Learning Through Reading

196228 · Mar 19, 2022

Create oases of fiery energies. Fill the space with joy. Use the power of the spirit to banish darkness wherever possible. Such removal of chaos lies in organizing space and creating an egregorial collective consciousness. Only joint efforts can move the creaking wagon of evolution. Evolutionary processes cannot occur on their own. They must be consciously and persistently advanced wherever possible, in all spheres of life. The time of solitary preachers has passed; the time of social consciousness has arrived.
Only together can we roll the stone to the mountaintop, using it to strengthen the foundation of the Temple of Light.
Garden of Mystery. Call of the White Mountain

Удалённый пользователь 458 · Mar 19, 2022

196228 said:
Create oases of fiery energies. Fill the space with joy. Use the power of the spirit to banish darkness wherever possible. Such removal of chaos lies in organizing space and creating an egregorial collective consciousness. Only joint efforts can move the creaking wagon of evolution. Evolutionary processes cannot occur on their own. They must be consciously and persistently advanced wherever possible, in all spheres of life. The time of solitary preachers has passed; the time of social consciousness has arrived.
Only together can we roll the stone to the mountaintop, using it to strengthen the foundation of the Temple of Light.
Garden of Mystery. Call of the White Mountain

How precisely put and how relevant!

1313 · Mar 20, 2022

Human life is undoubtedly the highest stage in evolutionary development, and pure, selfless spiritual efforts and aspirations are necessary to give it meaning. For such a way of life, good character is of paramount importance. Character makes life immortal; it outlives even death. Some say that knowledge is power. However, this is not entirely so. True power is character. Even acquiring knowledge requires good character. Therefore, every person should strive to develop flawless character—character in which there is not the slightest sign of evil. Note that people to this day cherish the memory of the Buddha, Jesus Christ, Shankaracharya, Vivekananda, and other great sages, saints, and devotees of the Lord. What quality made them revered throughout the ages? Good character! Without good character, wealth, academic degrees, and social status become completely useless. Character is to a person what fragrance is to a flower. It gives a person value. A poet, artist, or scholar may be outstanding in their field, but if they do not possess good character, they will not earn esteem and respect in society.

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Prema Vahini, Chapter 1

196228 · Mar 20, 2022

An invisible vortex of consciousness attracts the entities it needs and cleanses its place like a tornado, tearing apart the shell of fear. One should at least envision the Hand of the Lord leading through the darkness of life if the remembrance of the Great Form has become clouded. The mere utterance of the Sacred Name makes the servants of darkness tremble.
Garden of Mystery. Call of the White Mountain. Konstantin Ustinov.

1313 · Mar 21, 2022

The worst of sins is looking for faults in others. First of all, correct your own mistakes and accept the good in others.
If you do not reap the harvest of love in your heart, then you are not a true Christian, a true Sikh, a true Hindu, or a true Muslim. You are a demon in human form. When you develop Love in your heart, you are the true God. Whether you become God or a demon depends on your feelings. Do not look for faults in others. Many criticized the Buddha when He accepted Ambashali’s invitation. But she was not solely responsible for her bad character. There were many who encouraged her.
For every sinful act, most often five people are responsible: the one who committed the sin; the one who caused the sin; the one who encouraged the sin; the one who showed the ways and means to commit the sin; and the one who witnessed the sin being committed. All five will face the consequences of the sin.

Sathya Sai Baba
February 14, 1999
Sai Kulwant Hall

1313 · Mar 22, 2022

MAN IS CONSTANTLY SEARCHING FOR HAPPINESS.

In fact, his entire life is filled with happiness.
Happiness is everywhere.
Then why search for it?
Man seeks happiness in the external world because he has forgotten his true “Self.”
This is his complete ignorance.
The happiness you seek is within you. You can experience happiness only when you sincerely love God. To sincerely love God and experience His divinity is devotion.
Prayer is necessary for love of God to grow. True prayer comes from the heart; it does not merely pass from the lips.

Sathya Sai Baba. The Power of Devotion and the Weakness of Desires. Chapter 34

196228 · Mar 22, 2022

Drawing the Birbal line, or accommodating the opponent

This type of defensive strategy is named after the ruler Birbal. The essence of this method is perfectly expressed in an ancient Eastern parable. When asked how to defeat an opponent without diminishing him, Birbal gave an unexpected answer: beside the line drawn by the opponent to represent the extent of his strength, he drew a longer line. This line, which came to be known as the Birbal line, became a symbol of a special type of defense that combines peacefulness with an expansion of consciousness capable of accommodating the opponent’s logic, along with his aggression, resentment, and motivation that drives him to attack you.
The best defense is the one that helps the defending side become higher, broader, wiser, and more generous than the aggressor. If you are attacked, try to inwardly take the position of fully accommodating the opponent and respond to aggression with a calm, positively directed, non-hostile action affirming the principles of goodness, light, and spirituality.
Information resource CyberPedia.

