Who Are We? Perhaps by the grace of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba we can explore this question.  There are always examples in this world to draw inspiration from. Baba frequently refers to the animal kingdom to describe some of the positive traits that specific animals or insects have. Baba mentions the nature of the ant. When an ant discovers sugar, instead of consuming it, it brings it back to the colony to be shared by all. Can the ant grasp the reality of Baba’s teachings? Possibly or possibly not, but its nature is intrinsically dharmic. If the tiny ant expresses dharma, surely we as embodiments of divinity should be exemplary in living Baba’s teachings on dharma. Baba tells us clearly that Seva is the one aspect we must engage in. For many belonging to a Sai Center this opportunity of Seva is easily afforded. By Bhagavan’s grace there are so many service activities that are happening around the world. But what about those who don’t belong to a Sai Center? How are they to perform Seva? Perhaps one way is to follow one of His teachings. He says that if you can’t do any good at least don’t do any harm. But is this principle enough to express love for our beloved Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba? Baba says if someone is suffering, be compassionate. In this world how are we to do that? Baba says that He is the indweller in all beings! Perhaps instead of seeing a suffering person, if we see the Baba in them and relate to them as if they are Baba, it would be an easy and natural way to express love toward them and in so doing they would be uplifted. Acts of kindness are as limitless as the grains of sand on a beach. We just must be aware of the endless opportunities there are in this world to express Sai Love! ~ Carey Lubow

The Love of Light Having been trained in the art and science of photography, I am particularly pleased when Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba uses our much appreciated but little understood craft to illustrate His own Divine Teachings. ‘The body is the camera, the mind is the lens, the intelli­gence is the switch, and the heart is the film,’ He has said. This metaphor applies in many ways to my own life. When I am looking for these tools of my trade, several criteria must be met. The camera must be strong, tight, and able to withstand the rigors of constant use. I also must do my part in keeping it clean and sheltering it from abuse. If I care for it, it will serve me. If I neglect it, even by letting it sit on the shelf gathering dust, it becomes rusty, slow, and worth little to me. The lens I use is even more important. The finest camera is useless if the lens is clouded. The glass must be ground to perfection. The different lens‑elements must sit perfectly in line. It must be capable of gathering large amounts of light and focusing the image precisely on the film plane. The lens, too, must be protected not only from physical abuse, but from a bad environment, lest mold and fungus should creep in and mar its once good qualities. Yet the camera and lens do not a good picture make! The discretion of the switch must be brought into play. It is the ele­ment that begins to determine what our final picture will be. It must open at the precise instant, allowing the other elements to gather what is beautiful, and close just as precisely, so that unwanted blurs will not mar an otherwise beautiful scene. Last, and most important of all, comes the film. Kept fresh, pure and clean, it will hold an image of beauty for eternity. A stale or dirty film is useless regardless of the finest camera, lens, and switch. The film comes in various speeds. The fastest film reacts to the least light, though the image may be grainy, less refined. The slower films are slower to react. But the image, once formed, is the clearest of all. Each tone can be seen in an image of subtle beauty and grace. As a photographer selects and main­tains his tools, so, too, should our spiritual ‘tools’ of body, mind, intelligence, and heart be the very best, so that the light of love will make its most beautiful and last­ing impression. These tools are instru­ments for gathering the light. What is this light on which we continually focus? Can the light gathered and imprinted by the photographer further describe the light of God’s love? Baba has tried to illumine our often-cloudy minds with these words: “In order to see the moon, does one need a torch? It is by the light of the moon that one sees the moon. In like fashion, if one wishes to see God, it is by love, which is the light of God, that one may see Him.” When this photographer was a student, one of the most difficult concepts was that of light being invisible. ‘Invisible?’ I queried. “How can that be?” Patiently my professor explained that light itself cannot be seen by the human eye. It is the reflection of light by which the world is revealed to us. “What about the light of a flame?” I asked. I thought I had him stumped. “Be it a tiny candle or the mighty sun, what we see as light is the reflection of an in­finite energy bouncing off molecules in a state of excited motion.” “Then without light, we would cease to be?’ My restless mind continued to ponder. “Not only does invisible light create an image on a piece of film, but it also reveals cre­ation to us. It is in fact the fuel of all life. Yes, without light we would cease to be.” The Omnipresent light of love is the very substance of our life. Through it, all is revealed and sustained. “I am the light”, Baba teaches. Before creation, there was only Him. “There was no one to know who I am until I created the world,” He said. He created to reflect and thus reveal His Light. “I have separated Myself from My­self so that I may love Myself… I see Myself in you all.” We are the Divine Reflectors. The Light falls equally upon us all. Without light, of what use is a mirror? In the presence of light, the mirror becomes a light. Let two mirrors face each other, put a light between, and see. It becomes infinitely multiplied. “Love all, Serve all,” Baba teaches. Does a mirror choose when or upon whom to reflect its light? Let us be as const­ant and impartial in reflecting God’s Light. Selfishness means not reflecting the light that falls upon us. A life lived badly is like a tarnished mirror. We be­come tarnished when our rajasic and tamasic qualities dim the reflection of God’s Light in us. Satwic deeds are the polish, forever able to restore us to our original luster. The brightest beacons of God’s Light are merely mirrors reflecting His Omnipresent Splendor. The measure of light in a mirror is the measure of light reflected by that mirror. So, too, it is with us, the mirrors of God’s Love. Let our lives become a guiding light for others. This lesson was taught to me in a very special way through a photograph taken in the Puja Room of Mr. B. M. De, in Kath­mandu, Nepal. It was there that the Power and Glory of Sathya Sai Baba was first revealed to me. The photograph, taken during bhajan, revealed a light, invisible to those present, but through His Divine Grace, it was recorded on the film. It came in the form of a line, as bright as the light coming from the small oil lamp burning on the altar. From this

Baba the Indweller Sai Baba of Shirdi is renowned for almighty Power, Infinite Mercy, and Boundless Love. Most of the literature about Him is in Marathi wherein He is described as the Divine Incarnation who, out of His immeasurable Grace, pierced the barriers of physical space and assuming different forms, saved lives miraculously, protected devotees from calamities, cured diseases, kept off epidemics, and controlled the elements. I visited Shirdi often and I have instances of His Grace and timely help in difficulties. In fact, He once gave me darshan in 1948, when we were living in a small room in a chawl and had a very meager income. I was taken by surprise by His miracle. He made me hold out my palms in the form of a cup and down came the stream of holy water from His fingers. He then blessed our family with all prosperity and happiness and instantly disappeared. From that day we find ourselves above want and are a contended happy family. Whenever problems arise and difficulties crop up, we think of Him and the way is clear! Long before most of the devotees in Bombay had heard about Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the present Avatar of Sai Baba of Shirdi, it was an established fact that He was on a spiritual mission of giving solace to the distressed and leading the people of all castes and creeds steadily on to a path of righteous life, mental peace, and spiritual progress. Some fortunate families in Bombay who were caught in the Divine spell of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba used to visit Puttaparthi and come away with the precious gift of His Grace. Literature on the life and mission of Bhagavan passed from hand to hand and spread His message of sathya, dharma, shanti, and prema. The readers were convinced that Sri Sathya Sai Baba was the re-incarnation of Lord Shri Ram, Sri Krishna, and Sai Baba of Shirdi. By 1963 we, too, had an attractive photograph of Sri Sathya Sai Baba and read books about Him. Thus, the way was laid for our pilgrimage to Prasanthi Nilayam. All of us went for Bhagavan’s blessings on Guru Poornima of the year 1964 when He distributed amrita [ambrosia] to thousands out of a silver bowl that never showed signs of emptying. During our stay there and especially the