Life 46 (Aug 23 - May 24)

[winston]

What is the true renunciation, practising which we can move closer to the goal?

Your foremost aim today, should be to recognise the power of love.

The Divine dwells in everyone's heart as love incarnate. The goal of life is to recognise this truth and share your love with those around you.

Every human being should deem self-realisation as the main purpose of life and dedicate all his activities to the service of his fellow beings, with constant remembrance of the Divine as the indweller in all. This is the way to redeem one's life.

Renunciation is a very much misunderstood term. It is not merely giving up family and possessions. It is the total giving up of possessive feelings of any kind, whether they relate to family or other parochial attachments.

Real renunciation means giving up all ideas of attachment to anything. Love can emerge only when there is such total detachment. Consider everything as a manifestation of the Divine.

- Divine Discourse, Sep 14, 1997.

Only through nonattachment and renunciation, can one acquire the competence to experience inner illumination.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why should we persist in our spiritual efforts until we are successful?

It is indeed tragic, to witness the downfall of the child of immortality, struggling in despair and distress.

If only everyone examines these: “What are my qualifications? What is my position?” They can soon realise their downfall.

Will a tiger, however hungry, eat popcorn or monkey nuts? Aim at the goal which your lineage entitles you;

How can a parrot taste the sweetness of the mango if it pecks at the fruit of the cotton tree?

Let your effort be in keeping with the dignity of the goal! Never slacken effort, whatever be the obstacle, however long the journey!

Remember, the goal will be near you faster than the pace with which you are near the goal!

The Divine is as eager to save you as you are to be saved! He is love and compassion for all who flounder on the road!

He is called "He who grants the desires of His every devotee".

- Divine Discourse, Sep 07, 1966.

The Divine rushes toward the devotee faster than the devotee rushes toward Him. If you take one step toward Him, He takes a hundred steps toward you!

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

How can we remain equanimous towards praise and blame?

In the modern world, praise and blame, exultation and humiliation, have become common.

Man is elated by praise or gets frustrated by blame or criticism. To be elated by praise and distressed by blame, reflects one’s weakness.

To maintain equanimity in pleasure and pain, or praise and blame, is a difficult proposition.
One may wonder how it is possible to maintain such equanimity.

You should ask who is the one that criticises and who is the one that is criticised. If you consider that it is the body that is criticised, then there is no need to worry because you know the body is ephemeral and is bound to perish one day or the other.

It is a container of foul material like urine, faecal matter, etc. Why should you be affected by this? You are not the body.

If it is Atma that is criticised, the same Atma is present in both — the person who is criticising and the one criticised. So this means that person is criticising himself!

Both praise and blame pertain only to the body. If you respond to it, that means you are accepting the contents thereof. If you do not receive it, it goes back to the sender.

- Divine Discourse, Apr 25, 1998.

The world is a nest of crows; some caw in praise, some caw in derision. But you should be above the reach of praise and blame.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the best way to bring about unity in society?

Pour your mind into the crucible of sadhana (spiritual practice) and melt it so that you can mould the Divine thereby; Then every atom of the mind will become an atom divine.

The world is now living apart, in compartments, on the basis of race, religion, colour, creed, caste. etc.

Those who question the validity and value of these compartments, are themselves in a compartment, by themselves.

Metal pieces heaped together are still pieces; they have not become one.

The world is united only in the form of a heap; it has not been melted in the crucible of love and moulded in the image of Him.

The hearts of all men must be purged of hate. Speeches and writings cannot bring about the unity of man;

Can the ocean get hot, when the forests are aflame with fire?

The ananda (bliss) that you derive when you are good and do good, must be enough inspiration, enough reward.

Resist all temptations to fall into vice, avoid treading wrong paths and keep away from evil company.

- Divine Discourse, Oct 22, 1966.

When you develop and expand love, you will be able to realise the truth that all are one.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

During festive periods, people take to spiritual practices. What should we keep in mind when we take up such sadhana (spiritual practices)?

Relying on the literal meaning of words, people wait for particular holy days, miss a meal and call it a ‘fast’, miss a night's sleep and call it a ‘vigil’!

In Sanskrit, Fasting is called Upavasa. It means something far more significant than missing a meal! It means (Upa-near; Vasa-living) Living with, or living near. With whom? Near whom? Near and with the Divine!

Upavasa means living in the unbroken constant presence of the Divine, through remembrance of the Divine (Namasmarana) - That is the real fast, holding fast unto Him!

