The Cause of Suffering

"The cause of suffering is selfish desire,

whether it is the desire for pleasure,

desire for revenge or simply

desire for a long life."

~ Lord Buddha ~

My Love is Equal

"Whether you are walking on My path,

Or another is lost,

My love for both is equal.

For one I encourage to continue his journey,

And for the other,

I have come to transform."

~ Baba ~

(Sai Darshan)

God's Way is the Best Way

I asked the Lord for a bunch of fresh flowers

but instead He gave me an ugly cactus with many thorns.

I asked the Lord for some beautiful butterflies

but instead He gave me many ugly and dreadful worms.

I was threatened, I was disappointed, I mourned.

But after many days, suddenly,

I saw the cactus bloom with many beautiful flowers,

and those worms became beautiful butterflies

flying in the spring wind.

God's way is the best way.

~ The Rev.Chun-Ming Kao ~

A Life of Sadhana

"A life of sadhana involves dedication of all acts to God,

the offering of whatever one does

or thinks or speaks at the feet of God."

(Sadhana - The Inward Path)

God Will Respond

"God will respond only when you call

from the depth of feeling.

He will be deaf even if you call Him

a million times automatically

and artificially with the tongue

and not with the heart."

~ Baba ~

Morning Darshan

My dear sweet Lord and I, together,

Alone, without space or time existing,

Without mind or ego, only self together,

Chaos all around us, yet peace within remains.

My dear sweet Lord approaches, serene,

Floating in His own divine bliss,

You stop before me, Lord, sitting at Your feet,

Timelessness surrounds, encloses, all else disperses.

No mind, thought, ego, only Knowing Self remains,

my letter offered with open hands is gently taken,

No look between us needed, trust, faith, surrender,

Your lotus feet before me, speak to me.

I reach forward and touch those cool soft feet,

Time without end envelopes, total peace surrounds.

I bow before you, Lord and kiss each sweet big toe,

Your love forever is all I'll ever want.

~ D.Emmerson ~

God, Speak to Me!

The man whispered, "God, speak to me." And a meadowlark sang. But the man did not hear. And the man shouted, "God, show me a miracle!" And a new life was born. But the man did not know.


Then the man again yelled, "God, speak to me!" and thunder rolled across the sky. But the man did not know. The man looked around and said, "God, let me see you!" and the stars shone brightly. But the man did not know.

So the man cried out in despair. "Touch me, God and let me know you are here!" Whereupon God reached down and touched the man. But the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.


~ Author Unknown ~

The Ropes of Attachment

At one time, Radha and her companions were travelling from Mathura to Brindavan by boat. They set out in the early hours of dawn to the river and having seated themselves in the boat, they began to row. Their arms began to ache with the strain.

The sun rose high. They watched the residents of Mathura coming to fill their pots and were astonished. They had rowed all night but were still in the same place! Then they discovered they had forgotten to untie the ropes which bound their boat to the posts on the water front!


Similarly, we too perform many types of Sadhana and practices, but we do not loosen our bonds of attachment, so we continue to remain in the same state of mind. Only when the rope of attachment is untied can we reach our destination.



~ Baba ~

Dear Lord ...

Dear Lord,
Help me build a temple in my heart
for You to reside;
Let the pillars be made of Love;
Let the halls echo with Devotion
and Dedication;
Let the angels of Peace and Harmony
sing from the ceilings and domes.
Yes, let my heart be Your home!

The True Sign of a Sai Bhakta

"The true sign of a Sai bhakta is his steadiness. He cannot be swerved from this chosen path by cynicism or the call of luxurious pomp. He puts spiritual teaching into practice and knows the immeasurable gain it gives."

(Sadhana - The Inward Path)

Garlands of Love

In the early days, Bhagawan used to accept garlands from devotees but He has since discouraged this practice. He says: Why offer a garland made of flowers that wither away? Give me the flowers of your heart, fresh and pure for eternity!

Here are a few photos of our sweet Lord with garlands that will bring back some nostalgic memories ...

JAI SAI RAM!

Vanquishing Anger

One sage came from the Himalayas and declared that he had conquered anger. He met his friends and told them he was totally at peace and that he had no anger in him at all.

One of them asked him, "Sir, have you conquered anger?" "Yes, I have," came the guarded reply. That person reiterated, "Sir! You, of all people! Have you really conquered anger?" "Yes, it is true," came the gruff reply. "What, Sir! It is really impossible to believe. How could you conquer anger?" asked the man for the third time. "Ai! Can't you understand when I have said so?" came the hot reply. "Sir! When this is the case, how could you have oonquered anger?" asked the man for the fourth time. "Are you out of your senses? I told you I have conquered!"

So, while saying that he had conquered anger, he lost control over anger due to repetition of words. If words were not expressed, anger might have cooled down. Due to lack of patience, anger emanates. There is no other remedy for anger. Only cultivation of patience is the answer. If you cultivate patience, then automatically anger will subside. If darkness has to be expelled, light has to be brought. Similarly, to expel anger, patience has to be fostered.

~ Baba ~

Sanathana Sarathi (Sept.1998)

The Garland of Past Deeds

"When man emerges from the womb of his mother,

one does not find any garland around his neck.
There are no jewels made of pearls

nor are there glittering gold ornaments.

There are no chains studded with precious stones

like emeralds and diamonds.
But there is one garland around his neck.

Brahma strings together the consequences

of his past deeds into a heavy garland

and puts it around his neck at the time of birth."

~ Telugu Poem ~

Man

"Man is proud that he is flying far into the sky

and even landing on the moon,

but he is incapable of living at peace

with himself or his neighbours.

His life on earth is full of fear and anxiety,

but he proclaims without shame that he is the

zenith of creation!"

