Issue 226 - April 25, 2021 |
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Sairam dear brothers and sisters,
It is our good fortune that in this human birth we have the company of God who is mercifully and benevolently guiding us at every step. Swami has reiterated to us many times that seva with love is the way for us to be able to experience divinity within us. With a heart full of love, how can we not but embrace everyone and everything around us?
While speaking to a gathering of volunteers, Swami once said, “The only way to get rid of ‘I’ is through service, service, and more service. Then, your ‘I’ will reduce, and ‘we’ will increase. Eventually, ‘we’ will disappear and only ‘He’ will remain in everything. You must start feeling God’s presence in everyone around you. That is when you will move from ‘I’ to ‘we’ and then from ‘we’ to ‘He’.”
Doing everything for the love of God and trusting that there is nothing to worry about as everything is part of the divine drama, should be a constant reminder to all of us.
Sairam
Bhuvana Santhanam
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ātmano mokshārtam
(Emancipation of one’s self)
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GOD MANAGEMENT
Communication – Easier Said Than Done
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The other important aspect of the methods that Baba employs to manage is communication. Though we all communicate, only a few do it right. The key to keeping any organisation together is timely and correct communication. Kahlil Gibran lamented, “Between what is said but not meant, and what is meant but not said, much of love is lost.” In the age and time that we live in, while the communication technology has put much advantage in our hands by making it swift and real-time, thereby dissolving distances, the human touch has vamoosed.
Baba has always mentioned, ‘no communication is miscommunication’. At the same time, wrong communication is a disaster. Dealing with scores of followers from different countries and cultures, hundreds of staff in tens of institutions, thousands of parents and thousands of students of all ages, and yet being able to communicate correctly is an art that we need to learn from Baba.
The most important aspects of communication as mentioned by Baba are:
· Timeliness
· The Choice of Words
· The Intention Behind
· Audience Appeal
Timeliness : It means taking time to respond and not react. Most of the time we react to the situation, but Baba teaches us to respond. He tells us to drop agression and adopt assertion as the way to put forth one’s point.
The Choice of Words : ‘sathyam bruyat priyam bruyat na bruyat satyam apriyam - Speak truth, speak pleasants words, do not speak the truth in an unpleasant way’.
The Intention Behind : Without speaking much even a word, much gets conveyed through the emotions that are expressed through the face and gestures. Therefore, the intention of the communication truly makes it more effective.
Audience Appeal : Baba’s next quality that never goes unnoticed is how He communicates according to the audience and connects with them effortlessly. Baba said, “When I am with men, I am a man; when I am with women, I am woman; when I am with with children, I am a child; and when I am alone, I am God.”
An excerpt from the book ‘God Management’ authored by Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai, Pg no.86, 87, 90, 93 and 96.
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My Story
The Most Beautiful Gift - Faith
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By Radosław Margielski
CEO, New Horizontes
Poland
My journey with Sai Baba started in the year 2008 with the book named “Sai Baba talks about relationships”, which someone had recommended me to read. The time when I read the first few chapters, I had many negative emotions emerging within me. Not because what I was reading wasn’t true, but those things were completely different from the western way of living. I couldn’t understand how it would be possible to live a life of that sort in these contemporary times. But deep within me, I felt that everything in that book was true and was portrayed in the most simplest way possible. After many years, I realised that it was Baba who had led me into the path of truth. I read the book few more times and every single time I was getting more and more fascinated by the wisdom which was spurring out of that book. I wanted to put all that was told in that book into practice, but it wasn’t so easy as we carry many habits, desires and attachments from previous births which were becoming hindrances in my way.
In 2008, I joined REIKI courses and one year later I became a part of the REIKI group. August 2011 was the year of my first travel to Puttaparthi along with a group of people. That travel had a great impact on me which changed some things in my life, but there are still many things which are work in progress. For the next few years, Baba was at the centre of my life and I placed all my challenges to Him and completely surrendered my life to Him.
