Pathways to God – Volume III by Jonathan Roof

Excerpts shared for educational and spiritual purposes with reverence to the author. This is a non-profit project dedicated to selfless service.

Desirelessness - The End of Mind - Chapter 3

A. The Mind: Captor or Liberator?

From the time we are small children, we are taught about the importance of education. Particularly, the importance of logic and problem-solving abilities are explained to us from a young age. In the modern world, the mind is enshrined as the source of scientific and technological progress. Modem culture, especially in the West, has held that the mind can be used to solve all problems. However, much of our success depends on how we use our minds. The mind can lead us toward spirituality, and even to the doorstep of Self-realisation, or it can drag us down into the pursuit of empty material pleasures.

“The Vedanta (timeless teachings of India) declares that the mind (manas) leads man either into the prison of petty desire or the vastness of spiritual opulence. If it involves itself with sensual pursuits, it drags man down into subhuman levels; if it seeks higher truths, integrated knowledge, unifying experience, the deeper reality, the more lasting joy, then it enables man to rise to the height of the divine.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 6, p.115

Mastery of the mind is essential in the quest for spiritual liberation. The mind is the key to Self-realisation. Turn the key to the left and the door is locked; turn it to the right and the door opens. A weak mind is controlled by the senses. A strong mind masters the senses and sees beyond them. The five senses are directed to the outside world and direct the mind toward external objects. But a strong mind focuses its attention within. When the mind focuses within, it yields to the intellect (buddhi). The intellect directly reflects the light of the atma. The mind is often compared to the moon, because it possesses no light of its own. The mind reflects the light of the atma, as the moon reflects the light of the sun. When the mind is polished like a clean and flawless mirror, it clearly reflects the divinity of the atma.

“The mind of man alone is responsible both for his bondage and for his liberation. The difference between bondage and liberation exists only in our thought.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Summer Showers 1974, p.12

The sights, tastes, sounds, feelings, and smells of the world easily engage our senses. The weak mind grasps these sensory objects and fails to release them, even when they cause suffering and bondage. A wise person trains the mind to pursue only lasting values. When we practice spiritual disciplines, harmful tendencies of the mind are curbed. Godly thoughts cleanse desires from the mind, allowing the intellect, and ultimately the atma, to control our actions. The rich man is one who has no desires. The poor man is one whose desires are beyond his control. Desire is the fundamental illusion. The concept has not changed since Lao Tsu stated it in the ninth century B.C.

“There is no greater sin than desire, No greater curse than discontent, No greater misfortune than wanting something for oneself, Therefore he who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.”

Tao Te Ching, Verse 46, Lao Tsu

The practices of dedicated action (karma yoga), devotion (bhakthi yoga), and spiritual wisdom (jnana yoga) all aim for the attainment of desirelessness as a primary goal. The path of action is effective only when duty and service are performed without desire for the fruits of action. Devotional practices are directed toward surrender to divine will and negation of personal ego. Without ego there is no place for personal desires to find a home. On the path of wisdom also, desire is overcome when the seeker understands the Oneness of all beings in God. When all are One, what can be desired that is not already a part of us?

Shankaracharya noted the tendency of the mind to create its own illusion more than 1200 years ago. He saw that the outward reaching senses prevented the recognition of inner truth, by holding the focus of consciousness on external objects instead of in the spiritual heart. The desire for sense objects creates powerful emotions and ego tendencies, which hide the subtle awareness of the divine light and bliss within us. Although the atma is ultimately the power behind the mind and senses, it remains hidden from us when we give in to desire and egoism.

“The sun's rays bring forth layers of cloud. By them, the sun is concealed; and so it appears that the clouds alone exist. In the same way, the ego, which is brought forth by atma, hides the true nature of the atma; and so it appears that the ego alone exists.”

Crest Jewell of Discrimination, Shankara, p.55

Desires foster ego. They support the delusion that we are the body, mind, and emotions. And when we succumb to the pull of selfish desires, we are caught in the delusions that wealth, fame, or popularity (among many delusions) can make us happy. Such delusions divert us from the goal of Self-realisation. In fact, the word 'moksha', meaning liberation, comes from the Sanskrit words 'moha' (desire or delusion) and 'kshaya' (destruction). Therefore, liberation results from the destruction of desire or delusion.

“The disappearance of delusion is the liberation all crave for. Moksha is the kshaya (disappearance) of moha (delusion or desire).”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 7, p.308

When the mind believes itself to be bound to a particular body and personality, it feels the need to compete with others and to acquire objects to enhance its status. Desire originates when we fail to control our egos and senses. The senses naturally reach out to enmesh themselves in the sights, sounds, and physical sensations of the external world. The outreaching senses create acquisitive desire in the mind. The teachings of the Vedas and the experiences of the saints and sages exhort us to search for divine consciousness on the inner path and not in the outer world. Desires hide the entrance to that inner path. The Buddha's quest for sense control enabled him to master ego and desires and to find the inner road to spiritual bliss.

“Buddha respected the teachings of the Vedas. He conquered desire and attained the high state of desirelessness.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sanathana Sarathi, August 2001, p.230

Desires, which are created by the lower mind's involvement with the senses, cause us to identify ourselves with the body. Believing ourselves to be the body, together with mind and emotions, we crave for ego satisfactions. We believe that our happiness is tied to the fulfillment of the ego's desires for wealth, prestige, education, beauty, and possessions. When the ego's desires are not satisfied, fear, worry, envy, and various other dissatisfactions are generated. Thus, as a result of uncontrolled desires, the mind creates the very cause of its own suffering. If we look into the causes of suffering, as the Buddha did, then we will recognise their origins in ego and desire.

“People are under the mistaken notion that they get happiness when their desires are fulfilled. In fact, happiness results not when desires are fulfilled, but when they are controlled. One can enjoy the state of bliss by controlling one's desires.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sanathana Sarathi, August 2001, p.228

When we are able to act with detachment, then we travel quickly on the spiritual journey. The aspirant who renounces ego and wrong desires progresses swiftly on the path to liberation. Developing broad vision and striving for the benefit of others, he overcomes self-interest. Active concern for others diminishes the importance of our own desires. Service to those in need grants greater satisfaction than the fulfillment of personal cravings. Aid to unfortunate brothers and sisters releases us from the tyranny of our own cravings. Undue self-concern pushes liberation away. If we remain unable to release the small self, how can we grow into the larger identity of the universal atma? Ego and desire walk hand in hand. To eradicate desire the ego must also be subdued.

“The state of desirelessness is really the state of egolessness. And what is moksha, or liberation, except liberation from bondage to the ego? You deserve liberation when you break away from the bond of desire.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Gita Vahini, p.247

Until illusory desires and attachments arc relinquished, the mind provides no opening for liberated consciousness to enter in. As long as the motion picture plays, we cannot see the screen upon which it is projected. So, we must clear out the clutter of distractions from already. The source and most basic component of consciousness is the atma. It manifests as blissful Self-awareness. That Self-awareness does not submit itself to examination by the instruments of lowerconsciousness. They are unable to perceive its illumination with their gross instruments. Atma dwells on a higher level than the mind (manas) or intellect (buddhi). The capacities of the mind and intellect are inadequate to analyse it. It is our most basic reality. But we cannot see it until we remove the dross of ego and desires that cover it.

