From tariqas-digest-approval@europe.std.com Sun Jul 7 07:14:16 1996 Date: Fri, 21 Jun 1996 20:12:29 -0400 (EDT) From: tariqas-digest-approval@europe.std.com Reply-To: tariqas-digest@world.std.com To: tariqas-digest@world.std.com Subject: tariqas-digest V1 #21 tariqas-digest Friday, 21 June 1996 Volume 01 : Number 021 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jawad Qureshi Date: Fri, 21 Jun 1996 12:17:52 -0500 (CDT) Subject: RE: Indian guru-busters expose godman's frauds (fwd) Salamz > Well, this subject has attracted "long" posts -- not sure I'm up to cut = > and pasting it all. There have been a number of documentaries done = > about the Rationalist movement which has made superstition a target. In = > part, I respect the work the Rationalists are doing, and maybe in the = > greater scheme of spiral growth, a lot of the chaff needs to be removed = > from the wheat in India. A beautiful way to describe this!! > Granted, it is a swing of the pendulum to = > another extreme, but India still embraces many extremes which remain in = > a mentality not too different than the European Dark Ages. This is very true. There are way too many people that are scammers and that live off of the simple life that people lead there. They have totally obscured the Truth and defamed it, which is the biggest tragedy in this whole story. > In the mid-80s, I directed a social service project in a graveyard slum = > in New Delhi, and connected to the dargah complex of Hazrat Inayat = > Khan. Many of the patients (I would guess about 90% Muslim) coming to = > the clinic had tuberculosis -- easily treated as long as people stick = > with the therapeutic regimen. Few did, after a few weeks preferring to = > go to the Sufi fakirs and phoney faith healers in the neighborhood to = > have a talisman made, or for blessed water, or magical diagrams on paper = > referring to djinn that the patient was to burn at a specified time. = > Our social worker who would seek out patients when they stopped coming = > to the clinic would report back that believed their illness was due to = > evil eye -- the fakir's diagnosis. Such cases were far more common than = > the exception. This is totally true. Now, we must ask: how many have died because of this brainwashing? How many lives could have been saved? More importantly, how mnay SOULS could have been saved in the next life? There are many things that are involved here, and the Rationalists in one respect are diong good, and in another they are complicating the issue further. > The Indian Rationalist movement is strongest in Bengal -- remembering = > that it is one of two states that have been most influenced and = > politically represented at the national and local levels by the = > Communist party -- and one can recognize an element of socialist thought = > in their activism and programs. In Bengal today, there is still a high = > number of poisonous snake bites -- again, very easily treated with an = > antidote if a person is taken to a hospital or any clinic. But, also = > again, most snake bite victims are taken to faith healers and eventually = > die. =20 They showed an instance of a "healer" healing a dog that they bit. Needless to say, the dog died, and the healer was made a fool of in front of the whole village. The healer repented for fooling the people, and embraced the Rationalists. > As for Satya Sai Baba -- I refrain from comment -- which is probably a = > comment. I too choose this path regarding him. > Blessings, Nur > Wa salam, Jawad. ____________________ "The Enduring One! You are the Enduring One!" The most helpless slave of al-Rahman al-Ghufoor al-Wudood: Jawad Anwar ibn Muhammad Anwar al-Qureshi ------------------------------ From: Nagaraju Pappu Date: Fri, 21 Jun 1996 10:14:22 -0700 Subject: Satya Sai Instutions (was RE: Indian guru-busters expose godman's frauds (fwd)) > >>This is of course a great thing that he's doing, but the quality of the >>education that they are