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This brings us to the next step,
which is still only in its seed form. That is a revolution which involves
a massive re-education of mankind along spiritual lines. For us, this
revolution in consciousness is associated with Sai Baba and his wide-ranging
system of education with its emphasis on Education in Human Values. What
is this spiritual philosophy that is destined to make such a powerful
impact on the future course of civilization?
Sai Baba has declared that Man is the greatest of all treasures in the
universe and He advocates the inner inquiry into the true essence nature
of Man as the greatest of human pursuits, because it will lead to the
highest wisdom and the supremest joy that can ever be experienced. In
effect, this philosophy returns Man to his natural place at the center;
but the focus here is not on Man as a psycho-physical being but on Man
as the manifestation of Spirit itself.
The basic premise of this revolution in consciousness is that no matter
what one's circumstances and station in life, there is no greater gift
than being born a human being, for a human has the capacity to fully know
the Truth of himself; and when he knows his own Truth he knows the Truth
of everything else. And what is that Truth? It is that the Spirit as pure
Beingness, as pure Consciousness and Eternal Delight is the unchanging
basis of this whole Universe. And that One Reality known in the East as
Sat-Chit-Ananda, underlies all the changing forms and phenomena that we
experience through our mind and senses.
Baba tells us that if, instead of demeaning Man by separating him from
his essential nature, we value him as the great jewel that he truly is,
by emphasizing his noble qualities and encouraging these to blossom forth
in his character, and purifying him of his dark lower qualities, then
we find that Man’s world-view changes dramatically and he sees all
the phenomena of the World and all the ideas that make up the cultural
heritage of mankind in a totally new light. When our intuitive faculties
are awakened and our hearts are purified we begin to experience the Spirit
directly. We find it pervading everything there is, being all there is,
the only thing that has eternal value. It is the basis of all endeavors,
all ideas, all experiences, all feelings and expressions, all fields of
knowledge. We know it to be the underlying Reality that is the very basis
of all knowledge.
Once we are embarked on that road, we no longer separate our experiences
into secular and spiritual compartments. From that point on, all experiences
are spiritual because the Spirit is apprehended in everything. It is the
only Reality, and it reveals itself as an all-pervading Presence behind
the scenes, shining forth everywhere. Every human encounter, every experience,
every subject of knowledge, every process, every name and form, is seen
as a perspective of that one Reality. All are windows through which the
Light of the Spirit shines.
In our educational process we develop not only the intellect but also
a finer awareness, in which the Beingness that is the unseen root of our
phenomenal world becomes known to the purified and sensitized mind. Sai
said that this kind of education can take hold only in an integrated personality
where the springs of Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love and Non-violence,
are flowing freely.
We associate this level of Consciousness, where we become aware of the
Spirit present everywhere, with the universal bliss sheath, the finest
and most subtle of all the sheaths. Here the Unity underlying all diversity
is cognized directly as Ananda or Divine Bliss. Bliss is an intensely
subjective experience of unmitigating joyfulness. Yet such a subjective
term dealing with an intense inner experience is the only one appropriate
for describing the Universe at this highest level of subtlety, because
here it is no longer made up of objects or even ideas.
At this level the World as we know it has disappeared back into its potential
unmanifest form, all conflict has disappeared with it, and the experience
that remains can only be spoken of as unceasing joy and delight.
Here the individual self has turned inwards and has absorbed itself in
the True Self, the Immortal Atma. From here on, God, Man and Nature all
blend together, just as ice cream of different hues and flavors mixes
together and dissolves on the tongue, leaving a sweet taste of pure delight.
Once the Eternal Self is known then we are unalterably established in
God-consciousness. From that moment on, we realize that all there is the
One Supreme Reality, describable only as unending Beingness, Consciousness
and Bliss.
According to Sai, these are the three steps that lead to Man's spiritual
awakening:
First, the springs of Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Love and Non-violence
which lie hidden in every man must be encouraged to flower in his character.
By developing these we cultivate all the noble qualities that make up
a true Human Being.
Next, the Spirit which we know to be present everywhere illuminating everything
we call the phenomenal world, is now experienced directly in the purified
mind. In this regard we practice detachment and discrimination, and develop
our faith and devotion until the Spirit becomes our constant companion,
remembered in every phenomenon of our waking experience.
Then we are ready for the final spiritual ascent which is the culmination
of our journey, where we experience the Spirit directly as our own reality,
the Eternal Self. To reach this level we must purify, step-by-step, all
the overlying sheaths that have veiled our Truth until we finally discover
that the beloved indwelling Lord is our own Inner Self. And that Inner
Self is the one True Self of all. It is the same Spirit which previously
revealed itself to us as the joy we experienced in our discoveries and
the love we felt when we realized our connectedness with everything and
everyone in this vast World.
As we progress deeper into the spiritual path we find that the World appears
less and less objective and instead becomes a reflection of our own inner
view. As we spiritualize our outlook and Love becomes our unchanging inner
experience, then Love also comes back to us as our outer view. Nature
is but an appearance projected by mind onto the Spirit. When mind ceases
in its busyness then the Spirit which is the only Truth reveals itself.
Then the long dream is over and only the True Self, the pure I remains.
The explosion of information in this century which has made the Ancient
Wisdom of the East available to the common man around the World, the progressive
development in the philosophy of Western Science as outlined in this article,
and the urgency for a new world-outlook in the face of the threat of global
catastrophe, are all factors pointing to a unique opportunity in the history
of the Human Race for a great spiritual movement towards Unity Consciousness.
Now Sai Baba has Himself told us that the Divine Will has resolved to
bring all of mankind into the transcendent awareness of the Spirit. He
said, "Everyone must develop the higher values and consider himself
as Atma. To make known to all this Atma-Dharma is the mission for which
I have come. I will bring all people near me, for they are all mine, and
I am theirs. Then I will start teaching and training them until they become
completely ego-free. For many years it has been sweetness, kindness and
soft persuasion. Hereafter it will be different. I will drag them, place
them on the table and operate. It is my Love that prompts me to save them,
to open their eyes, before they get deeper into the morass."
We are the fortunate recipients of this promise made by the Divine Will
to rescue us all from the bog of worldly life and lead us back home to
the One Reality. How very blessed we are. For, the Divinity has come into
incarnation to oversee this last phase of our journey and struggle through
the long night of ignorance. Now this dark journey will soon come to an
end. In this journey we have occupied and discarded so many countless
forms without ever having known the one great Truth, which is our true
birthright, for it brings us back to our True Self. When we discover this
True Self of ourself, we also realize that It is all there ever was, It
is all there is and It is all there can ever be. It is the Absolute, the
Ultimate Divinity Itself, the Paramatma, the One Immortal Self, the One
in All.
OM TAT SAT
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