Swami teaches....Part 17
Link to Swami Teaches....Part 16
Swami teaches.... (12 - 14 March 2005)
Role of Buddhi for Receiving Proper View of Creation
The Upanishad says "All that is seen or heard is God. The inner world and the outer world are both immersed in God. "Om Thath Sath", Upanishads scriptures declare.
According to the Upanishads, the human body
is comparable to a chariot. However beautiful a chariot may be,
however fine the horses (sense organs) and however efficient the
reins (mind), without a charioteer all of them are of no use. In daily life, many difficulties and problems arise. Without the intervention of the Buddhi none of our problems can be solved. Because the Buddhi helps to end doubts, it has been described as one beyond the sense organs. The Bhagavad Gita has laid down two banks to channel its message. Without these banks the river of life will be subject to many hazards and difficulties. The two banks consist of two eightsyllable mantras. One is "Sraddhaavaan labhathe Jnanam" (The one of earnest faith acquires supreme wisdom). The other eight-syllable mantra is "Samsayaatma Vinasyathi" (The one filled with doubts perishes). When life flows between these two regulating principles, it will be blessed with peace and happiness. The Buddhi (intelligence) has some other names. One of them is Antaryami (the Indweller). Human is guided by the voice of this Indweller. When problems arise, one waits for the directives of the Inner Voice. If this Inner Voice is not giving a satisfactory answers, person will be in a quandary. When one gets satisfactory guidance from the Inner Voice, he/she will be able to come to terms with the external world. Sometimes, one is found to remark: "My conscience does not approve of this." The Inner Voice is the voice of conscience. When one is asked to "Follow the Master," the "Master" is one's conscience. When you follow the dictates of your conscience, you can reach the proper destination. Another name attributed to Buddhi is Vijnana (confirmed knowledge). Vijnana helps to decide the truth relating to external objects. As it investigates internal processes also and comes to decisions on them, it is not entirely correct to describe Buddhi as Vijnana. Vijnana relates to the phenomenal objective world. Buddhi relates to the subtle realm of the internal.
The senses are subtler than the body. The
mind is even more subtle than the senses. The Buddhi is far more
subtle than the mind. The Atma is the subtlest of them all.
When the Aham ("I") acquires a form, it
develops into the Ego. It is the identification with the body that
promotes the sense of Ahamkara (I-am-the doer). As long as one suffers
from egoism, his intelligence will not shine.
In the Taithiriya Upanishad the Buddhi is
compared to a bird. Sraddha (earnest faith) is the head of the bird.
The right wing of the bird is Rita (the Cosmic Order). The left wing
is Sathya (Truth). The main body of the bird is Mahat Tatwa. The tail
is Yoga. Likewise in human, Sathya, Rita and Yoga are needed to
maintain balance in the body and regulate the course of life both in
the mundane and spiritual spheres. Buddhi is of no use if it does not have Sraddha (earnest faith) as its motivator. Vedanta has declared: "Sradhaavaan labhathe Jnanam" (Only the human of earnest faith can acquire the higher knowledge). Without Sraddha, nothing can be achieved. Human doubtless has Sraddha, but only for securing the fruit, but not for the labour required for getting it. One does not have the "spirit of work" in him/her. The advances in science and technology have made human a lover of comfort and ease with no interest in hard work. There is nothing wrong with science. It is the improper use of science, and separation the spiritual from the physical that is leading people astray. Spirituality runs like an undercurrent through every aspect of life social, political, economic and moral. Power and position, bereft of good qualities, are of no value. The foremost need of human is virtue. It is in this spirit that human should remember God. Human is of God, with and from God. The bubble is born in water, stays in water and is lost in water as water. The Cosmos too is a bubble born in the Absolute, exists as the Absolute and merges in the Absolute or Paramaathma. Nara (the human) is the bubble; God (Naaraayana) is the sea. Recognise this truth as the bubble cannot be conceived without positing water, the Cosmos, this world, cannot be conceived as without God. Of course waves rise and fall, advance and recede, but the sea has no such agitations. The movements of the waves as humans activity do not affect the sea. For every human two things are essential: Arogya (good health) and Aanandha (Happiness). Health for the body and bliss for the spirit. For that one must secure God's grace. To get God's grace, bear in mind the three P's - Purity, Patience and Perseverance. With these three one is bound to acquire good health and bliss through experiences and harmonic with spiritual guidelines activity.
