Means For Self-Realisation
"It is only when man is aware of his humanness then will he be competent to recognise his divinity. How, then, is to recognise his humanness? What is the means? Buddha undertook various inquiries to discover the Divine and came to the conclusion that it is only through mastery over his senses he can achieve this. Man has to make the right use of his senses for sacred purposes to realise his divinity." Sai Baba, SS, 2/98, p. 29
Buddha's Mission After Enlightenment
"After getting enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in Gaya, Buddha embarked upon his mission of preaching. Once two of his disciples were accompanying him. Buddha noticed that they were looking at some women who were bringing water from a river. Buddha chided them for their misconduct and expelled them from the Sangha. He said that while walking on the road the eyes should be concentrated on the road in front and should not go astray (Swami condemned the young men to look at cinema posters on roadside walls while going on bicycles.) Such actions are often the cause of serious accidents." Sai Baba, SS. 2/98. p. 32
Buddha Teachings
World Is Full Of Sorrow
"Forgetting the spiritual basis of the universe, man gets entangled in misery through his worldly attachments. It was out of recognition of this truth that Buddha declared: 'Everywhere there is sorrow. Everything is momentary and everything is perishable.' To consider the worldly things as permanent is the cause Of sorrow. If man recognises that world is permeated by the Brahman, which is all bliss, he will free himself from the cause of sorrow. He fails 10 recognise the divinity that subsumes the whole Prakriti." Sai Baba, SS. 6/96. p. 153
Ahimsa (Non-violence)
"Buddha declared to the world, 'Ahimsa Paramo Dharma' (non-violence is the greatest Dharma)." Sai Bab a, SS, 7/99, p. 169
"Among the teachings of the Buddha to the world, the foremost was 'Ahimsa' (Not causing harm to anyone). Non-violence is not merely refraining from inflicting injuries on others with one's limbs or weapons. Non-violence has to be practised with purity of mind, tongue and body. (Trikarana Shuddhi). There should be no ill-feelings, which is a form of violence. To cause harm to others through the body is also violence (Himsa). No one should be harmed even by speech. The speech should be sweet, pleasing and wholesome. All actions should be helpful to others." Sai Baba, SS, 6/96, p. 154
"Buddha declared: 'Ahimsa Paramo-dharmah' (Non-hurting is the Supreme Dharma). No one should hurt others by speech, action or in any other way. According to him that true righteousness (Dharma) consists in refraining from causing harm to anyone in thought, word or deed." Sai Baba, SS, 6/97, p. 146
"You should not hurt any living being. Help ever, hurt never." "None should be hurt or harmed by thought, word or deed." ^Sat Baba, SS, 6/2000, p. 179
Samyag-Darshanam / Samyag - Drishti (Right Vision)
"Buddha declared that the first requisite is Samyag-Darshanam (Having the right vision). The implication of this statement is that, having been bestowed with the great gift of eyes, man should use them for seeing sacred objects and holy beings. But, on the contrary, by using his eyes to look at unsacred objects and evil persons, man fills himself with bad thoughts and becomes a prey to evil tendencies. What one sees influences the feelings in the heart. The state of the heart determines the nature of one's thoughts. The thoughts influence one's speech and one's life. Hence, to lead a good life, the first requisite is a pure vision." "For transforming one's life, the first requisite is a proper vision. The eye (Netra) is comparable to a spiritual text and one's vision (Drishti) determines the view of the cosmos (Srishti). Hence, to acquire the highesi knowledge, one has to purify the vision. This means one should avoid seeing what is obnoxious. One should strive to see only which is sacred and pure." Sai Baba, SS, 2/98, p. 29
"Buddha laid emphasis on seeing good, thinking good, speaking good and doing good. Seeing all sorts of things is not good for anyone. The eyes should be used for seeing only what is pure, what is holy and what is edifying." Sai Baba, SS, 6/97, p. 146
"It is only when man has a pure vision that he can get rid of impurities in the body, speech and mind. It is this purity that can protect man from the invasion of the impurities through the eyes and the ears. Hence, the first requirement for every man is 'Samyag-Drishti'(pure vision). Sai Bab a. SS, 6/97, p. 145
"Buddha emphasized the importance of developing good vision (Samyak Drishti). Good vision leads to good thoughts, good speech and good actions. Sai Baba, SS, 6/98, pp. 449
Samyag-Sankalpam
"The second quality that is needed is 'Samyag-Sankalpam' (pure thoughts). Everyone should have pure thoughts. Only the person who has developed purity in vision can have purity in thoughts." Sai Baba, SS, 6/97, p. 145
Samyag-Vachanam (Sacred Speech)
"This was the first lesson Buddha taught. Buddha wandered all over the country in search of spiritual peace and liberation. After many years of inquiry, he came to the conclusion that the secret of spiritual wisdom was not to be got from scholars or by study. He realised that spiritual understanding can only come from mastery of senses. From developing sacred vision, man should proceed to Samyag Vachnam (sacred speech). Buddha declared that only sacred thoughts could lead to sacred speech. Buddha declared that the tongue should not be used recklessly to utter whatever one thinks. The tongue has been given to speak the truth, to expatiate on what is sacred and pure. The tongue has not been given to man to pamper the palate with delicious sweets. It is not given for talking as one likes. It is not to be used for causing displeasure to others. Nor is to be used for indulging falsehood. The tongue has been given to man to speak the truth, to be sweet to others, to praise the Divine and enjoy the bliss derived from such sacred speech." Sai Baba. SS, 2/98, p. 30
Samyag-Antahkarana (Pure Inner Consciousness)
"There are people who devote their entire time in reading all kinds of books, without trying to put into practice what they learn from such reading. What is the use of such reading? Buddha spoke out against scholarship unrelated to the good life. He carried out a great deal of study and met great men. He listened to many discourses. He realised that true knowledge could not be got by these means. True knowledge is derived from a pure inner consciousness (Antahkarana)." "Righteous individuals alone can build a righteous community. A pure mind is essential for pure thoughts, pure vision and pure speech. The country today has plenty of persons who talk a great deal and display book
knowledge, but do not practise even a fraction of what they have read and spoken about it."
