Sai’s Precious Teachings

Swami awakens us to our Divine nature. The mind struggles and doubts, but Swami’s love tames it and gives confidence. Resting our minds in Swami’s teachings and remembering His words bring us freedom.

“The end of wisdom is freedom.”

I would like to look into Swami’s endless stream of wisdom that fosters, protects and leads us to God. His wonderful life-giving teachings are the essence of the Vedas.

“My main tasks are the fostering of devotees and the fostering of the Vedas.”

Swami’s teachings are practical guidelines for a worthwhile life and peaceful society. First He brings us close to Him and becomes our omnipresent friend. Then He instructs us to see Him in each other.
“See Him in every being, every moment of existence.”

With this vision firmly planted in eye and heart, He instructs us to practise His teachings in the community. So, the community becomes His very form -- love, harmony and unity. This is a critical step in the spiritual pilgrimage - the practice of spiritual principles for the uplifting and betterment of the community. Swami has said that His “miracles” attract because of their inexplicability in order to “transform, reconstruct, and reform” so that the person is made useful and serviceable for society. In the process, the ego is effaced and the person affirms the unity of all beings with God.

The person who has undergone this transformation becomes a humble, humane servant of those who need help. Service of this kind, done with reverence and selflessness, prepares man to realise the One that pervades the many. So, spirituality leads devotees to become befitting servants setup on building dharmic communities as a crucial step on the path to union with God.

“The Lord incarnates in human form to re-establish righteousness on a firm footing, and to re-educate the human community on the path of peace”.

Swami has come to save the world community and to re-establish Dharma on a firm footing. He is calling each one of us to this high task. How glorious that an Avatar has come to rally us to this task! For me, meditating on Swami’s teachings has helped me to serve the community better. I have been meditating on Swami’s marvellous teachings each morning since meeting Him 28 years ago. One day, about a year ago, I felt something gel - the emergence of a clearer overview. I listed eight core elements which helped me deal more effectively with disturbing problems. As I rest my mind on each element, they speak to the problem and help me put it in proper perspective. My mind finds a place to settle, where confusion can clear.

Eight Elements:

1. Remember Man is God: What a glorious revelation! We can believe this incredible truth because Swami shows us His Divinity - which awakens us to our own. We are infinitely blessed, because He does not show everyone, -only a rare few. So, we must not lose this opportunity of achieving unity with God. This is a new insight for many people. It is an insight that transforms our lives. Remembering turns the mind from the outer world of sensory objects. And He helps us remember. Just being in His Presence or hearing about Him helps us remember Him.
   
   Dr. Hislop told me he saw Swami change into Lord Krishna, and Professor Kasturi told me he saw Swami transform Himself into Lord Siva. Many experiences have convinced me of Swami’s loving omnipresence. What grace --- God Himself is our friend and teacher! Swami’s closeness, closer than our breath, helps us remember that man is God! Loving Omnipresent Sai and feeling His love brings confidence in our own divinity and ability to overcome earthly problems.
   
   “This confidence generates immense internal power.”

2. The Mind is the Key: We are unaware of our divine nature because of the limitations of our mind. The mind however has the capacity to overcome its own limitations when aware of them.
   “It is the thorn that removes the thorn.”
   
   Turn the mind to the left, through the senses to the outer world of objects, and we are trapped in delusion. The mind is attracted by external objects and becomes attached, addicted and deluded. We become locked in the dual world of pleasure and pain, birth and death, happiness and suffering. Turn the mind to the right, inward to God, and we open to our own omnipresent divinity. This is the way to transcend the “mad monkey mind.”

3. Develop a Relationship with Sai: The only way to tame the mind is to attach it to God, through love. Swami instructs us on the nine steps of devotion, which bring us closer to Him. These steps turn the mind/key to the right, to Swami. They include listening to stories about Him, singing His glories, contemplating on Him, serving His feet, prostrating before Him, worshipping Him, offering service to Him, taking Him as friend and surrendering to Him.

4. See Sai in the World: One of Krishna’s great promises, which Sai Krishna also extends, is to “bear the burden of your welfare,” when we offer all acts to Him. This teaching instructs us to attach consciousness to God at all times and in every place. We can find Him in others and in the outer world once we develop a strong inner contact with God. Thus, we begin the process of attaching to God and detaching from the outer world of sense objects.

5. Bring Sai into the Community: Swami has come to re-establish righteousness on a firm footing so that man can live in harmony and love. This involves practising spiritual principles. Swami gives us guidance. Right action grows out of holding to virtue and acting according to our conscience, He says. This is accomplished when we constantly ask,
   “Is this what Swami wants?”
   Swami has given us the prototype of a Dharmic community in His Centres. Dharmic communities are built on the foundation of worshipping God through devotion, service and education programmes. To become good instruments of unity and love in the community/centre, we must overcome differences. Finding oneness through love and helping to create unity through selfless service is the spiritual path in the outer world that leads us to inner oneness with Him. Practising Dharma requires using our intellect to understand the needs of the community and then to discipline and develop ourselves to serve these needs as an offering to Sai.
   “Help ever, hurt never.”

6. Commit to the Process of Purification: When we commit ourselves to any relationship such as building a Dharmic community as an offering to Sai in addition to experiencing love, we have to be ready to face problems. Today, commitment is difficult for most of us. (In the U.S., 60% of marriages end in divorce.) A marriage to Sai must overcome the tendency to run away from commitment. It requires the understanding that in order to “Follow the Master,” we must be willing to sacrifice.
   “Follow the Master; face the devil; fight to the end; finish the game.”
   
   We can expect to face trials, tribulations, troubles, fears, anxieties and sadness along the path. When we stay steady and focused, offering all to Swami, we go through a process of purification and the giving up of our pain.

7. Control the Senses/Mind: Swami has given us tools for controlling the mind and releasing our pain. At the Ashram, He teaches us to remain calm and peaceful and turns us inward by making us sit silently and wait for Him.
   “Silence is the speech of the spiritual seeker.”
   
   And He teaches us to further quiet ourselves by putting a ceiling on desires.

8. Merge in Sai’s Peace: All the other elements are part of the process of merging in Sai and finding contentment by knowing that all is a gift from Him. And Swami tells us there is a final state of oneness with Him as well when He and I are one. Sai promises that if we follow the path, it will free us from fear -
   
   “You will draw near to Me, you will approach Me, you will understand My mystery, you will enter into Me, you will melt in Me, you will merge in Me, you will become Me.”
   
   Keeping Swami’s teachings in mind all the time will bring peace and love to ourselves and our communities. It will guide us to oneness with Him. How fortunate we are to have the supreme authority, the embodiment of peace and boundless love to be our guide, guardian and God. Swami has come when we are so beaten and bewildered; He has come with a love that will make us whole and happy. I pray that we immerse ourselves in His love and with dedication, discipline and discrimination become bright instruments of His love and Dharma. We are beholden to You, Swami for being such a clear bright loving light that illumines our minds and dispels the darkness. Let us all
   “Be good, do good, see good."