“We talk of moksha. What is it? It is only giving up the anatma, the unreal. Suppose you want a tumbler (cup) of fruit juice. Unless you throw away the water already in the tumbler you cannot pour the juice in the tumbler. Similarly, unless you give up materialism, atmabhava (spirituality) cannot come to you. Moksha is not a distinct and different sadhana. It is only giving up unnecessary desires.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 11, p.28

B. The Lower Mind

In Vedantic parlance, when we speak of the mind we are usually referring to manas, the lower mind. The lower mind is conditioned by attachment to the body-mind-personality complex. These three elements together with the emotions, and 'I' sense (ahamkara) are identified with the ego. The lower mind is a tool for conceptual thought and problem solving. Ideally, it should serve as an instrument of the higher consciousness. However, it often arrogates unto itself the role of master. It demands that all personal objectives meet its defective rule of logic and ego ambition. Its judgment on matters of spiritual endeavor is usually flawed, because it remains unaware of the higher realm of spirit. In its attempt to foster the goals of the ego, it generates more and larger desires until it has ensnared itself in a sticky web of cravings.

“As the silk worm gets entangled and imprisoned in the cocoon that it spins around itself, so man too spins a cocoon of wishes around himself and suffers.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Upanishad Vahini, p.78

Sathya Sai Baba tells us that the mind is like a piece of cloth. And that cloth is woven from threads of desire. If one could pull out each thread of desire, the cloth would disappear. Similarly, when desires are removed from the mind, the capacity of the mind to delude and bind us disappears. Conquering desire requires us to look within and examine our experience. Do we really benefit from the mad quest to fulfill ever increasing desires?

Inner search is not a natural tendency for the outward directed senses, the mind, or the ego. Only external goals satisfy the ambitions of the ego, because the ego is bound to enjoyment of the senses. The ego views family, houses, cars, and symbols of wealth as the only objects that satisfy its cravings. But, in fact, the fulfillment of desires only creates new and greater cravings. Desire is like a fire that is never satisfied by the fuel brought to it. Added fuel only increases the size and heat of the conflagration. It is rare indeed for the satisfaction of a desire not to give birth to more and larger desires. Only in controlling our desires can we discover the freedom of our true unlimited being.

“The manas, or mind, is the villain; it is another name for desire; the texture of the mind is just desire, both warp and woof are desire and nothing else. If desire goes, the mind disappears. When you pull out all the yam from a piece of cloth, you have no more cloth. So too, pull out desires from the mind; it disappears, and you are free.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 4, p.85

In the current age, most people's everyday awareness is subjected to various degrees of sensory overload. The over-burdened senses prevent us from realising the presence of the atma. The events of each day engage us in an incessant play of desires and attachments. These desires and attachments often cause our minds to spin out of control. Until we break away from the demands of the lower mind and senses, we cannot experience inner bliss. As Eckhart Tolle observes. our thoughts, fears, and desires alienate us from the underlying truth of atmic Being.

“You cannot stop thinking. Compulsive thinking has become a collective disease. Your whole sense of who you are is then derived from mind activity. our identity, as it is no longer rooted in Being, becomes a vulnerable and ever-needy mental construct, which creates fear as the predominant underlying emotion. The one thing that truly matters is then missing from your life: awareness of your deeper Self- your invisible and indestructible reality.”

The Power Of Now, Eckhart Tolle, p.92

The mind hinders spiritual progress if it acts as a slave to the senses. Unless the mind controls the senses, the senses deluge the mind with never-ending desires. The senses reach out to objects of desire unless they are restrained by the intellect (buddhi). The mind is a wonderful instrument for analysing inputs from the outward directed senses, but the mind has little capacity to control the senses in the absence of the higher intellect. The mind analyses sense objects fairly well, but is unable to know its own nature. As the eye can see everything but itself, the mind is blind to its own limitations. The mind can point us in the direction of liberation, but we can only experience the atma on a level above the mind (manas) and even above the intellect (buddhi). In spiritual endeavour, the mind searches for solutions that cannot be answered by its logical tools. Therefore, we must realise from the start that the mind (manas) cannot provide experience of the Self.

“What always hides the atma is the mind. The clouds, which are formed due to the sun's heat, hide the sun itself. As long as the mind is there, one cannot hope to understand anything about the Self, not to speak of realising and experiencing the bliss of the Self. That state in which one is established in the Self at all times and under all circumstances is called "sakshatkara" - Self-realisation.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Indian Culture and Spirituality, p. 115

Like removing a cataract from the eye, removing desire from the mind enables it to see clearly. When sense objects are cleared from the mind, divine light from the atma shines unimpeded. The mind is a useful servant, but an ignorant and domineering master. If we are to open the door of liberation and recognise our inner divinity, we must throw off mental delusions. Those delusions cause us to believe that we are the body that we inhabit. Those delusions tell us that we are the ego that requires wealth, fame, position, and all manner of sensual satisfactions. Desires create and reinforce ego. They cause us to believe that we are separate from others. Ego causes us to compare ourselves to others and to compete with others, believing that they are different from ourselves. Desire prevents us from seeing ourselves as we truly are. Desire is the nature of the lower mind (manas).

“Moksha, or liberation, results from the breaking of the mind, with all its vagaries and wishes. You have to break your mind ( like a coconut) but how can you do it when the fibrous armor of sensual desires encompasses it? Remove them and dedicate the mind to God and smash it in His presence. That moment, you are free.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 4, p.109

Once King Janaka challenged the scholars and sages in his kingdom to teach him about the immortal atma. He announced to the assembled teachers, "In the time it takes me to climb onto my horse, one should be able to give me full Brahma Jnana (knowledge of the absolute)." The scholars were aghast at the formidable challenge. How could anyone possibly convey realisation of Self in such a short period of time? None of the sages who heard this challenge dared to propose a solution. They could only look at each other and shake their heads in worry about how to meet the challenge.

A short time later, the sage Ashtavakra entered the kingdom. He asked the scholars and sages assembled in Janaka's royal court why they were so worried. They explained to him their dilemma. Ashtavakra, however, was undeterred by the challenge. He approached the king and stated that he could accomplish the task. But first the king must come with him to a quiet and fitting location for spiritual discipline. Ashtavakra accompanied the king out into the countryside along a narrow road. When Ashtavakra selected a quiet rural setting, he first announced to the king that as his preceptor he was due an offering from his new disciple. King Janaka readily agreed to the condition and offered him anything he wanted.

Ashtavakra requested that the king give him his mind. Janaka agreed to the condition. So Ashtavakra told him to sit down in the middle of the road beside where his horse stood. Ashtavakra left the place and went back into the solitude of the forest. After some time, when the king and sage did not return to the capitol city of Mithila, some soldiers and ministers went looking for them. They found the king on a lonely road sitting on the ground beside his horse. The king had closed his eyes and was perfectly still. They could elicit no explanation from the King as to what had occurred.

Soon, the queens and ministers also arrived at the spot and still no one could obtain an explanation or even a word from the king. And so the members of the king's court went in search of the sage, Ashtavakra. They found him sitting quietly under a tree in the forest. He was unconcerned by their urgent pleas for an explanation, for he resided always in perfect peace. Ashtavakra was brought back to where the king sat in the road. He questioned Janaka as to why he had not responded to the enquiries of the ministers and queens. The king responded that thoughts, words, and deeds are associated with the mind. And he had given his mind to Ashtavakra.

