Swami teaches... Part 3. Strive for Unity of Minds, Unity of Hearts

September 17, 2007

Light and Love Swami teaches... Part 3. Strive for Unity of Minds, Unity of Hearts "The rich heritage of Bharath is exemplified by noble people who have left their indelible impressions in the hearts of Bharathiyas. From time immemorial, this land has been tread by Divine incarnations, prophets, devotees, saints and great personalities. Together they form the Soul of Bharath. Bharathiya culture is not based upon blind faith. It is the product of great research done by Maharishis and great seers" (Sathya Sai Baba). (Of such an inexhaustible culture and heritage, Swami is never tired of speaking in His innumerable discourses). The trend among the guides and seekers in the spiritual field is to avoid the heights and wander in the valleys. Consider for a moment how long worldly triumphs last. They are but the play of scintillating name and form on the Divine, which is the core of every being and thing. Look upon your task as a sadhana, a form of worship, in fact, the highest form. (However, for doing a good deed, you have to cause a little harm, even that should be regarded as a help. Nevertheless, in all such cases, there should be absolutely no element of self-interest). Examine yourselves and discover at what level you are by analyzing your desires and activities. In this way, you can yourselves sublimate your thoughts and urges. Your revised urges must have a beneficial impact on your activities, for it is through activity that gunas are given up or gained. Activity causes birth and death and fills up the years of one's life. It supports good and evil, joy and grief.

It is the Atma that illumines all, but human is in the dark about its existence. Just as everything sweet is sweet on account of the sugar it contains, all things andobjects are cognized because the Atma is behind the cognition. It is the Universal Witness. Establish yourself too in the position of a witness.

The sages have laid down methods by which human can attain the status of a witness. Dhyana (meditation) is the most important of these. Dhyana is a daily habit for millions of people the world over within all cultures. Dhyana is the penultimate of eight steps, the last one being samadhi (super conscious state of communion), and grants the wisdom to be completely unaffected. The sixth stage is dharana (concentration). Dharana is the stage when japa, puja and other practices are engaged in, in order to prepare the concentration of mind for dhyana. Dhyana is not mere sitting erect and silent. Nor is it the absence of any movement. It is the merging of all your thoughts and feelings in God. There is no need postures, candles, incense or any other instrument or practice. Meditation can be performed almost anywhere at any time of the day, providing it is in a place which offers the freedom from distractions. Without the mind becoming dissolved in God (Absolute), dhyana cannot succeed. Dhyana is interrupted in most cases by worry and anxiety regarding one's kith and kin, and one's earning of riches. But since all are manifestations of the maya which is natural to Brahman or Paramatma (Supreme Self) in which you take refuge will certainly free you from fear because you are (each one is) the Atma and nothing else. Your personality, individuality, mind, intellect - all are manifestations of the Atma which is the prime mover of your life. When the animal is conquered and Godhead is felt within reach, human can assert that all these pilgrimages are within him/her. Then human has no need to travel from temple to temple. Bharthruhari (lived about 1300 years ago) was a mighty emperor, who ruled from sea to sea; his decree was unquestioned. Yet, when he realized in a flash that life is only but a short here, he renounced his wealth and power and assumed the ochre robes of the wandering monk. When Bharthruhari gave up his throne and went into a hermitage in the forest, the subordinate rulers who were his tributaries laughed at the stupid step and asked him how he got the idea and what he gained. Bharthruhari replied, "I have now gained a vaster empire, a richer and more peaceful empire; I gave in exchange a poor barren torn empire; see what profit I have made.This robe is so precious that even my empire is a poor payment in exchange." So a great king, Bharthruhari, renounced the world. He renounced the world because he had lived in it totally and he had come to realize that it was futile. It was not a doctrine to him, it was a lived reality. He had come to the conclusion through his own life. Such is the measure of the spiritual path’s grandeur.

Adoration to the all-consuming Time - was the prayer of Bharthruhari. Time is self-motivated. It halts for no one. No one can recall the time that has flowed by. The Sastra (holy scripture; sacred text; that which commands, orders, directs with authority) explained the power and influence of time on human affairs, taking examples from epics as well as from history. What is good today may be bad tomorrow, what is practicable today may be impracticable tomorrow. Time has a way of making habits and customs out-dated, anachronistic. What gives grief today may yield joy tomorrow.