Humans activities (karma) are of three kinds
karma - action, inaction, and unaction. Of these unaction is the most
subtle of activities, for it is neither sloth nor action motivated by
desire. It is simple awareness, the deepest experience, it is neither
thaamasik nor raajasik. Action is rajasik when urged on by selfish
motives. Inaction is thamasik. But unaction is saathwik.
Beast-man does not pay any attention to
anything other than their own selfish ends. They have no trace of
devotion and dedication. They do not share in helping others and have
no concern with the sorrows and sufferings of others.
Everything is constantly changing in the world. This ever-changing world is based upon the unchanging Divine. It is only when the Aadhaara (Divine base) is understood can one derive bliss from the experience of what is based on it.
Anyone cannot change creation, but by
changing the vision one can get the proper view of creation. Swami teaches.... (15 March 2005)
Meaning of Spirituality and Sacrifice. Atmic Consciousness
Many people today do not understand what is the meaning of spirituality. Spirituality means destroying the animal nature in human and making him/her realise the divine consciousness. Spirituality implies that one should not develop egoistic pride on account of the divine potencies but utilise them for achieving spiritual strength. Spirituality calls for the recognition of the manifold capacities manifesting in human as emanating from the Spirit and not from the mind. It means developing the faith that all powers come from the Divine.
Spirituality does not mean
proceeding from the human to the Divine. It seeks to unfold
the divinity in man. Spirituality does not mean passing from
the mundane to the Divine. Spirituality means making human
manifest the divinity in him/her.
Whatever one says, whatever one
does, whatever one thinks, all of it is related to the Spirit.
Spirituality is the expression of the promptings of the Inner
Spirit. The good deeds by the external instruments of the body
cannot be deemed spiritual.
All bad thoughts and feelings should
be offered to God so that we may receive, by His grace, good
thoughts and feelings in return. Spirituality, thus, means
transforming one's life into an ideal one by offering one's
bad qualities to the Lord and receiving from Him good
qualities in return.
Here is an example to illustrate
this point. Sacrificing your ego is Sathwik (pure and noble), while sacrificing any animal is Thamasik (impure and ignoble). Today you need to enter into the Sathwik life and sublimate your human nature into divine nature. This, indeed, is the primary goal of your life's journey. Every human undertakes the usual pilgrimages and other routine good activities like charity, etc. But all these will not save him from worries, until and unless he gives up Ahamkaara and Mamakaara i.e. "I" and "Mine." People today lead meaningless mechanical lives with no ideals to inspire them. People today want fruits without considering the roots. The ancient sages searched for the roots to realise the fruits. Today people forget the basic truths and pursue the ephemeral. Human action and Divine aim should go together. To forget the Divine is to descend to the level of the animal.
Devotion should not be
converted into a form of business. God needs nothing from
you. Everything belongs to God. Only the Divine is with you.
Try to understand correctly the
meaning of spirituality. You should transform your nature from
human to divine. You must direct your attention to God. Nandi
could become Easwara, only because it turned its attention to
God. The less you talk, the more will become your mental power. With the increase in your mental capacity, there will be increase in your power of discrimination too. Consequently, you will give up "individual discrimination" and resort to "fundamental discrimination." Because of this, you will begin to consider the good of the world at large rather than your own individual welfare. One should try to understand everything thoroughly, and not rash forward blindly into all matters. Then only you will gain "practical knowledge," and that will guide you along the desirable and sacred path. You will find guideposts here and there on the roadside, to indicate which path you should take to reach any particular place. The ups and downs in the path can be experienced only by those who tread the path, but not by the guidepost. Most of the books today are like the guideposts. However, you must not be like mere guideposts. Recognise the truth that morality is the primary requisite of human society. Without morality there is no spirituality. You have to perform your duties and discharge your obligations. You must be united and take part in social service. Union is strength. Even small ants acting in union can destroy a serpent. (Today unity is being undermined in the country. There are differences in every home). If there are three persons in a house, there can be peace in the house only if the three live in harmony. In every individual, there are three entities in the body that is his dwelling: the Manas (mind), the Vaak (tongue) and Kaayam (the organs of actions). It is only when these three entities function harmoniously that the individual can have peace. When there is discord between them, how can peace be got?
