Guest guest Posted March 18, 2007 Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 Sai Ram Everyone,In His Divine Discourse given during Chinese New Year in 1997, Swami has said, "When you go back to your country with good qualities, people will mark the change in you after your visit to Puttaparthi. Treat Prashanti Nilayam as a spiritual workshop". Indeed, these sacred grounds have been most aptly described by Him.Many people come to Prashanti with the hope of gaining some form of recognition from Swami, but only very few lucky ones will be chosen by Him. Is there more that He has in store for the rest of us, in addition to appreciating His beautiful divine darshan? How can we benefit from our daily activities within those blessed walls?1. In a land where thousands come to see the Living God, everyone moves in orderly lines. Everybody is bound by rules and regulations. Everywhere we go, we have to be disciplined. No one is too rich to sit on the floor and no one is too poor to be in the front rows. Everyone is equal - All are one. 2. The queues are long and slow; the hours of waiting seem endless; the heat is sometimes unbearable.... yet everyone waits patiently.... because the reward is magnificent. We learn to be more tolerant, more persevering, and more resilient.3. When we are one amongst so many, we realize how truly insignificant we are and we come to terms with our 'ego'. We learn to let go of our pride by accepting humility and honesty. 4. We have found heaven in so much simplicity that we no longer yearn for worldly luxuries. We learn to renounce our desires when we realize that we are able to get by with minimal necessities. 5. With our worldly thoughts left behind, our minds are calm, therefore, allowing for an 'open' communication with God. Like a child, our hearts would burst out with joy when we receive His bountiful love and blessings, and tears of relief would wash away all our pain. We learn to appreciate true happiness. 6. The contentment and peace that we experience in this oasis of serenity reveals the 'falseness' in the world at large. We are reminded that there is beauty and goodness in everyone and that each of us have our part to play in upholding this truth. We learn to be righteous and virtuous. 7. Everything is uncertain in this holy place and we have to accept things as they come. It is only when we surrender ourselves to God, and acknowledge that He is guiding us, will we gain the courage to face all the other challenges in our lives. We learn to have faith in God.8. Impromptu circumstances surround us and await our services. We either accept them and work selflessly, or we choose to be ignorant and walk away, therefore, missing our chance to make penance in God's abode. Look away from the 'I' and see God in everyone. Selfless service contributes selfless love.9. Everyone goes through a series of tests - some to test our endurance, acceptance, forgiveness, detachment, etc. These tests enable us to see how far we have 'changed' since coming into His fold. They also identify which are the areas that we are still lacking in and which we need to work harder on. Analyze the extent of our transformation. Every moment spent in Prashanti is significant - every person we meet.... every thought we receive.... every message we hear.... every word we speak.... every action we take.... Every day is a learning lesson - every situation, be it good or bad, is a stepping stone to a further progress in our spiritual journey. Swami hears all our thoughts before we even speak them and if we are truly sincere, He has all the answers to our questions and all the solutions to our quests before we even embark on them! And if things get too tough for us to handle, He already has angels waiting to assist us.... What a glorious God we have living amongst us! How fortunate we are to be able to experience all these wonderful feelings in this lifetime! Let us all carry Prashanti Nilayam in our hearts - the home of God! Let us be the epitome of His divine teachings wherever we may be and live with God in our midst. "I thank You, Dearest Swami, from the bottom of my heart.... for Your Gracious Blessings, in guiding my path.... for Your Infinite Presence, through all my experiences.... for Your Everlasting Patience, whenever I stumble.... for Your Eternal Forgiveness, in all my wrongdoings.... and most of all, for Your Unconditional Love, by accepting me for who I am!" Love & Regards,Adeline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 19, 2007 Report Share Posted March 19, 2007 Om Sri Sai Ram Sister Adeline, Thanks a lot for sharing this with us. This is so beautiful and true. By reading this we learn so much. Some of these things we do not even follow. There are some people who do not have patience, tolerance, etc. We have to learn to have all these good qualities and eliminate all the bad qualities such as ego, anger, etc. All this we learn when we are in Prashanti just like it says here while we are waiting in the lines to go in for Darshan, during Darshan and also after Darshan. Once again, thank you so much for this beautiful and very true mail. Jai Sai Ram, Vidya. Adeline Teh <adeline_108 wrote: Sai Ram Everyone,In His Divine Discourse given during Chinese New Year in 1997, Swami has said, "When you go back to your country with good qualities, people will mark the change in you after your visit to Puttaparthi. Treat Prashanti Nilayam as a spiritual workshop". Indeed, these sacred grounds have been most aptly described by Him...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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