Sathya Sai Baba. Supernatural Experiences and Divine Transformation. Book Three

Sometimes people came to the ashram with tremendous pride. We even joked that it was not Sathya Sai Baba giving them Darshan, but they were giving Sathya Sai Baba Darshan. Some thought that if they came to Sathya Sai Baba, then he simply had to do everything for them.

The way your life looks now is the result of your karma. Why do you think that someone, such as Sathya Sai Baba, should correct for you what was done by you? Of course, he was born into this world in order to help everyone who is open to accepting his help. However, your steps are always yours, and only you must take them.

40. "Resist not evil," said Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ said one should not resist evil. Numbers of people have tried to understand these strange words across centuries and discussions have not subsided. What can this all mean?

We are accustomed to the fact that good ultimately wins over evil. The struggle between good and evil largely shapes the life of our society. If we look at the history of any country, or in the history of any religious tradition, we find there are continuous struggles between good and evil. In this whole situation, it is curious that everyone considers himself the personification of exclusively "good," and his opponent exclusively "evil."

The struggle between good and evil also takes place in the inner world of every person. How then do we understand the teaching of Jesus Christ about not resisting evil? Non-resistance of evil can be summed up as simply not concentrating on your problems, as what you focus on is where your energy is directed. Therefore, do not resist evil because by doing so you become evil and strengthen it.

Instead, concentrate on doing positive and kind actions. This increases goodness. Fighting anger, you increase anger; showing love, you increase love.

The one who endlessly struggles with trials has no chance of becoming rid of life's difficulties because they consciously direct the strongest energy toward feeding the problems. Instead, focus on positive goals such as happiness and abundance, creative success and great health.

Once you focus on what you want to achieve rather than on what you want to get rid of, then your energy will be directed toward positive development. It sounds simple enough, but how often do people forget this great principle.

If you are sick and begin to constantly focus on the disease, you will not be able to heal because unconsciously you will direct energy to increase the disease. Instead, concentrate on perfect health; only then will the vital energy be directed there. It is about changing the paradigm and changing your style of thinking.

If you are focused on solving family troubles, financial and business issues, intellectual difficulties, then you will fall into a vicious circle of endless suffering and struggle. Instead, focus on building correct and harmonious relationships in the family, transforming and improving your business, finding the right information to solve intellectual issues, and discovering new resources. Start thinking in the direction of development and creativity, as this is what will transform your life.

If you perceive yourself as a representative of "good" and the other person as "evil," then you begin to deny the omnipresence of God. It is easy to say Divine Consciousness is present everywhere and in everything, but it is more difficult to embody this principle in everyday life. It is easy to accept the divinity of Sergius of Radonezh and Francis of Assisi, but it is more difficult to see divinity in the soul of bloody dictators and demons. Of course, there are people who have become the personifications of evil in our culture, but God still lives in the very depths of the soul of any demon.

In fact, absolute evil does not exist at all. What happens to some people is a temporary clouding of consciousness due to ignorance. Sometimes ignorance makes people forget their original divinity and gives rise to an ego that tries to satisfy its own interests at the expense of everyone around. The idea of fighting "evil" is also a product of an ignorant ego.

If you still think and concentrate on problematic situations, then do it exclusively with gratitude. Gratitude is completion. If you feel grateful for sickness, divorce, conflict, bankruptcy, layoffs, ruin, loss, and more, it means you have passed these life lessons and are ready to move on in your divine creativity of life.

Sathya Sai Baba incarnated in this world out of love and compassion in order to help everyone, but this does not negate the efforts of the person himself.

If your car breaks down, you can delegate the repair of the car to another person. If you have a toothache, you do not need to fill it yourself, you go to the dentist. If you need information, you can ask someone to collect the necessary information. However, there are things that you should only do on your own, regardless of your social status and financial capabilities.

Only on your own can you meditate; only on your own can you realize the divine nature of your soul; and only on your own can you follow the path of spiritual development.

In the Mahabharata and Ramayana, most of the acting heroes are kings and princes, but even for great kings, the process of inner realization can only occur as a result of independent spiritual work.

41. The Paradox of the Divine Plan and Free Choice

Sathya Sai Baba said that every person who comes to his ashram can come only because there is a divine will. Everyone who came to the ashram could come there only at the personal invitation of Sathya Sai Baba himself.

When I heard such words for the first time, I was extremely surprised. Millions of people came to the ashram; how could this be? I came to the ashram every year and it seemed this happened completely according to my desire. It seemed easy and simple. The thought never arose that in fact every time I came to the ashram was actually because it was part of the higher, subtle, divine plan.

What could be easier than buying a ticket to India, flying for a period of time, and staying at the ashram as my circumstances allowed. It seemed like it was my own choice.

There were many people who very much wanted to come to the ashram, but many obstacles prevented them from doing so. At the same time, there were people who could hardly imagine who Sathya Sai Baba was and ended up in the ashram, as if quite by accident.

One woman I know of was invited by a group of friends to go to India, to which she gladly agreed. On the plane she was informed that the group was going to see Sathya Sai Baba. The woman did not know who he was, and so her friends showed her a small photograph of Sathya Sai Baba and briefly explained where she was flying to. Sometimes, people got to the ashram in strange ways.

One of the most important paradoxes of human life is the interconnection of an omnipotent divine plan on the one hand and free human will on the other. The omnipotent Divine plan does not cancel the free will of a person, and as a result, the responsibility for decisions made and actions taken fall on the shoulders of each man.

Some of my acquaintances had the opportunity to go to India and see Sathya Sai Baba, but sometimes people thought there were more important things to do and so put off going to the ashram. As you know, what can be done today can only be done today, and then the next day comes and the opportunity is gone. It seemed to some they could easily go to Sathya Sai Baba in a couple of years, but life circumstances changed and the possibility of taking the trip disappeared.