Sai Baba, SS, 2/98. 30
Samyag-Karma
"Buddha emphasized goodness in action (Samyag-Karma). The mark of good action is harmony in thought, word and deed. When there is no such harmony, the action belies what is said or thought." Sai Baba, SS. 2/98, p. 30
"Everyone should do pure deeds. Through pure deeds, man is able to recognise his human essence." Sai Baba, SS, 6/97, p. 145
"Buddha laid down three rules for all actions. All acts done by the hands should be good. The proper ornament for the throat is truth. For the ears, the best ornament is listening to sacred lore."
Sai Baba, SS, 6/96, p. 154
Samyag-Sadhana
"Buddha went on to declare that good action is conducive to spiritual progress (Samyag-Sadhana). Good deeds constitute genuine spirituality. Mere formal worship or ritualistic practices do not constitute spiritual striving. These religious practices are good in a way. But they do not constitute spiritual Sadhana. True spirituality constitutes in the unity of thought, word and deed in all their purity and sacredness." Sai Baba, SS, 2/98, p. 30
"In this context, the meaning of spiritual striving should be properly understood. Essentially spiritual striving calls for the shedding of bad qualities and the cultivation of good thoughts. Spiritual Sadhana means cultivating good thoughts and undertaking good deeds." Sai Baba. SS, 2/98, p. 31
"Everyone should aim at 'Samyag-Sadhanam' (Achievement of the highest good). Saadhana means elimination of evil tendencies in man and acquiring good and sacred qualities True Sadhana is the eradication of all evils in man. Study of sacred texts, meditation and penance do not constitute the whole of Sadhana (spiritual exercise). To remove all the impurities in the mind is real Sadhana." Sai Baba, SS, 6/97, pp. 145 & 146
"Buddha prescribed five duties: good vision, good thoughts, listening to good things, good speech, and good actions. These five constitute true Sadhana (spiritual practice)." Sai Baba. SS. 6/98. p. 151
Samyag-Jivanam
"What is meant by 'living' (Jivanam)? It is not leading a worldly life attached to worldly pursuits. True living means making one's life meaningful by ideal actions. Man's life must be governed by idealism in action." Sai Baba, SS, 6/97, p. 145
"Buddha declared that when spiritual striving of this nature has been completed, there is Samyag-Jivanam (leading a pure life). This is how the five organs of perception (Panchendriyas) should be used to achieve the supreme goal of life. Good vision, good thoughts, good speech, good deeds and good spiritual endeavour are the prerequisites for a good life (Samyag-Jivanam)." Sai Baba, SS, 2/98, p. 30
"Buddha's emphasis was entirely on purity in every aspect of daily life. Purity in vision, purity in thought, purity in speech and purity in action." Sai Baba, SS. 6/97, p. 147
Samyag-Shruti (Listening To Sacred Words)
"When one listens to unsacred words, he can have only unsacred thoughts." Sai Baba, SS, 6/97, p. 145
Samyag-Bhavam (Good Feelings)
"When one's thoughts are centered on God, one's feelings, speech and actions get sanctified. (Samyag Bhavam, Samyag Shravanam = good listening and Samyag Kriya = good actions). This leads to the purity of the inner sense organs. Purity in thought, word and deed is the requisite for experiencing the Divine. Buddha recognised this truth and experienced bliss." Sai Baba, SS, 6/98, p. 150
Samyag-Samadhi Or Nirvana (Pure Realisation Or Liberation)
"What is meant by ' Samadhi' ? It means treating pleasure and pain, gain and loss alike. 'Samadhi', equal-mindedness, is 'samadhi'. To look upon light and darkness, pleasure and pain, profit and loss, fame and censure with an equal mind is 'Samadhi.' Buddha termed this equal-mindedness as Nirvaana" Sai Baba, SS, 6/97, p. 146
Good Company
"The four rules to be observed are - cultivate good company, avoid association with evil people, do meritorious deeds always, and remember what is transient and what is eternal. Good company does not mean merely association with good people. 'Sat' refers to the Divine. What is required is to seek the company of God who is the source of all bliss." Sai Baba, SS, 6/98, pp. 149 & 150
"Buddha's first teaching was 'Give up bad company. In his wanderings, Buddha used to take with him some young men. Some persons criticized Buddha, charging him with spoiling the young men. Buddha gave free rein to his traducers. He listened quietly to their accusations and left without uttering a word in reply. When the disciples asked him why he chose not to reply to the criticism, Buddha said that unanswered criticisms return to the critics who made them. By not getting excited over the angry words of a critic, one becomes superior to the critic. Otherwise, one descends to the same level as the critic. Bear no ill-will towards anyone. That is the golden rule indicated in the Gita. Buddha carried on his mission in this spirit of equanimity and tolerance." Sai Baba, SS. 6/96, p. 156
with metta
Anu
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