Life 45 (Jan 23 - Aug 23)

[winston]

How can we prevent bad feelings from entering the heart?

One should understand the great significance of human life, which is superior to that of all other species. Because of the body consciousness, man is forgetting his inherent Divinity.

You study a great deal about Nature and worldly things and lead an artificial life, without realising that the heart is the seat of Divinity.

If you allow bad feelings to enter the heart, it will be polluted and the Divine will have no place therein.

The whole world today is replete with pollution of not only the individual senses but also the five elements.

The air is impure; water is polluted and everything you see or hear or touch is polluted. How can you expect to have peace in the world?

The Scriptures teaches that we should go beyond the mind and realise the inner vision to prevent bad feelings entering the heart and polluting the seat of the Divine.

- Divine Discourse, May 20, 1993.

It is only when man has pure feelings within him that his actions can be pure. When he is polluted within, all his actions will be impure.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How can we overcome narrow vision and experience the Universal Consciousness?

We have to recognise the fact that human life depends on the functioning of the mind. As long as one is governed by the mind, one continues to be human.

Once one goes beyond the mind, one can enjoy the vastness of the limitless expanse of Cosmic Consciousness.

Here is an example: Suppose you construct a spacious house with a number of bedrooms, living rooms, dining room and bath room. The spacious house appears divided into a number of small rooms. This is because of the walls put up for partitioning into rooms. If the walls are pulled down, the house will be one vast mansion.

Similarly, the body is the wall which limits one's perception to the narrow confines of the body. Once you get rid of this body consciousness, you will experience the vast expanse of the Universal Cosmic Consciousness which is all-pervasive.

- Divine Discourse, May 20, 1993.

You are not the body; you are the embodiments of the Atma (Inner-Self). The physical body comes and goes.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the source of delusion in us and how can we overcome it?

The Divine is the Indweller in all beings but there is no change in the Atma (Inner-Self). Human lives will continue to be generated like the waves of the ocean. But the ocean of Cosmic Consciousness remains unchanged.

When you make an idol of the Divine in silver, all parts of the idol are silver. When you see the form of the Divine in the idol, you are not aware of the silver. When you want to see only the silver out of which the idol is made, the form is out of your view.

Similarly, when you turn your mind towards Him, who is pervading the entire Universe, the mind will be wholly filled with Him and you won't see the different forms of the objects in the world.

If the mind is directed towards worldly objects, you fail to see the Divinity that pervades all objects.

The Universe is the form of the Divine. He is the cause and the Universe is the effect. Failure to understand the cause and the effect results in delusion.

- Divine Discourse, May 20, 1993.

Names and forms are many but the inherent divinity in everyone is the same.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How can we develop an attitude of peacefulness in our everyday life?

Understanding becomes easy when you are full of devotion and your devotion is deep-rooted. The form of devotion called peaceful devotion (shanta-bhakti) is the best path for attaining eternal, everlasting bliss.

Become the messenger of the peace that has no beginning or end. Hold forth the light of peace for humanity.

Live the ideal life, ever contented, ever joyous, ever happy. The spiritual aspirants and devotees of old reached their goal only through peace.

Peace gave them the fortitude needed to bear all the calumny, torture and travail, that was their lot.

An aspirant who bases efforts on these examples will be free of anger, despair, and doubt.

The accounts of their struggles and successes, if contemplated upon, are more useful to the aspirant than the contemplation of the powers and accomplishments of the Divine.

- Ch 5, Prasanthi Vahini.

Peace is the honey of love in the enchanting flower of life.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why should we never consider ourselves as being forlorn?

A beggar calls himself an anatha (one without a master or anyone to support him), while asking for alms. This is not correct.

For everyone, the Divine is the Natha (support or master). It is only Him who is Anatha, because there is no one above Him.

A man considered the Divine as his saviour and protector and did not care for the wealth of the world. He considered service at the Divine's feet as the greatest treasure.

Kabir was a poor weaver and he used to share his food with others. When the King sent gold and provisions to him through his officials, Kabir exclaimed: "For whom has the king sent all these?"

They said: "The King sent these things to you as you are anatha (helpless)." He replied: "I am not without support. The Divine is my Natha (master).

You cannot say I have none to support me. It is only He who has none to support Him. Give these to Him." Kabir said, Anatha means the Divine. We should understand the correct meanings of words.

- Divine Discourse, May 20, 1993.

When you have love in your heart, you do not need to worry about anything. The Divine will always be with you, in you, around you and will look after you, in all respects.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the ultimate consummation we must not forget to aspire for?

The first spiritual practice (sadhana) is to search for the faults and weaknesses within yourself and to strive to correct them and become perfect.