interview, we were convinced of His Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence. In the course of the interview, He materialized a locket with the image of Shirdi Sai Baba on one side and Lord Krishna on the other and He presented it to my wife. We were astounded when Baba said to my daughter, “I know you are praying to me, during bhajan time, in the study circle in your institution.” How He knew of the fact that there is study circle in our institution and that she thought of Him there, He alone knows! On 22nd August 1965 in Prasanthi Nilayam Prayer Hall in His Divine Presence, with all the religious rights and the sacred mantras recited by the learned Shastris of the Veda Pathashala and the ardent assembly of devotees witnessing in solemn silence, my daughter’s marriage was performed. Bhagavan materialized the sacred Mangala-sutra of typical Maharashtrian pattern and performed the kanyadan Himself. It was the happiest and most fortunate day in our life. Our attitude toward Bhagavan became one of surrender, total and complete. We returned with the conviction that He is really the Indweller in the hearts of all. ~Mahadeo Mangesh PingeSource: Sanathana Sarathi, July 1969

Origin, Purpose, and Meaning Baba often refers to the apparent mystery of the Divine Being. No logical process can ever reveal this mystery even partially. Intuition and grace are most essential. During His own mission as an avatar Baba has demonstrated on innumerable occasions this mystery of the Godhead. He works in a mysterious way “His wonders to perform”. His Grace comes to us only when we ardently pine for it, often in a most unexpected way. How and in what manner this grace descends on us is difficult to describe. But there it is when we most need it, unmistakably and clearly. It comes as an anodyne to the bleeding heart to soothe and tranquillize, as a flash of understanding to one who has lost His way in the dreary desert-sand of frustration or ignorance, as a bright ray of hope to one who is filled with despair and broken in spirit, as a rush of the cool waters of ananda [joy] flooding and revivifying the wasteland of sorrow. This is the central mystery of the Supreme Being. Yet Baba assures us that this mystery need not worry us. Once He said: “Why do you worry about God’s mystery? Your business is to try to bring Him close to your heart and install Him there. But remember to keep this abode of God, your heart and mind, clean and pure.” To the pure in heart, the gate of Heaven is always open. God is unattainable only to those who have no faith.  But to those who deserve His Grace, he is so close, so intimate, so accessible. Mere effort without inner purity is of no use. It is more important to have inner faith than to toil endlessly in outward ritual and worship. Yet sadhana [spiritual discipline] is necessary. Meditation (dhyana) and namasmarana [repeating the name of the Lord] help us to focus the mind on God. They serve as an inner discipline, a means to strengthen the spirit. But to get lost in these outward rituals and do nothing to serve the world and our fellow creatures is only colossal self-deception. This is the real maya, according to Baba. To liberate ourselves from this is to undergo a radical transformation. That which is the core of our being—our real self—is more important than the outward “show” we put on. We are constantly in need of this inner realization so as to become “whole” men and women, rather than live as “divided” beings. A person who is fully integrated, whose thoughts, words and deeds are fully in harmony, is a happy person.  He suffers from no doubt or hesitation.  Right action becomes natural to Him. The Lord’s exhortation to Arjuna in the Gita was a call to this inner harmony or integrity.  The essence of the Gita really consists in propounding the technique of this inner “wholeness”. Moha [attachment] is maya [illusion]. Arjuna’s redemption was really redemption from this “moha” that broke up and shattered His inner being reducing Him to a creature frightened at His own self. Baba is often impatient with those who blame God for their difficulties and sorrows.  How often has Baba declared that the Supreme Being is a being of love and compassion! Sorrows and failures arise, not because of God’s anger, but because of our own actions. Man is free in nothing more than in the field of action. In one of the most thrilling discourses delivered by Baba during the recent Dasara festivities, He said: “Do not blame God for your ills. Thank Him that He still responds to your prayer in mercy and compassion. Otherwise, the burden and pain you must bear will be unendurable. You are the architects of your own lives in a true sense. You are no doubt baffled at the apparent injustice of things. But God knows more than you do. His vision ranges over the unlimited expanse of eternity—past, present, future. He can mitigate and often destroy the evil that one has accumulated through one’s recurring births. His grace can tear off the web of karma [action] into shreds. Man’s greatest duty is to earn this grace by true bhakti [devotion] and service to one’s fellow creatures.” In other words, it is only through real bhakti that the karmic bondage can be torn asunder. It is not God that fails man, but we who disown Him in our pride. When we are pure in heart, God accepts us. The key to mukti [liberation] is with us.  