The sage told him to mount his horse. By the time Janaka had seated himself squarely in the saddle, he had attained Self-realisation.

The story illustrates the role of the mind in aiding or hindering Self-realisation. If one is able to attain complete mastery of the mind, it will cease to be an obstacle to spiritual progress. When the mind controls the outreaching senses, desires, and even thoughts, then it is close to yielding to atmic awareness.

Janaka's practice of silent sitting without thought is similar to the process of sitting meditation in Zen Buddhism. By negating the mind's power to agitate direct perception. the nature of Self can be induced to shine through into consciousness.

“The uniqueness of zazen (Zen Buddhist sitting meditation) lies in this: that the mind is freed from bondage to all thought-forms, visions, objects, and imaginings, however sacred or elevating, and brought to a state of absolute emptiness, from which alone it may one day perceive its own true nature, or the nature of the universe.'

The Three Pillars of Zen, Kapleau. p.13

If the lower mind is left unchecked by the higher intellect, it tends to follow harmful paths into desire and self-doubt. Sathya Sai Baba tells the story of a man who was traveling about the countryside. One day, he took his rest under a great spreading tree. Unbeknownst to him, this was a kalpatharu, a wish-fulfilling tree. This traveler was very thirsty from his long walking and wished for a cup of cool water, which immediately appeared. This man was amazed by the sudden appearance of the water and thought to try another wish. So, he wished for a tasty meal and then a soft bed to sleep on. Both of his wishes miraculously materialised before him. Finally, he was almost satisfied. He just wished that his wife were present to witness the miracles that he had experienced.

When the man's wife appeared in response to his desire, he began to have some doubts about all of these miraculous manifestations. He suspected that perhaps this woman, who he took to be his wife, was really an evil ogress. When he thought that, he immediately realised that if she were an evil ogress that she would probably eat him. It all quickly happened as he imagined and the ogress quickly consumed him.

C. The Importance of Sense Control

The story of the wanderer describes the ability of the mind to compound its troubles through its own desires and imaginings. There is no end to desires and imaginings, since they originate from ignorance and illusion. To discover our true reality we must overcome the tendencies of the mind to bind and delude us. The primary way to avoid being ensnared by desire and illusion is to exercise sense control.

“The seer should not attach himself to the seen; that is the way to get free. Contact of the sense with the object arouses desire and attachment; this leads to effort and either elation or despair; then, there is the fear of loss or grief at failure and the train of reactions lengthen.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 4, p. 221

The first step in the control of desires is to regulate how we use our senses. The Buddha enshrined the principle of sense control in his Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path. He taught that man should guard his seeing, hearing, and other senses to avoid becoming entrapped in wrong desires, which lead to wrong action, and negative karmic results. Without stopping desire at its source, there can be little hope that the river of desire can be stemmed farther downstream after it has gained momentum. Once desire builds at its sources in the senses, it quickly creates bad habits and ruins character.

“If one is able to control his senses, even if he is a blind person, he will reach the destination of moksha or attain liberation. On the other hand, if one's senses are not controlled, even if he is the best of men, he will not be able to reach the divine destination.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Summer Showers In Brindavan 1973, p.137

To travel the inner road to spiritual peace and bliss, we must control our outreaching sight, hearing, and touch. Contact with objects of desire provides the fuel that stokes the flames of desire. The Buddha's Eightfold Path is essentially a plan for sense control. Sense control is the first step in ending the tyranny of desires that lead us into suffering. And although we must use our senses to navigate in the world, we do not have to let them run wild among the objects of desire. If we master our desires, we progress quickly along the path to liberation. Sense control automatically brings about control of the mind by the higher faculties. In fact, the fabric of the lower mind that binds us disappears when desires are rooted out.

“When a corpse is placed on a pyre, and when the pyre is lit, both the corpse and the pyre are reduced to ashes. So too, when the senses are negated the mind too disappears. When the mind disappears delusion dies and liberation is achieved.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 5, p. 174

To hear the inner voice that urges us toward Self-knowledge, we must first still the senses. When the senses are contained, the mind ceases to entangle itself in the world. ff the senses do not involve themselves in ego pursuits and objects of desire, the mind can free itself from the grasp of illusion. The simple step of sense control brings us close to the goal. As Sathya Sai Baba has said. "It is seldom realised how near is the goal of Self-realisation when once the sense organs are turned inwards." When the mind is no longer buffeted by the winds of desire, the flame of truth bums bright.

“Keep a lamp in a room with all its five windows open; the wind will blow it out, for the flame is swayed from all directions. To keep the flame burning straight, close the windows. The senses are the windows; the flame is the mind concentrating on the single purpose of God-realisation.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 4, p.232

The problem of desire is compounded if we spend our time dwelling on objects of desire. By chasing objects of desire seen on television, in magazines, or directly in the material world, we only increase their power over us. The very act of allowing the mind to revel in the senses makes desires more difficult to overcome. The acquisition of objects of desire only aggravates the problem by incorporating them into our ego identities. The more we experience objective gratification, the stronger a power it holds over us. Even in the ninth century Shankaracharya recognised this principle:

“Craving is intensified if we let our thoughts dwell upon sense-objects and seek temporary satisfaction in the objective world. In order to break the chain of recurring birth and death, the spiritual seeker must bum both these causes of craving to ashes.”

Crest Jewel of Discrimination, Shankara, p.84

Control of the senses requires that we break bad habits of indulging the senses. The destruction of bad habits is a first step in the task of self-mastery. Bad habits waste time and energy. They consume our lives and offer us little compensation. The mind must be directed by the intellect (buddhi) to choose the correct path of travel for the chariot of the body. The wise course is to choose a smooth and broad path without the bumps and ruts of bad habits. We arrive more quickly at the goal of Self-realisation if we do not explore each dead-end road of pleasure and curiosity as we proceed. If the charioteer (the mind) loses control of the horses (the senses), he endangers the vehicle (the body) and the passenger (the atma). So, the wise driver steers away from the ruts of bad tendencies and searches for the smooth road of wisdom. A good policy to start with is to give up sights, sounds, and foods that inflame the senses.

“An individual, who wants to attain Self-realisation and secure the vision of the Lord, should first give up bad listening, bad vision and bad food. From that day, he will have moved closer to his objectives.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Summer Showers 1978, p. 179

We must train our lower minds to serve us, rather than to lord over us. The higher intellect (buddhi) must exercise its power to purify and train the lower mind to be a fit servant. The higher mind uses the power of spiritual discrimination (viveka) to reign in the lower mind's tendency to chase objects of the senses. It is naturally difficult for the lower mind to submit to spiritual discipline, but with intelligence and steady effort we can control and refine its wayward tendencies.

“The senses are induced by the mind to move out and attach themselves to objects. Man must make the mind submit to viveka, or intelligence, which discriminates, and then, the mind will help him instead of harming him.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 5, p. 75

Sai Baba describes a clever ploy that has long been used in India to catch monkeys. Monkeys are naturally curious and have little control over their desires. One can use these very attributes to capture the monkey. First, one places a banana, nuts, or piece of fruit inside a large clay pot with a small neck. The monkey comes to examine the pot and soon finds the fruit inside. When the monkey reaches into the pot to grasp the fruit, he finds that he can no longer retract his hand. The monkey's hand, wrapped around the fruit, cannot be removed through the narrow neck of the pot. The monkey, being subject to his deluding mind, believes that something inside the pot has a hold on him. In his greed, the monkey is unwilling to let go of the fruit even to save himself. It is the monkey's own desire that traps him and allows him to be captured.

