Personally, I do not believe that one must necessarily leave this world in order to attain peace. And, practicing my yoga, I came to the conclusion that neither Spirit nor Matter should be neglected, and that the work must encompass both the spiritual and material worlds—what is necessary is to establish Divine Consciousness on earth and fill human hearts and earthly life with Divine Power—not merely to attain personal salvation, but to create the conditions that will allow divine life to become a reality here. Sri Aurobindo
Education should not be viewed as the process of filling an empty bag and then emptying its contents so as to make the bag empty again. Education is not meant to fill the head. It is the heart that must be purified, expanded, and enlightened. Education is needed for life itself, not in order to earn a living. A sign of an educated person is humility about knowing little of the vast unknown that still remains to be explored. An educated person must understand that they have more duties than rights, and more obligations than privileges. They are obliged to serve the society in which they live and the heritage passed down to them by their ancestors. They should rejoice in serving rather than crave power. For service is divine; service gives life meaning. Service truly is the best way to use one’s skills, intellect, strength, and abilities.
Bhagavan Sathya Sai Baba
Divine Discourse, April 1, 1973
People should strive to overcome anxiety and experience Everlasting Happiness...
A person makes great efforts to attain happiness. In this world, there are few who do not want to be happy. But you must understand that happiness cannot be found externally.
It originates in the Heart.
The Heart is the Source of Bliss.
The happiness we experience in the external world is merely a reaction, an echo, and a reflection of Inner Happiness.
Very few understand this Truth.
Today, many experience only apparent joy—false and fleeting.
Only Happiness arising from the Heart is unchanging...
The goal of every person is Eternal Bliss.
You should derive happiness even from what seems unpleasant to you.
There is no need to seek Happiness anywhere. It is always with you and within you. You cannot experience it because you do not understand the True meaning of Happiness.
You mistakenly believe that happiness lies in money, wealth, and material comfort.
When you taste True Happiness, you will stop striving to acquire worldly possessions.
True Happiness arises from the depths of our own Heart.
If milk is brought to a boil, its level will gradually begin to rise. If you sprinkle water on it, its level will return to normal. Milk loses its value when mixed with water. In the same way, a person loses their value when they associate with bad company. In good company, a person will always be in Bliss. Before becoming friends with anyone, you should study their character...
Happiness and sorrow follow one another. When you contemplate Bliss, there will be no room for sorrow...
When sorrow overwhelms you, think of Happiness. Then you will certainly feel Happiness...
Divine Discourse by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, January 14, 2005
Your conscience is your teacher. Therefore, follow the voice of your conscience. Life is a game, play it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is love, enjoy it. If you understand this and incorporate even one of these principles of the teachings into your life, your life will be saved. Constantly contemplate God and meditate on Him. The secret of happiness lies in chanting God's name. You may chant any of His names and save your life.
Never give up the Gayatri mantra; you may disregard any other mantra, but you must repeat the Gayatri at least a few times a day. It will protect you from harm wherever you may be—in transit, at work, or at home. In the West, the vibrations produced by this mantra were studied, and it was discovered that when it is pronounced correctly, as prescribed in the Vedas, the atmosphere around it becomes noticeably filled with light. Thus, when you repeat this mantra, Brahmaprakasha, the radiance of the Divine, will descend upon you; it will illuminate your mind and light your path. Gayatri is Annapurna, the Mother, the power that sustains and enlivens all that exists. So do not neglect it. The elders and priests, the custodians of this mantra, have consigned it to oblivion. But you, as heirs and guardians of this great culture, bear an enormous responsibility to preserve it and demonstrate its effectiveness and value!
Excessive talking harms the mind.
“Fewer words—more happiness.”
To learn to restrain their speech, the ancients observed three types of vows of silence:
silence of the tongue (vak-maunam),
silence of the mind (mano-maunam),
and supreme silence (maha-maunam).
The first vow, verbal silence, or restraint of the tongue, means reducing speech to the minimum necessary in a given situation. This rule helped avoid unnecessary conversation. As a result, the power of speech was preserved and strengthened.
Restraint in speech also required truthfulness, since speech free from lies purifies thoughts.
By practicing this type of austerity, people in ancient times came to understand truth (satya-siddhi) and attained supreme wisdom (jnana-siddhi).