(Bharthruhari classified the human beings in any given society into four categories. According to him, in the first category, are the Sat-Purushas, who always seek to promote the interests of others even by sacrificing their own interest. They practice the ethics of self- effacement and universal love, of renunciation and service. They constitute a very small minority in any society and they are the salt of the Earth. In the second category are the Samanyas who constitute the generality of the people and who strive to promote the welfare of others as long as it does not involve the sacrifice of their own self-interest. They are mostly people controlling business and occupying high positions in society. In the third category, are people who destroy the welfare of others in order to safeguard their own self-interest and they are described by Bharthruhari as veritable human demons. In the fourth category, are the people who are absolutely unethical and who are given to unprovoked and wanton anti-social violence and destruction as a daily way of life. The current trend of uncontrolled growth of people belonging to the third category must be restrained. People belonging to the fourth category are pictorially the enemies of all mankind must be completely prevented. All these can be achieved only by refashioning and restructuring the worldwide educational system).

The world needs today moral leadership, founded on courage, intellectual integrity, and complete sense of balance. Teachers as gurus are the planners and engineers who lay the royal road of human values, peace, and prosperity. They are the ray of hope that illumines the dismal night enveloping all countries and direct the eyes of the pupils inward into the reality and invite them to revel in that light. The teacher is known through his/her pupils. They proclaim teacher's sincerity and excellence. They are the witnesses for his/her erudition and endurance. King Bhoja once arranged a scholastic duel between two renowned pandits (scholars). When neither succeeded in defeating the other, he invited their respective pupils to continue the debate. However, they too were engaged without end in meeting arguments with equally valid counter-arguments. So, the King had to honor them as replicas of their masters. Gurus (as teachers) imbued with the Divine love and understanding are urgently needed in every country. They are invaluable assets in every place at any time, for they have such strong faith in their mission and their ideals that they can never compromise or collude. Gurus must stand forth as living examples of love and light.

The guru must encourage the spiritual seeker to become aware of the God within human. The Guru must exhort the individual self to realize the Universal Self. The fully worthwhile guru must facilitate that Vision of Unity without the discords and divisions that 'mine' and 'thine' engender in the mind of human. Such a guru was the sage Vyasa.

However, the resident of the heart is only Guru. There is no dependence on the others. He is the only Master, the only God. This is the stage of Swarajya, sole monarch of oneself. (The word Swaraj, commonly used for an independent state, connotes only absence of worldly dependence). Human being can enjoy Independence only if he/she gets rid of bondage to the senses which drag into tantalizing ventures.

The attainment of Yoga, involving sense-control, expansion of love, and cleansing the consciousness, so the God's glory may be reflected therein, is the goal. Do not waste all your years only with stone images, pictures, or idol. (Let they be as the first stage of yours spiritual development). Learn to see in every living vital active person, the embodiment of all energy, all beauty, all beneficence, namely, Atma (God). God is subtler than ether, filling the smallest crevice with His majesty. Know this and serve His manifestations wherever you meet them.

Aspirants and preceptors use the word adyatmic (spiritual) often. What exactly isimplied by adyatmic? Is bhajana (congregational prayer) adyatmic? Or does it involve japa or dhyana? Or does it denote religious rituals and ceremonies? Or does it extend to pilgrimages to holy places? No. These are only beneficial acts. Adyatmic, in its real sense, relates to two progressive achievements or at least sincere attempts towards those two achievements: elimination of the animal traits still clinging to human and unification with the Divine through awareness of unity of minds and hearts by the aspect of Atmic Reality. (However, many spiritual practices mostly adopted promote pride and pompous display, envy and egotism. People proceed to the House of God as pilgrims, but pray to Him for more money, fame and power, for their thoughts, words, and deeds centre only around these transitory and trivial tokens of worldly success). During lifetime, we all interact with many different people under many different circumstances and different situations. There are many situations in life, a common one of which is conflict with others. As a rule, situations will arise that we feel are unjust. When faced with such a situation, take time to consider at first the situation from all perspectives. People in general can look at things only from their personal point of view. They cannot have an integral view of things. In addition, many people have a tendency to see only those things they want to see. Agonies dwell forever within us. Without the tranquility of the mind any amount of wealth cannot be of any use. Surrendering the fruits of action with a dispassionate mind and faith is eligible to be termed sacrifice what is sweeter than enjoyment. Sacrifice and faith should become the aim of life. Selfless service (the fortunate ones should help the less fortunate) and faith into own True Atmic Reality is fundamental, both from an individual perspective and from the perspective of the entire human race. This awareness includes the progression of humanity. "The greatest discovery ... was not in the realm of the physical sciences, but the power of the subconscious mind touched by faith. Any individual can tap into an eternal reservoir of power that will enable them to overcome any problem that may arise" (William James, Harvard Psychologist, the Father of American Psychology). (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks.Vol. 9. "Assert with every breath," Chapter 25; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 14. "The Sadhguru speaks," Chapter 27; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 16. "Guidance for the Gurus," Chapter 21; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 18. "The Victory," Chapter 17; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 21. "Karma and Divine Grace," Chapter 8).

References:

http://members.rediff.com/saivani/Bharthruhari.htm http://www.ivarta.com/columns/OL_041213.htm

Namaste - Reet