Ones of Divinity – compiled from the talks given by Ratan Lal (1918-2006)

THE ROLE OF PARENTS AND TEACHERS

Purity leads to Unity, Unity leads to Divinity

Bhagavan Baba has stated many times that, "Students are My only property." He explains that all those who wholeheartedly tread the path of spirituality are His students. The Universe is a Spiritual University. He lays great emphasis upon the responsibility the spiritual aspirant has in making an integral whole of thought, word, and deed. Similarly, it is important to note that reform begins· at home, with oneself. Stick to self reform, and social reform will take care of itself. Acquire strength by surrender, and one will find the surroundings improve under the strong assurance of being in the keeping of some higher Power.

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba emphasizes the concepts of Purity, Unity, and Divinity. Innocent children have these qualities, but as they grow up, they stray away from them. Great responsibility lies on parents and teachers to help children preserve their innate goodness. Grownups find little time to educate children on good manners and habits. Children become exposed to greed in society. They see fear and hatred generated by differences in nationality, race, language, and religion. No one guides them about the essential unity of all.

Sometime ago a young couple and their little child came to Prasanthi Nilayam from Bangalore. The young couple came to visit the speaker after the morning Darshan. They were quite amused that their little son, who was only two and a half years old, screamed, "Swami!" when Bhagavan passed by them during Darshan. This should not be regarded as proper discipline. Normally, no one should scream "Swami!" like that. Sit quietly and have His Darshan. Try to feel its impact. Let it radiate Divinity and penetrate our being. That is the purpose of Darshan. We told the parents that at this stage, they should try to prevent indiscipline and point out to the child that such behavior is incorrect. Do not look amused. If you look amused, the child will feel that what he has done is right. Starting from the age two, throughout the impressionable period, i.e., till about age twenty-five, children must be brought up in a disciplined way. In this way, their future would be better than what the future of young men and women is at present. This is one of the objects of the Avataric mission.

Bhagavan Baba lays great emphasis upon the role of parents in bringing up their children in a right and disciplined manner. He impresses upon teaching them ethics and codes of conduct that must be observed throughout their lives. He lays emphasis on the part that teachers, in schools and colleges, have to play in bringing up students. One can see how much time Bhagavan Baba spends on students of His own University. Why should He do that? He concentrates upon the younger generation in order to make tomorrow better than today. He ensures that the students are exposed directly to Divinity and that they learn the moral ethical way of life.

Frequently, Swami talks about spiritual practices for children.

Whatever one is-a Christian, a Jew, or a Muslim-one believes in a Higher Power. One should believe in oneself. One's essential Self and the Higher Power are not different. The Higher Power is generally called God. You can call it by any name you want. Now, in order to lead children toward Divinity, one has to believe in Divinity'. oneself. One should also want to turn the attention of the children towards Divinity. This kind of training should begin from an early age. Here is a story about a young individual. He is eight years old. He would not miss a Satsang. Would any other child. attend Satsang? That shows his inborn, latent tendency towards Divinity. Nevertheless, some have to be taught how to cultivate these inner tendencies by turning their attention from the world to Divinity. That eight-year-old boy is exposed to living Divinity. Not everyone gets the opportunity to be exposed to a living Master. If the opportunity is available, one should make use of it and be grateful. One has to reach beyond physical and mental games. So, since one must oneself understand what Divinity is, before thinking of one's children, one has to practice spirituality and transform oneself. Then one will be able to lead one's children properly. Then, gradually, their attention will turn towards God.

All religions prescribe rituals. What is the meaning behind performing rituals? In the beginning, not only children, but adults, too, resist performing rituals. They think it's only a formality. Rituals, as the mantras (chants with vibratory power) used in japa, are prescribed in all religions in order to turn your attention from the world to God. So we must ask our children to participate in rituals even if they do not understand their significance.