It follows that purity of speech is extremely important. It can be achieved by training oneself to exercise restraint in speech.
The second type of silence is silence of the mind.
The mind is a tangle of thoughts and fantasies. The number of thoughts in the mind should gradually be reduced. When there are fewer thoughts, the mind naturally begins to come under control: like an unwound clock, it no longer “ticks.”
As the activity of the mind decreases, the power of the Atman gradually reveals itself.
As a result, the intellect (buddhi) becomes more active than the sense organs that agitate the mind.
Once a person has learned to restrain speech and the mind, it becomes easy to attain the state of supreme silence.
Sathya Sai Baba. The Vedas—The Way of Life.
Talks, 1994. Chapter 7
What is the immortal component of a human being? Accumulated wealth, houses built, a developed body, health, or the family they created? No, everything they have done, developed, or earned is impermanent. All of it will be destroyed by time. A person cannot take with them even a handful of soil from their beloved homeland. Discover the immortal “I” within yourself and know that it is a spark of God within you. Live in the company of the boundless, immeasurable Supreme Being, and you will become vast and limitless. When you hold a banknote in your hand and proudly say, “This is mine,” the banknote laughs at you, because it says, “Oh, how many thousands of people have I known who were just as proud of themselves!” This body is merely a dwelling; do not be deceived. Aspire to the indweller of the body (dehi), not to the body. Aspire to the One who dwells within it, makes it active, and enables you to think and act.
Bhagavan Sathya Sai Baba
Divine Discourse, April 6, 1965
God is the source of both joy and sorrow. Without His will, not even a blade of grass can sway in the wind! If this Truth becomes firmly established in the heart, a person can attain the unique bliss of Liberation. Whatever we receive comes from God; it is His Grace. You have no right to judge whether it is good or bad. To firmly establish God within yourself, worship images of God, meditate on His Glory, repeat His Name—all of this is useful as preliminary sadhana. I will not say that temples or prayer halls, altars and shrines where people call upon God and worship Him are unnecessary. Until letters have been learned, illustrations in primers are needed. The letter “A” is remembered by associating it with the picture of an apricot printed above it. This does not mean that you must remember that particular apricot every time you think of the letter “A”!
Bhagavan Sathya Sai Baba
Divine Discourse, April 4, 1973
It is said that obtaining a human life is difficult, almost impossible. What is special about human life? Why is it so difficult to obtain? You can also have all the pleasures enjoyed by animals and birds. In that case, what is meant when it is said that human life is especially valuable and important? It means that you have the ability to distinguish between good and evil, for you have been given the ability to renounce attachments and hatred. Therefore, you must use the intellect given to you
to distinguish the animal way of life from the human way of life. If you do not distinguish Atma from anatma, the “I” from the “not-I,” and do not practise yoga of the mind, you become a victim of agitation. You cannot find inner peace because you do not follow the right path.
Sathya Sai Gita
8 Lessons from the Buddha for a Happy and Harmonious Life
1. Starting small is okay. A pitcher fills gradually, drop by drop. Every master was once a beginner. We all start small, so do not underestimate small beginnings. If you are consistent and patient, you will succeed! No one can achieve success overnight: success comes to those who are ready to start small and work hard until the pitcher is full.
2. Thoughts are material. Our consciousness is everything. You become what you think about. If a person speaks or acts with evil thoughts, pain follows them. If a person speaks or acts with pure intentions, happiness follows them like a shadow that never leaves. To live properly, you need to fill your mind with the “right” thoughts. Right thinking will give you everything you wish for; wrong thinking is an evil that will ultimately destroy you. All wrongdoing arises from the mind. If the mind changes, will wrongdoing remain?
3. Forgive. Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intention of throwing it at someone else, but you are the one who gets burned. When you release those imprisoned in the prison of unforgiveness, you free yourself from that prison. You cannot oppress anyone without oppressing yourself as well. Learn to forgive. Learn to forgive quickly.
4. Your actions matter. To grow, you must act; to grow quickly, you must act every day. Glory is available to everyone, but only those who act consistently will experience it. The proverb says: “God gives every bird a worm, but He does not throw it into the nest.” The Buddha said: “I do not believe in the fate that befalls people when they act, but I believe in the fate that befalls them when they do nothing.”