getting must be looked at (are they being >>indoctrinated??), and since I don't know, I'll remain quite here. :> i have lot of friends who studied in satya sai schools and university. i can say that the quality of education is excellent, and no - they are not indoctrnated (in any special way). they are very hormonious people who understand their social responsibilities. most of them appreciate the rationalist movement, and agree that it is as much needed for the country as sai baba. they don't tear off pages from scientific journals just to prevent their classmaets from having access to information. is anyone surprised? this is very common in all the 'renowned' technological institutes of india. just one comment: isn't all our modern educational system nothing but indoctrination? we are taught to 'believe' in the law of gravity much the same way our ancestors were taught to believe in ghosts. what's the difference? how objective is the 'scientific objectivity'? for example, in the orginal post, it was said the tape exposes the trickery of sai baba. did we ever question that it could also be a 'sleight of hand' of the photographer? (i'm not defending sai baba here, just using this an example from the context) nagaraj > ------------------------------ From: informe@best.com Date: Fri, 21 Jun 1996 10:17:37 -0700 Subject: Re: Distortions in communication Jacquie writes: >1. ALL-OR-NOTHING THINKING >2. OVERGENERALIZATION >3. MENTAL FILTER >4. DISQUALIFYING THE POSITIVE >5. JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS >6. MAGNIFICATION (CATASTROPHIZING) OR MINIMIZATION >7. EMOTIONAL REASONING >8. SHOULD STATEMENTS >9. LABELING AND MISLABELING >10. PERSONALIZATION >Author David D. Burns, M.D. >Book, FEELING GOOD, the New Mood Therapy I can endorse this book as it has helped me and a number of my friends with depression and its consequences. However, not all people seem to be equally prone to this particular set of mental gymnastics. For those who are, though, I believe that it's useful to explore why we find ourselves backed into these mental cul-de-sacs with no seeming way out. At the risk of perhaps offending some here who feel otherwise, I'd like to suggest Don Richard Riso's book _Personality Types_, an introduction to the "enneagram of personality", as an aid to understanding the genesis of traps such as the ones listed above. In my experience, for lasting gains, it is probably not sufficient to become aware of the mechanism without studying the underlying sturcture - which study never ends, of course. But I would have to say that _Personality Types_ has done more than any other single text in helping me see my fellows as people with goals and purposes like my own, rather than frightening and irrational primates. Specifically, I would direct those experiencing cognitive distortions to type 5, and those experiencing depressive disorders to type 4. Those with WWW access can check out my old friend Shaykh Nick Turner's "Enneagram Pathways" web site at http://www.batnet.com:80/quist/ep/index.html. His snapshots of the eighteen subtypes in the Riso scheme of personality types is at http://www.batnet.com:80/quist/ep/ntwr/sub/index.html. In case you're wondering, I'm a 4w5 - down there between 4 and 5, but closer to 4. Hamza ------------------------------ From: Well333@turbonet.com (Jacquie Weller) Date: Fri, 21 Jun 1996 12:20:07 +0100 Subject: Miricles, trinkets, whatever... A miricle to me is simple and everyday things. The relief one has when one forgives another. Having a loaf of bread and peanut butter When you did not have food to eat. Knowing the comfort of a friend when you Are in pain. Seeing the joy of a child opening A small package of chewing gum. The Grand miricles are often ridiculed By scholar, scientist, the public eye, But who can discount Love inside. Kaffea Lalla ------------------------------ From: Fred Rice Date: Sat, 22 Jun 1996 08:54:56 +1000 (EST) Subject: Re: Distortions in communication On