Roots of Wisdom - To Let Go is to Gain

 

"To retreat is to advance, to let go is to gain.  Thus to retreat a step can mean an advance of a hundred steps."

(From the book "Roots of Wisdom" written by Hong Yingming)

May All Living Beings in All the Worlds be Happy

 

Sri Sathya Sai Speaks

"Do not seek to exercise authority over others; seek rather to discover chances to be useful to them. When one neglects his duties, the positions of authority start causing headaches. Be a servant; a servant of God - then, all strength and joy will be added unto you. Try to be a master; then, you will arouse envy, hatred, anger and greed in every one around you. Feel that you are an instrument in His Hand; let Him shape you and use you as He knows best."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(SSS Vol. 8)

Come Inwardly

When people come to Puttaparthi, it is the result of long planning and a lifelong ambition.  When they come, they partake of Swami's blessings and bliss.  But what does Bhagawan say about all this?

"Until we come inwardly, outer coming or not coming does not have much meaning."  How true!  Until we are introverted, externalities do not matter.  It is as bad or as good as not coming.  In other words, Bhagawan wants us to be here inwardly.  It means we should experience Him from within.

Many years ago, Howard Murphet said, when leaving, to Bhagawan that he was sorry and sad to leave the place.  Bhagawan said, "You are not going!  You are going to come back."  To part is to be together.  We part so as to be together.  It is not as if we are going alone.  When we have this feeling of Bhagawan and of everyone here - that of experiencing Bhagawan inwardly, it is more important than outward viisits to this place (Puttaparthi).  This is what Bhagawan means.

(From the book "Sai-Chology" by Prof. K. Anil Kumar)

 

The Kali Yuga

 

"We must try to make the best of our present age, the Kali Yuga, and try to do good things and live happily in this world.  Past is past and it will never come again, and we are not sure of the future.  The present is not permanent; it changes and moves constantly.  That is why we say, "Be good, do good, see good - that is the way to God."  Try to be good, fill your heart with goodness and lead a good life, and the result also will be good."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Summer Showers 1972, Ch.11)

Detachment

 

"Through the process of giving up, great things can be achieved.  Cultivate detachment and the Lord will attach Himself to you.  The past is beyond recovery; those days are gone.  But tomorrow is coming towards you.  Resolve to sanctify it with love, service and spiritual practice (sadhana).

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(March 29, 1968)

The Objective World

"Though the objective world appears real, one must be aware that it is deluding us.  As a result, one must give up the yearning to derive pleasure from the objects that appear and attract, both here and hereafter.  One is liberated as soon as one renounces all attachment and desires."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Sutra Vahini, Preface)

 

Baba's Storytime - The Tongue and the Eye

There was a monk once who as the first two steps in ascetic practice decided on two vows: 1. Not to injure any living thing and 2. Not to speak falsehood. While he was engaged in meditation under a tree in the thick jungle, invoking the aid of God to confirm him in these two vows, he saw a beautiful deer running in terror from some hunters and taking refuge in a bower behind his hermitage. The hunters came to him seconds later. They asked him about the whereabouts of the deer. 

The poor monk was in a fix. If he told them that he saw it entering the bower, they would catch it and kill it. That would go against his first vow. If he told them that he did not know its whereabouts, it would be against his second vow. He avoided breaking both his vows in a very clever way.

He said: "The eye that sees cannot speak. The tongue that speaks cannot see. I cannot compel the eye to speak nor the tongue to see". 

The hunters went away quietly and the deer was saved. The monk had not uttered falsehood.

(From the Divine Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba)

Gems of Wisdom

 When someone insults you or tries to provoke you, the real test is not their behavior - it is your reaction.

The mind is compared to a flame. When someone throws anger toward you, it is like throwing a spark. If the mind is dry with ego and pride, the fire spreads instantly. But if the mind is calm and aware, the spark simply fades.

Anger only grows when it is accepted and returned. If someone offers you a gift and you refuse it, the gift remains with the giver. The same is true with insults.

Being easily offended gives others power over your emotions. They can move your mind like a puppet simply by saying the right words.

But when the mind is steady, insults lose their force.

Take a breath.

Observe the emotion.

Let the ego soften.

True strength is not reacting to every provocation - it is mastering the mind that wants to react.

A peaceful mind cannot be easily controlled by others.

Samastha Lokha Sukhino Bhavanthu

Divine Wisdom