"You are all Avatars," declares Swami.
"The only difference between this Avatar (points to Himself) and these Avatars (points to His followers) is that the former possesses certain additional Powers."
On another occasion, when He was asked, "Swamiji, are You the Messiah who has come to Save us all?" He also said: "There is no
single Messiah. In reality, you are all Messiahs.
Here and now, you possess the Power to Save yourselves and also
to help others.
Live in God.
Fill your mind with God. Be God.
You are God. Realize this!"
It is said very movingly. I was touched by the phrase: Here and now, you possess the Power.... Something inside me responds that this is TRUE!, while my mind whispers, look at what in your life you can use to confirm this?!..
Your health is a great blessing. Take care of your health. You reap what you sow. Are you making an effort to live righteously? Do you pay attention to what you eat? Do you repeat the name of God (27.II)? These are all decisive factors in maintaining and strengthening your health. How so? Because together they create peace and harmony. Shanti, inner peace, is the unification of the currents of life within your body. They flow and move, but they do so in shanti (in peace and harmony). Shanti is the perfect union of yin and yang. Shanti is the force that keeps all illnesses away from you or enables you to overcome them quickly. Shanti is the state in which body, mind, and soul are in harmony. Therefore, shanti is the best guarantee of stable health. After all, it is not bacteria and viruses that make you ill, nor medicine that makes you healthy. Your mind is what determines whether you have inner peace or, conversely, anxiety—giving rise to well-being or illness. These are indicators of your destiny, your health, and your prosperity. SHANTI!
Sai Baba
You are living with minimal output.
A joke about an elephant that thinks it is a mouse could be applied to you—and it keeps getting into difficult situations because, although it feels like a mouse, reality still forces it to feel that it is an elephant.
You are not a mouse. Nor are you an elephant. You are not merely a human being. You are the light that embraces everything, permeating the entire Universe.
You are omnipotent; you know everything. You are pure love.
Stop limiting yourself.
Begin now, at this very moment, to seek and find this light within yourself. Do not rest until you have found it.
Accept all difficulties with patience, because they exist to strengthen you, so that you may become more resilient and increasingly stabilized in your original form.
Do not be surprised by the many miracles performed by saints and avatars—and stop considering them inexplicable.
You yourself are the greatest miracle, because you can perform these miracles as well.
The only miracle today is probably that you do not perform them. Why is that?
Begin by saying several times a day, preferably aloud: I am the light of the Universe; I am the all-knowing power; I am all-encompassing love.
Repeat these sentences again and again, and you will notice that you are attaining that to which you belong: your origin, your true Being.
Sai Baba
October 15 ~ THE MAHASAMADHI DAY OF SHIRDI SAI BABA
Shirdi Sai Baba left this world (attained Mahasamadhi) on October 15, 1918, at 2:30 p.m., on the day of Vijayadashami. He died on the lap of one of his devotees, leaving no possessions, and was buried in Buti Wada, as He Himself wished. Later, a temple (mandir) was erected here, known as the “Samadhi Mandir.”
In the final moments of His life, Baba said to the people around Him: “Do not rely on this physical body. It will disappear within a few minutes. Why do you mistake this transient body for Truth? No one should grieve because it is leaving. This is natural for the physical body. Enjoy this physical body for as long as it lives. Regard the departure of this body as a dream.”
“Wherever you may be, whatever you may be doing, remember: I know everything that happens to you, down to the smallest detail. I am the Inner Lord of all; I dwell in your heart. I fill the entire created world, animate and inanimate. I hold the threads of the Divine Plan in My hands. I am the Mother of the Universe and of all beings; the point of balance of the three gunas; the Stimulator of all senses; the Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer. Nothing can harm the one who directs their attention to Me—but the one who forgets Me will be surrounded and overwhelmed by maya. A worm or an ant, a beggar or a king—everything in this world is My body or form.”
Many positive forces exist around a person that help and protect them. But they must also fight against many enemies. I also count their illusions among these enemies.
A huge number of people have lost all their possessions, happiness, and health simply because they were under the sway of their illusions.
Therefore, keep checking again and again whether what you think is right.
