Swami teaches... The omnipresent Divine shining

[Guest guest]

Sai Ram

Light and Love

 

Swami teaches.... ( 28 March 2005)

 

The Omnipresent Divine Shining

 

Where there is faith there is Love Where there is Love there is Peace

Where there is Peace there is Truth Where there is Truth there is Bliss

Where there is Bliss there is God. The Divine manifests Himself in many

forms. God is worshipped in many forms for the joy to bederived from it. In

ancient Rome, many Gods were worshipped, as in Bharath. At that time therewas

no belief in one God. Then came Christianity. The concept of unity in diversity

came to beaccepted. In ancient Greece, Plato, the disciple of Socrates, was the

first to point out theimmanence of the Divine in everything in the Universe.

The great axioms of Bhaaratheeya culture found in the Vedhas All this area of

creation and living beings in it is enveloped in God, All this is the Divine.

This is the inner mystery of Incarnation. All are One; The One is All. God

belongs to all. He is Universal. All of you have to give up differences of

every kind and give no room for narrow parochial and national loyalties.

Consider yourselves as the children of one God.

Strike down the walls that separate human from human. Develop firm faith in

the oneness of humanity. Only then will the nation be united, prosperous and

happy.

The Great Teachers belong to mankind. Christ, Raama, Krishna - they are for

all humanity everywhere.

All beings are images of the Universal Aathma, in the names and forms they

have apparentlyassumed. This is the truth, enclosed, elaborated 'and

demonstrated in the spiritual texts of India,which form the basis of

Bhaaratheeya culture. The essence of all religions and faiths is the merging in

this Unity.

The various limbs and organs together form a body; various nations and

communities togetherform the world. The sustenance given by Divine Grace

circulates in every part of the body,helping it to function in unison. The

stream of Love, endowed by Divine Grace, has to circulatein every State and

community to make the world live in Peace and Joy.

 

Division, difference and distinction cuts one off from the life-giving

Grace, that feeds every cellof the body and every individual in the World. The

World is sustained by the self-same Grace. Atree requires for its growth, soil,

sunlight and atmosphere. But, more than these three, it requiresthe seed.

Human's life is conditioned by feelings and deeds, and the consequences of

'these feelings and deeds. But, the existence, I-ness, depends on the Will of

God, as the seed.

 

Every living being is on a pilgrimage - whether one is aware of it or not.

The BhaagavathaPuraana (Story of Glory of Divinity), says that the destiny of

all beings is to return to theirorigin. Once you enter sincerely into the

path of spiritual practice, the urge to find faults in others or publish one's

own excellences will disappear. If one has the yearning to reach the goal, one

has to follow the path that leads to it. When you learn to reach God, you have

to observe the guidelines He has marked out.

You need not dwell on His name, or His lineaments all the time. That may not

take you far. But,walk along the Path; every step will bring you near. When you

need to reach a village, you haveto rise and move towards it; it will not rise

and move towards you. When you need to reach God,rise and move, as He has

directed you to.

Jesus taught simple practical lessons in spiritual advancement for the good

of mankind; Hemanifested Divine Powers to instil faith in the validity of His

teachings. He exhorted people by precept and example to cultivate the virtues

of charity, compassion, forbearance, love and faith. These are not separate and

distinct qualities, they are only the many facets of the Divine in Human, which

one has to recognise and develop.

The Divine love shines equally in every human being. Different persons,

proceeding from their own likes and dislikes, attribute to the Divine the

differences existing in their own minds. God has no feelings of difference such

as the good and the bad, the likable and the unwanted, the wicked and the

virtuous. Narrow-minded persons cannot easily grasp the Divine's

equal-mindedness. Everyone apprehends God's powers and attributes according to

his own limited conceptions andexperiences. (Note also that different

characteristics are to be found among people. One characteristic, which is

rather common, is for one to delude himself that he/she is a good person, with

many virtues, intelligence and talents. The other quality which is rare, is

recognition of the good quality in others, their merits, abilities and good

deeds and appreciate their ideals).

 

By "giving and forgiving" human being develops love within. In relation to

God, thisimplies that you should always have the attitude of offering your

heart to God. (Today, far from having this sacred attitude. What we witness is

the habit of "getting and forgetting").

 

People claim to make offerings to God, but they do not know where Brahman

dwells. The Lord is residing within you in the form of Vaisvanara and consuming

all the offerings you are making for the benefit of yourself.

By exploring the external, you can never purify the internal. It is

essential to transform theconsciousness. You have to rectify your conduct and

actions, because everything depends onyour actions. Adhering to the righteous

path, with a pure heart, you have to divinise your life. Allspiritual

disciplines have been designed only for this purpose. All the prayers, japas

and pujasthat are offered are intended only to purify the heart.