The ancient sages regarded human
life as something sweet. The Divine sweetness in human life is
derived from Maathru bhaavamu (maternal love). There is no
diviner or purer feeling than maternal love. Sri Raama
declared: "The mother and the Motherland are greater than
heaven itself." It has been said what is in the microcosm is in the macrocosm. Brahmaanda, the macrocosm is regarded as Viraata Swarupa the Cosmic form and the microcosm is regarded as the atomic nucleus. This is a wrong view. What is present in the atom, is present in the Cosmos. There is no difference between the two. The Cosmic Form is not a mere aggregation of various objects. It does not signify the one in the many. The Cosmic Form means that which contains within itself everything. Likewise, the atomic principle contains the macrocosm in microcosm.
There have been
different conceptions regarding the phenomenal world, some
considering it as mithya (illusory) and some considering it as
real. The Vedhik seers viewed the world as a projection of the
Divine. From very early times many sages devoted their lives to
the discovery of the Divine. Their ecstatic experience of the
Divine is expressed in the Purusha Shuktha, which declares' "Vedhaaham
Etham, purusham mahaantham." This means: "We have seen God. He
is shining with the effulgence of a billion Suns. His effulgence
defies description." Today there are in the world two types of saadhakas (spiritual aspirants). One type of aspirants regard the cosmos as a manifestation of God. The other type consider the cosmos itself as God. The difference between the two can be illustrated by an example. Many kinds of jewels are made from gold. Some may consider the jewels as different from gold. Others may consider gold as the basic substance from which the jewels have been made. The Paripuurna Jnaanis belong to the category of those who realise that without gold there can be no jewels. Those who consider the jewels as more important than the gold, out of which they have been made, belong to the category of those with half-knowledge. The truth is that without gold there can be no ornaments. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 25. "Rise From Animality To Divinity," Chapter 15 and "Revere The Mother: Serve The Motherland," Chapter 38; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 28. "Hanumaan: the ideal for mankind," Chapter 26). Swami teaches.... (16 March 2005)
True Science and Scientists
Instead of foreword
Swami does not want to know that people have listened to His discourses or/and read His Works well. Swami wants to know that devotees have thoroughly transformed themselves according to HisTeaching. Such transformation is the mark of true devotion. Science has been making remarkable progress in the recent decades. The world undoubtedly needs the discoveries of science. But if it forgets the base and is preoccupied only with the superstructure, it will be the source of much disorder and trouble. It may cause all kinds of diseases. Science has been divorced from spirituality and faith in the Divine. Many imagine that science can create a heaven on earth. But what is the kind of heaven that is envisaged? Is it the enjoyment of material and sensuous pleasures? This hedonistic attitude is undermining all human values. People in all counties talk about peace but their actions are contrary to their professions. They talk of peace on the one hand and keep the bomb on the other. The entire world is suffering from environmental pollution. The talk of star wars contains the threat of polluting even the outer space. Today people boast about the tremendous progress of science and technology, but if this claim is true, why does ajnana (ignorance) persist on such a large scale? The fact is much of the progress in science today is confined to satisfying human's selfish desires and not for promoting the general well-being of the world. Is it a sign of true progress if a country arms itself to the teeth to destroy another? Is this an index of scientific advance?
Research is going on endlessly. Science is continually seeking
answers to various questions. Progressively, the climate of peace is
being destroyed by science. If peace is to be ensured, science has
to be promoted on the right lines. This calls for unity among the
people. Service to society must become the fundamental
purpose. Science has been enormously helpful and has achieved many wonders. But, simultaneously, it has done incalculable harm. Science as such is not to be blamed for this. It is the wrongful use of science that is responsible. Science discovered for human the secrets of nature and the cosmos. The knowledge delved from science should be used for sacred and righteous purposes.
The American cosmonaut, Mitchell, after
landing on the Moon, had a look at the Earth from the Moon. He saw the
Earth as a huge brilliant diamond set against a vast carpet of blue
velvet. Experiencing this spectacle, he shed a few tears. He was
stricken by the feeling: "Born on such a beautiful and brilliant land,
why are people behaving like ignorant, evil minded beings?" Human today is proud about the little knowledge has acquired about the physical world and boasts that all about the Universe has known. True knowledge is that which establishes harmony and synthesis between science on the one hand and spirituality and ethics on the other. Today, because of the striking growth of the physical sciences, human tends to feel he/she is highly knowledgeable. But only when one tries to understand knowledge of things beyond the physical sciences can one fully benefit from the latter. Beyond physics lies metaphysics. Of late some are beginning to realise this fact and are embarking upon spiritual exploration.