1313 · Mar 23, 2022

Purifying your emotions, passions, impulses, attitudes, and reactions—that is the essence of spiritual practice in all religions. Watch your own mind and thoughts; do not look for faults in others. Notice only the good. Do not speak ill of anyone! If you happen to slip into slander, repent and resolve never again to give free rein to this habit. Do not humiliate anyone; respect everyone for the best that exists in each person. Their distress caused by your behavior will catch up with you at the end of your life. May every action of yours be credited to the balance of your lives when you leave this world. May none of them become your burden or encumbrance. May every moment be imbued with love for God. What is the use of spending hours in meditation and then spreading malice and hurting your family and friends with your words and deeds? The Gita advises you to be “satatam yoginah”—always devoted and engaged in serving God. Therefore, be vigilant, be steadfast, be sincere. An unwavering person attains wisdom.

Sathya Sai Baba
Divine Discourse, November 23, 1973

1313 · Mar 24, 2022

Anyone who has no thoughts other than thoughts of Me, anyone who constantly remembers Me, will undoubtedly breathe their last through the center of the head and attain Me. I am as close to them as they are to Me. How can I forget one who never forgets Me? Forgetfulness is a human failing, not a quality of God, let Me tell you that! There is no need for yoga or tapas, or even jnana; whether you have abandoned them because you are too weak, or whether, despite having the strength, you do not feel inclined to strive to master them, it does not matter. I do not ask for yoga or tapas; I ask only that your mind be focused on Me. Dedicate your mind to Me, surrender it to Me—that is all I ask.

Sathya Sai Baba, "Gita Vahini"

196228 · Mar 24, 2022

The development of a seed of fiery essence in the heart impels the transformation of the entire structure of the physical world and the gradual transition of the earthly body into one of light. Every spiritualized thought that creates, or rather fertilizes, the empty shell of a thought-form represents a gradual strengthening of the body of light. By laying at least one stone a day in the fortress wall, one can build a mighty structure in a short time.

The accumulation of nervous energy turns into seeds of light deposited in the nerve channels. These are living particles of power that raise our forces to the Temple of the White Stronghold. Giving consciousness the quality of an aspiring magnet, these deposits of fire shape the body of light. Aspiration and solemnity are the best stimulus and care for their growth. Aspiration creates the conditions and draws circumstances toward the realization of the best thoughts of human hearts in the earthly world.
Garden of Mystery. Call of the White Mountain. Konstantin Ustinov.

1313 · Mar 25, 2022

While engaging in spiritual practice, do not occupy your mind with thoughts of purity and impurity. There is nothing impure in the world.
If the Lord is present everywhere and in everything, how can anything be impure?
Even if something appears impure to us,
it is purified the very moment it is touched by the Lord’s Name.
Purity and impurity are the result of mental reactions at a particular moment.
Remember that everything is pure, for everything is God.

Sathya Sai Baba
Dhyana Vahini

196228 · Mar 26, 2022

All the energies of human desires, directed toward noble goals, would be able not only to melt the polar ice caps, which serve as counterbalances to the planet’s rotation, but also to create a climate on Earth favorable to every being suffering from cold and heat.
The Garden of Mystery. The Call of the White Mountain. Konstantin Ustinov.

1313 · Mar 27, 2022

True sacrifice includes two things: first, understanding the cause of our bondage in this life, and second, freeing ourselves from it. A person mistakenly thinks that wealth and family bind them, and that by breaking away from them, they can sacrifice everything and thus earn the right to attain moksha. But these are not the true bonds. The true bonds lie in human ignorance, which leads one to identify oneself with the body! Whoever breaks these bonds, as Bali did, will attain moksha. To break these bonds, purification of the heart is necessary. Cleansing the body with soap and water and applying perfume does not purify the mind. In Kali Yuga, namasmarana (constant remembrance of God’s name) is the simplest way to purify the mind; surrendering oneself to God with a pure mind is the surest path to attaining moksha!

Sathya Sai Baba
Divine Discourse, September 4, 1979

1313 · Mar 27, 2022

Through our thoughts, we can even heal the illnesses of others. When the friendship of good people is formed through good thoughts, the association of good people leads to the realization of the Divine.

The people a person associates with depend on their thoughts. A drunkard seeks the company of drunkards, a thief joins the company of thieves, a lawyer seeks lawyers, and so on. Therefore, people with good intentions should associate only with like-minded people. If they fall into the company of evil people, even their good thoughts may become polluted.

People today do not understand the immense power of the mind. The five elements, five life-breaths, five sense organs, and five sheaths—all are based on the mind. It is precisely because the mind’s tremendous power is not recognized that human life is ruined. By belittling the mind, a person dehumanizes themselves and behaves like an animal or a demon. When a person expands their vision, they can realize their divinity.