Similarly, our minds allow us to be captured by fear, attachment, and delusion. We are unwilling to let go of our small desires even to save ourselves from these mortal enemies. These very desires and delusions hide our own divinity from us. Even after many years of playing the game, we seldom learn the lesson.

As we grow older, our senses lose their keenness, perhaps as a warning to us to give up the mad quest of external objects before life ends. With old age, our eyes dim and lose focus. Hearing grows faint and yet we still strain to follow the call of the senses. We employ special glasses and hearing devices to aid us in the continued pursuit of objects of desire. We ignore the signs of graying hair and wrinkled skin in an attempt to hold on to the passions of youth. How then can we ever come to discover the truth and bliss within ourselves? We must be vigilant from an early age to control the senses, the mind, and tendencies, while we pursue atmic understanding. We cannot work on just one aspect of those disciplines at a time, while neglecting the other three. We must concurrently pursue multiple disciplines.

“One has to be cautioned against believing that the victories over senses, mind, vasanas (past tendencies) and the attainment of the awareness ( of the atma) can be one at one time. Parallel efforts must be made in all four from the very beginning.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sanathana Sarathi, June 1983, p.137

D. The Higher Mind

The lower mind creates its own world of attractions and dislikes, based on desire and ego. But, when the faculties of the higher mind control the lower mind, they lead us inward toward our real nature. It is not easy at first to change the focus of the mind. We suffer long and hard when we pursue objects of desire, until we ultimately realise the futility of pursuing external objects. We can never have enough money, power, or possessions to satisfy us if we do not control our desires. Death leaves us panting for more of those elusive rewards with our hearts still empty of true peace. So we must resolve to turn inwards and make a determined effort to know the truth of ourselves. We must seek out the source of peace, love, and truth. And if we persist in that quest, our efforts will be rewarded. The mind ultimately surrenders to the higher intellect when it encounters determined opposition to its stratagems.

“It is the mind that weaves the pattern called the "I" The way in which it establishes this ego and elaborates it into a multitude of shackles is called maya (illusion). The mind prompts the senses to project into the outer world of objects, for it builds up notions of pleasure and pain, of joy and grief and constructs a whole array of urges and impulses. It resists all attempts to escape into the eternal, the universal, the absolute. It protests when the individual is eager to become conscious of his identity with these; but when it finds determined opposition to its tactics, it surrenders and disappears.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks , p. 186

Everyone will one day dispel the darkness of ego by means of the light of Self-knowledge. When the flash of moksha illumines one's consciousness, shadows flee. Examination of our experience teaches us that lasting happiness is never won by the acquisition of material goods or worldly achievement. New goals and expectations arise as soon as the previous ones are attained. Like the trophies awarded to children, they do not long hold our attention and are quickly discarded. Soon another goal, a greater desire, appears before us to lure us farther down the road in pursuit of worldly success. The wise seek the light within, which alone grants lasting happiness. Until that light is attained, we must continue to search the inner heart.

“Ignorance can be cured only by knowledge; darkness can be destroyed only by light. No amount of argument or threat or persuasion can compel darkness to move away. A flash, that is enough; it is gone. Prepare for that flash of illumination; the light is there already, in you. But since it is heavily over laden by repressing factors, it cannot reveal itself. "The liberation from night", which happens when the light is revealed, is called moksha. Everyone has to achieve it, whether he is striving for it now or not. It is the inevitable end to the struggle, the goal to which all are proceeding.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 3, p.178

When we control the senses, the lower mind yields control of the consciousness to the higher intellect (buddhi). Over a period of time we come to see that the path to peace and truth lies within, not in the objective world of the senses. When we turn inwards, we may at first perceive that space to be dark and indiscernible. We are naturally unfamiliar with the shapes and patterns of that landscape. For we have not directed much light in that direction previously. But with time, as our spiritual eyes adjust, we discern a new and wondrous landscape. It is a landscape in which the river of peace flows below the mountains of truth. The road of dharma (spiritual duty) winds down to the shore beside the ocean of love. It is a land of freedom and unlimited horizons. So, as a first step, we must turn our vision away from the objects of the senses. In the Crest Jewel of Discrimination Shankara describes the path of sense control as the path to liberation.

“Cease to find fulfillment of your cravings in the objective world, and you will stop dwelling on sense-objects. Stop dwelling on sense-objects, and your craving will be destroyed. When all craving has disappeared, that is liberation. It is called liberation-while-living.”

Crest Jewel of Discrimination, Shankara, p.85

We must gradually seek to reduce the lower mind's wanderings. If it is held in check by spiritual discipline and control of the senses, it gradually yields to the intellect. The atmic light is subtle and pure. It is easily overpowered in an undisciplined consciousness by the rough objects of desire. When desires arc plucked out one by one, that is what is referred to as the destruction of the mind. This "destruction of the mind" does not involve any loss of reasoning ability or any reduction in our capability to perceive what is happening in the world. We do not lose the sense of who we are or forget our relationships with others. The destruction of the mind simply means that its ability to hide the truth is negated. It is a gain of peace and bliss in the heart; nothing worthwhile is lost.

“The waning of the moon is the symbol for the waning of the mind; for the mind has to be controlled, reduced and finally destroyed. All sadhana (spiritual discipline) is directed towards this end; manohara, the mind, has to be killed, so that maya (illusion) may be rent asunder and the reality revealed.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 1 p.111

The vision of Oneness that flows from control of the mind is a universal experience. It is not available only to followers of Eastern spiritual paths. The nature of man is universal; the same divine spirit animates us all. The atma is the same in all of us. In the middle of the twentieth century, the Christian mystic, Joel Goldsmith, was able to come to this experience through the path of inner search. He was born in New York City of Jewish parents. He was not influenced by Vedantic philosophy nor did he benefit from the use of Sanskrit words and concepts. But still, he arrived at conclusions remarkably similar to those of Eastern teachers about the nature of the mind.

“The mind is an instrument for something higher than itself, and that something is the One Self. When we come to the point where the mind is governed by the Self, we will be embraced in a peace that passes understanding.”

The Thunder Of Silence, Joel S. Goldsmith, p.65

To reach the state of atmic peace, the mind must be held in check by the higher intellect (buddhi). The intellect, which resides in man as his conscience, receives its illumination directly from the atma. The atma is the source of truth and bliss. The role of the intellect is to guide us along sathwic (spiritual) paths to purify our minds and hearts. Purity of mind and heart allows the atmic bliss within ourselves to shine forth. Atmic energy is filtered first through the intellect (buddhi) and then through the mind (manas). Ultimately that energy filters down to the senses and the body. As we begin to experience the bliss and peace of the atma, objects of the senses hold less attraction to us and the path becomes easier.