Of course, there is no question about the
necessity of scientific knowledge. But it must be realised that it is
necessary as much to develop our sense of discrimination for the
proper use of science with the development of scientific knowledge. As
this discrimination has been lacking in the use of science we find
that the world is facing many dangers and difficulties.
There was another great thinker, Dirac. He
sought to know the connection between science and spirituality. He
tried to discover the one entry underlying all things in creation and
conducted experiments for this purpose. He found the truth to consist
in the statement: "Love ever; hurt never." Dirac's conclusion is
nothing but an echo of Sage Vyasa's pronouncement, after completing
his works of the 18 Puranas: "To help others is meritorious; to hurt
others is sinful."
Such seers of the truth are not absent in
the world of science. These great scientists, who have examined,
explored and declared the truth, are akin to the ancient Saptarishis
(Seven Sages). Newton declared that the universe is a manifestation of
God and everything revolves through the power of God. Fritzof Capra,
at the present day, has explored the link between the atom and
vibrations in nature. In ancient times, Vyasa declared that the
universe emanated from the vibrations of the sound. 'Sita' and all
things in creation - living and non-living - were the outcome of these
vibrations.
What do we find today? Pregnant women are
engaged in seeing Television, Cinemas and other deleterious media
which play up crime and sex. The result is the children who are born
develop undesirable tendencies.
Spiritual knowledge and scientific
knowledge should go together. There should be no dichotomy between
science and spirituality. True bliss can be experienced only when
science and spirituality are combined. Swami teaches.... (17 March 2005)
What is True Education?
There is nothing more precious in the
world than true education. It reveals the divinity that sustains
the universe and promotes the welfare of mankind materially,
mentally and socially. Those who realise the nature of the
Divine can know the relationship between Nature, society and
human's infinite potential. In the educational system today, the
spiritual element has no place. Education must proceed primarily
from the Spirit to Nature. It must show that mankind constitutes
one Divine family. The divinity that is present, in society can
be experienced only through individuals. Born in society, one
has the duty to work for the welfare and progress of society.
The world to-day is in the grip of a
supreme moral and spiritual crisis. People everywhere are
feeling frustrated and helpless and anxiously wondering what is
in store for humanity. The hopes raised by the advances of
science and technology have proved dupes. While science has
overcome the barriers of time, distance and nationality, it has
done little to promote better
Human must realise
that the sense organs, through which he explores the external
and discovers the powers latent in Nature and the physical
universe, function because of the Divinity which is immanent in
them. Without the power of the Divine, the eyes cannot see or
the ears hear or the mind think. Vidhya (education) is that process which makes us aware of the bondage we are in, the suffering we live through and the darkness within. The Upanishadh exhorts us: Utthishtatha, Jaagratha, Praapya Varaan Nibodhatha (Arise, Awake, Approach the wise and learn).
All degrees, scholarships and punditry
have no value if one does not have good qualities.
People talk about Neethi (morality).
Morality simply means right conduct. Without good behaviour
there can be no morality. Your moral life in society must
express itself in service to the suffering and the helpless. The
devotion and understanding that are implicit in selfless service
cannot be found in any other thing. Steady interest is essential in order to master worthy knowledge. Education must be oriented towards the attainment of character for leading clean simple lives. Rivers are dammed and the waters are stored in reservoirs. Of what earthly use are these if the waters are kept therein? Through canals, they have to be taken to the fields to feed the crops in order to appease the hunger of millions. So too, we store the knowledge available in libraries in our heads as reservoirs, But, is that enough? Can this be the end of education? It has to be utilised through canals of service in order to fertilise and feed the minds of one's fellowmen and make them more intelligent, more skilled and more loving.
Vidhya or education is a penance, a
thapas; but it is being reduced into a dull routine, thamas.
Teachers decide the prosperity or poverty of a country. Theirs
is the most responsible profession. Teachers have the task of
sculpturing the leaders of peoples. Teachers should not
descend into politics; their status is far too high. They have
to do service to the sacred, the innocent, the tender minds of
the children of the land. This is Sai's Message to you all. May you all develop this Divine Love and stand out as the harbingers of a new age free from selfishness, greed, hatred and violence. Let each of you be light unto himself or herself and thereby be a light unto others. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 15. "Call to Sai Samithi members," Chapter 17, "Character training," Chapter 18 and "The unique University," Chapter 27; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol 17. "Spread the message of Love," Chapter 11; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol.20. "Spiritualise Education," Chapter 28).
Namaste Reet |