Is it realistic? Does it help and benefit only you? How many people must you ignore, deceive, or hurt to achieve your goal?
The greater your personal self-interest in the foreground of your actions, the more likely it is that you are trapped in an illusion.
Using others for your own benefit—especially people who depend on you, trust you, need you, or are weak—always means acting against yourself.
Never take this path; under no circumstances will it lead you to the goal you have set for yourself.
Let go of your illusions. Limit yourself, and thereby gain inner strength. Allow the light that connects you with other people to become your guide, and you will find everything you would not have dared to dream of even in your greatest illusions.
A life sustained by food is short,
and a life sustained by the Atman is eternal.
Strive not for a long life, but for a life in God.
The Buddha knew this and therefore proclaimed the following truths:
the whole world is filled with suffering,
everything is transient,
therefore, a wise person should perform their duty conscientiously and without attachment.
Do not become attached to anything; simply play your role. Let your consciousness always remain in a forest ashram; do not become involved in worldly turmoil.
At the same time, fulfill your duties, devoting all your strength to the work entrusted to you, regardless of losses and gains, failure and success, slander and praise.
The Gita says: “I take upon Myself the burden of the one who performs upasana (spiritual practice), thinking only of Me”.
There is no time for sleep.
You have remained in sleep and dreams for thousands of Lives.
If you do not wake up now, this opportunity may not arise
for thousands more Lives.
I separate Myself from Myself in order to love Myself even more. Come with Me; separation is no longer on the agenda. This experience has been completed; now I want to reclaim all of Myself and merge into Oneness.
I gave many of you the advantage of an unhappy childhood, including conflicts or separation from your mother and father.
By doing so, I freed you from the temptation to be attached to human parents or to a particular family environment.
This left you with only one choice, namely, to “attach Yourself
to Me.”
Why not take advantage of this opportunity instead of continually searching for relationships that can never satisfy you?
Even if your childhood had been as idyllic as you
would have wished for yourselves, it is not maternal Love that you need.
Ultimately, it is not even the Love of a Name and Form (Baba) that you crave.
Your deepest inner need is to return to your true Self, to love Yourself, to become Sat Chit Ananda (Being, Consciousness, Bliss)—that which you have always been.
Let the past go; stop trying to obtain from one another
that which you feel you lacked in childhood or in marriage.
You will never find anyone who is enough for you,
not even Me.
Love Yourself, know Yourself—only You Yourself will always be enough!
You cannot help but Love Yourself, because I Love you again and again. Did I not move Heaven and Earth themselves in order to bring you to Myself?
I asked all My Devotees to repeat the mantra:
“I am God. I am not different from God.”
Now I especially ask you to follow this guidance.
It will benefit you far more than anything else you have undertaken.
Remember that I Love you—Love Yourselves.
Sathya Sai Baba
Each of you has a Divine spark in your Soul.
All people possess a divine nature.
The Holy Spirit incarnates in a body made of flesh and blood. The only difference between you and Me is that
you do not know about your Divinity.
You ended up in this Karmic prison because of mistakes committed
in past Lives, while I incarnated in this mortal shell by
My own Free Will.
You are bound by the body, whereas I am completely Free from its shackles.
Sathya Sai Baba
Jean Shinoda Bolen – psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, follower of the Jungian school, professor of psychiatry.
Easy to read yet very useful books about becoming a more integrated person and discovering the divine sources within yourself.
Goddesses in Everywoman.
Seven goddesses are described: seven types of female behavior, present to a greater or lesser extent in every one of us. Their strengths and weaknesses.
Gods in Everyman.
Likewise, the divine archetypes within every man are described.
Both books are useful for better understanding yourself and the opposite sex)
Swami: “The body is endowed with all its inherent virtues and shortcomings, so it can be used for purposes that sanctify time through service, sacrifice, and love in every moment of our lives. The word karma, translated as work or action, also describes the rituals prescribed by the Vedas (ancient sacred scriptures) in the section called by that name (Karma Kanda). They are intended to provide those who perform them with various material benefits. Some even promise heaven as a reward. But they are all focused on results. Although they purify the mind and encourage renunciation, they yield the best results only when their aim is to achieve peace and prosperity throughout the world. Then karma becomes karma yoga, karma inspired by selfless ideals. All actions undertaken by people after surrendering their will and desires to the Lord become so sacred and pure that their actions bind no one with either an iron chain of suffering or a golden chain of elation.”
