Guest guest Posted October 21, 2005 Report Share Posted October 21, 2005 Sai Ram Light and Love Swami teaches... Human and Nature are Cosmic in Whatsoever Form In this vast world, there are hundreds of crores of human beings. There may be differences among them in name and form and in their food and recreation habits. But from the physical point of view, all human beings are one. The infinite number of human beings in the world are like the waves of the ocean. Each of them is essentially the same as the ocean. From the ocean of Sath-Chith-Aanandha (Being-Awareness-Bliss), endless waves of human beings arise. The difference among the waves is only in quantity and not in quality. The Divine is present everywhere in the Universe. When you see Nature, you see only its worldly aspect. When you mind is centred on the Lord, you see the Divine in everything. Therefore, from the outset, you have to view everything as a manifestation of the Divine. The difficulty in recognising the truth about the Divine was expressed by the Saint Surdas when he said, "Oh, Krishna! How can I recognise you? You are subtler than the atom and vaster than the vastest. You are present in the eighty-four lakhs of species in the universe, permeatingeverything in the cosmos, from a blade of grass to the vastest thing in creation. How can I recognise your infinite form?" The great ones experienced the Lord in this infinite form, recognising that the Divine was present even in the wicked and the evil-minded. People often recommend that one should enlarge his heart. But enlargement of the heart will compel you to go to a cardiologist. What you have to do is to broaden your mind, your vision. The heart, meaning not the physical heart but the spiritual heart, is inherently broad. It is one with Cosmic Consciousness. There is no need to broaden it. As long as human is immersed in sensuous pursuits, he/she cannot experience the effulgence of own true nature. When human cultivates detachment by realizing the transience of sensory pleasures, then he/she begins to be aware of own true essence. All forms of ritualistic worship are of no use because they are rooted in duality. However, these forms of ritualistic worship are as leading lights on the way to outgrow this state duality and realise own oneness with the Divine. Swami's suggestion is to spend some time regularly with your Inner Consciousness to keep it in good trim. Spend one hour in the morning, another at night and a third in the early hours of dawn, the Brahmamuhurtha as it is called, for japam and meditation on the Lord. You will find great peace descending on you and great new sources of strength welling up within you. The body is like a wall clock. It is when a large number of good acts are done by the body, represented by the movements of the second hand in the clock, that the mind, represented by the minute hand, moves once. It is when the mind engages itself in pure thoughts that the Atma (the hour hand) experiences bliss. The physical body is visible to the eye. The body is made up of twenty five constituents: five Karmendhriyas (organs of action), five Jnaanedhriyas (sense organs), pancha-praanas (five life-breaths), pancha Thanmaathras (five sensory faculties). In addition, there are four inner instruments: the mind, the will, the ego, and the Anthahkarana (Inner Motivator). All these total twenty four. When these are associated with the Life-Force, you have altogether 25 constituents. As these twenty five constituents have emanated from the cosmos, the embodied being is called Vishva. The physical body is cosmic in form. It is not something that is individualistic. The human state is a manifestation of the collective. The second body is Suukshma dheham (the subtle one). This is made up of seventeen constituents: the five sensory faculties, the five senses and the five vital airs. Together with the mind and the intellect, they make up seventeen constituents. As these constituents have the quality of Thejas (luminescence), the subtle body is called Thaijasa. The results of human's good and bad actions are experienced by this subtle body. This body is also Yaathana (experiential) body because it is a prey to various experiences. The third is the Kaarana shareera (causal body). It is made up of only two constituents: Chittha(will power) and Prajna (Constant Integrated Awareness). Because of its association with Prajna, this body is called Prajnaanam or Prajna. The fourth one is Mahaakaarana (the Over-Mind). This is self-luminous and effulgent in its original form. This is called "Uniki," (a Being that is self-knowing). Because of its capacity for self-knowledge, it is also called "Eruka" (Awareness). As against Awareness, there is its opposite, forgetfulness. The physical, subtle and causal bodies belong to the latter (of forgetfulness). The three states of Jaagrath (waking), Svapna (dream) and Sushupthi (deep sleep) also belong to the state of forgetfulness (or non-awareness of the true Self). Awareness is the subtle base. Forgetfulness is gross. But in both the subtle Awareness and the gross Forgetfulness there is a Divinity that is present equally. This is described in metaphysics in a different way. The Jeevaathma is present always in all the three states of Consciousness and in Awareness as well as Forgetfulness as the Inner Being. In every padhaartha (object) in the world, the Paraartha (transcendental) is immanent. The object is perceptible. The transidental is present in it as energy. Although padhaartha (matter) and Paraartha (Energy) appear to us as two different entities, their unity constitutes the Divine principle immanent in the cosmos. They are inextricably inter-related. In