Sai Baba Gita Reading for Today - The three Stages on the Wisdom Path

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Sai Baba Gita Reading for Today

October 28, 2003

 

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The three Stages on the Wisdom Path

 

To reach the state of abiding inner peace, you begin by inquiring

into the very heart of everything. This is the process of inner

inquiry, the first stage on the wisdom path. Then you must make use

of the deep insights you have gained by applying the spiritual

teachings to every detail of your daily life. This is the second

stage. If you continue with this practice unfailingly, then, in

time, you will reach the goal of God-realization and enjoy unending

bliss. This is the third and final stage on the wisdom path.

 

You can compare the first stage to the period of life when you are a

student. As a student and spiritual seeker you are most active in

acquiring knowledge. While you are in this stage you inquire into

the principle which underlies everything in the universe. You try to

understand the deeper meaning of the great wisdom sayings, such as

that thou art. Here, that refers to the eternal divine principle we

call God, and thou refers to the immortal self, which is the one

true reality of everyone. In this first stage you try to understand

this saying, which states that the highest self and God are one and

the same, and you look for this oneness in the core of everything.

 

So, you start off by seeking the unity underlying everything in

existence. Then, having become aware of it, you live your life by

applying this great truth to all your daily activities. This second

stage can be compared to the period of life when you are employed

and busy in your profession. If you have not pursued your education

and earned good qualifications, you will not be able to find an

appropriate position. Therefore, in the first stage you acquire a

good education and develop your knowledge so that in the next stage

you can put that education into practice and use it to do your

life's work. The third stage can be likened to the later period of

life when you are retired and become a pensioner.

 

You receive a pension only after you have completed your working

career. You start your career and gain employment, in the first

place, only after you have successfully completed your education and

acquired qualifications. These then are the three stages in your

path through life namely, first is the stage when you are a student,

then there is the stage when you are a professional, and lastly,

there is the stage when you are a pensioner.

 

Similarly, on the path of wisdom, you start out as a seeker, then

you become a practitioner, and finally, you become a wise illumined

one. In this final stage you enjoy complete peace of mind and

realize the unity of all of creation.

 

To permanently acquire peace of mind and the state of unending inner

joy, you first have to enter into the stage of inquiry and give up

all attachments to the world. These days, so-called spiritual

seekers are first entering into the stage of attachment, and later

they try to enter the stage of inner inquiry. They call each other

brother and sister and aspire to practice unity, while at the same

time taking on new worldly attachments. At best, they can only be

described as part-time devotees. The Gita does not condone such part-

time devotion. The Gita teaches complete surrender by offering

oneself and everything one has to God.

 

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

 

Source:

http://www.atmapress.com/saibabagita/saigita029.html

 

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Sai Baba Gita

Compiled and edited by Al Drucker - Published by Atma Press

http://www.atmapress.com - ISBN: 0963844903

Online Edition: http://www.atmapress.com/saibabagita/index.html