Fri, 21 Jun 1996, Jacquie Weller wrote: > 1. ALL-OR-NOTHING THINKING: You see things in black-and-white categories. If > your performance fails short of perfect, you see yourself as a total > failure. [...] > Author David D. Burns, M.D. > Book, FEELING GOOD, the New Mood Therapy This is an _excellent_ book, it helped get me back on track!! I used to do a lot of "all-or-nothing" thinking once upon a time.... ("I've got to get 100% in this exam, or I'm useless") -- setting yourself up for impossible goals, and believing you're useless if you fail in it is a good way to completely kill your self-esteem and fall into depression through bad thinking habits. Thinking like that didn't even help me study, strangely enough, because then I'd think "I'll never get 100%, what's the point of study? What's the point of life???" etc. I was doing this, and didn't even realize it was one of my problems till I read that book. Wassalam, Fariduddien Rice ------------------------------ From: Gale Date: Fri, 21 Jun 1996 16:38:47 -0700 Subject: RE: Indian guru-busters expose godman's frauds (fwd) - ------ =_NextPart_000_01BB5F90.ADBA07C0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Sorry, I see no truth to the statement below regarding Buddha, and even = Jesus, for that matter. Please read the Pali Suttas and observe how = Buddha repeatedly addresses himself against the brahmin elite and the = hierarchical structure of religious-supported casteism. Moreover, the = founding of his spiritual community was based upon a symbiotic = relationship between the monastics and the laypersons which undermined = the prevailing social structure. The Middle Way is a social reform as = well as a spiritual reform. Blessings, Nur > . Their worth is measured by the extent of the=20 > changes that occurred in _every_ individual that has been touched by = them. > Buddha and Jesus did not participate in social reform. - ------ =_NextPart_000_01BB5F90.ADBA07C0 Content-Type: application/ms-tnef Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64 eJ8+Ii8XAQaQCAAEAAAAAAABAAEAAQeQBgAIAAAA5AQAAAAAAADoAAENgAQAAgAAAAIAAgABBJAG ACgBAAABAAAADAAAAAMAADADAAAACwAPDgAAAAACAf8PAQAAAEsAAAAAAAAAgSsfpL6jEBmdbgDd AQ9UAgAAAAB0YXJpcWFzQGV1cm9wZS5zdGQuY29tAFNNVFAAdGFyaXFhc0BldXJvcGUuc3RkLmNv bQAAHgACMAEAAAAFAAAAU01UUAAAAAAeAAMwAQAAABcAAAB0YXJpcWFzQGV1cm9wZS5zdGQuY29t AAADABUMAQAAAAMA/g8GAAAAHgABMAEAAAAZAAAAJ3RhcmlxYXNAZXVyb3BlLnN0ZC5jb20nAAAA AAIBCzABAAAAHAAAAFNNVFA6VEFSSVFBU0BFVVJPUEUuU1RELkNPTQADAAA5AAAAAAsAQDoBAAAA AgH2DwEAAAAEAAAAAAAAA+o4AQiABwAYAAAASVBNLk1pY3Jvc29mdCBNYWlsLk5vdGUAMQgBBIAB ADUAAABSRTogSW5kaWFuIGd1cnUtYnVzdGVycyBleHBvc2UgZ29kbWFuJ3MgZnJhdWRzIChmd2Qp AJcSAQWAAwAOAAAAzAcGABUAEAAmAC8ABQBYAQEggAMADgAAAMwHBgAVABAAHwAXAAUAOQEBCYAB ACEAAAA4OUM5MEREQjgwQ0JDRjExOTlERTQ0NDU1MzU0MDAwMAAcBwEDkAYAnAQAABIAAAALACMA AAAAAAMAJgAAAAAACwApAAAAAAADADYAAAAAAEAAOQAAAd7Kyl+7AR4AcAABAAAANQAAAFJFOiBJ bmRpYW4gZ3VydS1idXN0ZXJzIGV4cG9zZSBnb2RtYW4ncyBmcmF1ZHMgKGZ3ZCkAAAAAAgFxAAEA AAAWAAAAAbtfysre2w3JisuAEc+Z3kRFU1QAAAAAHgAeDAEAAAAFAAAAU01UUAAAAAAeAB8MAQAA ABIAAABnYWxlQHNpbmV3YXZlLmNvbQAAAAMABhBbYuSRAwAHEEgCAAAeAAgQAQAAAGUAAABTT1JS WSxJU0VFTk9UUlVUSFRPVEhFU1RBVEVNRU5UQkVMT1dSRUdBUkRJTkdCVURESEEsQU5ERVZFTkpF U1VTLEZPUlRIQVRNQVRURVJQTEVBU0VSRUFEVEhFUEFMSVNVVFRBAAAAAAIBCRABAAAAAgMAAP4C AABWBAAATFpGdbqIiDD/AAoBDwIVAqgF6wKDAFAC8gkCAGNoCsBzZXQyNwYABsMCgzIDxQIAcHJC cRHic3RlbQKDM/cC5AcTAoM0A0UTNQdtAoAufQqACM8J2TsYPzI1HjUCgAqBDbELYG5nMbwwMxRQ CwoVYQvyYwBBBmIGAAWwcnksIEkCIBGwZSBubyB0sHJ1dGgeMB4haB3wnRPAYRPRCfAFQGJlF9Ab B+AYQGcLEQuAZyBCOHVkZBGAHZAAcGQgJGV2CfAgSgeQdXPfHZACEAXAHnAfMCAAwAJAAQSQLiAg UGxlYVsRsCABYSFQHtJQB0BpnwYAHmABkAQgITJvYhGwcnIhgCBoH+EgtCABcOMjcBPQZGx5ISAg 0BhAmwQQB5FoB3ARsGxmISAPIDALgBPAHsNicmFo/m0LgCFgJHAT0CEjHtIn0OcEkArAEXBpYwdA HwEeUOxjdAhwHfBvKDAYQCRwJGdpCGBzLSHgcHC7F+EJgCArABPBBABtIyHSTQWwZW8hgHIdkB7S fQIQdSFAIHIr4SfQBCBzPHBpBRArkCsRBaBtbdcvACmwJxB3JOFiI4EhUL8swAIgISAdwAbBLGB0 KvBfLAIfMCxgAIAn0HAfoXTudwnhHsMEYG4tYSrwJPT7HtILYHkmoBGgMzExECrh/x6ALwEEkClR