Betty's Holy Christmas Sai News VERY IMPORTANT

[Guest guest]

passing so I planned to fly to Sai Baba’s Ashram in Puttarparthi (3 ½ hours

north of Bangalore) to spend a Holy comforting Christmas …for he had said many

times that Jesus’s birthday should not be just a holiday (a booze up) but

celebrated as a HOLY Day with a vegetarian feast and carolling. (My set

Christmas Dinner at the western canteen cost S$1.10 ) By the time I booked

my flight I managed to get the last seat on SIA on the day I chose to travel

(Indian Airlines was completely full) Sunday 18 Dec. I had hoped to travel with

some people from Singapore (many groups were going but their timings didn’t suit

me) Then suddenly, two days before my departure dear Gek rang me excitedly to

say “Ring Joan

Morgan-Jung NOW!) she’s on the same flight (booked ages ago from Calgary) and

looking for a companion to share hotel in Bangalore and taxi to P. I rang and

Joan said ‘Swami’ had arranged it all for us to travel together…..Great ! We

made it in P on 19 Dec…just in time to join the nearly 1,000 strong Christmas

choir (it had been my dream for many years to be in this international choir)

19 Dec was the last day they were accepting members and rehearsals were

already in full swing (I thought that as I know most of the traditional

Christmas songs by heart it would be a cinch but we were learning almost all

new numbers…including Joyful Joyful we adore thee, Lord of Glory, Lord of

Light…(Beethovan’s Fifth) plus two songs were to be sung in Spanish (because of

the large Latin American devotees) and one in Sanskirt. ) I was also thankful

they were taking anyone who wanted to sing their hearts out for Swami and Jesus

because if their criteria was based on hitting all the right notes, yours truly

would have been OUT ! But they were strict about attendance because they wanted

to be sure we were serious and not joining the choir just so we would be able to

get ringside seats on the day of our performance. We weren’t so lucky (or

maybe were!) with accommodation. We managed to get to stay in the Ashram but

because of the huge demand, we had to settle for a single bed each in a

8-bedded dormitory. But how can we complain at about S$1 each a day? And though

we had only one toilet and one bathroom for 8 women there were common toilets

and showers just outside. Just being in the Dorm was a learning-to-share

experience in itself. Our companions were two Germans, Erica (89) and Suzanne,

one enormous Polish woman Lydia, one elegant French

lady Alice, one Japanese-Australian, Yukari, Joan and myself Singapore-born

Chinese, and cheery psychology student Masoomeh from Iran (yes, a devout Muslim

but she wore her tangle of black hair sans veil). (See attached pix of Masoo and

I). I learned that Erica was born in 1917 (only a year younger than my

father!) and she had to walk with a walker-on-wheels that she had flown over

with from Germany. This was her 6th visit to Swarmi! Why had she come ? Because

here “everyone helps me but back home I live alone in a flat without a lift to

my floor and there’s nobody to help me.” As devotees know, Swami’s teaching

is simple. Love All, Serve All …and so Erica, though cranky, found no lack of

people to bring her hot water, to accompany her on her visits to the hospital

(medicine so much cheaper here than in Germany…Baba’s hospitals are all FREE

but only for Indian nationals) and willingly run other errands for her. Even

the porters hanging around our Block N8 knew what to do the moment they saw

Erica and her walker approach the three steps leading to the road. One or more

would spring forward, grab her walker and gently lower it to the ground. Erica

didn’t tip them nor did they hold their arms out for a tip. The days passed

in a blur of choir rehearsals and Darshans-Bhajans (Seeing Baba come out each

morning and afternoon and then singing of Devotional songs). Soon it was 21

December….a year to the day I lost my beloved Richard on magical Christmas

Island. That morning just as we were starting rehearsals Sylvia – our choir

director (she was simply marvelous, lovingly whipping us into shape and telling

us anecdotes about her conversations with God/Baba) – quietly

announced, “I know some of you here have lost loved ones…And she went on with

consoling words and pointed out that one of the songs we sing is particularly

meaningful and comforting for those who have suffered loss…. “What’s

Love?...it’s the voice of a dear one, A child whose smile is so bright, What’s

Love is Peace on the Planet

Roman">All hearts full of love and delight… And especially the Refrain…

“There’s only Love, there’s only love All things have an end and beginning But

only love, but only love God’s love is the joy of

living love.” I had not told a single person there that 21 Dec morning was

the day I lost Richard…yet Sylvia had chosen that very morning to say those

words. After rehearsals I went up to thank her and she hugged me warmly saying,

“Swami prompted me to say it…” I felt so at peace and filled with Love.