During my visit to Muddenahalli in the year 2016, I was fortunate enough to get an opportunity to participate in two of the satsangs. After attending the first satsang my mind had its own questions and doubts which made everything look confusing. Fortunately, due to the compassion and mercy of our Lord, at the second satsang my mind was quite inactive as I was suffering with severe flu. While I waited for the darshan of Baba, in my hands i held a letter for Him and a japamala to be blessed for my mother. The most awaited moment had come and in the next few moments Baba was standing right in front of me. He took the letter from my hand, and I held the japamala in front of Him to get it blessed. He deeply looked into my eyes as He blessed the mala. For a moment the whole world stopped for me. I was stuck in the loving gaze of my Master. My heart just burst open as it had found the union with its Master. I felt like all the negativity was pulled away and thrown out of me and when I stopped crying, I started entering into a blissful state like never before. It was so wonderful, and I wanted the feeling to last forever. That very moment was the turning point in my life and the only prayer to Him was to keep me in His proximity and feel His presence.
Since then, I realised that all my habits, desires and attachments of the past were a burden for me and the time had come to give them all up. My whole life revolves around Him. Every single day, every single moment, I try to live according to His teachings. Since then I realised – ‘Do the best and leave the rest to Him’, it is just about having complete faith in Him.
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To help reach Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s human values-based education to the world, and to resuscitate the humanness of humanity, the Sri Sathya Sai University for Human Excellence launched a unique, first-of-its-kind Institute of Human Values, to offer tailor-made courses totally free of any charges, curated by experts from around the world. The Vision of the Institute is to make better humans in their personal and professional spheres, by making them more sensitive towards society’s needs and exploring ways of their contribution to society in a meaningful and selfless manner, thereby creating a sense of global citizenship and responsibility.
The courses will help an individual balance the inside and outside, while progressively being a better human being, that will ultimately help him or her unravel the true meaning and purpose in life.
Learning from the heart is spiritual awakening, Baba would say. The Institute of Human Values is the first step to help lead the world into the beautiful awareness of its heart – a heart that operates from the universal human values of Sathya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema and Ahimsa.
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The Super Consciousness also called as caintanya is said to be ‘aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān’ which means its is subtler than the subtlest and greater than the greatest. What does this mean and how does this apply? The same consciousness which permeates every atom of the universe is the working factor behind the buddhi and the mind of every individual being, maintaining the perfect balance in the entire universe simultaneously.
Therefore it is said, ‘satyam jnañam anantam brahma’. The consciousness is the only truth which is does not undergo any changes, it is aware and all knowing, and it is infinite.Yet it resides in the impermanent bodies. We can use tarka or logic to understand this phenomenon to some extent. Only after anubhava or experience one can have the complete knowledge of it.
Unnecesaary attachments and desires lead oneself to misery in life. In their absence, a person is absolutely free of all the sorrows and miseries. Distancing oneself from all that is temporary (world) and focusing on that which is permanent (God) will make oneself reach the ultimate destiny.
In the episode 20 featured this week, Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai expounds verses 20 & 21 from Chapter one, valli two (canto) of kaṭhopaniṣad which shades light on the subtle aspects to experience one’s true Self.
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INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE FOR THE WEEK |
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“God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises, leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself.”
– Jesus Chris
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jagat hitāya
(Welfare of the World)
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São Paulo
During the first three weeks of April, due to the prevailing situation and the various issues related with it, the Sai youth of Sao Paulo in an effort to continue service activities, joined hands with a local NGO which serves food in the Downtown area. Besides serving hot vegetarian meals to the under-privileged, the youth also prepared sandwiches which were distributed with much love and joy. Close to 200 sandwiches and almost 50 hot meals were distributed to the needy in the Downtown area.
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Alberta
This month, the Sai youth of Alberta distributed food packets in the Downtown region of Edmonton. Each food packet included butter croissants, orange juice, cheese and cracker sticks, Italian buns, sweet and chewy sticks, bananas and a water bottle. The youth have been working towards helping those in need by providing basic necessities such as food and water in their tough times. All the service activities are being carried out as per the COVID-19 health guidelines of Alberta.
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