Life 47 (May 24 - Jan 25)

[winston]

What is the surest way to win the Di ine’s Grace?

People have specialised in various methods of worshipping Him; there are a host of rites, ceremonies, hymns, festivals, fasts, vows and pilgrimages; but, the best form of worship, the one that will bring the grace of Him in ample measure is to obey the commands of His.

Adulation is poor adoration! Placing Him at a great distance from you and praising Him as Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent will not please Him.

Develop nearness, proximity, and kinship with Him. Win Him by obedience, loyalty, humility and purity.

Make your lives simple; fill the daily tasks with love and mutual co-operation; be tolerant towards the errors and failings of others;

Look upon them with empathy and understanding; be calm and without agitation, under all conditions. Then, you can be happy and the country will be happy.

Your sentiments will be unselfish and your emotions, tender.

Envy, hatred and vindictiveness can gain no entrance into the stronghold of your mind, where mercy, benevolence and gratitude stand guard!

- Divine Discourse, May 12, 1970.

 No worship or penance, no oath can equal the efficacy of obedience, obedience to the command given for your liberation.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How should we practice Dhyana or meditation?

Meditation, these days, is often confined to the puja room. As soon as one emerges from the shrine, one is filled with all sorts of mental agitations. Hence, it has been declared: Be established in yoga all the time.

This does not mean giving up all worldly affairs. Pursue your studies. Fulfill your duties. But in all these activities, use your Dharana power (the power of concentration).

In the process, you develop your powers of Dhyana (meditation). Dhyana means single-pointed contemplation. Even in daily life, when one is in a reflective mood, he is asked: “What is the Dhyana you are doing?"

Dhyana means absorption in thought. It should be centred on only one specific subject. This is described in Vedantic parlance as Salokyam. "Sa" comprehends every aspect of Divinity.

Salokya means absorption in the thoughts of Divinity. Through Dhyana you have to achieve the sense of oneness with the Divine.

- Divine Discourse, Jun 29, 1989.

Living in the world, do your duty, discharge your responsibility but keep the focus on the goal; never forget it.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

To develop true love for the Divine, what is the prerequisite?

Man today worships inanimate idols and images but makes no attempt to love his fellow human beings in flesh and blood. This was the first message of Jesus.

Though one sees his neighbour every day, he does not choose to love them! How can one believe that such a person can love an invisible God?

If you cannot love a fellow human being, visible before your eyes, how can you love what is not visible to you? Not possible!

Only one who loves living beings around him can love the invisible Divine. Love must start with love for beings that have form. It must be extended to all beings! This is the primary stage in spirituality.

Spirituality does not mean preoccupation with meditation, worship, etc. It involves the total extinction of the animal and demonic qualities in man and the manifestation of his inherent Divinity.

When the attachments and hatreds in which man is enveloped are removed, the inherent Divinity in man, the Sat-chit-ananda in him will manifest Itself.

- Divine Discourse, Dec 25, 1992.

Love grows with every gift of Love; the heart that pours out love is ever full.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the journey that each one of us must undertake in this spiritual quest?

A person who is steeped in ignorance is considered to be no better than an animal.

Such a person's life is centred only on sense-gratification. His thoughts never go beyond the senses because of his ignorance of the Divinity within him.

He deems the transient earthly pleasures as heavenly bliss and lives in delusion devoid of discrimination.

Every man must make an effort to rise to humanness, shedding his animal and demonic qualities and then strive to realise his divine nature.

When Jesus was born, three kings came to his birthplace. They gave expression to three different views about the newborn baby.

One, looking at the infant, said: "This child looks like one who will be a lover of God."

Second king said: "God will love this child."

The third king declared: "Verily, this child is God Himself."

The first one viewed the child from the physical point of view.

The second saw the child from the mental viewpoint.

The third saw from the spiritual point of view.

These three declarations indicate how one can progress from the human to the divine level.

What is needed is the destruction of animal and demonic qualities in man.

- Divine Discourse, Dec 25, 1992.

It is not all that important how much you love God; what is more important is how much God loves you.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How can we resolve confusions and conflicts that arise in our mind and around us, every day?

There are two points of view that struggle for acceptance by you - the Paramarthika and the Vyavaharika - the spiritual and the worldly, the reality-based and the appearance-based.

Imagine you see a snake appearing on the road. In reality, it is only a length of rope. But it appears as a snake and you feel a sense of terror. Your terror does not change the rope into a snake! When you apply light from a torch, you discover that the rope was always a rope!

The Universe is what appears; the reality is Divinity, Brahman. When the light of wisdom shines, the Truth is revealed!