When the speaker was very young, in the fifth standard or even before, his mother used to wake him up at 4:00 a.m. and tell him, "Sit with crossed legs and meditate." Sleep was particularly delightful at that tender age. The speaker did not understand. what meditation was-what should one do, upon what one should meditate? At the time, the speaker did not understand why his mother was forcing him to sit for meditation. Now it is clear why she did that. Children must, first of all, be taught discipline.

Children like to imitate others-mostly people of their own age group or elderly people. If, in their own homes, they see their parents sitting for meditation, they, too, will automatically sit for meditation. If, in their own homes, they see people watching television, smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, or having other vices, they will learn them, too. A very rich family from northern India had a son. His father was very fond of drinking. In the speaker's presence, he offered his son a little alcohol. Ultimately, it was not surprising to hear that son died in a car accident, because he was drunk while driving.

In a similar context, a long time ago, Bhagavan Baba told us a story. In the good old days, in Bombay, there used to be a single big market where people would go to buy groceries. A woman, carrying a child on her shoulder, was on her way to the market. After a little while, she noticed that her sari has wet at the shoulder. She looked up at her child and saw him eating an orange. She asked him, "Where did you get this orange child?" The boy explained that a woman passing by had a basket of oranges on her head, "So I took one." The mother said, "Oh, you are very clever," as if he had done something brilliant, and she was thrilled about it. "See how clever my son is!" She said to people around in his presence. So, the son actually grew up with the impression that he had done the right thing.  Later on when he became an adult, he became a thief. During one of his thefts, he killed someone and was sentenced to death. Conventionally, a person about to be hanged is asked whether he has any last desires he would like fulfilled. The thief demanded to see his mother. The mother was promptly called for. As the mother approached him, her son slapped her and said, "But for you, this would not have been my fate today. I am to be hanged because you brought me up with wrong values."

Here is another example: many of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba's students, when they leave His university for the world outside, are highly appreciated for their integrity, discipline, and good character. Their parents, as well as the companies they work in, have full faith in them. That is the kind of teaching imparted in His University which unifies worldly teaching with spirituality. Divine Baba, in his various discourses, blames parents for the state of today's society. Parents teach their children bad habits. Teachers in foreign countries also do that. All over the world, college students go on strike because their teachers go on strike-except in the University at Prasanthi Nilayam. Here, by the grace of God, neither students nor teachers go on strike. That is the difference between the outside world and the people who are at the Lotus Feet of Divine Baba. That is why people choose to come here from faraway places.

Here all names of all Gods are recited and respected. This shows the tolerance and the expansion of love taught by Bhagavan. It is an answer for all. Parents have a great responsibility in bringing up children in the right way. If the parents are confused themselves, how can they bring up their children properly? We must teach our children human values. We must first teach them how to be human. We must teach not only children but everybody to be human. You say, "My language." Who are you, who says this is "mine"?

How can we give up attachment to the world?

Take less interest in it. Try to develop a sense of detachment to what is impermanent. You react to what you see. Do not have more faith in what you see than in that which enables you to see. Have more faith in the basis of all that is. Every morning, it is a very good habit to spend fifteen minutes in contemplating that which enables you to see. Good results will assuredly follow. Because of the present and past tendencies, thoughts persist. We should try not to complete the thoughts but cut them off and seek their source as they arise. In order to eliminate thought when you are meditating, ask yourself, "To whom does this thought pertain?" The answer will be, "To me." Then ask yourself, "Who am I?” Remain in silence. There is one more simple practice: When you sit in contemplation, your thoughts come and go. Witness them. If you witness the thief, the thief will run away.

How can one discriminate between a personal feeling and the inlier guru?

Impersonalize the person. Do. not have any personal feeling. Divinity is not a personal property, though it is always the first person. Do not try to personify it. It is beyond personification. It is beyond any limitations. If you limit it, it is not Divine. A tape recorder is a person's property. Divinity cannot be any person's property. The mind, however, wants to keep Divinity as its personal property. It looks to be a very good explanation, does it not? It is a game played by the mind. Try to forget the mind. Instead, observe it.