In life, we are constantly met with the problem of choice and prioritization. Sometimes people put all their affairs and worries into the background in order to be close to Sathya Sai Baba, as soon as possible. Basically, it's a matter of priorities. If the most important thing in life is to see the Avatar, and if your priorities are spiritual development, then you are taking the right steps.

For the most part, people learned about Sathya Sai Baba from their acquaintances who had already been to India. Sometimes information came through books, and sometimes information about him literally burst into their lives in the most unusual and mystical way. Everyone reacted to their introduction to Sathya Sai Baba differently.

People who prioritized spiritual knowledge did everything possible, and sometimes, impossible to see Sathya Sai Baba as quickly as they could. For some, the immediate concerns of this life seemed more significant.

Sometimes people do not notice when a chance appears; as such, their unique opportunity is lost forever.

42. People saw Sathya Sai Baba in their dreams before they knew about his existence.

Several people told me stories about how they learned about Sathya Sai Baba through mystical dream experiences. There were cases when people saw him in a dream, not understanding who he was. Later, when they saw a photograph of Sathya Sai Baba, they realized this was the unusual Indian mystic who visited them in their dream.

At the ashram I met an elderly lady from Hamburg, Helga. She told me an amazing story about how she found out about Sathya Sai Baba and came to the ashram for the first time. Helga lived most of her life in northern Germany and was never interested in Vedic philosophy and meditation. She was a sincere Christian and performed daily prayers in accordance with Christian tradition.

One night, she had a mystical dream. In the dream, an unknown oriental man in a long orange dress came to her and invited her to come to visit him in India. Within the dream, the woman felt frightened, but at the same time, she understood she was sleeping and seeing him in a mystical dream. At that moment, Helga did not know who this strange oriental man was and where exactly he was inviting her to go. Right during the dreaming experience, Sathya Sai Baba took the frightened woman in his strong arms, and they flew away.

They flew high in the sky, flying fast enough to end up in southern India. Right in the dream, Helga visited the ashram. All the events of this dream were very real, and she felt everything as if quite physically.

Upon waking, the woman could not come to her senses for a long time. When she did, she tried to make inquiries about various contemporary spiritual teachers. The Oriental man who visited her in her dream was so unusual in appearance that Helga easily recognized him as Sathya Sai Baba, whose photo her friends showed her. There was not the slightest doubt that in the dream she had been traveling with Sathya Sai Baba.

A few months later, she was able to arrange a trip to India. Arriving at the ashram, she was shocked that she had already seen all the details of the ashram during the mystical dream. Thus, Helga was able to understand that mystical dreams, received with the blessing of Sathya Sai Baba, are not just fantasies, but absolutely real events taking place on a subtle plane.

When we consider such a case, there certainly is not the slightest doubt that the woman from Hamburg actually received a personal invitation from Sathya Sai Baba. However, it must be understood that not all people are invited through such supernatural events. For most people, invitations from Sathya Sai Baba come in the form of intuitive sensations and subtle inner spiritual insights.

A book falls into the hands of someone telling them about the life and philosophical teachings of Sathya Sai Baba; some, as if by chance, come to a lecture at which people who directly communicated with Sathya Sai Baba tell amazing stories about him. All these events may seem like a series of accidents. However, it is these events that cause a surprisingly subtle resonance in the heart.

Initially, it was necessary to have a blessing from Sathya Sai Baba in order to come and meet him, but the will and choice of the person himself played an important role. God gives you a chance. He provides opportunities and the doors of space open. Then, the choice is up to the individual.

Sometimes there are obstacles that need to be overcome in order to do something important in life. That is why it is very important to always prioritize correctly. You see a video or a photo for the first time, and suddenly there is a deep feeling that you are connected by subtle spiritual threads with a divine teacher and should immediately see him. Listen to your intuition and immediately start taking steps toward realizing your dream.

43. A Christian is one who follows the teachings of Jesus Christ

During lectures, Sathya Sai Baba often quoted from Vedic and Gospel texts. Sometimes he quoted texts verbatim, and sometimes he spoke about the teachings of sacred texts and gave free paraphrases, conveying the essence of the teachings. He easily moved on to the philosophical teachings of various world traditions, spoke about the teachings of Krishna and Jesus Christ, Zarathustra, and Buddha.

Once Sathya Sai Baba quoted words from the Gospel: “Addressing those present, Jesus Christ said that whoever wants to be his disciple must follow his teachings” (paraphrase of Mark 8:34). What simple and, at the same time, complex words.

After citing this wonderful saying of Jesus Christ, Sathya Sai Baba further noted that by practicing the teachings of Jesus Christ and acting in accordance with his instructions, we become true Christians. It was wonderful to hear these words from Sathya Sai Baba, who was not a Christian but was born into a Hindu family.

At all times, people easily and quickly create a cult of great spiritual teachers, but at the same time they are little interested in what is the essence of their teaching.

A huge number of people worship the images of Krishna, Buddha, and Jesus Christ. However, few people are interested in the depth of their teachings, and even fewer people try to embody these teachings in their daily lives.

What is the essence of the teaching of Jesus Christ? The only prayer that Jesus Christ gave to his disciples was a prayer to the Heavenly Father: "Our Father". This amazing prayer contains great philosophical meaning, in fact it is a formula for each person to engage in direct and personal communication with our Heavenly Father.

The teaching of Jesus Christ was that absolutely every person is a son or daughter of God. Initially, every person is a child of God, for everything in this universe came from God. But due to ignorance and conditioning, people forget their original spiritual connection with God the Father.

In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus Christ proclaims that every person has the right to call God their Father. By this, he emphasized that not only he, but every person can establish an equally close relationship with God.