Less luggage more comfort. Therefore reduce the number of your desires, one by one. Take, for example, this handkerchief. It is just a piece of cloth made of threads. If you remove threads one by one, the cloth will disappear. Similarly, if you remove your desires, the mind will disappear.
Sometimes you feel envy, jealousy. This is a quality of a monkey. When you feel jealous, say to yourself: I am not a monkey, I am a man. The jealousy will go. Anger is a quality of a dog. If you feel angry, say to yourself: I am not a dog, I am a man. Then you will be free from anger. Envy, jealousy, hatred, anger - these are all animal qualities. You have to get rid of animal qualities and to develop human qualities Lust is like thorns and love is like a flower, a rose. You have to pluck a flower of love without touching the thorns and offer it to God.
You have to keep your heart pure. Pure heart means pure death. This is very important. Body is a water bubble, mind is a mad monkey. Don't follow the body, don't follow the mind. Follow the consciousness.
Never think that the work you have to do is your work. Consider all your work, all your actions to be an offering to God.
Think of God always. Mira used to spent all her time in the Krishna temple.. Once there came her angry husband and started shouting at her: What are you doing here?! Go home and do your household duties! He forbade her to go to the temple. At first, Mira got very upset. But then she understood that all temples are built by human beings and that body is the only temple built by God Himself. She started worshipping Krishna within her heart. (Swami sings Miras song): O, mind, go to the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna. The point of confluence of Ganga and Yamuna is here, in the center of the forehead. Here is the seat of God. It is not an ordinary seat. It is His coronation seat.
(To a lady who is crying): Why are you crying?
Another lady: She is crying out of love.
Sai Baba: Love is very easy.
Start the day with love
Fill the day with love
Spend the day with love
End the day with love
This is the way to God.
During the interview Swami materialized nine diamond rings, small golden statue of Goddess Lakshmi and a watch.
http://sairam19.tripod.com/russian/russian.htm
Posted at 10:51 am by saiavatar
Permalink
Oct 3, 2004
Sai Baba's Miracles
Picture of the 'Previous'
Venkamma, the 'sister' was pestering Baba for a picture of Shirdi Sai Baba, about whom so many songs were composed for the Bhajan by Baba, and it seems, He told her that He would be giving it by a certain Thursday. But, Baba went off to Uravakonda on the day previous to the Thursday indicated, and she too had forgotten all about it, for, she as sure she would get it some day and was not very particular. When night fell and all were asleep at Puttaparthi; some one called out, "Ammayi," "Ammayi" outside the front door, but, the sister did not go and open the door, since the call did not persist. She argued it must be some one calling the neighbour. When she laid herself down after the sitting up, she heard a sound, behind one of the bags of jowar in the same room; she imagined it to be a rat or a snake; it was distinct and loud; so, she lit a lamp and searched and, lo, something was sticking out behind the bag, white, sharp, a piece of rolled paper, a picture of Shirdi Sai Baba, mysteriously presented to her by Baba, who was at Uravakonda at the time!
http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/pages/bhagawan/miracles/Picture.htm
Posted at 01:26 pm by saiavatar
Permalink
Sai Baba's Miracles
Picture of the 'Previous'
Venkamma, the 'sister' was pestering Baba for a picture of Shirdi Sai Baba, about whom so many songs were composed for the Bhajan by Baba, and it seems, He told her that He would be giving it by a certain Thursday. But, Baba went off to Uravakonda on the day previous to the Thursday indicated, and she too had forgotten all about it, for, she as sure she would get it some day and was not very particular. When night fell and all were asleep at Puttaparthi; some one called out, "Ammayi," "Ammayi" outside the front door, but, the sister did not go and open the door, since the call did not persist. She argued it must be some one calling the neighbour. When she laid herself down after the sitting up, she heard a sound, behind one of the bags of jowar in the same room; she imagined it to be a rat or a snake; it was distinct and loud; so, she lit a lamp and searched and, lo, something was sticking out behind the bag, white, sharp, a piece of rolled paper, a picture of Shirdi Sai Baba, mysteriously presented to her by Baba, who was at Uravakonda at the time!
http://www.srisathyasai.org.in/pages/bhagawan/miracles/Picture.htm
Posted at 01:26 pm by saiavatar
Permalink
Sri Sathya Sai Exhibition on Value Parenting
Sri Sathya Sai Exhibition on Value Parenting
DO YOU WANT TO UPGRADE YOUR PARENTING SKILLS ?