If you want the nation to develop and progress, if you aspire to experience the Divine permeating the entire cosmos, you must cherish and nurture good thoughts. Do not treat thoughts as trivial matters. A huge banyan tree grows from a tiny seed. There is a Telugu proverb that even a small snake should be beaten with a long stick. Similarly, even the slightest evil thought must be carefully guarded against.

— Sathya Sai Baba
Brindavan 05.23.1993

1313 · Mar 28, 2022

First, you must know your own complete address: Who are you? Atma. Where did you come from? From Atma. Where are you going? To Atma. How long will you remain here? As long as you remain involved in the pursuit of sensual pleasures. Where are you? In an unreal and constantly changing place. In what form? As anatma? What are you involved in? Fleeting and transitory tasks. Therefore, what should you do from this moment onward? Abandon all this and try to follow the other three principles: embark on the path of the eternal, engage in tasks whose significance is not subject to the influence of time, and try to merge into Atma.

(Brindavan 30.10.1999)

1313 · Mar 29, 2022

A WAY OF PURIFYING FOOD

Our ancestors in the distant past observed that a person's spiritual weakness depends on the impurity of the food they consume, and devised a simple method of profound sacred significance for purifying food before eating. It consisted of sprinkling the food with water while reciting the mantra:

"Annam Brahma, Raso Vishnu, Bhoktaa Maheshwarah": Solid food is Brahma; water and liquid food are Vishnu, and the one who enjoys the food is Maheshwara (Shiva). By performing this purification ritual, the person eating addresses the divine triad of supreme Gods (Trimurti) and asks for Their protection in following Truth (Sathya) and observing the Cosmic Order (Ritam).

The meaning of this appeal to the Divine Forces is a person's prayer to be endowed with the threefold purity and harmony of thought, word, and deed (Trikarana Sudhi). Through this ritual, food becomes prasadam—consecrated and purified of impurity. But in our time, unfortunately, the so-called representatives of progressive ideas, blinded by their conceit and arrogant pride in their erudition, do not understand how great the power of Truth and the Cosmic Order is and disregard them.

— Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

1313 · Mar 30, 2022

May your faith be unshakable. Do not become a slave to others, not even to God! Test everything in the world for its strength. Test, try, gain your own experience—and, finally, having found God, demand what is rightfully yours! But before claiming this right, you will have to come to the examination and pass it, won't you? The tasks you face are not punishment; they do not mean at all that I enjoy seeing you in difficulty. They are meant to give you the joy of successfully passing your examinations!

Treat everything as a manifestation of God's will. Whatever happens to you, gain or loss, pain or pleasure, have firm faith that it is for your good... Have a firm conviction that difficulties and suffering are intended by God for your purification. There is a reason for everything God does.

Sathya Sai Speaks. Volume II
St. Petersburg 2000

1313 · Mar 31, 2022

We become what we contemplate. When we constantly focus our thoughts on the sins committed by others, our mind becomes tainted by sin. Conversely, when we focus our mind on the virtues and prosperity of others, our mind is cleansed of evil and occupied only with good thoughts. A wicked thought cannot enter the mind of a person completely devoted to love and compassion. Thus, our thoughts shape our nature.

Sathya Sai Baba

1313 · Apr 1, 2022

God is originally present in every person—or rather, in every living being. There is no place where God is absent. Wherever you look, God is everywhere. In fact, you do not need to come here in order to see God. He is present just as much in the place where you live. Not understanding this truth, people spend large sums of money on pilgrimages. This is not what is expected of you. Cultivate this quality of love within yourself and share it with everyone. Then all people will become one. All are one; treat everyone alike. No living being can live without love. Life is possible only with love. Therefore, develop a loving nature. When you return home, close your eyes and contemplate God. You will certainly find Him in your own heart. When you open your eyes, you look at everything in the external world. Why were you given eyes? Only to see God.

Sathya Sai Baba
Prashanti Nilayam, 01.01.2009

1313 · Apr 2, 2022

The joy you seek to attain is within you. You suffer like a person who has great wealth in a metal safe but does not know where the key is! The fire of anger, pride, hatred, envy, and so on is more destructive than ordinary fire. They secretly take up residence in the mind and suddenly flare up, demanding more and more fuel. Fire is called "anala," which means "not enough." You fear the fire that is far away from you. What, then, can be said about the fire burning within you? How can this dangerous flame be extinguished? There are several tried-and-tested methods offered by the sages: truth, righteousness, peace, and Divine Love. Examine which of your qualities and habits you must get rid of and which you should retain. You must retain and develop those tendencies and ideas that remind you of the Divinity with which you must merge.

Sathya Sai Baba