For man is a self-directed being capable of infinite self-development. He can attain self-realization. Only man can create values and attain inner transformation. This is the true meaning of life that it gives us endless scope for God attainment. ~H. S. RSource: Sanathana Sarathi, July 196

Dhyanadarshana – part 1 Following is a compilation from Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s discourses on the ‘Theory and Practice of Meditation’ by B. Srinivas Murthy What is dhyana Dhyana is a self-motivated, self-suggested, and self-induced state of super-consciousness. It is an aid to the attainment of higher alter­ed state of consciousness. The nature of mind If you think about an object incessantly, imagine its form vividly, remember it con­stantly, chant its name repeatedly, and brood over it passionately, it will make an indelible and everlasting impression on your mind. A mind capable of becoming insane­ly preoccupied with mundane ambitions will be equally capable of becoming magnificen­tly obsessed with spiritual aspirations. Just as a lovely form lures a voluptuary, a divine form enraptures a devotee. If any form of the Immanent Cosmic Self, Omnipresent Divinity, and Eternal Reality is constantly reflected upon, It manifests Itself as a thou­ght form, reveals Itself as a vision, and ulti­mately materializes Itself as a Divine Exi­stent. Man’s mind is an immaculate mirror. It provides an undistorted image of an object reflected by it. A mind polluted by profane thoughts mirrors the same profane thou­ghts. The human mind is a tabula rasa [clean slate]. It is naturally pure, amoral, and neut­ral. If it is exposed to evil influences, it becomes evil. An immaculate mind will be dehumanized by diabolical desires. A mind irradiated by the lambent light of divine love becomes divinized and sanctified. Such a sanctified mind becomes a radiant mirror of the Life Divine. What meditation means An ordinary human mind is perpetually preoccupied with mundane matters. It is eternally engaged in the contemplation of its environment. To attain a higher altered state of consciousness, this mundane mind must turn inward and concentrate its at­tention on the inner personal self. In other words, meditation is mental regression from extreme extroversion to profound introver­sion. The vast universe around us is in an eter­nal state of dynamic equilibrium. Our ex­ternal world is in a state of perpetual flux. All material objects, the ents and entities of this restless universe are mutable and transient. They have illusory forms and are evanescent existents confined to our spatiotemporal continuum. All worldly va­lues are purely relative and have no abso­lute worth. Meditation is the search for that noumenal reality that lies behind the phenomenal appearances created by our conscious sensations, perceptions, and con­ceptions. Five-dimensional personality of man Man is a microcosmic replica of the ma­crocosmic creation. His body is composed of panchabhutas or the five primordial principles of earth, water, air, fire, and ether. He is animated by five jnanendriyas or the five doors of perception represented by his eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin corresponding to the five sensations of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Our know­ledge of the external world is inferred from these visual, aural, olfactory, palatal, and tactile sense data. The human body is con­stituted by panchakoshas or the five subtle sheaths. It is energized by panchapranas or the five vital energies. The ever-changing, evanescent, and irrever­sible human organism composed of pancha­bhutas, animated by panchendriyas (five jnanendriyas assisted by five karmendriyas), constituted by panchakoshas, and energized by panchapranas is subject to decay, disin­tegration, dissolution, and death. Jyoti represents the immortal atman But there is an asomatic, immutable, imperishable, indestructible and supra-spati­otemporal subsistent that survives the dissolution of the panchabhutas, panchen­driyas, panchakoshas, and panchapranas. It is the immortal atman or the discarnate personal self. It is essentially