both the form and the formless, the principle of Sath (Being) exists as one and the same. The Geetha has described this relationship as the one between Kshethra (the Field) and Kshethrajna (the Knower of the Field). The whole of Nature is Kshethra. The Kshethrajna is the One who pervades the whole of Nature and animates it. Without the Kshethrajna (the Knower), the Kshethra cannot exist. Without the Kshethra, the Kshethrajna cannot be perceived. So be fixed in the consciousness that yourself is the immortal Atma, which is indestructible, which is holy, pure and divine. That will give you unshakable courage and strength. Then you must develop mutual love and respect. Tolerate all kinds of persons and opinions, all attitudes and peculiarities. All beings have to do karma (sanctified activity); it is a universal inescapable obligation. Some feel that only meritorious and sinful or virtuous and vicious deeds are entitled to be called karma. But your very breathing is karma. There are certain karmas the fruits of which you cannot give up. There are physical, mental and spiritual karmas and doing each one of these for the good of the Self is called dedication. Karma which is natural and automatic like breathing becomes vikarma (an impious act) when it is done consciously, with a definite result in view. Karma becomes Yoga when it is done without any attachment; a true sanyaasi (monk, who is firmly fixed in the faith that this world is a mirage of the mind) should not even remember whatever he does, he should not do any karma anticipating any result. That is the Nishkaama (desireless action) ideal at its highest. The best karma is that which is done at the call of duty, not because it is advantageous to do it. The best karma is done when person has spiritual awareness. Good, when this awareness has obtained from Swami's Teaching as the unique carrier the Divine energy. Nature will not give real bliss as long as it is viewed from a physical and worldly point of view. The pleasure to be derived from any object in the world depends on the condition in which it is enjoyed. The mind proclaims its astonishing uniqueness to the world by its capacity to express feelings, recognise forms, appreciate the beauty of colour, enjoy different smells, as well as its power of thought. As the world is permeated by these qualities of the mind, these five qualities are allpervasive. In this context, it should be realised that it is by the power of the mind that creation, sustenance and dissolution take place in the cosmos. This truth is expressed in the Brahma Suthra as: "ThathJalaan.From That everything is born, is sustained by it and merges in it." Thath (That) is alsocalled Akshara Purusha (the indestructible Supreme person). Kshara and Akshara contain the secret of life. Akshara in common parlance means that which is indestructible. Kshara means that which is liable to change. From the Akshara emerges the effulgent Divine, which is a combination of both Paramaathma (the Omni-Self) and Prakrithi (Nature). Prakrithi is not inert. It is by the union of Nature and the Divine that humanness acquires its effulgence. Rarely human being is aware of own innate glory. If one dwells in the constant consciousness of own uniqueness, the life would be lighter, more beneficial and fully saturated with ecstatic delight. Human being then will strive unceasingly to reach higher and higher levels of consciousness enveloping both the objective and subjective worlds. Human has the power of choice to rise or fall, to become the Lord or a beast or a demon. Human can use the unique intelligence and memory enshrined in language to widen the vision, to adjust reactions to nature and society and to benefit by the knowledge and experience of others. Human can influence society as much as society influences him/her. People suffer because they have all kinds of unreasonable desires and attachments. If you look upon nature and all created objects with the insight derived from the Inner Vision, then attachment will slide away, though effort will remain; you will also see everything much clearer and with a glow suffused with Divinity and splendour. Close these eyes and open those inner eyes and what a grand picture of essential Unity you get. Attachment tonature has limits, but the attachment to the Lord that you develop when the inner eye opens has no limit. The Lord is the Immanent Power in everything; those who refuse to believe that the image in the mirror is a picture of themselves, how can they believe in the Lord, when He is reflected in every object around them? The moon is reflected in a pot, provided it has water; so too, the Lord can be clearly seen in your heart, provided you have the water of Prema (Love) in it. When the Lord is not reflected in your heart, you cannot say that there is no Lord; it only means that there is no prema in you. There is divinity in the mind and in the heart at first sight as in latent state. But only when the mind and the heart unite does the radiance of Divinity shine. (When the match-stick is dipped in water, you cannot produce fire by striking it. Likewise, when the mind is immersed in the waters of sensuous desires, it loses its power to radiate the Divine effulgence). The senses activised by the mind bring in experiences which are collected and coordinated by the mind. Buddhi (intellect) illumined by the Atma examines these and directs action along beneficial lines. Starting from the "I", you should go on expanding your consciousness to embrace your family, your town or village, your nation and the entire world. Then your divinity will shine forth in all its brilliance. This is described as having the vision