1.The key objective of education is the culture of the mind and the spirit. This is very much like agriculture, which provides food and clothing for man. We require dhaanya (grains) to sustain the body; we require dhyaana(meditation) to sustain the spirit. In agriculture, you prepare the soil, plant seeds, feed the plants with fertilisers, and reap the harvest. In ‘heart-culture’, we have to plough thehrudaya-kshetra (the field of the heart), remove the weeds and wild growth, and plant the seeds. The weeds are pernicious tendencies, attitudes and habits; the fertilisers are devotion and dedication. Water to help the plant grow is the quality of love. The seeds are the names of God, which are deposited within the purified heart. The harvest which is the reward of all this spiritual discipline is wisdom.
2.Spiritual aspirants (sadhakas) all over the world will naturally be engaged in repetition of the name (japa) and meditation (dhyana), but first, one has to be clear about the purpose of repeating the name and doing meditation. Without this knowledge, people believe them to be related to the objective world, capable of satisfying worldly desires, and hope to demonstrate their value by means of sensory gains! This is a grave error. Repetition of God’s name and meditation are for acquiring one-pointed attention on the Lord.
3.So long as attachment persists to the material body and possessions, worship of a material symbol is necessary. It is but a means. But many decry idol worship as a superstition. This is not correct. We will find it impossible to love God or adore Him unless we meditate on some Form. That is a necessary stage in the process of living. One has to accept it as such. A tree’s value is estimated with reference to its fruits. To experience the Divine Principle, idol worship is and has been a great help to many.
4.The main things to be considered are not at what expense one has prayed to the Lord, or the number of years one has been engaged in it, or the rules and regulations one has followed, or even the number of times one has prayed. The principal considerations are: with what mind one has prayed, with what degree of patience one has been awaiting the result, and with what single-mindedness one has craved for Godly bliss regardless of worldly happiness and delay, with no lassitude and with constant attention to oneself, one’s meditation, and one’s tasks on hand. As far as possible, you must direct the mind to all holy things which yield sweetness and the joy associated with the Lord.
5.The mind should not be wandering in all directions indiscriminately like the fly. The fly dwells in the sweetmeat shop and runs after the rubbish carts; the fly (mind) has to be taught to understand the sweetness of the first place and the impurity of the second place, so that it may not desert the sweetmeat shop and pursue the rubbish cart. When such teaching is imparted to the mind, it is called meditation. On the other hand, look at the bee! It has contact only with sweetness; it approaches only flowers that possess nectar; it is not attracted to other places; it does not proceed there at all. Similarly, you must give up all inclinations towards sensory attraction.
6.For you to liberate yourselves from the succession of deaths, the only means is "Knowing Him". Do not imagine that you are sinners, for you are heirs to eternal Ananda. You are ‘images’ of God. You are by nature holy, complete. Is there a sin greater than calling such as you, sinners? You are dishonouring and defaming yourselves when you acknowledge the appellation ‘sinners'. Arise! Cast off the feeling that you are the body. Do not be deluded into that idea. You are Atma. You are drops of Amrith (nectar) of Immortality that know neither beginning nor end. All things material are your bonded slaves - you you are not their bonded slaves!
Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba
2.Spiritual aspirants (sadhakas) all over the world will naturally be engaged in repetition of the name (japa) and meditation (dhyana), but first, one has to be clear about the purpose of repeating the name and doing meditation. Without this knowledge, people believe them to be related to the objective world, capable of satisfying worldly desires, and hope to demonstrate their value by means of sensory gains! This is a grave error. Repetition of God’s name and meditation are for acquiring one-pointed attention on the Lord.
3.So long as attachment persists to the material body and possessions, worship of a material symbol is necessary. It is but a means. But many decry idol worship as a superstition. This is not correct. We will find it impossible to love God or adore Him unless we meditate on some Form. That is a necessary stage in the process of living. One has to accept it as such. A tree’s value is estimated with reference to its fruits. To experience the Divine Principle, idol worship is and has been a great help to many.
4.The main things to be considered are not at what expense one has prayed to the Lord, or the number of years one has been engaged in it, or the rules and regulations one has followed, or even the number of times one has prayed. The principal considerations are: with what mind one has prayed, with what degree of patience one has been awaiting the result, and with what single-mindedness one has craved for Godly bliss regardless of worldly happiness and delay, with no lassitude and with constant attention to oneself, one’s meditation, and one’s tasks on hand. As far as possible, you must direct the mind to all holy things which yield sweetness and the joy associated with the Lord.
5.The mind should not be wandering in all directions indiscriminately like the fly. The fly dwells in the sweetmeat shop and runs after the rubbish carts; the fly (mind) has to be taught to understand the sweetness of the first place and the impurity of the second place, so that it may not desert the sweetmeat shop and pursue the rubbish cart. When such teaching is imparted to the mind, it is called meditation. On the other hand, look at the bee! It has contact only with sweetness; it approaches only flowers that possess nectar; it is not attracted to other places; it does not proceed there at all. Similarly, you must give up all inclinations towards sensory attraction.
6.For you to liberate yourselves from the succession of deaths, the only means is "Knowing Him". Do not imagine that you are sinners, for you are heirs to eternal Ananda. You are ‘images’ of God. You are by nature holy, complete. Is there a sin greater than calling such as you, sinners? You are dishonouring and defaming yourselves when you acknowledge the appellation ‘sinners'. Arise! Cast off the feeling that you are the body. Do not be deluded into that idea. You are Atma. You are drops of Amrith (nectar) of Immortality that know neither beginning nor end. All things material are your bonded slaves - you you are not their bonded slaves!
Bagavan Sri Sri Sri Sathya Sai Baba
No comments:
Post a Comment