LSEe0hNQIXDvC3AkcCCBNeBjBzErOCMhMlQe4U1pINAjYCBXfTWQIC+xMhE4RBhAIjFtfyEgNhEf wAMgJOIv2TsULvsKhQqFQiNgBBAgcSIBB7DPCHA9bAr0JHAzNg3wC1V/FFEL8hNQMoAFkAVACoU+ +wrhQOogIyBAz0HUOWEwAP8xEBfhHoAvsQeAI4AroSFQ5mInEB7SZXgT0B+BK+F/HtJCNxFxG0AH kSJzOEBjtwhwRoIpYV8hcR1wX0nx/SBgdjmwMEIicxGAMUEz4/8IYBFwRpc9R0KgJhUhMiHD/iAg YCFQHhAFQAqxMpEFIF8fMUnyOqs9XRdhAFJQAAADABAQAAAAAAMAERABAAAAQAAHMOC6DMLJX7sB QAAIMOC6DMLJX7sBHgA9AAEAAAAFAAAAUkU6IAAAAADhTA== - ------ =_NextPart_000_01BB5F90.ADBA07C0-- ------------------------------ From: "K. Ahmad" Date: Fri, 21 Jun 96 20:12:09 -0700 Subject: Sai Baba Peace Upon You This was part of an interview I found on the web with Sai Baba > MAN MUST DEVELOP INTO MANKIND > > Q: So that is the holy mission and divine purpose of this triple > incarnation? > > Baba: To unite all mankind into one caste or family in the establishment > of the unity - that is, atmic realization - in every man or woman, which is > the basis on which cosmic design rests. Once this is realized, the common > divine heritage that binds man to man to God will become apparent and > love shall prevail as the guiding light of the universe. > > In the first place, man has to develop into mankind in the fullness of its > integrated potential. At present mankind as such is absent in the world. > There is no synthesis between thought, word and deed. Man today thinks > one thing, says something different, and acts quite the contrary. So what > we have is the individual man, confused, confounded and bombarded with > contradictory thoughts. What we do not see is mankind in him motivated > by good thoughts, good words and good deeds. We have to make him > realize God within him to develop a synthesis correlating thought, word > and deed. > > EVANGEL OF LOVE AND DEVOTION > > Once this primary lesson is taught in the family, the school, the college, > the society, the cities, the states, the nations of the world, then man > will become conscious of the fact that all mankind belongs to one family. > As Christ preached, all are one, be alike to everyone. The vital issue is > the oneness: one caste, one class, one creed of humanity: and this can be > humanity: and this can be achieved only by the surrender of one's self or > ego to pure, selfless, universal love and devotion. Love is the basis, the > common denominator, and devotion the divine spark, the cementing, > unifying, integrating factor between man and man, and man and God. > > Let me give you an illustration. (Baba spreads his handkerchief on the > ground between us). Here is a piece of cloth. As you see, it is all made of > threads. Pull out the threads separately and the cloth becomes weak. Put > them together and it is firm and strong. It is the same with mankind. > Lovebinds it like the million, billion threads in cloth and devotion > reunites it with God. I, therefore embody love and use it as my instrument > to regenerate man and create the brotherhood of mankind with the help of > the latter's devotion. I always say: Start the day with love. Fill the day > with love. End the day with love. This is the quickest way, the surest path > to > God. > > Life is love, enjoy it; > Life is a challenge, meet it; > Life is a song, sing it; > Life is a dream, realize it; > Life is a game, play it. > DHARMA (RIGHTEOUSNESS) ALONE CAN SAVE THE WORLD > > Q: The existing situation driven by evil forces to destruction as you have > correctly analyzed it, appears to suggest the inevitability of another > Mahabharata-type (an epic relating to the battle of Kurukshetra) war. > Does this mean that the salvation for which you are working can be > consummated only after a destructive war? > > Baba: The evil must and shall be removed before such a catastrophe takes > place. There will be minor wars and skirmishes, of course: these cannot be > helped in the existing state of affairs. The Mahabharata war was a > different issue altogether. Lord Krishna decreed it and, in fact, led > Arjuna to the battlefield in order to rid