“The buddhi is very close to the atma and therefore well located to receive 90 percent of the atmic energy and illumination. The mind derives its power from the buddhi, the senses from the mind, and the body from the senses. In this process of the flow of power from the atma to the body in stages, there occurs a gradual qualitative and quantitative diminution of power.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Indian Culture And Spirituality, p.91

Atmic consciousness lies ever-present within us, but it escapes our notice because of the many distractions that pass through our minds. Thoughts regarding mundane worldly considerations overpower the subtle consciousness of the atma. Atmic awareness retreats to the background when the mind engages with the senses. It resides as the underlying witness, which observes but is not engaged in action. It is only perceived in the quiet equanimity of purified consciousness.

“This all-powerful atmic principle resides in every human being in subtle form. Man is not able to recognise this divine power because he is preoccupied with utilising his physical and mental faculties for the acquisition of wealth and worldly goods.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 24, p. 105

There is not anything new that must be acquired for Self-realisation. All the necessary knowledge lies already within us. The problem of spiritual disciplines is to remove the dross that lies atop our indwelling reality. The treasure lies there already, only waiting to be uncovered. Spiritual teachings only remind us of our Self-existent inner reality. Sri Aurobindo recognised the principle in the early 1900's.

“Nothing can be taught to the mind, which is not already concealed as potential knowledge in the unfolding soul of the creature. So also, all perfection of which the outer man is capable is only a realising of the eternal perfection of the spirit within him. We know the divine and become the divine, because we are That already in our secret nature. All teaching is a revealing, all becoming is an unfolding. Self-attainment is the secret; Self-knowledge and an increasing consciousness are the means and the process.”

Sri Aurobindo, Or The Advenre Of Concsiosness, Satprem, pp.173-174

Sathya Sai Baba also tells us that the Truth lies already within us. That truth only needs to be uncovered so that it may shine forth. Just as no torch or lamp is required to see the sun, so also, no external source is required for us to perceive the atma. Its own light illumines the sun. So also, the atma is perceived by means of its own effulgence in our consciousness.

“Everything is in you alone. All that you do by way of your effort is to manifest or give an outer expression to what is already inherent in you. So, even in the spiritual field, all the sadhana (practice) that you need to do is to remove the obstruction, namely, the ignorance that is preventing the manifestation of the divinity already present in you.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Summer Showers 1990, p.135

E. Renunciation: Freedom from Ignorance

Both renunciation of desire and wisdom to follow the spiritual path are required for success in attaining liberation. Wisdom helps us to control the senses by showing us the higher road to inner truth. It is very difficult for a person to give up desires without first replacing those desires with something more satisfying, permanent, and joyful. When one looks into one's inner truth, and finds there the eternal and immortal atma, the attractions of the body and ego recede in their ability to tempt one away from the path. As the bliss of atmic consciousness grows, the pull of worldly pleasures decreases. So, along with sense control we must employ spiritual discrimination (viveka) on the road to Selfrealisation.

“A bird in flight in the depths of the sky needs two wings; a person moving on the earth below needs two legs to carry him forward; an aspirant eager to obtain the mansion of moksha (liberation), the abode of freedom, needs renunciation and wisdom, renunciation of worldly desires and wisdom to become aware of the atma.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sutra Vahini, pp.17-18

The combination of renunciation and wisdom is detachment. It is the state of inner peace that occurs when the mind and senses are brought under control. With detachment, we can observe the world around us without the need to reach out and involve ourselves in all of its activities. Ramakrishna was a teacher famous for his detachment. He strongly denounced the pursuit of money and material attachments for his disciples. He concerned himself only with God, offering little regard for material objects. Ramakrishna had a famous saying about detachment. He said that one should act with unconcern for worldly objects to avoid the entanglements of desire.

“Sri Ramakrishna said that if you must avoid the sticky fluid in the jackfruit from contacting your fingers when you peel it, you have to apply a few drops of oil on them. So too, said he "if you do not want the world and its reactions to stick to you, you must apply a few drops of 'unconcern' to your mind.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 6, p. 100

Spiritual practice grants wisdom to discern between transient and permanent phenomena. When we examine the reality of sense objects, we perceive that each is a transient form and, like all forms in nature, is subject to change and disappearance. The store of peace and joy within us constitutes a far more valuable treasure. Renunciation does not require us to flee to the solitude of an isolated place. It does not entail abandoning our duties and responsibilities. Renunciation means detaching ourselves from the desire for impermanent objective pleasures. It is the nature of desires and attachments to cause us to feel pain and pleasure.

“People suffer not because of destiny but because of desires and attachments. If you have attachments to the things of the world, you are bound to experience joy and sorrow in alternation. Pleasure and pain are an integral part of the dual world.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Summer Showers in Brindavan 2000, p.198

One may live in the world without attachment, just as one could live as a hermit in the forest and still hold desire for objective pleasures. The former is a better test of our renunciation. If one desires fame or fortune, removing the body to a distant forest provides no cure. It only delays the day of reckoning. True renunciation and surrender grow in the mind. The tests of living in the world provide a better gauge of success in renunciation than removing oneself from the battlefield of the senses.

“Liberation means getting rid of bondage. Many people give up hearth and home, wife and children, property and possessions, and, escaping into forest retreats, pride themselves on their "renunciation." But this act of fleeing cannot be honored by that name, for such an act by itself cannot confer release when the mind still remains bound. The fundamental bond, which must be eliminated, is the bond of ignorance. Death is sweeter than the bondage that ignorance can impose on man. Cast away ignorance: you are free, liberated from all bonds that very moment. All spiritual disciplines have this liberation as their goal.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 10, p.88

Renunciation is not an attitude of uncaring. Neither is it indifference or self-centeredness. It means doing one's very best with love and patience under all circumstances - but without desire for the results. We should strive for the good of all. Still, the results rest in the hands of God. When we cease to seek worldly rewards, we can better serve others. When we focus on service to others, personal cravings no longer cloud our judgment. Inner peace grants satisfaction with the world as it is. Desire produces dissatisfaction with life. If we live in the world and overcome the belief that we are the body, we are well on the road to spiritual freedom. Body consciousness causes us to put our own needs and desires first; it is the fundamental ignorance.

“Man mistakenly thinks that wealth, a family, etc., are his bondages and that by severing connections with them he will be able to sacrifice everything and become eligible to attain this total liberation. But these are not the real bondage of man. His real bondage is his ignorance in identifying himself with his body.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 10, p.320

Our real choices in life are found in how we react to events. Our opportunities lie in the way we adjust our attitudes and nurture Self-understanding. That pursuit alone is truly within our control. We often hold little power to direct events. Liberation frees us from the shackles of worldly striving by allowing us satisfaction with things as they are. Ralph Waldo Emerson observed, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." We might just as well say, "Desire and judgment are in the eye of the beholder." We all react differently to objects and events based on our attitudes and experience. Two people may have quite different reactions to the same occurrence. Our reactions and judgments are ours alone. So, it is not just material objects that we become attached to. We also attach ourselves to our opinions and prejudices. We limit ourselves and define ourselves to be less than we truly are when we hold on to narrow and cynical views. As Joel Goldsmith notes, we experience less limitation if we do not judge or attach ourselves to objects and opinions.

“As you begin to perceive that mind is unconditioned, your thoughts never turn to the subject of good and evil. You are just living each circumstance of life as it comes along. This does not mean withdrawing from the world: It means being in the world but not of it, living each experience without trying to cling to it if it seems good or without trying to get rid of it if it seems evil. It is a life of non attachment to things.”