of one's own true universal Self. This is called the Mahaa-purushathva (Infinite Divine). This divinity is within you. You do not need to acquire it from outside, from anyone else. Strive to realise it. When you have got rid of the consciousness of the waking, dream and deep sleep states, then you can recognise the Mahaakaarana state (the state of the Super Causal Consciousness). You have to transcend the gross, the subtle and the causal bodies and realise the Super Causal body. By this process you proceed from the Super-mind, the Higher Mind and the Illuminated Mind to the Divine, which is called the Over-Mind. This is the state beyond the mind; it is called Amanaska (where the mind is absent). It has also been described as the state of Vidheha (where the body consciousness is absent). Bliss can be experienced only through the Over-Mind. How is one to reach the Over-Mind? Vedhaantha prescribed the offering of four things as the means Pathram, Pushpam, Phalam, Thoyam (a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water). The Lord is not secured by offerings of wealth or by flaunting one's power or position. Something, however small, has to be offered to the Lord to secure his grace. This is for example the Bhaaratheeya practice of taking some flower or fruit as offering to the Lord when one visits a temple. What is the inner significance of the reference to the four kinds of offerings? Pathram refers not to some kind of leaf which is subject to withering. Your body is the leaf that has to be offered. Pushpam refers to the flower of your heart. Phalam refers to the fruit of your mind. And Thoyam signifies the tears of joy flowing from the devotee's eyes. These are to be offered to God. When one offers these things to the Lord, he enters the state of the Over-Mind. This devotion, moreover, should not be a part-time exercise. It should be present all the time, through weal or woe, pleasure or pain. The The true devotee is immersed in the Lord all the time and performs all actions as offerings to the Lord. Any action you do, when you do it in the name of the Lord, it becomes a pious offering. This is the easiest way to sublimate the mind. (Avoid doing anything in a hurry. It is not difficult to attain the state of the Over-Mind if one has the determination to realise it. When everyone tries to act according to the dictates of his conscience, he/she will realise the sublime consciousness within). There are two basic elements in human, the heart and the head. When these two are put to right use, the hands will act in the right way. Bhakthi and Jnaana are like the pair of bullocks for the cart; both have to pull in unison. Each must keep pace with the other and help to drag weight quicker. Jnaana has to help the increase of Bhakthi; Bhakthi has to contribute to the growth of Jnaana. Bhaarath has been blessed with many saints and sages. A doubt may arise why such appearances take place in Bhaarath, more than in any other place, when the world is so big and we have humanity everywhere to be saved and guided. There is a reason for this. In Bhaarath is a mine of spiritual wisdom and spiritual treasure: the Dharshanas, Upanishaths (metaphysical sciences and revelatory scriptures), the Geetha and the Vedhas. There is a vast field of spiritual virtue in this land. By this spiritual wisdom Prakrithi (Nature) is puraathana - a very ancient entity. The jeevi (individual soul) too is puraathana, having had many previous entries and exits. But now it has come in with a new dress; it is nuuthana (modern). The jeevi must have a guide. That Guide is the Lord Himself: the Guide books are Vedhas, the Upanishaths and the Shaasthras. However, only reading is not enough; you may master all the commentaries and you may be able to argue and discuss with great scholars about these texts; but without attempting to practise what they teach, it is a waste of' time. Just as you tend the body with food and drink at regular intervals, you must also tend to the needs of the inner Atmic body by regular japam and dhyaanam and the cultivation of virtues. Sath-sanga, Sathpravarthanaand Sath-chinthana (holy company, good attitude and sacred thoughts) are all essential for the growth and the health of the inner personality. Repeat the name of the Lord, keeping His Glow always before the mind. The Lord is as the Divine wish-fulfilling Tree that gives whatever is asked. But you have to go near the tree and wish for the thing you want. The atheist is the person who keeps far away from the tree; the theist is the one who has come near; that is the difference. The tree does not make any distinction; it grants boons to all. The Lord will not punish or take revenge if you do not recognise Him or revere Him. He has no special type of worship which alone can please him. Earn the right to approach the Lord without fear and the right to ask for your heritage. You must become so free that praise will not emanate from you when you approach the Lord. Praise is a sign of distance and fear. You can call on the Lord by any name, for all names are His; select the Name and Form that appeals to you most. That is why Sahasranaamas are composed for the various forms of the Lord. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 1. "An attitude of challenge," Chapter 6 and "Examine, experience," Chapter 9; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 16. "The uniqueness of man," Chapter 15; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 24. "Enjoyment through sacrifice," Chapter 10; Sathya Sai Speaks.Vol. 26. "Beyond the Mind," Chapter 20 and "From the Mind to the Over-Mind," Chapter 22). 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