(Divine Discourse, September 10, 1984)
I teach one simple moral: never go against your nature. Even if all the Buddhas of all times and nations protest, pay no attention to it. They have nothing to do with you. They acted as they believed was right for themselves, whereas you must do what you yourself believe is right. And what is right? It cannot be defined once and for all by any holy scripture. It cannot be established by any external criterion. Understand that there is only one inner criterion: anything that makes you happier is good. OSHO
Robert Adams. Confessions of a Jnani
Look at the problems you think you have.
Think about all the possessions you have and are afraid of losing.
Think about all the illnesses you think you will catch or think you have.
Look at this planet, which has existed for billions of years. Civilizations have existed on this planet for billions of years; they come and go. There have been civilizations here that surpassed our present-day existence. They all disappeared without a trace.
The world has its own collective karma. It is going through its own phase.
Your job is to save yourself. If you found yourself in a burning building, you would stop admiring the paintings on the wall and get out of the building as quickly as you could.
Why do you think about anything else? Why do you worry about your body, mind, or the world? Why do you trouble yourself?
Everything is fine, and everything is unfolding as it should. There are no mistakes. No one has ever made them, no one is making them, and no one ever will. It is all perception. It is how you perceive things.
So, when you know that you have little time in this existence, you stop playing life’s games; you try to find yourself and become free as quickly as you can.
Empty your minds. Become serene, and everything will proceed in its own way.
Indeed, there is nothing you need to do; simply be serene. Be serene and know that I am God.
I AM as the true Self. The true Self is omnipresence. This means that everything—everything, both sentient and insentient—is God, or consciousness. Accept this and be free.
An empty mind is consciousness, realization. This is all you need to do—have an empty mind.
During these months, while I have been accompanying you day by day with the help of this book, I repeatedly emphasize that your spiritual development is the entire meaning of your earthly life. Because your spirituality determines whether your life has meaning or not. If you live only to satisfy your worldly needs, if all your goals and objectives exist solely in your worldly affairs, then you are wasting your life to one degree or another. You have become entangled in maya (the external world, appearances), and it has consumed you. You can hardly say that you have gained control over it, because you can barely explain, if at all, who you are and what your destiny is. On the contrary, if you follow the spiritual path, that does not yet mean you have escaped maya’s clutches. It lies in wait for you in every sphere and at every step of your development, and the danger of falling remains great. Therefore, seek a steadfast and experienced guide who can lead you safely, because he has walked and tested this path himself. If you cannot find one, turn to God Himself and ask for His guidance. He will certainly guide you—He has promised this many times in all the sacred books. If you have found a guide, then test him. Examine him. Do this as Vivekananda did with his teacher, Ramakrishna Paramahansa. He wanted to find out whether it was true that Ramakrishna had an allergic reaction to money, and so he placed a coin under his mattress. Ramakrishna could not sleep and was completely exhausted. When it became clear that Vivekananda had wanted to test him, Ramakrishna did not get angry but was delighted. A good student must first of all test his teacher. But once he has decided to trust his teacher, he must follow his teacher’s instructions and must not overstep him by deciding for himself what to follow and what not to follow. Why does he need a teacher if he himself knows everything better? And how could a teacher protect himself from the tricks of his student’s ego under such circumstances? Obedience, complete surrender, is sufficient—that is, the best protection on the spiritual path.
Sai Baba
Deep down, you would like to surrender—to surrender so completely that everything troubling you would dissolve and you could find rest. But you are afraid… What do you have to lose if you surrender? — except the nonexistent ego, except the imaginary idea of yourself. By giving up what you do not truly have, you become your authentic Self. But you cling on—for your whole life, you have been raised, programmed, and taught to struggle, as though life consisted entirely of a continuous fight for survival. But life can only be understood when you begin to surrender. When you stop fighting and begin to enjoy. Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh). Diamond Dust
Do you know why you have legs? So that you can go on a pilgrimage to God's temple.
