Sri Saibaba Temple of Universal Oneness , Nashville TN Weekly News Letter Volume 81

[Sri Saibaba Temple - Nashville]

Sairam

 

Ramana Maharishi says The Real is ever-present, like the screen on which all the [movie] pictures move. While the pictures appear on it, it remains invisible. Stop the pictures, and the screen, which has all along been present, in fact the only object that has existed throughout, will become clear. All these universes, humans, objects, thoughts and events are merely pictures moving on the screen of Pure Consciousness, which alone is real. Shapes and phenomena pass away, but Consciousness remains ever [Turning the mind inward] is done by practice and dispassion and that succeeds only gradually.

The mind, having been so long a cow accustomed to graze stealthily on others' estates, is not easily confined to her stall. However much her keeper tempts her with luscious grass and fine fodder, she refuses the first time; then she takes a bit; but her innate tendency to stray away asserts itself; and she slips away; on being repeatedly tempted by the owner, she accustoms herself to the stall; finally even if let loose she would not stray away. Similarly with the mind. If once it finds its inner happiness it will not wander outward. By repeated practice one can become accustomed to turning inwards and finding the Self.

 

One must always and constantly make an effort, until one has permanently realized. Once the effort ceases, the state becomes natural and the Supreme takes possession of the person with an unbroken current. Until it has become permanently natural and your habitual state, know that you have not realized the Self, only glimpsed it.

 

All religions postulate the three fundamentals, the world, the soul, and God, but it is only the one Reality that manifests Itself as these three. One can say, “The three are really three only so long as the ego lasts.” Therefore, to inhere in one's own Being, where the “I,” or ego, is dead, is the perfect State.

From our perception of the world there follows acceptance of a unique First Principle possessing various powers. Pictures of name and form, the person who sees, the screen on which he sees, and the light by which he sees: he himself is all of theseWhat exists in truth is the Self alone. The world, the individual soul, and God are appearances in it, like silver in mother-of-pearl; these three appear at the same time, and disappear at the same time.

The Self is that where there is absolutely no “I”-thought. That is called “Silence.” The Self itself is the world; the Self itself is “I”; the Self itself is God; all is Siva, the Self.

 

The impure mind cannot know God

 

 

Mind is two fold: there is the higher pure mind as well as the lower impure mind. The impure mind cannot know [Brahman] but the pure mind knows. It does not mean that the pure mind measures the immeasurable Self, the Brahman. It means that the Self makes itself felt in the pure mind so that even when you are in the midst of thoughts you feel the Presence, you realise the truth that you are one with the deeper Self and that the thought- waves are there only on the surface.

[Brahman] cannot be apprehended by the impure mind but can be apprehended by the pure mind.

[Through Atma Vichara] the mind gets clear of impurities and become[s] pure enough to reflect the truth, the real Self. This is impossible when the ego is active and assertive. Pure consciousness, free from all thought … is pure, unbroken awareness of your Self, rather of Being – there is no mistaking it when pure.

When the indefinable power of Brahman (1) separates itself from Brahman and, in union with the reflection of consciousness (chidabhasa), assumes various forms, it is called the impure mind. … The energy which is accompanied by the reflection of consciousness is called the impure mind and its state of separation from Brahman is its non-apprehension of Brahman.

 

 

(1) The indefinable power of Brahman, the energy, is Shakti.

When it becomes free from the reflection of consciousness (abhasa), through discrimination, it is called the pure mind. Its state of union with the Brahman is its apprehension of Brahman

Undifferentiated consciousness is the only true reality. Whatever is different from it is personal and has nescience as its material cause and consciousness as its basis.

Concentration, meditation and all spiritual practices are not performed with the object of realizing the Self, because the Self is ever-present, but of realising the non-existence of ignorance. Every man admits his own existence and does not need a mirror to prove it to him. Existence is awareness, which is the negation of ignorance. Then why does man suffer? Because he imagines himself other than what he in reality is, e.g., the body, this, that, and the other – “I am Gopal, son of Parashuram, father of Natesan,” etc. In reality he is the intelligent “I-am” alone, stripped of qualities and superimpositions, of names and forms. … He must hold onto that existence [that he sees in dreamless sleep], that lone being – Kaivalya – even when he is in the waking state. The man of wisdom simply is. “I-Am-That-I-Am” sums up the whole Truth. The method is summed up by “Be still and know that I am God.” What does stillness mean? Cessation of thinking, which is the universe of forms, colours, qualities, time, space, all concepts and percepts whatever.

 

It is false to speak of realization. What is there to realize it? The real is as it is, ever. How to realize it? All that is required is this. We have realized the unreal i.e., regarded as real what is unreal. We have to give up this attitude. That is all that is required for us to attain jnana. 

 

We are not creating anything new or achieving something which we did not have before. We dig a well and create a huge pit. The akasa (space) in the pit or well has not been created by us. We have just removed the earth which was filling the akasa there. The akasa was there, then, and is also there now. Similarly, we have simply to throw out all the age long samskaras (innate tendencies) which are inside us. When all of them have been given up the Self will shine alone.

 

Same way we have built our temple in Nashville . The components to build it was already here we did not create any thing new . we just used the materials already here to construct the temple . The real inspiration or from this experience is  how we have our beloved sai inside the Physical temple we must make him sit In our heart which is the real temple and help each devotee who steps in the temple to get the same thought.

 

Whosoever submits to him will be borne up and never forsaken. “God and Guru are not really different; they are identical. He who has earned the Grace of the Guru will undoubtedly be saved and never forsaken, just as the prey that has fallen into the tiger’s jaws will never be allowed to escape. The disciple, for his part should unswervingly follow the path shown by the Master.”

 

Shirdi Sai Baba barely uttered anything and stayed in the mosque. On some rare occasions, He expressed Himself in a cryptic manner with the use of parables, symbols and allegories to make the point clear to His devotees. Here is just one parable of gold told by Him. Once, He conveyed the following message to one Madhavnath Maharaj through one of His devotees named Laxman Pradhan :

“I’ve got sacks of gold on a donkey’s back. Thieves have stolen them on the way. A hole in the ear has to be pierced only by the goldsmith. It is very difficult to pull on, in this naughty world. Tell this much to my brother Madhavnath.”

In the above message : ‘gold’ is the symbol of divine love and knowledge; ‘donkey’s back’ allegorizes those who do not realize the value of gold and are quite unaware of the wealth; even though ‘gold is kept on a donkey’s back’, it still would go on bearing the weight out of usual habit.

Sai Baba always taught His devotees to lead a normal life, discouraging ‘mystical flights’ and condemning ascetic excesses. He used to encourage very few to take the path of Sanyasam. Baba’s central teachings intended to awaken the mind of devotees to crucial existential issues – ‘Who gives ?’ ‘Who receives ?’ Baba advised meditation on the fundamental questions : ‘Who am I ?’ ‘Who are we ?’ Such a call was aimed at motivating and inspiring devotees to tread the path of ‘Jnana Marga’

Ramana Maharshi once said that contact with the Sadguru continues even after his physical death. The Samadhi of Shri Sai Baba in Shirdi today is speaking to and leading His devotees towards spiritual perfection.

Editorial Team

Sri Saibaba Temple Seva Committee

www.srisaibabatemple.org

12330 Old Hickory Blvd

Antioch TN

37013

615 346 9381