When a person advances in the meditation–process, do things also become purified?

When a person advances in meditation, then the "person" will not be there to ask these questions.

God + ego = man.

Man - ego = God

What is the difference between ego and mind?

There is no difference. Who wants to see the difference? Ego-mind. The mind thrives on differences. It does not want to experience oneness. It wants neither to get merged in God nor to realize its non-existence. This is what the mind fears.

Who observes the mind?

Looking at the mind, hy the mind, brings the mind under the control of the Self. What part of the mind is good?

No part of the mind is better than another. The mind has good and bad tendencies. Sometimes the mind is pure, sometimes it is active, and sometimes it is dull. Sometimes, all three characteristics of the mind–serenity (sathwa), activity (rajas), and dullness (tamas) – are harmonized. The mind keeps on changing its states. Whatever changes is not the Ultimate Reality. The Ultimate Reality does not change. Being permanent, it is not affected by anything. Only the mind is affected.

How do you define ego?

Ego is a reflection, a shadow of the Divine Self. It rises from the Self In order to sustain itself, it identifies with a name or form. It says, "I am Martha.'' It is contradicting the Absolute Truth. "I am" is Truth. "I am" means Being, Awareness. When one reacts to that existence or awareness as Martha, one is limiting the limitless existence. The Self can easily be experienced by oneself directly. During the waking state, one is running after somebody or something all the time, but one gives little time to be oneself. When one says that one is upset, it is actually the ego that is upset. One's True Reality will never be upset.

The purpose of Adwaita Vedanta is to turn one's attention away from creation and transfer it to the Creator. However, one is far more interested in creation than in the Creator. One has greed for what one sees, but one does not desire that which enables one to see. The object of Adwaita Vedanta is to make one realize that which enables one to see. There are so many theories about creation. One can study them if one wants. People believe that what one sees is direct perception. "I am seeing the earth." First the "I," the seer, has to be there. Ask yourself, "What is the nature, of the seer? Who is the seer?" Try to see the seer. Seek the seeker. Doubt the doubter. One does not do that. There is no reason for anyone to find out the nature of the seen.

Spirituality is to be what we really are, and not what we see. To see without eyes is not possible. Evert if one has eyes, without Divine Power those eyes cannot see. When one intuitively experiences the Divine Power, one will consider that intuition is more convincing than what one sees. One can see only because of the power that enables one to see. One cannot see anything without that power. The so-called "you" cannot exist without that power. The object of spirituality is to convince us of the existence of the ever-present Divinity, not to explain the nature of the seen world.

Swami has given a lot of emphasis on spirituality and human values application. Are the small changes in one's life due to human values, the way to spirituality?

Human values are very important because they make the mind steady and pure. Without steadiness and purity, no spiritual or moral effort can be made: Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love, Non–violence (Sathya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema, Ahimsa) – these are the five values on which Bhagavan lays emphasis. These five words have profound significance, more than people understand. Ahimsa does not just mean merely to avoid killing. It means· not to be violent in thought, word, or deed. Shanti means peace, not a passing peace, but Permanent Peace. Now we do not have peace within ourselves, and we are looking for it here and there. Prema is Love for all, not just love for our family, relations, or friends. Try to develop Love for all. When one speaks to people here, one is speaking the same thing to people from any part of the world. The subject does not change. Sathya, Truth, is unchangeable. That Truth is Love. People say, "I love my brother; I love my sister": these are attachments. Today, brother is around, tomorrow he may not be there. Before you were born he was not there. Real Love is only for God. You say, "I love you!" Who is that "I"? Who are you? All beings are names and forms of the same Divinity. Human values must be understood in a deeper sense. Dharma means one's duty or one's religion. Swadharma means Dharma or duty toward the Self–your Reality. Divine Baba tells us that we should try to see that our thoughts, words, and deeds are in harmony, that they are consistent. That will be the performance of our Dharma. How many of us can say that our thoughts, words, and deeds are consistent?