The Thunder Of Silence, Joel S. Goldsmith, p. 77

When we recognise that we are responsible for our own thoughts and experience, we realise that to change the world we need only change our own outlook. We can choose the thoughts that we wish to entertain in our minds. The beliefs that we hold in our minds are reflected back to us in the way we perceive the world. We may see ourselves as we wish to be, or perhaps as we fear that we may be. But in all cases we see through the glasses of our own prejudices and opinions. The colour of glasses that we wear affects how we see the world. If our vision is clouded with ego and desire, then we see with the glasses of dissatisfaction. But if we see with pure vision, we see a world of peace and beauty. When consciousness is cleared of desire and ego, only the perception of God remains.

“Purify and cleanse the mind so that wherever you turn, not only in the shrine, not only in the idol, but, in everything, at all times, you will cognise only God; then, the mind becomes your best friend, your most efficient instrument of liberation.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 7, pp.234-235

We must remember that detachment does not mean that we can abdicate our duties. We must still carry out our duties even if we remain detached from the results. We cannot use the excuse of non-attachment to dismiss our dharmic obligations. If we are careless with our karmic responsibilities, they will only return later to remind us of our failures. Non-attachment, or renunciation from the fruits of action, is not the same thing as inaction. Desirelessness cannot be equated with carelessness or irresponsibility. We must always act with care and skill in performing our duties.

“One should not be remiss in discharging one's duties and responsibilities. The proper fulfillment of duties is part of the spiritual discipline necessary for getting enlightenment.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 20, p.95

One who attains liberation does not become and idler, abandoning his duties for a life of leisure. The release of desire should not be equated with idleness. The liberated being continues to act for the benefit of others, but without desire for the fruits of action. He acts from the source of goodness, not from desire for personal gain. Atmic consciousness conveys direct perception of unity with others, and so that person continues to act for the benefit of society. The saints and sages act from love and compassion without desire for personal gain.

“Contentment will not make anyone an idler, remember. It is an attribute of true sathwic (spiritual) character. It will make the mind always turn toward the Lord. It will save you from the tribulation to satisfy the unimportant wants, catering to selfish needs. It will direct human talents toward efforts that elevate. The contented man will always be truthful and he will therefore be in constant communion with the atma.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Dhyana Vahini, p. 75

Contentment, based on renunciation of desires, enables one to use more energy and enthusiasm to serve others. When one is not consumed with worries, fears, and desires he retains more energy to help those in need. He can then act in the present moment, with full attention to the task at hand, and without undue concern for results. A contented mind allows divine energy to fill body and soul.

“The contented man will be fully sathwic; he will lead an inner life in communion with the atma. He can do any work without rest and without complaint. The waves of the mind, which sway in many directions, get a single aim. The rishis, bhikshus and yogis of the past realised the goal of life by means of the peace that came to them through contentment.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Dhyana Vahini, p.55

F. Small Desires

The harmful desires that are engendered by body identification and ego are a different issue than the simple physical needs of the body. Through the course of countless generations of human evolution, we have developed the needs for food, shelter, clothing, and some social life. These simple physiological needs must be satisfied to maintain the human body. However, the satisfaction of minimal physiological requirements should not become objectives in themselves. Undue catering to the physical requirements of the body should not take precedence over the quest for spiritual Self-knowledge. The reasonable desires to eat or find shelter do not constitute impediments to liberation.

“Of course, man can have some desires, some eagerness to achieve comfort, some attempt to earn content – but it must be like the diseased man craving for medicine. Food and drink, housing and clothing must be subsidiary to the needs of the spirit, the education of emotions and passions and impulses.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 5, p. 76

What level of desire can a person live with? It may vary depending on how strong and centered in the Self that individual is. An aspirant may hold resolutions to engage in various projects of social uplift, which are commendable. There may be feelings of responsibility to provide for the needs of family and society, which lie within the constraints of dharma. However, we must always remain vigilant to gauge our own tolerance for various types of motivations. Desires are like a wind that disturbs the surface of a lake. They make it difficult to see into the depths. And so, we must closely examine our reasons for action.

“Excessive desires degrade man. You cannot give up desires entirely. But there should be a limit to them. When they exceed the limits man goes astray. Desires are dreadfully dangerous. Today's enemy may become tomorrow's friend and vice versa. But desires are perpetual enemies. They haunt man ceaselessly.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sanathana Sarathi, May 1995, p.122

The desire to maintain the physical body enables us to proceed on the spiritual journey. Meeting the legitimate needs of the body does not pose an obstacle to Self-knowledge. Indeed, we must carefully maintain the body, since it is our only vehicle to cross the ocean of life. It is counterproductive to punish or mortify the body. As the Buddha learned during his time with the ascetics, we need a strong and healthy body to be able to reach the goal of Self-realisation. Starving the body or subjecting it to unnecessary mortification makes achievement of the goal more difficult. Satisfying the legitimate needs of the body does not create harmful ego tendencies. Ramana Maharshi noted this fact in the early 1900's.

“Small desires such as the desire to eat, drink, sleep and attend the calls of nature, though these may also be classed among desires, you can safely satisfy. They will not implant vasanas (tendencies of desire) in your mind, necessitating further birth. Those activities are just necessary to carry on life and are not likely to develop or leave behind vasanas or tendencies. As a general rule, therefore, there is no harm in satisfying a desire where the satisfaction will not lead to further desires by creating vasanas in the mind.”

Be As You Are: The Teachings of Ramana Maharshi, p.178

Even the person who directly perceives his Self-nature, and rises above bodily desires, still has some roles to play in the world. His dharma, according to his age and station in life, requires some duties from him. However, the desires that he entertains should be pleasing to the divine. His wishes should be to serve others and to serve the Lord with full devotion.

“Then what is the way to lead a desire free life? Lord Krishna has shown the way for this. He said, "Son, there is nothing wrong in having desires, but all of them must be pleasing to God."

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 32, Part 2, pp.62-63

Simply because one attains liberation, it does not mean that the body and its karma do not continue. However, with the absence of desire for the fruits of action, karma slowly bums off and creates no further trouble. Although some level of desire always exists as long as we maintain a body and an ego, desires gradually lose their power over one who has attained Self-realisation. At that stage of our development, desires command little power and run shallow. They disappear quickly and wield little influence over our actions. Sathya Sai Baba says that the desires of a wise person are like writing on the surface of water. The images disappear as quickly as they are created. The liberated person experiences desires, but they hold little power to influence his behaviour.

“In the jivanmuktha (the one liberated while alive), impulses persist, but as fried seeds only. They will not cause further births.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Dhyana Vahini, p.59

G The Desire For Liberation

Is the desire for liberation a desire that binds? No. Some self-styled pundits proclaim that the desire for liberation is a delusory wish, since our atmic nature lies already within us. That may be true, but without experiencing that reality we gain little satisfaction. We must engage in the processes of spiritual discipline until that goal is achieved in our conscious experience. It is true that the desire for Self-relisation exists only until that experience is gained, but the desire for liberation is not an obstacle to spiritual progress. The struggle for Self-knowledge is the one legitimate motivation that aids our transformation. Pursuing that goal with one-pointed attention is essential to its attainment.