the world of evil men and ungodly > forces. > > Today, as I told you, the evil is so widespread that humanity itself would > be destroyed in a nuclear holocaust in the event of a world war. It is to > prevent such a catastrophe that this Avatar has come to raise human > consciousness above the existing syndrome of anger, hate, violence and > war and save the world from disaster. This can be achieved only by the > reestablishment of the brotherhood of mankind though the Vedas, > Shastras and all religions with their evangel of dharma to liberate the > human race from the chains of karma (the cycle of birth and death). > I always say: Let the different faiths exist, let them flourish, let the > glory of God be sung in all the languages in a variety of tunes. They > should > be the ideal. Respect the differences between the faiths and recognize them > as valid so far as they do not extinguish the flame of unity. > > GOD IS MAN MINUS DESIRE > > Q: From what Baba has said, it seems that there is not much difference > or dichotomy between God and man. Am I right? > > Baba: Quite right, God is man and man is God. All of us have something > of God, the divine spark, within us. All men are divine like myself, but > with the spirit embodied in human flesh and bone. The only difference is > that they are unaware of this Godhood. They have come into this karmic > prison through the mistakes of many lives. I have taken this mortal form > out of my own free will. They are bound to the body, while I am free of > this bondage. The main difference is that they are shoved hither and > thither by desire but I have no desire except the supreme one to make > them desireless. > > Take paddy or rice by way of an illustration. Every grain of rice is > enclosed in a husk. You have to remove the husk to get the grain of rice. > Now husk and rice, both come from the same seed. Rice is the equivalent of > God in man, while the husk can be compared to desire which reduces God to > man. Therefore, my formula is: > > LIFE + DESIRE = MAN > LIFE - DESIRE = GOD > > THE WAY TO SELF-REALIZATION > > Q: In what way can life without desire make Gods of men? > > Baba: Life without desire means the realization of the pure, genuine self > that is Atma. Bound to desire, the self degenerates into selfishness. > Atma turns into ego. The way of self-realization is to cleanse the self of > this ego of selfishness. Then you reach a state of consciousness beyond > the mind or intellect, revealing the true self that is God. The mind is > like a cloth that covers and stifles consciousness, the threads of which > are desires. If we give up the desires, the threads fall and the cloth > disappears, revealing our true nature. That is what the Vedanta (epic of > ancient wisdom and knowledge) means when it enjoins that one must get > rid of the ego to realize oneself. > > Q: You mean that the mind of man as such creates the block between > man and God? > > Baba: Yes. One must make a distinction between the mind that is the ego, > and the real self that is consciousness. The latter helps us to cross the > frontiers of the ego-mind and become aware of oneself as the witness of > truth. Normally the scientist of the mind looks outside to what can be > perceived by the senses existing in the world of the mind to ask: What is > this? The scientist of consciousness, on the other hand, always looks > inside to that which is beyond the senses or the grasp of the mind to ask: > What is that? > > One has, therefore, to rise beyond the mind to consciousness to achieve > self-realization. To gain the infinite, universal atma, the embodied self > must break out of the puny, finite little prison of individuality. Desire > belongs to the senses, the brain, the mind; once you become free of it, you > realize the self, atma, consciousness, enlightenment, and become one with > the cosmic power. Self realization is God-realization. Thus man reaches > God. > > Q: What is the significance