0pt;">Then it was Christmas Eve..one last rehearsal in the afternoon. The seva

dals (volunteers) gave out white candles and Sylvia said that all these nearly

one thousand candles were going to be lit from the LIGHT, the FLAME of ONE

Candle that Swami had materialized many years ago. We were told to take home

our candles of Peace and Love and to use them to light other candles to shine

our loving light to All. What a beautiful sight as we all, with lit candles,

walked out onto the garden in the gathering darkness…Christmas Decorations were

on every tree, every building and even an entire Nativity scene had been created

in the garden in front of the North Indian Canteen by the devotees from Western

Australia ..even Swarmi’s house and gate was decorated with bells and angels !

I must add that one of the amazing experiences we have staying as ‘guests’ in

Baba’s Ashram ‘Abode’ of Peace is that we are living, thousands of us in

four-storey apartment blocks surrounded by gardens, walking everyday in an

almost ceaseless a tide of constantly moving humanity from about 180 different

countries yet not one single person is holding a cigarette or a beer can! (But

coffee, ice cream and pizza are sold on the premises…along with young fresh

coconuts for 6 rupees/26 rupees to 1 S$).

0pt;">We are also encouraged to take our meals at eitherthe South Indian, Nth

Indian or Western canteen (manned by western volunteers) and meals are for less

than S$ 1 at these places. I ate at these places but because of the crowds and

queues had at least one meal out at my favourite German café. Then it was

Christmas DAY… the whole huge Mandir (hall) was decorated, with the Three Wise

Men taking centre stage …most of the decorations were pretty but the red

lanterns should have been kept for Chinese NY !! The Mandir can hold up to

50,000 people, and it was packed full so I guess that’s how many were there on

Christmas Day. The male devotees were resplendent in their white kurtas and

loose white trousers (some of the European men look rather distinguished, most

had streamline figures, no protruding tums and almost all spoke in some

European language) while the ladies were in the most colourful of saries and

Punjabi costumes but today our choir of about 500 women were dressed in

glorious white with gold and silvery sparkles on our scarves, hems and bodices.

And Sylvia had instructed her assistants to buy garlands of jasmine flowers to

pin in our hair and we were a gorgeous sight !

0pt;">Swami came really early –just after 7 am (our performance was to be that

afternoon, after the international children’s play). When he stood up a

cheering roar went up…then his primary school boys played – a choir of violins

and The First Noel never sounded so beautiful.. After that Swami’s brass band

(from his school of music students) played rousing Christmas carols (a stirring

sight) …then Santa Claus bounded up and distributed chocs and candy canes to all

of us (don’t know who generously donated but I’d have preferred No Santa and no

chocs or candy !!! Wish some generous devotees will think of bananas or dates

next time? Our Chinese NY group from

Singapore gave away oranges in Feb 05 ) After lunch at 4 pm plus we – the

International choir …led first by the kids – performed. I had a ring-side seat

in the morning (very lucky) but in the afternoon it was even more packed and

our choir members had to be split up with the strong singers in front.. I ended

up sitting halfway down on the ground in Swami’s driveway. But sitting on the

sloping driveway with the stage on top meant you can’t really see anything much.

So, when Sylvia came round to ask who are grandmas and to follow her if one is a

grandma I happily jumped up, thinking ‘Ah, grandmas are going to get better

seats’. Well, talk about a put down ! I only realized what Sylvia meant when

she said to some young and pretty European girls sitting on the edge of the

line…”move in, you are much too young and pretty to sit here”…Well, grandmas

was just a polite way of saying those old and wrinkled please move away from

distracting the men who are seated less than a metre away from us. So, after

a flurry of ‘seat ‘changes our Christmas concert began and we sang our hearts

out to Jesus, Swami, Allah, Buddha, Zoraaster …and we sounded so beautiful !