Do you know why you have hands? So that you can ask God.
And eyes? So that you can see God.
And lips? So that you can speak with Him.
And ears? So that you can hear Him.
Have you ever considered yourself in this aspect—even once—completely striving toward God?
To look from this perspective means nothing other than that you are embodied love, pointing to the Source of this love.
“What does this mean in practice?” you want to know.
Love manifests itself endlessly in many forms, in a vast variety of expressions.
This time, I will mention one perspective that will also make the previous explanations accessible to you in practice.
On the spiritual level, love flows, encompassing everything, and connects the essence of every soul with God. Therefore, it is utterly peaceful and brings happiness.
On the material level, love is especially expressed through helping others, responsibility, and awareness of one’s duties.
Love is therefore inseparably connected with serving others.
Do you understand? The circle closes here. Serving others leads you directly to God, because then your entire body is involved solely in serving God: you walk toward God, you see God, you speak with God, you hear God, you touch God.
You are everything. Everything is one. Everything is God.
You may think that you are completely unimportant in this world.
But someone drinks coffee every morning from a favorite cup that you gave them.
Someone heard a song on the radio that reminded them of you.
Someone read a book you recommended and immersed themselves in it completely.
Someone remembered your joke and smiled on their way home from work in the evening.
Someone loves themselves a little more right now because you gave them a sincere compliment.
Never think that you have no influence. The mark you leave behind, even through small acts of kindness, cannot be erased...
Love is the most powerful healing force in the world.
Nothing can penetrate as deeply as Love—it heals not only the body, not only the mind, but also the soul. If a person is capable of love, all their wounds will heal...
The most intimate part of your being can be healed only by Love. Those who possess the secret of Love possess the great secret of Life. Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh)
Don't rush!
I formulated the thesis: Haste makes waste. Waste makes worry. Haste creates losses. Losses cause trouble.
Don't rush, but do everything in its own time. Those who rush have mismanaged their time. I never rush and always do everything I set out to do. In a certain sense, I could have done even more. But in terms of efficiency, it would have been much less. What I mean is that in many matters I wait patiently until the right moment arrives, and only then do I act.
This way I achieve much more with fewer resources. Those who rush are impatient. Those who are impatient cannot remain calm. Calm frightens them. Therefore, they overload their lives so much that they can only keep up with everything with their "tongues hanging out"—and definitely do not attain peace.
Those who live this way waste an enormous amount of time and energy, and most importantly, have no chance of developing.
Therefore, their first priority should be to attain peace. Illness can be a useful aid in such a case. If you are confined to bed and can barely move because of weakness, this is your first opportunity to notice the source of peace within yourself.
This will confront you with what you have always wanted to avoid. At first, you will regard it with displeasure and denial.
But sooner or later, necessity will teach you that there is no other way than to give up rushing and turn inward, because everything else is nothing more than a struggle with shadows in which you squander yourself, and which gives you nothing except a loud commotion.
Sai Baba
I teach that contentment and freedom can be attained when you willingly do what needs to be done.
For people accustomed to the ideology that is widespread today, this sounds rather off-putting, because they are taught that one can be free when one can do and afford everything one wants.
I reply: this ideology must in any case prove that even a single person with such an attitude toward life could become happy for a long time.
Indeed, not a single one!
The truth is this: your beliefs, your connection with your Source within you, determine your destiny.
Many people today are so ego-driven that they can no longer be content at all. They have adopted a viewpoint from which they constantly find a hair in the soup.
Before that, the soup tastes wonderful. As soon as a hair is found in it, everything suddenly becomes different.
Beware of such behavior. Remove the hair and enjoy your soup, just as before.
Realize that you can make such a fuss over a single hair only because God has blessed you with so much food that you can choose quite carefree.
If you were living on the brink of starvation, such a thought would never occur to you. You probably would not even notice the hair, but would gratefully eat the soup.
Therefore, do not dwell on the difficulties you will encounter in life, but constantly be aware of the grace bestowed upon you, of how much you have been given in all things.
Therefore, rejoice at every hair you find as an opportunity to see how much you have been given.