This is the reason for saadhakas (spiritual aspirants) retiring into lonely

mountain caves, or intosolitary temples in inaccessible regions of the

Himalaayas, or in the depths of jungles. But, youneed not imitate them; you can

create enough privacy in your own home, screening off a portionof some room.

There you can sink into yourself and discover the Inner Reality as the Reality

ofthe Universe Itself.

The Geetha says, Shreyohi jnaanam abhyaasaath. Abhyaasa (practice) is the

crux of the problem. Through that, victory can be won. Concentration can be

mastered in dhyaana (meditation) and this will lead to disinterestedness in the

results of one's actions, for the actions are not one's own, but God's. The

results too are not one's; they are God's. When you become detached from the

fruits of your actions, though intent on action (offering to the Lord your

skill and energy), then,you attain peace of mind, Prashaanthi.

By dhyaana you develop jnaana (spiritual wisdom) and by japam (recitation of

God's Name)you develop bhakthi (devotion) and by both, you cleanse your heart of

the canker of ego. Youcan link yourselves with God, by a chain of love, through

the recitation of the name, in silenceand with full awareness of the meaning

and its nuances. Each Sai Raam, Hare Krishna, HareRaam, or Vitthal is a link;

the more the links the longer the chain, the firmer the bond. One false link,

that is to say, the Name once uttered in sloth or slight, indifference or

anger, resentment or rancour, will constitute a weak link and the bond will not

bind.

There are four types of persons - those who see only right everywhere, those

who are lessspiritual in their vision and so see right as right and wrong as

wrong, those who shut their eyes toright and see only wrong and lastly, the

worst of all, those who judge even the right to be wrong.No one brings wealth

when he is born or takes it with him when he dies. Whatever riches one

hasaccumulated have to be freely shared with others. However, human pursues own

sense-cravings, and his urge for fame and authority over others. Contentment is

the most precious wealth; it alone can lead to the goal of life viz., the

attainment of Divinity.

 

Develop knowledge about the higher levels of consciousness and the higher

planes of existence. Knowledge leads to skill. From skill in using such

knowledge, one acquires balance.

No matter how others treat you or what they think of you, do not worry.

Love for your own evolution and not for what others say. Do not imitate others.

Cultivate your own life. You have your own heart, your own opinion, your ideas,

your own will. Why then imitate? Imitation is human, they say; but creation is

Divine. Follow your chosen path. Let your own experience of God be your guide

and master.

Be careful that you do not cavil at another's faith. There is a road from

each heart to the Sourceof all joy, namely, God. Each one will come in his own

good time, at his own pace, through hisown inner urge, along the path God will

reveal to him as his own. Have love towards all. Do not allow the weeds of

pride and envy to hamper the harvest of peace.

If you think 'I am only human,' you will be led astray. Do not allow your

body and the sense to dictate your moves. Spiritual practice is the only means

of acquiring mental peace. Cultivate not riches, not comfort and luxuries, but

Divine virtues. Then you become fit to receive God's Grace. The day you see

yourself as God, you become God.

 

It is noteworthy that without any knowledge of Vedanta, being is blessed

with God's love, person can surmount all problems of life.

If a tiny sugar crystal is mixed in a heap of sand, even the most

intelligent person will not be ableto separate the sugar from the sand and

recover it. But without any extraordinary intelligence, anant is able to make

its way to the particle of sugar in the sand heap and relish its sweetness.

Theant is aware of the sweetness of sugar and is able to get at the sugar even

in a heap of sand.Human is endowed with the capacity to discriminate between

the permanent and the evanescent, but unfortunately instead of using this

capacity he is caught up in the delusions of the phenomenal world and is

wasting his life.

 

Throughout history, it has been the experience of Raama, Krishna, Jesus and

Muhammad thatdisciples however close are seldom fully dedicated. Most are only

part-time devotees. Jesus had12 disciples, most of whom had faith in him and

lived his teachings. But, Judas yielded to greed.He betrayed his Master for a

mere 30 coins. He could not find joy in life after this treachery.

Betrayal by people who pretend to adore is happening since ages. Corrupt,

greedy and selfishpeople spread falsehoods about their own Masters. We hear of

a Judas, 2000 years ago. But inthe Kali Age, people are obsessed with money and

Judases have multiplied. They seek to amasspaltry riches whereas good character,

good conduct and knowledge of God are the three realtreasures to be gathered.

Those three treasures will stay on, sustain and strengthen you until you attain

union with the Infinite. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 11.

"Link by link, Chapter 3 and "He whom Christ announced," Chapter 54; Sathya Sai

Speaks. Vol. 14. "The way of Jesus," Chapter 45; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol.

21."Love - The Key To Human Unity," Chapter 34; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 22.

"Where to find God," Chapter 38).

Namaste - Reet