(Sadhana - The Inward Path)

Hands

"Hands are given to us so that we may perform

good acts and offer the flower of service

to the Lord."

~ Baba ~

(Facets of the Divine Diamond)

Dear Lord ...

Dear Lord,
When the sky is dark and the sea is stormy,
when the wind howls and the earth trembles,
let me take refuge in Your Lotus Feet,
for there I know I shall be safe

withYou by my side,

until all my fears subside.

The Mantra

Many years ago, Kasturi was with Baba at Benares and was consumed by a desire to receive a mantra from Swami. Having mentioned this to Baba. he bathed himself in the sacred waters of the Ganges and fasted all morning to receive it. Noon came but no mantra. He confessed that by this time, he shed tears of disappointment. Then horror of horrors, lunch time came and he was seated right next to Swami. "Kasturi, why aern't you eating?" asked Baba, assuming innocence. "The mantra ..." began the miserable Kasturi, swallowing a sob. "What is the purpose of a mantra?" Swami asked. "To get closer to the Lord," Kasturi replied. Baba looked down at Kasturi's arm and then at His own. They were almost touching. "Well," He smiled in His divinely down-to-earth way, "How much closer do you want to get?"

Serenity Prayer

Oh, Lord!

Grant me the serenity to

accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference.

Dear Lord ...

Dear Lord,

Let go,You tell us,
but still we cling on.
Surrender we must but in You,

we seem to have little trust.
You have come to set us free
but, fools that we are,

we choose to remain bound
by the chains of our worldly desires.
O Lord, how You must despair of us!
When will we awaken to Your call?

Suffering

"Suffering entitles you to the grace of the Lord.

When suffering comes in waves, one behind the other,

be glad that the shore is near. Bear them bravely,

do not like cowards throw the blame on some outside

Power or develop dislike for the Lord."

(Sadhana - The Inward Path)

To Be Immersed in God's Love

"To be immersed in God's love

and thoughts of God

is the greatest enjoyment

as well as true yoga."

~ Baba ~

The Meditation Tree in Prashanti Nilayam

Those of you who meditated under this tree may wish to know or refresh your memory on its history.

One day in April 1959, while at the Chitravathi River with devotees, Swami had spoken of the glory of the Banyan Tree under which Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment and became The Buddha, and of other similar trees whose greatness (and benefit to their users) was due to the power of "yanthras" (mystical diagrams) placed underneath them by sages. Then Swami materialised a 15" x 10" copper plate with many yanthras and beejaakshars (mantric syllables). He kept it with Him for two months, probably to charge it with more divine potency.

On 29th June 1959, up above the hill on the way to the museum and the University Administrative Building in Prashanti Nilayam, He placed this yanthra underneath the earth and planted above it a sapling of the Banyan Tree, saying, "When this sapling grows, the japa, yoga, dhyana, etc. performed underneath it will become especially efficacious. This will grow into a Tapovana (Forest of Askesis) drawing the saadhakas the world over."

Dear Lord ...

Dear Lord,
I love this special world that we share.
Here the flowers never fade;
The birds never stop singing;
The sun never stops shining.
Sometimes a thorn or two may prick my feet
but I feel no pain.
We are bound together by a special bond,
a bond that will never break but will
only bring us closer together in our special world.

The Hand

"Man wants the gift, not the Giver;

The created, not the Creator;

Things from the hand but not the Hand."

~ Baba ~

Be "Human"

"The word "human" is full of significance.

'h' stands for "high human values",

"u" stands for "understanding of human sanctity",

'm' stands for being "mindful of one's duty",

'a' stands for "anandam" (bliss),

'n' stands for the name of God.

So you should go on chanting the name of God

repeatedly throughout this precious night."

~ Baba ~

Sivarathri Discourse 10.3.94

Emerge as a Resplendent Diamond

"Diamond is first just a dull piece of stone, a hard pebble.

Only when it is cut by a skilful artisan does it

become a multi-facted flame of fire! Allow yourselves

to be so treated, that all your dullness will disappear

and you will emerge as a resplendent diamond."

(Sadhana - The Inward Path)

Dear Lord ...

Dear Lord,
I woke up this morning to the busy chatter of birds

in the trees
and I thought of You.

I looked at the billowing white clouds

in the sky
and I thought of You.

I looked at the lovely flowers and trees

gently swaying in the wind
and I thought of You.

I heard the carefree laughter of the children

playing in the garden
and I thought of You.

Thank You, dear Lord, for the little joys of life

for they let me think of You!

Wisdom from the Buddha

Once Buddha was walking from one town to another town with a few of his followers. This was in the initial days. While they were travelling, they happened to pass a lake. They stopped there and Buddha told one of his disciples, "I am thirsty. Do get me some water from that lake there."

The disciple walked up to the lake. When he reached it, he noticed that right at that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the lake. As a result, the water became very muddy, very turbid. The disciple thought, "How can I give this muddy water to Buddha to drink!" So he came back and told Buddha, "The water in there is very muddy. I don't think it is fit to drink." After about half an hour, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back to the lake and get him some water to drink. The disciple obediently went back to the lake.

This time too he found that the lake was muddy. He returned and informed Buddha about the same. After sometime, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back. The disciple reached the lake to find the lake absolutely clean and clear with pure water in it. The mud had settled down and the water above it looked fit to be had. So he collected some water in a pot and brought it to Buddha.

Buddha looked at the water, and then he looked up at the disciple and said, " See what you did to make the water clean. You let it be.... and the mud settled down on its own - and you got clear water. Your mind is also like that! When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time. It will settle down on its own. You don't have to put in any effort to calm it down. It will happen. It is effortless."