My April 08 Sathya Sai Baba Dream Offering the Celestial Prayer Drum - But, I don't have one

[Guest guest]

I awoke at 2:30AM this morning of the Buddha's birthday

anniversary as observed by Nipponzan Myohoji and other

Buddhist Orders on April 8 each year, different than the

usual "Wesak" observance usually in mid-May observing

this anniversary in a slightly different way. When I awoke

my eyes were filled with tears because of a dream I was

having in which I was shedding tears of joy and appreciation

while bowing in the style we do sitting on our heels and folding

prostrate towards the holiness. In my dream I was also tearful

in wondrous amazement at what had just transpired when the

Sathya Sai Baba approached me in a room asking about some

fabric I had laid out on the floor preparing to sew a drum

bag of the Nipponzan style akin to the "grip" bag of Gandhi's

style but with the extra pocket for the prayer drum, the

walking hand drum called Tenku or Celestial Drum used to

accompany the chanting prayer of the Na Mu Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo.

 

It is well known per the Baba's teachings that if you have a

dream about him, "it is real". This dream in intensity last

night only compares to the one I had which led me to India

in 1996 to meet the Baba in person during our group interview

with him on what was then recognized as the birthday of his

previous incarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba, ie, 28Sep96.

 

Baba often asks questions of folks knowing full well the answer,

but using his question as a way to offer a message to all present.

This is exemplified in his admonitional remarks to me during

our group interview at his Putthaparthi Ashram, called Prashanti

Nilayam, Abode of Perfect Peace, as per my report on that trip at

http://www..com/visit_to_sathya_sai_baba_in_india_1996.htm

 

During that month of September 1996 my brother Chuck and I

went to experience the Baba's Darshan, ie, witnessing his

physical presence after waiting hours sitting quietly with

many thousands of people packed close together sitting in

rows with walkways in between sections, on marble floor,

when the Baba would walk down the isles and accept letters

and speak to various people including inviting a few dozen

to the interview to take place after this darshan and the

prayer songs, Bhajans, conducted twice a day after these

Darshan experiences.

 

The custom there at Prashanti Nilayam is that the men and

women are separated in two big sections. Almost to a man

all the men wear a special lightweight garment of shirt

and pants cheaply bought at one of the stores in town

in all white. Lightweight for the heat of India and white

by the Baba's preference. The custom is to sit cross legged

so as to be the lowest to the ground that others might more

easily see him as he walks by. All eyes are fixed upon him

in deafening silence from the moment he appears walking into

the area from his nearby quarters, as he walks among the people.

 

Folks just sit in abject wonder with palms together hoping for

his glance to come their way and for the coveted blessings of

his materializing the vibuhti sacred ash to give to a few people

here and there, or to be invited for the interview that day,

or for the extraordinary experience of his manifesting from

thin air some trinket to inspire folks' faith, from jeweled rings

to any number of items.

 

On several occasions my seating was in the front row at one

of these isles where he would walk by me within a few feet

of my nose so I could witness and in the quiet actually hear the

faint sound of the stream of vibuhti being materialized streaming

from his fingers into the cupped hands of nearby devotees. As

a Buddhist practitioner of my teacher Nichidatsu on many of these

occasions where I had a "front row seat," I would bow to the Baba

as he walked by my place as per the custom I was taught, like I did

in my dream last night.

 

I was the only one among about 20,000 people each Darshan to

do this bowing practice as it was not the custom there at that

time. Since that year 1996 there has been a growing annual

larger and larger Buddha's Birthday Wesak date observance

there conducted by folk who see Sai Baba as Sai Buddha.

 

In my dream last night Baba asked me about the material

and I explained about making a drum bag and about the

Tenku Drum to go inside the pocket. His response in a kind

of forelorn tone of voice was, "But I don't have one".

 

At this I was overwhelmed with the blessing of offering to

make him a drum since I was taught how and to make him

a drum bag and I bowed as before in a state of bliss at the

opportunity and blessing to serve in this way. As I was

prostrate bowing in my dream, as in my other dream about

the book, tears were streaming from my eyes and then I

awoke to find my real eyes also full of tears.

 

HAPPY BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY 2006

ALL HUMAN BEINGS BUDDHA INSIDE

OPEN THE DOOR OF THE MIND TO SEE AND BE