The Universe is enveloped by Divinity; it is its vesture! Jesus knew that God wills all. So even on the cross, when he suffered agony, he bore no ill will towards any one and he exhorted those with him to treat all as instruments of His Will.

"All are one; be alike to everyone." Practise this attitude in your daily lives.

- Divine Discourse, Dec 24, 1980.

Above all, recognise this truth: Divine is in all. When you hate another, you are hating the Divine; when you hate the Divine, you are hating yourself.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Who can truly be considered a person on the path of dharma?

Whoever subdues egotism, conquers selfish desires, destroys bestial feelings and impulses, and gives up the natural tendency to regard the body as the self, that person is surely on the path of dharma;

That person knows that the goal of dharma is the merging of the wave in the sea, the merging of Self in the Over-self.

In all worldly activities, be careful not to offend propriety or the canons of good nature; do not play false to the promptings of the inner voice; be prepared, at all times, to respect appropriate dictates of conscience;

Watch your steps to see whether you are in someone else’s way; be ever vigilant to discover the truth behind all this scintillating variety!

This is your entire duty, your dharma. The blazing fire of wisdom (jnana), which convinces you that all this is Divinity, will consume into ashes all traces of your egotism and worldly attachment.

You must become intoxicated with the nectar of union with Brahman; that is the ultimate goal of dharma and of action (karma) inspired by dharma!

- Dharma Vahini, Ch 1.

Have faith in the Divine and in the correctness of moral living. Then, you can have peace and joy, whatever may be the fare that fortune offers you.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

As we wind down the clock for 2024 and look ahead, what should we pray for?

Many pray to Him all over the world. They pray for the realisation of worldly desires of one kind or another. This is not the right kind of prayer.

You should pray to Him for the grace of His love. That love is everlasting. It is infinite. He has another attribute. He is the embodiment of bliss. He is Sat-Chit-Ananda (Being-Awareness-Bliss). Pray to Him to confer that bliss on you.

His bliss is boundless and everlasting. All mundane pleasures are transient and ephemeral. Only he is a true devotee who prays to Him for His love and bliss.

One who prays for other trivial things is no devotee at all. Worldly benefits come and go. They are not the things for which you should pray. Seek what is eternal. Pray for His love and bliss.

Seek to realise your Divinity. Then you will experience the Divine in the entire cosmos. You will experience the bliss that fills the universe.

- Divine Discourse, Apr 07, 1997.

If you secure the love of the Divine, you can secure anything.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What should be the attitude we must cultivate today to ensure that the entire year is sanctified?

All the accomplishments and acquisitions in this world, are transient and impermanent; lured by them, men get inflated and ultimately court ruin.

Hence, giving up the notions of one's own doership, man must regard the Divine alone as the doer.

He is the giver, He is the recipient and He is also the object that is given.

Time is the very form of the Divine. Birth and death are encompassed by Time. Everyone, therefore, should regard Time as Divine and utilise it for performing sacred actions.

You should not waste a single moment. Time wasted is life wasted. The fruits of your actions are determined by Time.

All your experiences are the results of your actions, whether it is happiness or sorrow, affluence or poverty. Hence, good and bad depend on what you do. As are your actions, so are the fruits thereof.

The way you utilise your time determines the outcome. Hence, this new year, which is a form of the Divine, should be put to right use.

- Divine Discourse, Jan 01, 1991.

Fill your time with good actions. There is no greater sadhana than this.

Source: radiosai,org

[winston]

Whatever be our occupation or position, what is the one thing that the Divine expects of us?

The desire for wealth and power is not wrong as such. But wealth and power should be used for the right ends. Whatever position you occupy, see that it is used worthily.

A cobbler stitching shoes is pursuing as worthy an occupation as a Prime Minister governing the country. Therefore, everyone must do his duty properly.

There is no high or low in these matters. To each person, his occupation is a matter of pride. Hence, do your duty sincerely.

Everyone should be filled with this feeling. You should see that you do your job well without any lapse or defect. When everyone does their duty in this spirit the well-being of the whole world will be automatically ensured.

People proclaim that they desire the well-being of one and all in the world, but do nothing to promote it. They are concerned only about their own well-being. This is not the right attitude at all.

- Divine Discourse, Apr 07, 1997.

Do the duty that He has allotted to the best of your ability, and to the satisfaction of your conscience. That is the most rewarding worship.

Source: radiosai.org

[behappyalways]

Lonely deaths on the rise in Japan:
Relic organizers preserve memories for families of the deceased

日本孤獨死增 遺物整理師為亡者家人留存回憶｜FOCUS午間新聞 20250102‪@tvbsfocus‬

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OzsqRPxDTRw