The Sai Teachings

Your Truth…

A prescribed quality is exhibited or worn as a cloak by every entity in creation. This quality is also called its dharma or truth. Just as a student in a particular class can be promoted to a higher class by effort, an individual by promoting one's own natural dharma, and giving attention to something higher and nobler, can earn promotion to a higher level. A piece of iron is worth only a few pennies, but by making suitable changes to it, you produce a watch worth a thousand rupees.

Observe here that it is change that we give to the substance, which brings the value to it and not the inherent value of the untreated material. Even an ordinary person can get an opportunity to elevate oneself to the position of a realised sage, by seeking the company of elevated beings.

The Sai Teachings

Sacrifice

The Vedas (Holy scriptures) urges us to sacrifice everything, and through sacrifice we would be able to have vision of the Divine within. The creation and its maintenance depend only on sacrifice. If there is no sacrifice, there will be no life, and the society will not remain intact.

Even from a worldly perspective, if we do not give out the breath that we take in, we cannot live. If blood is not constantly flowing from one place to another every instant, we cannot live. Unless the clouds give up the water they have gathered, they cannot remain as clouds. That is why it is said, what you cannot get by your knowledge and effort can be got by sacrifice. If we think that something is good and welcome it, some bad too may come in the process. That which gives you happiness when it comes will also cause sorrow when it goes away from you. Whether it is the good or the bad, we have to sacrifice continuously.

 

The Sai Teachings

Being Humane

Children without good qualities, education without character building as its objective, and life which has no morality, are purposeless. An individual without peace of mind and the world which has no moon shining in it are similar. Every item of creation in this world has some distinctive feature and a character of its own. If any item gives up this distinctive aspect, it will destroy itself.

For example, fire has the ability and quality to burn. Water has the ability to flow. Man has got the quality of human nature, and an animal has the quality of being brutal. When the ability to burn disappears, you cannot call it fire. When the ability to flow disappears, you cannot call it water. Similarly when the inner vision or the basic human nature disappears in an individual, you cannot call him a human being. Being humane is the natural quality of a human being.

 

The Sai Teachings

The Goal of Life

What is the origin of pride? Is it knowledge? No! It is ignorance. What is the cause of ignorance? It is the feeling of duality. Where did duality originate? From attachment and hatred. What is the origin of these two? They are the products of circumstances. How did circumstances come about? Through Karma (past deeds).

What is the cause of Karma? Birth! Thus be clear that birth is the cause of all sorrow. Only by seeking freedom from birth that you can free oneself from sorrow. The opportunity of a human birth must be used for realising this supreme goal. The duty of parents is to set children on the right path from their early years. They should not hesitate to correct them and even punish them when the children take to wrong ways. The best way parents can show their love for their children is to do everything necessary to lead them on the righteous path.

 

The Sai Teachings

Pride and Ego

A game of football is played by two teams with ten players in each team playing on each side of the field. Each team strives to score a goal by shooting the ball between the two goal posts. Life is a game in which you must lead your life between the two goal posts of secular and spiritual education.

 While playing football, one kicks the ball as long as it is filled with air. Once the football is deflated, nobody will kick it. The air in the football signifies the presence of ego. A person swayed by ego will receive blows until they are devoid of ego. A deflated ball is taken by the hands, while an inflated ball is kicked mercilessly.

Similarly a humble person is well respected, whereas an egoistic person becomes the target of all sorts of attacks. Secular things come and go, whereas spiritual gains stay forever. Hence let spirituality constitute the basis of all your activities.

The Sai Teachings

Spiritual Practice

A person’s life depends upon three essential things - thoughts, words and deeds. When desires arise, one immediately takes it to their mind. For any thought, mind is the basis. The thought that comes to your mind will be exposed to the world as a word from your mouth, and once you utter those words, then, to put it into practice, you take action.

When you are able to apply these three—thought, word, and action along the right path, you earn merit; but if you apply them along the wrong path, you earn sin. Thus for good and bad, you need thoughts, words, and deeds. Only when there is harmony between thoughts, words, and actions; you will be able to recognise your own true nature. To keep them pure and in harmony, you must undertake some kind of spiritual practice. This is of utmost need today.

The Sai Teachings

How to achieve your Goal

Though it is hard to restrain the mind, it can be diverted. When the mind steeped in the secular world is diverted toward Divinity, it gains in moral strength. The mind steeped in the worldly matters makes you a prisoner of the world, whereas a mind steeped in God secures liberation for you.

Your heart is the lock and your mind is the key. When you turn the key to the left, it locks. But if you turn the key to the right, it unlocks. It is the turning of the key that makes the difference. Hence the mind is the cause for your liberation as well as bondage. What then is liberation? It is not an air-conditioned mansion, but a state devoid of delusion. Majesty and morality lie in diverting the mind from the world to God. It is this simple and powerful concept that really contributes to your progress and prosperity.

 

The Sai Teachings

Right Values

Whenever the children go astray, wittingly or unwittingly, parents must quickly correct their faults and bring them to the righteous path. The obligations of parents do not end with providing food, schooling and knowledge of worldly matters. The children should also be provided with right values. They should not be made to think that the acquisition of wealth is the be-all and end-all of life.

Wealth will not accompany anyone when they leave the world. Wealth is necessary only for meeting your essential needs. Too much wealth is an embarrassment like an oversized shoe. Too little of it is likely to be painful, like a tight fitting shoe. So, it is desirable to have only that amount of wealth that is adequate for your basic needs. It is deplorable that today, in the mad pursuit of money, people are forgetting all human qualities.

 

The Sai Teachings

Our Ideals in Life should be

Your mind, destiny, position, and wealth are gifts of God. You must use it to develop the qualities of equality, solidarity, integrity, and amity. But people today have changed their mind into a wicked mind. It is your mind that makes you a good or bad person. Improper use of mind will make you egoistic.

Modern youth and students aspire for wealth, friendship, and high position but not virtues, and indulge in ostentation. Many students waste their time in bad company, bad thoughts, and bad behaviour. Brass and gold, both look alike. But a vessel of brass makes much more noise than one made of gold. Students should not indulge in showmanship and tall talk.

Always talk sweetly and softly, with humility. You cannot always oblige, but you can always speak obligingly. Always talk lovingly and respectfully, and conduct yourself fittingly as an ideal devotee, an ideal student.