Swami teaches... Towards noble character and ethical life

[Guest guest]

Sai Ram

 

Light and Love

 

Swami teaches.... (10 February 2005)

 

Towards Noble Character and Ethical Life

 

Kaliyuga offers multifarious paths through which human being can acquire

discrimination or viveka. Indeed, there is much more misery than in previous

ages! The reason lies in human behaviour, in way of living itself. Some say

knowledge is power, but it is not true. Character is Power.

Buddha, Jesus Christ, Sankaracharya and Vivekananda, great Sages and Saints

and Devotees of the Lord, all these are treasured in the memory of people even

unto this day. What quality made them all memorable for all time?

Without character, wealth, education, social status, all these are of no

avail. Among the qualities that make up a flawless character, Love, Patience,

Forbearance, Steadfastness, Charity - these are the highest, these have to be

revered.

Whatever be the nature of the character, it can certainly be modified by

modifying the accustomed process of thought and imagination.

When I see the heaps of books that lie around everywhere, I feel that the

wisdom inside the book cannot succeed in penetrating the heavy binding and

emerge into the light. Sun of Wisdom is hidden by these huge heaps of books.

Though these books have spread to all corners of the earth, we cannot say that

culture has increased or that wisdom has increased.

An attractive binding and title, a beautiful picture, these are what the

reader seeks, viz., transitory pleasure and momentary contentment. Those who

seek the highest path and who revel in thoughts of God should strive to read

the life histories of saints and sages and books which help the contemplation

of the Divine.

Each one should ask himself the question: Mahatmas and Mahapurushas were

also persons like me; they were also embodied beings. When they could attain

perfection, I can also succeed, if I follow their method.

The first sadhana is search for the faults and weaknesses within thyself and

strive to correct them and become perfect.

Human being has only a short span of life, here upon earth. But, even in

this short life one can, by wisely using the time with care, attain Divine

Bliss. Human's habits and the behaviours formed out of these habits, and the

character into which that behaviour has solidified. Anyone is the creature of

character.

To a superficial observer, the human's life appears as an endless round of

eating and drinking, toiling and sleeping. But, verily life has a much greater

meaning; a much deeper significance. Life is a sacrifice, a yagna.

Before Death, position, pride and power, all vanish. But remember, this body

cannot be you. It is for the sake of that Atma Tatwa that you have this body and

so in the attempt to realize Parameshwara here and now, you must be prepared to

offer this body, at any moment, as a sacrifice. Utilise your authority over

this body to foster the welfare of the world.

 

When the rains come, earth and sky are one in the sheety downpour. It is

indeed a beautiful inspiring scene, a scene by which creation itself is

teaching you to become One, in unison with it. There are three lessons that can

be learnt - the impermanence of created things, the role of Human being as the

servant, and God as the Master. This creation is the wherewithal of the Puja;

Human being is the worshipper, and God, the worshipped. When one attains this

stage of thought, feeling and action, all difference between mine and thine will

disappear.

 

( Unless the Divine comes with a form, no one can develop faith in the

Formless. The Divine in human form is the preparation for comprehending the

Formless Absolute).

 

The life's activities must be saturated with Karma, Bhakthi and Jnana. This

is verily the Purushothama Yoga. It has to be acted in practice, not merely

spoken in words, Sadhana should be done constantly with ever-expanding heart

full of Bhakthi and Jnana.

Jnana means understanding but, it is not just an intellectual feat. 'Eating'

does not mean the placing of food on the tongue. So too understanding or Jnana

must permeate and invigorate all the moments of life. It must be expressed

through all the organs and sense, through all the Karmendriyas and all the

Jnanendriyas.

There is no distinction between Bhakthi and Jnana. Just as Suguna becomes

Nirguna, Bhakthi too becomes Jnana. I will not agree that Karma, Bhakthi and

Jnana are separate. I do not even like to classify one of these as first, the

other as the second and next as the third. I will not accept a mixture of all

the three or even a samuchchaya, a merger of the three. Karma is Bhakthi and

Bhakthi is Jnana: A block of Mysorepak has sweetness, weight and shape; the

three cannot be separated, one from the other. Each little part of it has

sweetness, weight and shape. So too, the Jiva, the Atma, and the Paramatma are

not separate; they are one and the same.

 

All Karma done for the sake of three entities is sacrifice, viz., to utilise

the world for the worship of the Lord, to establish peace and justice in society

and to control and co-ordinate the functions of the body. The first is called

Yajna, the second Dana and the third Tapas. All human acts must subserve these

three needs.

All the wealth that human being acquires is got through speech. Our

friendships and relations are established through speech. In human life, speech

is extremely vital. When one's speech is pure, he/she gets sanctified. For

attaining this stage, an ethical life is the foundation. This ethical life is

based upon discrimination between Truth and Falsehood. One should also

constantly practise the great lesson that the Body and the Atma are separate.

This is a highly beneficial exercise. Such viveka or discrimination is

necessary for all aspects of life secular as well as spiritual. It is

indispensable for realizing the Truth, the Truth that persists in Creation,

Existence and Destruction - the Truth which is God Himself.

In this material world, one cannot appreciate the value of spiritual

endeavour if he has had no experience of such a spiritual life and its purity.

The nature and condition of the spiritual path are known only to those who have

journeyed along the road. They know that the path of Sathya and Viveka leads to

Paramatma.

Paramatma alone is real. Paramatma is Truth, Paramatma is Love. Meditate on

Him as Truth, as Love. By your behaviour, through your way of life, you can

realize the Truth, you can realize Paramatma. Your mind will then merge in

Paramatma.

The truth about God cannot be understood by anyone. He is infinitely vast. He

is minuter thanthe atom. No one can know what is the macrocosm and what is the

microcosm. Seek, to understand the ways of God and through devotion and

worship strive to experience the Divine.( Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai

Baba. Prema Vahini, pp. 1 - 11; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 23, "Revelations about

the Sai Avatar," Chapter 28).

 

PS: 1. Explanation the terms click: http://www.vahini.org/glossary/a.html

 

2. I cannot give any rules and dates concern to "Swami teaches..." I

write this as by some intuition impossible to explain in words. In spring,

according to my work, I cannot be every day at computer and probably will send

2 - 4 compilations during the week. (These compilations take much time, I must

to examine very carefully Swami's texts and to 'transform' what has read into

some inner vision ('pictures') what as show me how and what to write. Serial

"Swami teaches.." is as University of Swami's Teaching for myself.

 

Namaste - Reet