SAI: Anything that comes from the cow, a little milk, butter, cheese, is alright

[Guest guest]

SAI: Anything that comes from the cow, a little milk, butter, cheese,

is alright for the spiritual aspirant. There is no harm to the cow,

and it is of benefit to take it. In Dwapara Yuga, before Kali Yuga,

5680 years back, milk came into favour. Eleven thousand years is the

full length of the Kali Yuga.

 

Visitor: Does Kali Yuga still continue?

 

SAI: Yes.

 

A Visitor: What should be done for my leg? It is still swollen and

hurts.

 

SAI: Do not move around and climb on the hills. Take rest.

 

Visitor: Oh. When I climbed to that tree on the hill, I did not

realize.

 

SAI: You must take care of the body. Body is like a boat. Life is

like a river. On this side is the world; on the other side is God.

And so, to reach the other side, that is to reach God, you must

maintain this boat carefully. You can keep the boat for any length of

time in the water; there is no danger. But if the water comes into

the boat, then there is danger. You can remain in the world for any

number of years, but don't let the world take hold. Don't let the

world take hold of the inside world. There is the example of the

lotus. It stays deep down in the mud. It comes up to the light, and

it can't stay without water because it would die. But it does not get

mixed up either with the mud or the water. You have seen the lotus;

even if the water comes it just goes off again. Now, when they talk

of God, they always say 'the lotus eyes, the lotus feet' because of

this inner significance.

 

SAI: (to a visitor): If you had fashionable earrings would you wear

them?

 

Visitor: Oh, yes, (Sai moves hand and there appears a set of golden,

jeweled earrings which he gives to the visitor).

 

SAI: See, they are fashionable, but the value is not high. (Sai now

moves over to where the visitor is sitting and himself places the

earrings on her ears. Much exclamation from the individuals in the

group.)

 

A Visitor: (who is somewhat bald) Swami, can you grow hair?

 

SAI: (starts to make some comment, but the visitor interrupts).

 

Visitor: No. Just a joke, Swami.

 

Translator: Swami can do anything. Swami says that He gives the

earrings to the lady to bring joy in her. The more joy the more the

disease will go.

 

SAI: That is the medicine for her. Joy is the medicine.

 

Visitor: I wanted to go to the hill to see the Kalpataru Tree.

 

SAI: This is the Kalpataru Tree. Swami is the Kalpataru Tree. Swami

is able to give anything you want. If you want anything, here is the

Tree. This is the gold shop also, and the camera shop! (Much

merriment from the group.)

 

A Visitor: Swami's gifts are beautiful, but what if one wants peace

of mind?

 

SAI: Only thoughts of God and intense love for Him bring peace. As

worldly thoughts diminish, thoughts of God increase. Normally, the

mind is all the time desiring these worldly things. As the desires

are cut out one by one, the peace becomes stronger. You weave the

threads and there is the cloth. If the threads are removed, there is

no longer cloth. When there are Godly thoughts, there is peace of

mind. Swami cannot give peace of mind; one has to work for it. We do

meditation, spiritual practices in this temporary body. Though this

body is temporary, you have to use temporary things to realize the

Truth.

 

Visitor: But I wanted to know about peace.

 

SAI: Yes. If the desires are cut off one by one, then there is peace.

When the desires go one by one then there is die-mind. Then there is

peace of mind. Swami cannot give peace of mind; you must work for it

yourselves. First, stop the questioning and ask, 'who am I?'. This is

my body, my mind, my intelligence. But who is this 'My'? Who is it

that claims the ownership of that which is declared to

be 'mine'? 'My' indicates ownership. That 'My' is the life. As long

as the life is in the body, there is this connection between the 'my'

and the intellect - 'my' body, 'my' house, 'my' land. But the moment

you remove the life from the body, there is no 'my' or sense of

possession. Life is God.

 

'Who am I?' The answer is 'I am God'. The body comes and goes, but

the Atma is permanent. The body has birth and death, but the spirit

does not have any of these. You reach the stage where you say, 'I am

God', but even there, there is duality, 'God and I'. That is not the

full Truth. When we breathe, the breath makes the sound of 'So-

Hum', 'He am I'. There is still the body consciousness, the 'I'. But

in deep sleep, the declaration of 'He' and 'I' falls away and

only '0' and 'M' remain, 'Om'; there is only the One.

 

Hislop: One understands this and has for some time, but when does

intellectual comprehension change to reality?

 

SAI: It will become reality only when you practise it intensely. You

read so much. You do not have to practise all that you read. Take one

or two things to practise and then it will become a reality to you.

When you go to the hospital, there are so many medicines. You do not

have to take all the medicines; just the ones that are needed for

your malady. You do not have to eat all the medicines. Whatever kind

of spiritual practices you sincerely want to do, you just take that

medicine; do not collect all the other things. Because too much of

this book knowledge just leads to doubts and confusion. You get too

many doubts asking 'what is this?' and 'what is that?', and you waste

a lot of time in this conflict.

 

H: What does the supreme Spiritual Doctor say is the correct medicine

for me?

 

SAI: Meditation. For, in meditation you first get sense control. And

yoga will help you with the body and when the mind is steady,

concentration will come automatically. When you get such

concentration, then you get peace of mind.

 

Ram Chugani

Kobe, Japan

rgcjp