“There are many who say that the absence of wish and will is the best. This is not so good as having one wish, more than all others; or, rather, "one wish" and one alone to the exclusion of all else. Even more superior is the person who has steadiness of effort, in realising that one wish. For he can promote not only his own good, but even the world's good.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Prasanthi Vahini, p.44

Many have argued that longing for liberation is unnecessary. They say that God knows what is required for the devotee. But like the mother, God only knows when the baby wants to eat when it cries. Shankaracharya addressed the point in the Crest Jewell of Discrimination. He expressed the opinion, as do most saints and sages, that the longing for liberation helps to precipitate the breakthrough to Self-knowledge. In most cases aspirants only break through the barrier of ignorance after periods of intense Self-enquiry. The importance of "tapas", the heat of intense spiritual practice, has remained an essential ingredient of spiritual endeavour since Vedic times.

“When Renunciation and the longing for liberation are present to an intense degree within a man, then the practice of tranquility and the other virtues will bear fruit and lead to the goal.

Where renunciation and longing for liberation are weak, tranquility and the other virtues are a mere appearance, like the mirage in the desert.”

Crest Jewel of Discrimination, Shankara, p.36

Liberation sometimes occurs suddenly in cases where an aspirant is engaged in intensive Self-inquiry. Such Self-enquiry need not be "religious" in nature. It may simply be an intense need to know the truth of oneself. The intense desire for Self-knowledge, or the desire to end suffering, such as the Buddha pursued, may be enough to launch one beyond the constraints of the mind. The desire for liberation is like a matchstick that produces sudden illumination. It is an instrument that results in its own destruction. The necessity of intense effort is noted by D.E. Harding, who realised sudden Self-knowledge after a period of intense Self-inquiry, while hiking in the Himalayan Mountains.

“It is the sustained earnestness, the do-or-die determination to get there anyhow, which is indispensable, and perfect purity of motive (which means absence of motive) is a counsel of perfection best forgotten till it comes unbidden as part of the goal itself.”

On Having No Head, Harding, pp.61-62

Until Self-knowledge is attained, our duty requires that we strive intensely for the goal. The heat of intense spiritual practice generated by steady effort is necessary to burn away impurities in consciousness. God expects us to work tirelessly if we seek the goal of Self-realisation. Moksha is not a prize awarded to idlers. In the 1970's when Dr. John Hislop asked Sathya Sai Baba why it was that most aspirants did not achieve the goal of spiritual realisation, Sai Baba replied, "Lack of intensity." Indeed, it may be only our earnest persistence that ultimately causes God to yield to our quest for Self-knowledge.

“Strive - that is your duty. Learn - that is your task. Struggle - that is your assignment. If only you do these, sincerely and steadily, God cannot keep back for long the reward of Realisation.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 13, p.202

At this point, a distinction may be required regarding the process of Self-realisation for the devotee as opposed to the seeker of wisdom. If sudden realisation characterises the culmination of effort for one on the path of wisdom, then perhaps another outcome is possible for one on the devotional path. As we read in our discussion of the historical question of sudden versus gradual enlightenment, Sai Baba stated that gradual enlightenment resulted from effort on the devotional path and sudden enlightenment from the path of wisdom. In modern times, readers are more familiar with the path of wisdom embodied in the intense disciplines of Zen Buddhism, than with the gradual path to Self-knowledge found in Hindu devotionalism.

On the devotional path, the desire for liberation may proceed in a more gradual and less intense manner. The devotional path does not appear to require the same degree of intellectual intensity required by the path of wisdom. The devotional approach to Self-knowledge is slowly nurtured through self-surrender. Nisargadatta Maharaj said that he experienced Self-realisation from his earliest memories. Perhaps he held an intuitive appreciation for the devotional path, when he said that the desire for spiritual awakening diminishes gradually as one approaches the goal.

“The desire for freedom, which arises in the heart of the seeker in the initial stages, gradually disappears when he realises that he himself is what he has been seeking.”

Pointers From Nisargadatta Maharaj, Balsekar p.95

Once direct perception of Self is attained, even desire for liberation disappears in an instant. One day each of us will experience that remarkable state of calm equanimity when, in an instant, all desires disappear. When that flash of illumination arrives, all shadows vanish as before the rising sun. In the end, even the desire for liberation ceases of its own accord. If one follows the more gradual approach of devotion that wish will also melt away in the fullness of time. Until that day one is best advised to concentrate intently on the goal.

“This means that even the purest of vasanas (tendencies), the craving for moksha or liberation, has to disappear in time. Only then can you become That. A shackle is a shackle, whether it be of iron or gold. One has to be free from both. That is to say, one should attain a stage when neither good nor bad will attract or repel.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Dhyana Vahini, p.59

H. Karma, Dharma, and the Gunas

To understand the nature of specific desires, we must look into their origins. We must learn to act based on spiritual motivations to help us overcome our past karma and ingrained tendencies. Inaction is not an option if we wish to progress on the road to Self-knowledge. So, we benefit by examining the qualities of our motivations to see that they will not accrue new karma.

Vedantic philosophy describes three main qualities of action (gunas). These are ways in which desire manifests in man. Each person manifests some combination of these three tendencies of action. They are sathwa (the spiritual), rajas (the active), and thamas (the lazy or inert). When we engage in action, we display these three qualities in varying measure. For example, if we spend much of our time sleeping and avoiding work, we may be primarily thamasic. If we are active and passionate in our pursuits, we could be described as rajasic. If we spend our time in spiritual activities and in the service of others, we may be primarily sathwic. However, at varying times we display each of these attributes. The gunas characterise our physical nature, specifically the motivations for our actions. However. these qualities of action relate only to the body, mind, and personality. They are not attributes of the atma, our inner reality.

The thamasic individual is too lazy and dull to be much concerned with activities of the world, much less concerned with searching for higher understanding. The quality of activity, rajas, has the capacity to help us make some effort toward self-improvement. But, that activity is generally characterised by pursuit of worldly desires. When we revel in worldly activities we usually confirm our mistaken belief that we are our bodies and personalities, rather than the divinity inherent within us. We only make significant spiritual progress when we act in a sathwic manner to investigate the divine basis of creation and of ourselves. However, when the goal of Self-realisation is attained even the sathwic guna is left behind. All three gunas are attributes of action, and therefore affect only the body, mind, and emotions -- not the atma.

“Conquer thamas (inertia) through rajas (activity) and rajas through sathwa (spiritual search), and finally free yourself even from the sathwa-guna though non-attachment. Only then can you reach the stage of Oneness with the universe. Guna means a rope, so sathwa-guna, too, binds. Oneness with the universe is the stage when man is fully free, fully awake, fully wise.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 10, p.330

The attributes of action influence how we spend our time. If we spend our time in good deeds and good thoughts, we progress toward higher states of consciousness. We can change our own nature only through action (karma). The word "karma" denotes both action and the consequences of action. Like a wave, its motion is inseparable from its substance. Actions result in consequences directly related to their causes. As the Biblical injunction says, "As you sow, so shall you reap." And so, our ability to progress spiritually is based on our ability to act on high motivations.