a divine jyoti, a lambent light radiating the golden glory of God, the Cosmic Self. It shines with an everlasting and inextinguishable efful­gence. Let us take the example of a tank full of water. Let each person remove a tumblerful of water from the tank. The level of water goes down and the tank becomes em­pty. Let us also imagine a heap of sand. If each person removes a handful of sand from the heap, the sand disappears. Let us next consider the phenomenon of the eternal jyoti shedding its lambent light of love and divinity. It represents the im­mortal atman. An infinite number of jyo­tis can be lighted with the aid of the jyoti. But the brilliance of this primordial arch­etypal jyoti does not diminish. This ori­ginal prototype continues to glow with the same pure primal effulgence. It goes on gleaming eternally. Hence, a steadily shin­ing jyoti is the most appropriate form to be meditated upon. Ekagrata Ekagrata is one‑pointedness of mind. It is undivided attention concentrated on a definite form. It is the reduction of the span of attention to a single point. It is the convergence of all thought waves at the focus of attention. Many up­adhis or practical aids are available for the attainment of ekagrata. Contraction of the normal span of attention leads to deep con­centration. Likewise, expansion of the normal span of attention leads to diffusion of thought and the divergence of thought waves away from the focus of attention. In other words, ekagrata or one‑pointedness becomes anekagrata or many‑pointedness. Consider the example of a vessel filled with water. If the vessel is steady, the water in it will also be steady. If the vessel is, shaken, the surface of the water will be distur­bed by little ripples. Then, imagine a mael­strom in an ocean. The terrible waves thrown up by its deep whirlpools can wreck the largest steamers. The lake of the human mind The human mind is often likened to a lake. If the placid lake of man’s mind is agitated by turbulent waves of passions and ambitions, he becomes unhappy and rest­less. In a similar manner, frequent and undesirable bodily movements like changing postures or making gesticulations cause irreparable psychic damage to human perso­nality. They affect mind and body like the waves thrown up by a whirlpool. Young men endowed with robust bodies and ener­getic minds are likely to be excited by vici­ous thought waves generated by wrong post­ures and violent gestures. Body and mind interpenetrate each other. You cannot con­trol your mind without disciplining your body. Mind is disturbed by body move­ments Man’s body is interpenetrated with mind. Mind can be regarded as the embodied self. During meditation the body should be quiet, steady, and motionless. Then, the mind interpenetrating with the body can attain tranquility. If bodily postures change con­tinually, the mind gets

Dhyanadarshana – part 2 The following is a continuation of Theory and Practice of Meditation as compiled and translated from Bhagavan’s Divine Discourses by B. Srinivas Murthy  Meditation is Conquest of Mind The sadhana of dhyana starts at the lowest level of sense data. The way of knowing called sensationism is the most primitive faculty of living organisms. The organization of sensations into perceptions is known as empiricism. The generaliza­tion of perceptions into conceptions is known as rationalism. Intuitionism and mysticism are suprarational ways of know­ing. That is why indriyas (sensory and motor organs) must be harnessed by controlling manas (mind) that is their master. If the master is controlled, his ser­vants can be easily snubbed. Mind is vicariously response for the erratic behavior of sensory and motor organs. The sense data supplied by eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin impinge on mind that selects some sensations and then organizes them into perceptions and conceptions. If the mind is mastered, all jnanendriyas and karmendriyas can be conquered. Millions of soldiers are deployed in war. Each combatant needs not be captured and killed in order to win the war. If the commander‑in‑chief is captured the army will surrender unconditionally. A country can be conquered by capturing its king. Psychosomatic Relationship Manas or mind is the master of jnanendriyas or sensory organs and karmendriyas or motor organs. Hence, it should be first conquered in order to transcend our sensations and suspend our metabolic processes. Intelligent diplomacy is needed for the conquest of the mercurial human mind. It should be conditioned and disci­plined with the aid of spiritual practices. It should be clearly recognized that mind and body are normally inseparable. They inter­penetrate each other. Mind is an embodied form of the personal self. It is a unified