Vigil (Jagarana) means keeping awake, shaking off the sleep of senses and being fully aware of the Light of Love, which is Divine! It means, shaking off drowsiness and laziness and deeply concentrating in meditation and Sadhana!

Look at the Sanskrit word for heart: hrudayam. It means, Hrudhi-ayam, or "Divine heart", that is, the place where He resides, where He is installed!

Through vigil and practice of the constant presence of the Divine, you must install Him in your heart and see Him as installed in all other beings as well!

- Divine Discourse, Feb 15, 1969.

You strive so much to earn wealth. Do you take the same trouble to experience the Divine? Should you not spare some time for thoughts of the Divine?

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is it that we should learn about the nature of the mind and why?

The mind is a wonder, its antics are even more surprising.

It has no distinct form or shape. It assumes the shape or form of the thing it is involved in.

Wandering from wish to wish, flitting from one desire to another, is its nature. That is why it is the cause of loss and grief, of elation and depression.

Its effects are both positive and negative. It is worthwhile for man to know the characteristics of the mind and the ways to master it for one's ultimate benefit.

The mind is prone to gather experiences and store them in the memory. It does not know the art of giving up.

Nothing is cast away by the mind. As a consequence, grief, anxiety and misery, continue simmering in it.

If only the mind can be taught tyaga (sacrifice), one can become a yogi (spiritually serene person).

- Divine Discourse, Jan 08, 1983.

Human existence can become meaningful only when man recognises the nature of the mind and bases his actions on that understanding.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

What is the gift we must return to Nature and society? How do we prepare that gift?

The tree of the human body finds its fruition when it yields love (prema).

That sweet gift is the reason it grew and is fostered. It drew its substance from the earth and the sun.

What does it give in return for the gifts it got from Nature and the human community? Love! From the experience of saints and sages, you can realise that the joy got from the external world is infinitesimal when compared to the bliss won through spiritual discipline.

To win that bliss, spiritual effort full of detachment is essential.

When boring is done to draw water from the earth, the pipe has to be kept free of air so that the water can rise up. If air enters, the water will not rise.

So too, be sure that attachment to worldly things does not mar your spiritual efforts. Love will not well up if sensual pleasures and personal pride invade the mind.

- Divine Discourse, Dec 08, 1963.

Love is the fruit which is born from the flower of your good deeds.

Source: radiosai.org

[winston]

Why is it important to quieten the mind every now and then and how does one achieve it?

The clock, to all appearances, keeps on ticking away continuously. But this is really not the case.

It is not continuous, for there is, one can notice, a short pause between one tick and the next. That is the interval of rest. But the mind does not have even this short interval between one thought and the next.

And in the continuous succession of thoughts, there is no order or relationship. This adds to the confusion and concern.

This is the main source of ill-health in man. We are at present planning and preparing for physical rest and recreation and we know that even machines need hours of rest! But we have neglected the duty of ensuring rest for the mind.

Dhyana (meditation) is the name for the period of rest we provide for the busy and wayward mind.

- Divine Discourse, Jan 08, 1983.

The divine attributes acquired during meditation should be cultivated and nurtured in everyday life.

Source: radiosai.org

[behappyalways]

你想過哪種人生? 法國電影《茱莉亞四重奏》不同際遇皆精彩｜葉佳蓉｜FOCUS全球新聞 20231215 @tvbsfocus
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WQGQkF06s24

[winston]

How should we look upon the moments of happiness and sorrow, that come to us in life?

Nature confers, like heat and cold, joy and grief.

In one season, cold is most welcome as a source of comfort. In another season, warmth is equally welcomed. Both give comfort to man when he needs it. Hence, both heat and cold must be welcomed by man. Both contribute to man's comfort and contentment.

Time, space and circumstance, decide their use and their value! This attitude of accepting the inescapable fact, is proclaimed and praised as serenity and equanimity, in the Scriptures.

Equanimity, equal-mindedness, steadiness - this is called yoga!

Happiness and misery, success and failure, obstacles and obstruction, defaming and denigration, praise and criticism, are intertwined; they can never be experienced singly.

But man is elated by gain and depressed by loss. When praised, he is elated; when blamed, he droops. But man has to keep in mind that these are only phenomena like heat and cold. That is the prescription for mental peace and social serenity.

- Divine Discourse, Dec 25, 1982.

Faith in an Omnipresent Divine, will sustain you when you are overwhelmed by the ups and downs of life.

Source: radiosai.org