The unceasing toil of each succeeding day has as its aim and justification this consummation: to make one’s last days sweet and pleasant.

But each day also has its evening. If the day is spent in good deeds, then evening blesses us with deep, invigorating and refreshing sleep, the sleep which is akin to samadhi.

One has a short span of life on Earth. Even in this short life, one can attain divine bliss, by wisely and carefully using time.

Two people, the same in appearance, ostensibly of the same mould, grow under the same conditions, but one turns out to be an angel while the other stays on with their animal nature. What’s the reason for this differential development? Habits!

Behaviour formed out of habits, and the character into which that behaviour has solidified. People are creatures of character!

- Ch 5, Prema Vahini.

Good work and selfless love will help you to tread the path of wisdom.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why should we not lose heart as we labour on the path of Sadhana (Spiritual Practice)?

Any task can be accomplished by practice. Practice is necessary for everything in life, whether it is walking, talking, eating, reading or writing.

When you are a child, your mother teaches you words like mother (amma), father (appa). All these come only with practice.

You say that you want peace. For that also you need to put in some effort.

All of you are squatting on the floor. Without practice, you cannot even sit in a cross-legged posture.

If you want to perform a small drama, you start practising at least ten days in advance. The world is like a stage. All are actors. The Divine is the director. You need practice for everything in this drama of life.

Divinity can be attained only by following the spiritual path. The fire of wisdom is in every human being. If you neglect this fire of wisdom, it gets covered by the ash of ego, attachment, and hatred.

Where does the ash come from? It comes only from the fire and ultimately covers the fire itself. Similarly, Divinity is in every human being. If you want to visualise your innate Divinity, first of all, you have to remove the ash of ego, attachment and hatred.

- Divine Discourse, Aug 22, 1996.

It is by practice that man can control mind and obtain peace.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why is it very important to internalise the purpose of life and act in accordance to it?

To a superficial observer, life appears to be a rotation of eating and drinking, toiling and sleeping. But verily, life has a much greater meaning, a deeper significance.

Life is a sacrifice (yajna). Each little act is an offering to the Divine.

If the day is spent in deeds performed in this spirit of surrender, what else can sleep be except total immersion in the Divine (samadhi)?

People commit the great fault of identifying themselves with the body. People accumulate a variety of things for the upkeep and comfort of the body. Even when the body becomes weak and decrepit with age, people attempt to bolster it by one means or another.

But how long can death be postponed? When Yama’s warrant comes, each must depart. Position, pride and power - all vanish before death.

Realising this, strive day and night, with purity of body, mind and spirit, to realise the Higher Self by the service of all living beings.

The body must be preserved as a vehicle for this service. Remember, you are not this body; this body cannot be you!

- Ch 6, Prema Vahini.

You have to offer yourself completely to the Divine. Only then can you become one with Him.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Where is the Divine and where can we search for Him?

To say that "I am the body" is a sign of ignorance. This is dualism.

To say that "I am the individual soul" is qualified non-dualism.

To say that "I am the universal Self" is non-dualism.

One should know the difference between these three terms to understand Divinity.

The terms bhur, bhuvah and suvah in the Gayatri Mantra convey the same meaning.

Bhur refers to bhuloka, which consists of worldly matter. This can be described as materialisation, which is represented by the human body.

Bhuvah represents the life principle, which makes the body move. Hence, it can be described as vibration. It is due to the presence of vibration within that the body is able to move.

Therefore, the body is materialisation, the life principle is vibration and the Atma (Inner-Self) is radiation.

All these three are very much present in you. Then where do you search for Divinity? Why should you search for it? When you understand this truth, you will realise that you are everything.

- Divine Discourse, Aug 22, 1996.

Searching for the Divine is like searching for yourself.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How should we respond to spiritual messages that we read or listen to?

Once, a sculptor brought three dolls to the court of the King.

All three looked alike and beautiful.

The emperor summoned the prime minister and asked him to decide which of the three dolls was the best.

The prime minister brought an iron wire and put it in the ear of one of the dolls. The wire came out from the other ear. He remarked, “This is the worst doll.”

When he put the wire in the ear of the second doll, it came out of its mouth. He said, “This doll can be given the second prize.”

When he put the wire in the ear of the third doll, it went inside and did not come out. The prime minister declared, “This deserves the first prize."

What does this mean? It means that the person who assimilates what he hears is the best person.

In this modern age, some people hear sacred teachings in one ear but immediately let them out of the other ear.

Some others repeat like parrots what they read in the scriptures and what they hear. Only a few assimilate what they hear and put them into practice.

- Divine Discourse, Aug 22, 1996.

Instead of having tons of knowledge, an ounce of practice is enough.

Source: radiosai.org