“By doing a bad act, you cannot expect to get a good result, and if you do a good deed, you cannot get a bad reaction from it. The kind of seeds you sow will determine the nature of the crop they will yield.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Summer Showers 1977, p.26

Even after one experiences Self-realisation, one must continue to act in the world. It is not possible to withdraw from action entirely as long as we remain in a physical form. But the realised soul generally acts without desire for personal gain. Actions performed without desire for personal gain do not accrue new karma. When we minimise ego and desires, we serve others from a spirit of compassion and not from selfish desires. The muktha (liberated soul) sees Self in all and so he naturally seeks to relieve the suffering and ignorance of others. The experience of Self-realisation enhances the performance of moral actions, not as a result of desire, but as a natural expression of that individual's divine nature.

“The jnani (one who has attained wisdom) has the highest moral character, after the illumination he has achieved. By the subjugation of his impulses and propensities to his cleansed will, and the subjection of his will to the ideal of goodness, which is God, he becomes the embodiment of dharma ( spiritual duty).”

Sathya Sai Speaks 7, p.285

Even after liberation actions continue for the body. When a carriage passes onto a paved road from a dirt road, dust continues to pursue it for a short distance. But on the paved road no new dust is stirred up. Similarly, if we travel on the paved road of desirelessness we soon leave most karma behind us. Actions performed without desire for results purify the heart and mind, making them fit for liberation. Although dharmic actions, performed without desire for results, help us to prepare for thatstate, they do not cause if. Liberation is a state of atmic realisation that stands beyond the reach of action. Our spiritual (sathwic) activities provide the right conditions for the mind to shed desire and ego identification. However, they do not specifically bring about the realisation of Self.

“Sadhana (spiritual practice) does not bring liberation. It only calms and controls the rajasic (active) and thamasic (inert) gunas (attributes). The sathwic guna has always the liberation desire. When the sathwic guna in man is in control, liberation comes.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Conversations With Sathya Sai Baba, p. 100

Spiritual activities prepare the ground for Self-knowledge by removing body identification. They help us to control our senses and to control the mind. However, our ability to overcome desire, and the attributes of action (the gunas), still depends on the grace of God. The grace of God is won through service to others, devotion, and meditation on the nature of reality.

“The capacity to overcome the gunas of prakriti (nature) is not inherent in anyone; it comes to one with the grace of the Lord. And that grace is won by japam ( repetition of the Name) and dhyanam (meditation).”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Dhyana Vahini, p. 30

I. Remove the Walls of Ego and Be One

Like sleepwalkers, we often wander about unaware of our reality. We entangle ourselves in events of the world, causing us to lose perception of the underlying truth of our divinity. As forgetful actors in a play, we have become identified with our temporary roles and have forgotten who we really are. During the drama, we laugh and cry with the other characters, as our destinies unfold from the divine script. We attach ourselves to the causes, fears, and sorrows of our roles. If we awake to see that this life is only a divine drama, we can relinquish our attachment to the role. When attachment and the deluding desires of the role are removed, we view events more clearly, without being unduly shaken by them. When we separate our identity from the temporary role, we witness events from the atmic perspective.

“The awareness of one being only the witness of everything is the secret of Self-realisation.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Gita Vahini, p.226

When liberation is attained, desires vanish. Suddenly, we are fully content to be who we are. We are happy to be where we are. When that state is achieved, we require no special external conditions for happiness. Then we know that spiritual bliss is found within our own hearts. There is no need to search for anything. The bliss of Self-knowledge causes us to be entirely joyful with conditions as they are. In that state we overcome body consciousness and access the natural sense of connectedness within. When we realise our Oneness with the Lord, then no room is left to desire anything else. As Sathya Sai Baba states, "The experience of identity with the Lord leaves no room for desires, while the feeling of being separate from Him engenders desires."

In that state of Oneness, the very anonymity and ordinariness of our daily life becomes a comfort. For then we enjoy inner bliss without being required to explain ourselves to others. There may be no outward sign of that transformation. The state of spiritual bliss is inherent in our nature. When we sweep away the overlaying sediment of desire, built around false identification with the body and ego, we experience our original state. Liberation does not entail finding or building something new that we did not previously possess. That attainment is a matter of removing falsehood to reveal the pure consciousness that has always been present within. Many people travel to India to see Sathya Sai Baba. Some of those travelers may get the opportunity to speak with Sai Baba. Some particularly earnest seekers have had the opportunity to ask Him for liberation. Sai Baba tells them to remove desire and ego to attain that goal.

“Liberation and ananda (bliss) are in your hands already, packed between the upper cover ( I ) and the lower cover (want). "I" means the ego; "want" means desire. Remove the two covers, the ego and desire. What remains is liberation, ananda (bliss).”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 9, p.59

The absence of ego and desire ends the ceaseless activity of the mind. Like the movement of the hands on a wristwatch that has not been wound, activity ceases when the energy in the spring expends itself. Similarly, when we add no new desires into our consciousness, our thought process slows to a rest. After all, what have all of our plans and desires gained for us? No objects that we acquire in this lifetime accompany us past our deathbed. The ego, personality, and all of our possessions, family, status, job, and beauty are forfeited at death. When material and spiritual desires cease, the mind loses its ability to cloud direct perception of the atma. When the mind is purified of desires, we experience spiritual freedom.

“How to destroy the mind? It is easy once you know what it is. The mind is stuffed with desire. It is a ball filled with air, like a football. Puncture it and it will not move from place to place. Nirvana means, without air.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 4, p.144

The term nirvana means "without air," perhaps to indicate that the individual established in atmic consciousness is unaffected by the winds of change. The wise person controls his mind, moderating reactions to external circumstances. Both the sorrowful and the joyful should be viewed with detachment. We should not invest too much of ourselves in the quest for worldly victories. Wisdom is attained when we dive deep, into the unchanging bliss of the Self, beyond the vicissitudes of the mind.

“No one seeks grief; all seek only joy. But those who know that grief is the interlude between two joys and joy the interval between two griefs will seek to attain the stage when they will not be agitated either by the fierce or the friendly storm! That stage of equanimity is the most desirable. It is what is called nirvana, when the mind is in perfect equilibrium, unaffected by the blows of fortune, good or bad. For he knows that he has no right to judge, whether what happens is good or bad, beneficial or maleficent.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sathya Sai Speaks 7, p.174

The correct way to overcome obstacles posed by the mind is to understand the mind's nature and limitations. Desires cannot be overcome by the stronger desire to vanquish all yearnings. The mind disappears of its own accord when we cease to pay attention to its antics. Absolute control of the mind is no longer necessary when we act from the higher intellect (buddhi) and from atmic consciousness. So, our first step must be to understand the nature of the mind.

“When the mind is absent, there is no need for control of the mind. Once the atma is experienced, mind control becomes superfluous. It is like the light of the moon fading in the presence of the sunlight.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Sanathana Sarathi, October 1992, p.246

When ego is removed, the false walls of separation between man and man are torn down. We find that we are not separate from others or from God. The same light shines in everyone. All are manifestations of I he same God. When ego is destroyed by the eradication of desires, we no longer see other beings as separate from ourselves. The state of atmic consciousness allows us to see the true unity behind appearances.

“You see the phenomenal universe, only as long as you have not crossed the threshold of the mind. Once you go beyond the mind, you will experience nothing but the Self. On reaching the sea, the river loses its individuality; its name and form and becomes one with the sea. So also, the knower of Brahman verily becomes Brahman.”

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba     Summer Showers I 990, p.125