5. Try to understand. We have stopped fighting for the truth; we have begun fighting only for ourselves. First, try to understand, and only then try to make others understand you. You must make every effort to understand another person’s point of view. Listen to others, understand their perspective, and you will find peace. Focus more on being happy than on being right.
6. Conquer yourself. It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. Neither angels nor demons, neither heaven nor hell, can take it away from you. To conquer yourself, you must conquer your mind. You must control your thoughts. They must not rage like sea waves. You may think: “I cannot control my thoughts. A thought comes whenever it pleases.” My answer is: you cannot stop a bird from flying over you, but surely you can prevent it from building a nest on your head.
7. Live in harmony. Harmony comes from within. Do not seek it outside yourself. Do not look outside for what can exist only in your heart. Often, we look outside merely to distract ourselves from the truth of reality. The truth is that harmony can be found only within yourself. Harmony is not a new job, a new car, or a new marriage; harmony is peace of mind, and it begins with you.
8. Be grateful. Let us stand and give thanks that if we have not studied much, at least we have not spent much time doing so; and if we have lost time, at least we have not fallen ill; and if we have fallen ill, at least we have not died. There is always something to be grateful for. Do not be so pessimistic that, even for a minute—even in the midst of an argument—you are unable to recognize at least ten things to be grateful for. Not everyone was able to wake up this morning; some people went to sleep for the last time yesterday. There is always something to be grateful for. A grateful heart will make you great!
Siddhartha Gautama (Shakyamuni Buddha)
Love is very important. Love is Divine. For an action to be offered to God and to be pure enough to receive His grace, it must be an expression of Love. Guard Love against being poisoned by evil. Strive to develop Love free from hatred and various prejudices. The foundation of all religions, the essence of all Sacred Scriptures, the meeting place of all paths, and the inspiration of all people—all this is an expression of Love (Prema). It is the firm foundation of human Life. It is precisely the Light that ensures peace and prosperity throughout the world. Fill every word you speak and every action you take with Love. The word that leaves your tongue should not cut like a knife, pierce like an arrow, or strike like a hammer. It should be sweet nectar, advice from comforting Vedic wisdom, and a delicate flower; it should radiate peace and joy.”
There are four main sins to which the tongue is prone:
1) telling lies; 2) spreading gossip; 3) condemning and criticizing others; 4) excessive talkativeness.
These four tendencies of the tongue deprive a person of peace of mind.
In life, it is necessary to speak only the truth. Of course, in some rare cases, the truth may be dangerous. In such circumstances, one must exercise the utmost caution and prudence so as to speak neither the truth nor a lie. Only in this way can you achieve success and a happy life in society.
Summer Showers in Brindavan 1990, Lesson V "The Power of the Word"
“Stains on the heart can be washed away through righteous living and conscientious performance of one's duty. A time may come when a person becomes tired and weak. Then he should turn to the Lord in prayer: ‘Lord, I am unable to cope with my tasks; I feel that one more effort would be too great a burden for me. O Lord, give me strength.’
The Lord watches the work from a distance, just as a teacher stands aside while students complete a written assignment. Then, if a person eradicates attachment to bhoga and performs good deeds and seva, the Lord draws nearer with words of encouragement. He acts like Surya Narayana, standing in wait by a closed door, like a servant who knows his master's rights and is aware of his own limitations. He does not announce his presence or knock on the door. He simply waits. And when the Master finally opens the door a little, the sun rushes into the room and immediately dispels the darkness. When the Lord is asked to help, He is right there, nearby, extending a helping hand. Thus, all that is required of a person is viveka to pray to the Lord and jnana to remember Him.”
Sai Baba
God is omnipresent. Divine energy pervades and sustains the entire cosmos.
Everyone should strive to know the Divine.
If they make the effort, they will surely experience God.
Sacrifices are necessary for this.
All bad qualities should be renounced the very moment they enter the mind.
True devotion implies eradicating all animal tendencies in a person.
A person should strive to discover the eternal Divine within themselves.
This is the main goal of human life.
All other achievements have no value. A person must raise themselves from animal to divine.
There is nothing great about achieving worldly success. Finding the purity of the true “I” within oneself—that is the essence of human life...
Embodiments of Love!
Your duty today is to overcome the demonic and animal qualities within yourselves.
