Swami teaches... The ABC of life and basic human values. Part 2

[Guest guest]

Sai Ram

 

Light and Love

Swami teaches... 3 - 4 April 2006

The ABC of Life and Basic Human Values. Part 2

There are a few steps between the superficial knowledge and practical

knowledge. From superficial knowledge we must proceed to general knowledge what

cannot be acquired by mere study. It is learnt from the book of life.After

analysing this general knowledge one gains discrimination knowledge and knows

the difference between good and evil. From this discrimination knowledge we

proceed to practical knowledge. This practical knowledge is changeless. True

and eternal education never changes when the heart is filled with compassion;

it becomes sacred and aspires for the welfare of one and all.

To acquire discrimination knowledge one requires general knowledge, which

consists of ordinary cleverness and intelligence. Both are essential for life

in this world. Spiritual education is the highest education. It starts with

discrimination knowledge, which is like a perennialriver. In perennial rivers

the quantity of water may vary but not the quality. Thus students should

understandthat quality of education is more important than its quantity.

The path of spirituality forms the basis for all forms of knowledge. The

fundamental knowledge, which comprises spiritual knowledge, is greater than

both practical knowledge and general knowledge. So, this should be imparted

along with the secular education.

 

Education is not mere knowledge, it surely includes actions. Education, which

originates from within has a sound basis and is permanent. It is referred to as

Sathyam. A step higher than Sathyam is Ritam (the Order, Absolute Truth) as

proclaimed in the Vedas.

(There are three types of truth. They are fact, truth and Absolute Truth.

What people normally refer to as truth in daily life is merely a fact. To say

as it is what you have seen is a fact. Suppose I see you wearing a white dress

and say that “you are wearing a white dress”. This becomes a fact. Later at

home you might wear a blue shirt. Then what I had said earlier does not hold

good anymore. Thus a fact is subject to change.

Truth, on the other hand, does not change with time. A person may change any

number of dresses, butthe person remains the same. Thus truth is the same at all

times. One think you are the physical body. The other think you are the mind.

Mind is invisible. Ritam is the one you really are, the Atma. It is described

as attributeless, pure, eternal highest abode, permanent and unsullied).

How long human beings lead a truthful and ideal life in the world without

trying to discover the Absolute Truth (Ritam)?

Students, young or adult, are pursuing different types of education in

different countries. But ultimately education should converge into educare.

That can be achieved gradually.

What is the difference between ‘education’ and ‘educare’? Education is like

insipid water, educare is like sugar. Merely adding sugar to water does not

make it sweet. It is only on stirring, does the sugar mix with the water making

it sweet. The heart is the tumbler, divinity is the sugar, and secular education

is tasteless water. With intelligence as the spoon and enquiry as the process of

stirring, we experience the all-pervasive Divinity. That is true wisdom, which

enables us to recognise the unity of all creation.

What is the end of eduction? People answer this question by saying there is

no end to education. The end of education is character. Our character is

reflected in our words, behaviour and conduct in daily life. Education without

character is useless. The ancient sages took the students along with them

wherever they went and taught them without conforming to any time schedule.

This education was a continuous learning process.

(But today in the schools and colleges education is limited to strict time

schedules. Therefore, educationhas become limited. But true education, which

moulds character, has no limits).

The main problem of education is how to adapt the spiritual and cultural

traditions to the needs of daily life today.

The world sorely needs today human values. However, human values cannot be

promoted merely by repeating the words Sathya, Dharma, Santhi, Prema and

Ahimsa. In practising Dharma there should be no secret desires. Actions

performed with such secret motives result in bondage. Truth and right conduct

should be adhered to with pure intentions. Both of them are rooted in the

eternal. A righteous life leads to peace. Love is to be experienced in the

depths of peace. Love should find expression in nonviolence. All these basic

values have to be demonstrated in action and not limited to preaching.

The more human values are cherished, the better will be the growth of

society, the nation and the world. We cannot rest content with an educational

system which is confined to academic achievement. It has to promote

simultaneously human virtues. Human virtues cannot be acquired from others.

They have to be cultivated by each person and the resulting joy has to be

experienced.

 

It is not possible to reconcile the physical and the internal spiritual

vision. The heart cannot be transformed by lessons in a classroom. The world

cannot be changed by mere preaching. Only through action and practical example

can the impulse for change be intensified. The people will follow of their own

accord. This applies to human values. (Those who seek to impart the values of

Sathya, Dharma, Santhi, Prema and Ahimsa to others, must first try to practise

them themselves whole-heartedly).

 

Attempts are being made to promote these values in the educational field.

But they cannot be promoted through materialistic, worldly or scientific means.

Without developing devotion to God (Atma) no human quality can grow. The first

requisite is faith in God. Doubts are raised whether God exists or not. Those

who affirm that God exists and those who deny are equally incompetent to say

anything about God if they know nothing about the nature of God. There can be

no greater folly than to deny the existence of God when the whole Cosmos bears

witness to His handiwork.

Educational institutions must promote the spiritual outlook among students.

When students acquire spiritual values, human values will grow in them of their

own accord. Human have to be manifested from within.

Human values are in everyone. If the feeling that the divinity that is

present in everyone is one and the same, is promoted among all, human values

will sprout naturally in every person. To have this sense of spiritual oneness

is the prelude to experiencing the highest bliss.

Bend the twig and bend the tree, says the proverb. The moulding of character

must start with children at the earliest age. Begin developing human values from

the primary school. Some are concerned about our living in a "secular state".