HERE IS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY
Venue: Swami Vivekanand High School Auditorium,
Sindhi Society, Chembur.
Date: 3rd to 5th October 2004
Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Mrs. P. U. Vaswani, Executive Secretary, Vivekanand Education Society, shall inaugurate and grace the function on 3rd October 2004 at 10 a.m.
Please make it convenient to attend the exhibition and enrich yourself as a parent.
Roma Talreja
Sai Ram
The 3rd Sri Sathya Sai Parenting Exhibition will be held at Chembur Vivekananda School as per the schedule and details as above .
This Exhibition is on Parenting called `Sri Satya Sai Parenting exhibition ' was inaugurated in Puttaparthi during last Gurupoornima and held last week in Vashi. The Current Chembur one is the third in the row and it is likely to be taken to other centres as our organisation decides.
A small handout of the display material on request shall be distributed along with the CD publication of this also is under consideration by the organisation.
The current Exhibition held in Chembur Vivekananda School will have the following coordinators (on 2nd/3rd/4th/5th Oct 04)who will handle the matter relating to their domain.
a. Mr.V.Shankar Znl.Cr. - All Volunteers and support services Ph.05229172
b. Ms. Radha Prabhakar/Ms.Jaya Talreja - Guest for Inauguration and school invitations - Ph:25224270
c. Mr.R. Chandrashekar - Exhibition display arrangements etc Ph: 9821482711 (Contents & Design Assistance - Miss Roma )
All are invited to visit the exhibition.
SAIRAM
R.Chandrashekar
Exhibition Coordination group
http://sss340.tripod.com/parenting/parenting.htm
Posted at 08:50 am by saiavatar
Permalink
Prof Kasturi and Governor's Birthday
Prof Kasturi and Governor's Birthday
Prof says once it happened to me. Swami was in Whitefield at that time and the private Secretary of the state Governor was running about to carry a message to Swami. Unfortunately for me, he saw me, and said "Mr. Kasturi, I am glad you are here. I am trying to contact Swami, but not able to do so. Tomorrow is Governor's birthday and He wants to come to offer his homage to Swami tomorrow morning. So Please find out from Swami when he can come.
"My head began swelling! "Ah private secretary of Swami!" I accepted the assignment and asked him to wait. I went inside the bungalow, and waited for Swami being alone. Because, if Swami reprimands me, there should be no witness of my discomfort!
I succeeded in having Him alone, and said "Swami private secretary to Governor" and so on. Swami was furious. He said " Who gave you authority to wag your tail here.
If you wag your tail, I will cut it. Why did you accept the assignment? That man asked you" to find from Swami! Is it a thing to be found out? It is his birthday, he wants to come, and I will have to be ready to receive him, is it? Tell that man that the gate will be open from 6 am to 8 p.m. nothing very remarkable about Governor's visit. It is not such important thing that you bring that message to me.
You got my reply, now go back and tell him. What is all this nonsense? This is what I got. So don't take advantage of closeness and don't allow your head to swell! You should not look down upon others, who have not that chance. You should not try to find out the reason for your being graced so much to be near Him.
Even the slightest wave of egoism in your mind is unspiritual, because Swami is spiritual leader. So every act of His, ever gesture of His, every word of His, is to promote our spiritual progress, to illumine our consciousness, to elevate our consciousness.
Swami Says: "Life is a game of football. You are the ball, and you are bound to be thrown and kicked about, this side and that. How long have you to bear this treatment? Until the air is full in the ball. Deflate it; no one will kick it again. The air that inflates it is ego. When the ego is out, bliss comes in.
Jai Sai Ram
Posted at 08:05 am by saiavatar
Permalink
|
|
|
