The path of Nirvana

There is no place without 'God, and there is no form without the Divine. Whether one is in a forest or in a town, on a mountain top or in a valley, wherever one may be, one is not helpless. [Telugu Poem] Embodiments of Love! Men today strive in various ways to acquire knowledge of the Self (Atma Jnana). But this is not true knowledge. It may well be called ignorance. Whatever one's scholarship or one's spiritual practices or one's quest for gurus, one cannot acquire spiritual wisdom without understanding one's true nature. Men today cannot understand their humanness; how can they recognize their divinity? Only after comprehending his humanness can a man recognize his divinity. Recognizing this truth, Buddha embarked on his spiritual quest. He studied all Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 31 81 the extant scriptures of different faiths. He met many holy men. He visited numerous holy shrines. All these exercises gave him no satisfaction. What was the reason? All external, physical and ephemeral activities are valueless. Your vision must be pure and sacred The first requisite is purity in the use of the five senses of perception given to man. Buddha declared that men should cultivate at the outset samyag-drishti (the right vision). This means that the eyes should not be misused for looking at all sorts of things. Your vision must be pure and sacred. See no evil; see what is good. A sacred vision is that which looks only at divine and sacred objects. Your vision must originate from the heart. Bad thoughts and bad feelings pollute the vision. Man today has lost the fear of sin, the love of God and observance of social morality. This accounts for all the ills of society today. Pure vision leads to pure thoughts. Pure thoughts result in pure actions. Purity in action is essential for human existence. Purity in thoughts and purity in speech must lead to purity in deeds. This is the triple purity hailed by the sages. When this purity is manifest, human life gets redeemed. The principle of Help ever, hurt never becomes the governing principle of daily life. Pure vision naturally begets Purity in speech by the refinement of the heart. Pure words must come out of the depth of the heart, which is a fountain of compassion. Constant examination of the purity of one's vision, speech and action is a spiritual exercise. It is this that helps to refine the heart.

Once, Buddha had an encounter with Ananda, the son of his stepmother. Buddha had attained the state of Nirvana (SelfRealization). Watching Buddha in this state, Ananda burst into tears. Buddha was about to give up body. Ananda was in grief Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 31 82 over the thought. What will happen to us? What is our future? Buddha summoned Ananda to come near him and said: "Ananda! This is not a time for grief. I am about to achieve Nirvana. You should also seek Nirvana. Looking at the dead, the living lament over death. But who are the dead? Death awaits the living in due course. Where there is birth, there is also death. Only the Divine is free from birth and death. He is eternal, with no beginning, middle or end. He is the Eternal Witness. [Telugu poem]. Except for the Divine, birth and death are natural to all human beings. Why then do you weep? You also must strive to achieve liberation." Sanctify the senses Man today is ignoring the state of his heart. He abuses the five senses without regard to the consequences. The result is he is a prey to all kinds of sufferings. If the five senses are used properly man will experience only what is good. All rituals and spiritual exercises are of no avail if the five senses are not used properly. Moreover, men must seek what is permanent in life and not cling to what is transient and perishable. The body is impermanent. The Atma is eternal. People should realize the infinite divine potencies in man. The Divine is present in man as conscience, which is a spark of the Cosmic Conscience. The conscience transcends the five senses. When the senses are sanctified, the conscience manifests its divinity. It can then experience its oneness with the Universal Consciousness. Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 31 83 This was the path pursued by Buddha. He began with control of the senses.. He was filled with pure and sacred feelings; with a pure heart, he achieved Nirvana. Purity of the heart is more important than all rituals and penances. Develop a vision that will broaden your heart and enable you to help others and not hurt them. Dedicate all actions to God. Thyaga (sacrifice) is real yoga (oneness with the Divine). To enjoy things (bhoga) without sharing with others is a disease (roga). The Vedas have declared that immortality can be attained only through sacrifice and not by any other means. Good speech is as essential as good vision. Avoid all kinds