Secularism really means equal respects for all faiths and beliefs. There should

be no hatred towards any faith.

Some time ago there was an absurd idea that Sathya Sai educational

institutions were religious institutions. Sai educational institutions are

based on equal respect for all religions. They are wedded to unity and harmony.

Bodies are many, but life is one. Beings are many, but Bliss is one. Religions

are many, but Truth is one. This is the kind of oneness that has to be

experienced in the depths of our heart. All that you do as an offering to

God will be an expression of human values.

To restore the supremacy of true education and human values in all fields of

national life, an association should be set up by leading scholars and

educationists in the country. This association should have no links with the

government. It is only if it is autonomous and completely independent that it

can achieve its objectives. They may have very good ideas but they have no

freedom to implement them. They should be given the freedom to try out their

ideas.

Those who in power operate under their own compulsions. They can take over

properties and enterprises, but they cannot promote values. They may occupy

temples and take over temple properties, but they can exercise no control over

God. Governments may exercise control over people, but they have no hold over

their qualities.

Everybody talks about the need for world unity. But real unity must begin

with the individual and the family. It must become a way of life. It is vital

to perceive the unity that underlies the apparent diversity.

However, human today is dividing oneness into many. In reality every one

knows that the world today is full of misery. People today are totally immersed

in self-interest. Multiplying desires without limit, they are becoming demonic

beings. They are not content with having what they need for essential purposes.

They wish to accumulate enormously for the future.

There is no place without fear and grief. People are afraid to travel by

air, by trains or by cars, because they are wary of evil elements. Even walking

has become unsafe. People are not happy at home also, since they are haunted by

numerous fears. They are terribly fear-stricken. But,who is undergoing

suffering? It is the body only, which is the composition of the five elements.

Reduce attachment to the body. Attachment to body leads to pravritti (outward

path), while attachment to the Self leads to nivritti (inward path). That which

comes from the heart leads to nivritti (inward path). But, all that comes from

the head lead to pravritti (outward path). The head carries responsibility,

whereas the heart is bestowed with right. Whatever is done by the head is

temporary. The combination of these paths is human life.

 

As long as you live in the world, you do need the warmth of relationship.

You can wish for the welfare and progress of someone else. You can also share

happiness. But all these feelings are limited to the physical relationship,

which is transient. The eternal nature of Divine Love, which is blemishless,

selfless, and pure, alone stands the test of true friendship. When you enjoy

the proximity of such a friend, you will be free from fear even in the face of

insurmountable difficulties.

Time undergoes change. Waking, dream, and deep sleep states are subject to

change. Matter, worldly things and bodies composed of the five elements also

undergo change. Mind, intellect, feelings, and senses also undergo change.

But you are permanent and experience everything. Do not brood over the past.

Future is not certain. So, live in the present, since it is permanent. It is not

ordinary present; it is omnipresent. But usually you simply brood over the past

and worry about the future. In this way, you ignore the present. As a result,

you are subjected to suffering. Why should you not derive happiness from the

present state of affairs?

Brooding over the past and worrying about the future are the main cause of

human’s suffering. Why do you think about the past? You treaded that path

consciously. Then why do you look back? Be happy in the present. That is all

you should aspire for. You may face many ordeals. But do not pay too much

attention to them. Lead your life happily till the end. Experience the eternal

Divine bliss at the right time before the body decays and becomes decrepit.

This is the task of the human beings today. You try to experience many things.

Instead, experience the Divine bliss, which is within you. That is the supreme

bliss.

 

Human's heart is a big screen, which is changeless. On the screen of the

heart, you see sufferings, happiness and ordeals. The pictures in the form of

projections on the screen come and go, but the screen does not change. None of

the scenes is permanent. Only the screen of your heart is permanent. That is

Divine. It is also called conscience which is the eternal truth. Conscience is

within. It vibrates throughout the body, whereas conscious perception is

associated with the senses. Where do these two, conscience and conscious

perception, come from? Both have their origin in the all-pervading Universal

(Cosmic) Consciousness. It is infinite, immutable, invisible, and

all-pervasive. First, one should understand this consciousness and then can

attempt to merge it with Divine Consciousness.

 

Some persons are listening to Swami's discourse or some are reading this

serial "Swami teaches...," some are moving away from hall and some are sleeping

when Swami is speaking, some are deleting this mail... Different people are

doing different types of work and acts differently. However, the light in the

rooms stands as a witness. It is not affected by sleep or deleting action. It

is not affected even though one does not listen to Swami's discourse or is not

interested in His Teaching. The light simply remains as a witness. The

Divine light similarly is the witness of everything. Its effulgence illuminates

everything else. Where does it exist? We find santhi (peace) within asanthi

(unrest). In the depth of the santhi (peace), there exists prakanthi (supreme

splendor). In this prakanthi, one can experience Param Jyothi (Divine

Effulgence). Param Jyothi, in the form of Atma Jyothi, (the light of the Atma)

is within you. That is the light of nonduality and eternity. That is the light

of immortality. That is the light of the Self. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya

Sai Speaks. Vol. 20. "Spiritual basis for value education," Chapter 20 and

"Teaching values by example," Chapter 21; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 24. "Birth:

Rebirth: Freedom," Chapter 13; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 32, part 1. "The

ephemeral and the transcendental, Chapter 11; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 33,

"‘Educare’ Is True Education," Chapter 20).

Namaste - Reet