Sri Sathya Sai Centres
Purpose
Sri Sathya Sai Baba, a highly revered spiritual leader and world teacher, inspired millions of people throughout the world to turn Godward and to lead more purposeful and moral lives. Sathya Sai Baba’s basic teaching is to practice unconditional, selfless, pure love in all aspects of our lives and activities. Sathya Sai International Organisation (SSIO) was founded under the inspiration and guidance of Sathya Sai Baba to help individuals and humanity as a whole move forward on the spiritual path.
The main objective of the Sathya Sai Organisation … is to help humanity recognise its inherent divinity.(Jan 6, 1975). It is established to translate the principles of love and nonviolence into daily practice.
Sathya Sai Baba, Prasanthi Nilayam, November 20, 1970
The Sathya Sai Centre is the basic unit within the SSIO organisational structure. The primary purpose of the SSIO is to promote in its members ever-increasing faith in God, along with the recognition of the inherent Divine Nature of human beings and all of God’s creation. The Sathya Sai Centre, consisting of members in a local community, is the principal instrument through which this goal is achieved. The Centre provides a loving environment that nourishes the devotion of its members by creating opportunities to study and practice the teachings of Sathya Sai Baba.
What is a Sathya Sai Centre?
The inspiration of Sathya Sai Baba’s example and message of unconditional love and service has resulted in the establishment of nearly 2,000 Sathya Sai Centres in 126 countries outside of India. The members of Sathya Sai Centres are united by a common bond – love of God, and a common goal – spiritual transformation, improving ourselves to eventually realise our innate divinity. Centre activities include the study of the teachings of Sathya Sai Baba and the sacred literature of all religions; group devotional singing, meditation, and selfless service to the community. The Centre programmes are compatible with all major religions, and membership includes people from all walks of life. The Centre also provides information about Sathya Sai Baba and His teachings in the form of books, pamphlets, and audio/video recordings, and it serves as a focal point for the planning and carrying out of community service projects by its members.
Centre Information and Activities
The qualifications for membership are to be an eager aspirant for spiritual progress, to have full faith in the name that the Organisation bears …, and to have won recognition as a good person. That is all the qualification needed; nothing else counts.
Sathya Sai Baba, Prasanthi Nilayam, April 21, 1967
The SSIO is an inclusive, spiritual organisation. There is no discrimination on the basis of sex, race, religion etc. Members move forward on their spiritual journey by incorporating Sathya Sai Baba’s universal teachings into their day-to-day life. Members come from all walks of life and all religions. There are no dues or membership fees, and donations are never solicited. An individual who is at least 18 years old may become a member of a Sathya Sai Centre after having become familiar with its basic guidelines and after expressing a sincere intention to practice them.
The Sathya Sai Centres bring together spiritual aspirants and help them along on their spiritual journey by providing them opportunities to derive benefits from various spiritual activities according to their own sincere spiritual inclination. The main activities of Sathya Sai Centres are classified under the heading of three wings: Devotion, Education, and Service. These activities correspond to the three main paths to self-realisation: devotion (bhakthi), spiritual wisdom (jnana), and renunciation of the fruit of action (karma). Though members may wish to gravitate toward a particular wing, they are strongly urged to support and participate to the extent possible in all the programme activities conducted by the Centre. The spiritually inclined member will then become a more vital, spiritually fulfilled member of his local community and sanctify his life by moving toward the goal of God realisation.
Sai Centers in India
During His lifetime, Sri Sathya Sai Baba established important centers (Ashrams) in different parts of India to act as Organisational headquarters for community service and spiritual upliftment. The heart of His Mission was the Prasanthi Nilayam Ashram established by Baba on His 25th Birthday in the year 1950. The next Ashram was Brindavan in the city of Bangalore in 1964, which acted as His second home after Prasanthi Nilayam, for nearly half a century. This was followed by Dharmakshetra (also known as Satyam) in Mumbai in 1968, Sivam in Hyderabad in 1974, and Sundaram in Chennai in 1981. In 1982, Bhopal was blessed with Shantivan, and in 1983, Guntur received Shanti Sudha. Sai Sruthi, the spiritual retreat in Kodaikanal, established in 1986 was special as He visited this Ashram with select students and devotees during the summer almost every year. The year 1999 witnessed the inauguration of two new centers – Sri Sathya Sai International Center in New Delhi, and Ananda Nilayam in Madurai. In 2010, Baba inaugurated Anand Vilas, at Shimla. Each of these centers is an architectural marvel, and exudes memories of the time He spent in those holy precincts. They continue to reverberate with His message of love and service to humanity.