(All this should be available on VCDs later in the year). The next day,

Boxing Day, the Southern Californian choir and also the NSW Australian choir

performed for Swami and us. .I particularly liked the Yiddish songs that the

Jewish Aussie devotees sang. Then came NY’s Eve…Joan, Yukari and her good

French friend Marie Paul (Marie lives outside the Ashram) and myself had a

scrumptious dinner at the German restaurant – tofu flame, veg moussaka,

mushroom-butter fried rice and Turkish salad..and cheese cake. All for about

S$6 each …but I caught a chill (it was cold on the open rooftop.) Next day,

I was sunning myself on the corridor outside our room (Joan, Yukari and myself

had managed to get a room on the 4th/top floor) when a glamorous European woman

– also sunning herself and doing some sewing, noticed me coughing. She (later

I learned her name wasTatiana and she was from Moscow) told another European

woman who had joined us (and who could speak English) to tell me to buy some

milk and she’d make me a hot drink (milk with ghee, soda and honey) and it was

guaranteed to make me much better. So I went to the Supermarket (yes, there is

a supermarket too!) and got the milk and she made me a delicious drink and I

went and had a good sleep. That night she came to our room and gesturing make

me understand that I was to go over to her room and she’d make me another milk

drink and also soak my

feet in a tub of hot water with sea salt and soda. I went and as I sipped the

hot milk and enjoyed my feet being heated up met and chatted with Tatiana’s

room mates, Christina, Yadviga and Anna – all from the Baltic States – Their

room was so prettily furnished and pride of place was a picture of Jesus. I

learned they were from the Russian Orthodox Church and one of them,

sweet-looking Christina (just 60) had been a devotee for many years. (After 20

mins of soaking, Tatiana dried my feet and rubbed a balm on my soles to keep

them warm…she was so pleased when I described her as an Angel Swami had sent to

heal me)

0pt;"> When I said I really admire Gorbachev – he is a very spiritual person –

Christina said Yes, Baba had said that of Gorbachev years ago and in fact

Raisa, his late wife, had been to see Baba before she died of Leukemia. To

me one of the most wonderful experiences I had spending 2 weeks over Christmas

at the Ashram was seeing and meeting so many people who are all open to

spreading Baba’s universal teachings of loving service to all of humanity and

mother Earth. I know that the BBC and 60 minutes have made very ugly movies

‘supposed exposes’ of Sai Baba as a fraud etc…but when you talk to devotees,

their experiences of Baba are so personal, so heart/life changing that you

realize why, despite such movies, we are ALL still drawn to our God of Love….

For example…on my last day, a Chinese woman with two young children was also

waiting to pay for food at the German café. She asked me if I was Chinese and

then said she’s also Chinese, a Teochew originally from Cambodia but now living

in Northern California. As we chatted she said that it is very

materialistic in America and she hopes her son can go to one of Swarmi’s Educare

schools in California. I told her that there might not be such a school near

where she lives (San Jose or San Diego?) but to look for a Waldorf-Steiner

school as their approach and purpose is virtually the same as Baba’s. When I

asked her how she came to be a devotee, she said that when she was still a

child in Cambodia, one day she heard a flute playing (inside her head) and a

voice say that if she’s ever in trouble she must call for Baba Baba…one day as

she was drowning she called Baba

and He appeared and pushed her to the shore. Then another time she was very sick

and dying and again he saved her. But she had no idea who HE was until she moved

to the USA and then one day she read an article about him and saw his picture.

Such stories are so common among Baba devotees but to practice what he teaches

is not so easy …to learn to see ALL as Equal, as fellow Gods and to TREAT

everyone with love and kindness, including ‘terrorists’….but we have to try if

we are to help bring Peace on Earth and goodwill to ALL…including non violence

to Animals. - ananda perera ananda

Saturday, December 31, 2005 8:36 AM Sai News VERY IMPORTANT

Message----------------> Thursday,

December 29, 2005 10:05 PM> Fwd: Sai News> > >>>>>> ---

FlaigSai (AT) aol (DOT) com wrote:>>>>> FlaigSai (AT) aol (DOT) com>>> Thu, 29 Dec 2005

19:00:18 EST>>> Sai News>>> >>>>> Dearest Sisters and Brothers, Sai

Ram.>>>>>> Recently, Baba was asked in an interview as why He>>> does not cure

Himself.>>> Baba had responded that it is selfish. Then, the>>> person asked

"What can we do>>> to help then Baba?" And His answer was: "Repeat>>> Gayathri

Mantra as its energy>>> will come back to Me.">>>>>> After the interview, every

one of us (200 devotees>>> from Southern Cal. Group)>>> chanted Gayathri

thousands of times only for a day>>> and the next day, Swami>>> walked on the

Veranda! It has

been two days that for>>> the first time after so>>> long, He gets up from the

chair, walks and sits on>>> the throne in the Mandir>>> for Bhajan!>>>>>>

Please spread the word and chant GM as much as you>>> can...>>>>>> Happy New

Year to All...>>>>>> With Love,>>>>>> Nushin> > > > DSL Something to

write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less

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