Unkind thoughts and actions are widespread everywhere.
And you cannot remain a mere observer.
Believing in God, you must enter the struggle against evil forces, demonstrating your human status and earning a good name. Only this has value.
All other gains are worthless.
Only a good person withstands the test of time.
Dedicate every minute of your life to practicing dharma and earning a good name (kirti).
Fill every cell of your body with the spirit of truth...
Sathya Sai Baba. Discourse, October 23, 1995, Prasanthi Nilayam
Let His Will be done in everything—this should be your guiding principle. Once, the emperor of the Chola kingdom decided to visit the Sri Rangam Gopuram temple, of which he had heard much. A chariot was prepared for the emperor, and over the course of six months he made several attempts to get there, but each time a hermit in ochre robes, with prayer beads around his neck and a halo above his head, appeared in his path. When the emperor stepped out of the chariot as a sign of respect to the hermit, the hermit engaged him in conversation so fascinating that the emperor forgot about his journey and its purpose. One day, as he lamented that he had still been unable to behold the glory of Sri Rangam, the Lord appeared before him and said: “Why do you complain? I am that Teacher who appeared before you every time you set out for Sri Rangam. Recognizing Me in everyone—this is the true pilgrimage to Sri Rangam.” Regard everyone you meet as the Lord of Sri Rangam, your Teacher. Therefore, show pure, unstained love to all who happen to cross your path.
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Divine Discourse, January 14, 1967
Meditate on God as Love. This is the easiest path to God. Some become despondent, believing that God does not grant them His Grace because they lack the means to undertake a pilgrimage or do not know the Sacred Scriptures. This is a misconception, for God's Grace does not depend on external achievements. God is not concerned with quantity. To be nourished, a person does not need the grain in the granaries of the whole world— a handful is enough. Similarly, to win God's favor forever, it is enough simply to trust in Him.
As a result of meditating on the Supreme Atma (Paramatma), the mind withdraws from the sense objects of the material world. It is precisely at this moment that the spiritual intellect (buddhi) must assert its authority and command the mind to experience no thoughts other than thoughts of the Fundamental Basis of existence. Once its essential truth is known, the mind will not be deluded by anything fleeting, false, or devoid of bliss. Instead, it will open to blossoming joy, happiness, and truth, and will not be affected by sorrow and grief. Human life acquires new splendor when one begins to realize and clearly envision the nature of the Supreme Reality (Satchitananda) through the mind and spiritual intellect (manas and buddhi), purified and transformed by meditation. The taste of a fruit is evident when the entire fruit is eaten without leaving anything behind! In the same way, when the taste of meditation is revealed, a person will cast aside all doubts and discussions about it and immerse themselves in it completely.
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Dhyana Vahini, Chapter 1.
OSHO says...
Emptiness must become your path, your goal, your everything. Starting tomorrow morning, begin emptying yourself of everything you find within: your suffering, your anger, your ego, jealousy, torment, your pain, your pleasures—everything you find, simply throw it away. Whatever comes to hand, without discrimination; empty yourself. And at the moment when you become completely empty, you will suddenly understand that you are becoming filled. You are the whole, you are everything. Wholeness is attained through emptying.
Meditation is nothing other than emptying yourself, becoming nobody.
It is through discrimination and renunciation that a person understands who they truly are; otherwise, this cannot be known. The Lord has blessed only human beings with these two qualities. He endowed them with them so that they could use them precisely for this purpose; therefore, this is indeed a great blessing for humanity. But, alas, people have forgotten the task for which they came; closed their eyes to where they are; turned their minds toward entertainment and worldly pleasures, and squandered all their strength. This is a real tragedy! If one does not seek divinity in this most favorable human birth, when else can it be done?
Sri Sathya Sai Baba
PRASHANTI VAHINI—the stream of the Supreme World
OSHO says...
God is not somewhere far away. You do not need to go to Him or undertake a pilgrimage. God is where you are. You exist because of God. God is in your breath; God is your life. And there is no other God besides life.
He is here, in the songs of birds, in the green, red, and golden foliage of the trees. He is in the bird in flight… He is everywhere. You do not even need to go beyond yourself to find Him. He is your innermost essence, your substratum, your very being. How can you wait for Him? It is the same as being a fish in the ocean and waiting for the ocean—it is foolish.