structure of the energy of consciousness. It may be regarded as superphysical energy or paraphysical matter. It cannot express itself without the material medium of a gross physical body. It communicates with the external world through its five doors of perception. A disincarnate mind cannot have meaningful intercourse with the material universe. The well‑known psychosomatic phenomenon pertaining to the intimate connection between psyche and soma or mind and body is of supreme importance for spiritual aspirants. A subtle personal self manifests itself as mind in a gross human body, expresses itself in various ways, and communicates with other human minds or embodied selves. In other words, a material body is essential for the self-manifestation and self-expression of a personal self and its communication with other embodied selves. Meditation is not Self‑mortification Because of this phenomenal psychosomatic relationship, a sadhaka should always keep himself physically fit and mentally alert. An optimum psychosomatic euphoria is essential for maintaining steady and sustained spiritual advancement. The physical body should be neither pampered nor mortified. Mortification of the material body does not lead to intellectual illumination or spiritual enlightenment. Self­-mortification results in physical senility and mental deterioration. Mental equanimity cannot be achieved without physical eupho­ria. Hence, a sadhaka should avoid self-­torment and self-punishment. It is necessary to reiterate that the human body should be preserved like a temple of the living God. Life is Yoga The paramount importance of correct posture cannot be overstressed. You should always sit straight or stand erect wherever you happen to be. The mental equilibrium and physical discipline acquired through meditation should be transferred to every­day life because all life is yoga. A sadhaka should keep his body straight and his limbs supple. He should always try and sit straight. Wrong postures and awkward gestures debilitate the body and enfeeble the mind. Hence, a sadhaka should not bend his backbone and subject his body to all sorts of ugly contortions. A sound mind cannot be developed without a sound body. An emaciated, enervated and emasculated individual cannot do any serious sadhana. A sadhaka must be straight and supple like a reed. A correct and beautiful posture can be acquired by regular practice. A perfect posture facilitates meditation. Significance of Jyoti A jyoti [flame] is the most suitable object to be meditated upon. It should be a steady lambent light or a gently glowing flame like a candlelight or the flame of an oil lamp. A flame has profound physical and spiritual significance. The bio-psychophysical human body is in a state of dynamic equilibrium. Every person is surrounded by his own individual bio-plasmic aura. A flame is not a solid, liquid, or gas. It exists in the fourth plasma state of matter. There is a significant resemblance between the dynamic equilibrium of a human organism and a glowing flame, and between a bio-plasmic human aura and the plasmic state of a shin­ing flame. Meditation on a flame is tanta­mount to meditation on the bio-plasmic aura of the personal self-identified with the immanent and omnipresent Cosmic Self or God. A sadhaka should sit in front of a jyoti, relax his body, and fix his attention on its lambent light. Preparation for Meditation Gaze steadily at the gleaming jyoti before you. Stare at it steadily. Stare as long as you can. Then close your eyelids slowly. Visualize mentally the jyoti before you. Dur­ing this process of imaginative re‑collection and re‑creation of the previously perceived jyoti you should neither shut your eyes nor keep them open. If you keep your eyes open your attention will be distracted by extraneous sights. The span of your atten­tion will be extended and your ekagrata or one‑pointedness will become anekagrata or many‑pointedness. Your latent rajoguna will flare up. But if you shut your eyes tightly you will fall asleep. Squatting in front of the jyoti, fix your attention on its golden flame. Then begin to gaze at the tip of your nose with ball‑closed downcast eyes. From Attention to Concentration Your mind has a tremendous capacity and a gargantuan appetite for work of all kinds. It requires proper food for thought. There are various types of food. The most wholesome food for thought is provided by the divine pabulum of spirituality. Con­tract the span of your attention by making it one‑pointed. Then extend the duration of your one‑pointed attention until it becomes steady concentration. A slothful mind tends to become sinister. You might have seen a monkey tamer in your village. He exhibits his monkey at county fairs. He fixes a long pole