of gossip. Keep your speech confined to what is godly and sacred. Engage yourself in service to others. Pay no attention to other people's defects and faults. Listen to pure and sacred words. People misuse their ears listening to scandal and gossip. This evil tendency should be eliminated by listening to the glories of God. Such listening (sravanam) has been accorded a primary place among the nine paths of devotion. Purify your heart What is it that you should observe on this New Year day? Many such days have come and gone. But how far has there been a transformation in the heart? Many years have come and gone. But your hearts remain unchanged. The first task is to purify the heart. You should not be content with celebrating the New Year as a festive occasion. To enjoy a feast you do not need a New Year. The New Year should be marked not by a feast but by the awakening of new and pure thoughts in the heart. Of what use is it to be concerned only about eating from dawn to dusk? What is the purpose of life? It is not eating, sleeping and dying. You must control the senses and use them for sacred Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 31 84 purposes. The power of the senses is derived from the Divine. The small human eye enables to look at stars billions of miles away. Where from is this power got? It is from the Divine within you. Hence, everyone should always think of God, whatever one may do. Then, one will be free from bad thoughts. Man must manifest his humanness by transcending the animal nature. Realize your inherent divinity. Regard the whole world as your field of action. You have come as a pilgrim to this world of action- Ensure that your pilgrimage proceeds on right lines. 14 April 1998 Sai Sruthi, Kodai Kanal The most beneficial thing that can happen to a person is that he should draw Gods love to himself. His love for God is of less importance, because it is an imperfect mixture of divine and worldly love. The most important action whereby to gain Gods love is Rightousness. Baba

11 Man, truth, love, and God

It is only from Truth that the entire creation has come out. There is nothing in the world without the basis of Truth.

This is pure goodness (suddha sathwa) Behold, ye people! God is Sathya Swaroopa (Embodiment of Truth). You find that human nature is a combination of sathya (truth) and dharma (right conduct). When man is not able to comprehend his own human nature, how can he know the Divine? Everyone should, therefore, make efforts to know the human nature. It is nirmala, nischala, nisswartha (blemishless, unwavering, and unselfish). God is in every human being residing in his spiritual heart which is on the right side of the body while the physical heart is on the left. It is only a single seat sofa, and not a double Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 31 86 seated sofa or musical chair. So, God is close to everyone, being seated in the spiritual heart. When you realize this, you will have the feeling of blissful happiness. The heart is the seat of compassion, and God is embodiment of compassion. While so, man cannot have hatred toward any being at all. Man has to make efforts to progress on the path of Truth and Righteousness. God has no consideration of caste, age, sex or nationality. Take the elements earth, water, fire, air and ether. Have these elements any distinction of caste or nationality? They are embodiments of the Divine. You should never misuse the elements or waste them. Never separate God from you Names and forms are many, but the Atmic Principle is one. You should understand this. This is the fundamental law of Nature. Though names and forms vary, there are some common features in all. Hunger is common to all, though the types of food are many. In a hospital, there are many different types of patients. All are not given the same food. For instance, diabetics will not be given sugar or sweet preparations. The world is a hospital. Humanity is suffering from different diseases physical, mental and psychological. Three-fourths of the diseases are only psychological. What is the treatment needed? It is only daiva chintana: filling the mind with the thought of God. Never separate God from you. A man with dual mind is half-blind. You should practice the principle of oneness. There is only one God spoken of as many. Unity in diversity should be comprehended. Human quality should reflect Divinity. You should curb animal thoughts and breed Divine thoughts. There are two types of persons. Those with animal and human qualities always show hatred, jealousy, greed, and anSathya Sai Speaks, Volume 31 87 ger. The other type with human and divine qualities will always

be happy, peaceful and full of love. They will always adhere to Truth. Without such quality, spiritual pursuits will be of no avail. You should always say to yourself, I am human, I am not animal. Jealousy is contrary to human nature Jealousy is rampant to a considerable extent amongst people today. This is the root cause of anger, hatred, and other evil qualities. If a person owns a car and travels in it, don't be jealous. Satisfy yourself that you have your legs to help you walk. If one is in a big house, don't get jealous. Be contented and happy with the dwelling place you have, though small. You should thus kill jealousy. Jealousy is contrary to human nature. It is artificial and not pertaining to heart which is natural. Virtues and vices are reflections of your good and bad thoughts. Physical heart is on the left side while the spiritual heart is on the right. This will help you in the right direction. It is compassionate. But man breeds desires, which contaminate the heart. These should be checked and restrained to a limit. The body and all the sense organs have limitations, like the temperature, BP, capacity to see, hear etc. Veda says Na sreyo niyamam vina (we should observe discipline in life.) Limitations should be observed in everything. If you have enough minimum resources like food, shelter, and raiment, you should be satisfied. To maintain bodily health and get enough energy for your day-to-day activities you should take food. You should not indulge in overeating causing indigestion. If you exceed limit in anything, it may lead to dangerous consequences. If you realize that God is