of the vibuthi (holy ash) and the trinkets that > you materialize and give to people? Is there any need for a Godman to > demonstrate such miracles which any magician can conjure? > > Baba: So far as I am concerned this is evidence of my divinity. It is not > by any means an exhibition of divinity. All performances of magic, as you > know are done for the sake of income. These are tricks of the magicians > trade. They constitute a kind of legalized cheating, the transfer of an > object from one place to another by a trick of the hand which goes > unnoticed. They involve no siddhi (occult power) or miraculous power. > > What I do is quite a different act of creation. It is neither magic, nor is > it siddhi power either. For one thing, I seek no return. For another, I do > not cheat people by transferring objects, but I create them. Again, I do so > not because of any need or desire of exhibition of my powers. For me this > is a kind of calling card to convince people of my love for them and secure > their devotion in return. Since love is formless, I do materialization as > evidence of my love. It is merely a symbol. > > Still I do not understand why you should materialize rings, bracelets, > watches and those kind of trinkets. > > TALISMAN OF PROTECTION > > Baba: Most people desire talismen as symbolic of my protection. So I > provide them. When they are in trouble they feel the grip of the ring, > bracelet or watch to remember me and call me to their rescue so that I > can help them. On the other hand, if I give them something they cannot > wear, they are likely to store it and forget about it. > > The main thing is that these trinkets or talismans, by whatever name you > call them, give people a sense of security and protection they need in > times of troubles or crises and create a symbolic link covering the long > distances between them and myself. When the devotees need me, these > objects flash the message as if by wireless and I instantly come to their > rescue. > > Q: I am sorry to be persistent, Swamiji, but isn't the gift of an Omega or > HMT watch an act of cheating the company or breach of its patent? > > Baba: I assure you there is no such thing. It would be cheating the > company or breaching the patent if it were a case of transfer of the > watch from one place to the other. But I do not transfer; I totally create. > Whatever I will, instantly materializes. I know of no company that has > complained about any breach of patent. > > SIGNIFICANCE OF VIBUTHI (HOLY ASH) > > Q: What about vibuthi materialized by you? We would like to know its > relevance because your critics are trying to discredit you by sending > around magicians who produce exact replicas of vibuthi. > > Baba: What I materialize is a manifestation of divinity with a potent > significance as well as symbolism. It is symbolic of the cosmic, immortal > and infinite nature of all forms of God, atma or the spirit - that is, what > is left when everything worldly, transient and changeable has burnt away. > > I have spoken to you of the imperative of a desireless life. After Shiva > had burnt the God of desire, Kama, into a heap of ashes, he adorned himself > with the ash to shine as the conqueror of desire. When Kama was > destroyed, Prema reigned as the Goddess of love. Such is the significance > of ash. > > In the first place, it is symbolic of the life-death cycle in which > everything ultimately reduces itself to ash. "For dust thou art, and unto > dust shall thou returnest." Ash or dust is the final condition of things. > It cannot undergo any further change. In the spiritual context, it > constitutes > a warning to the receiver to give up desire, to burn all passions, > attachments and temptations, and makes one pure in thought, word and > deed. > > It is in order to press home this lesson that I materialize ash for those > who come to me with love and devotion. Like the other materializations, it > also acts as a talisman, healing the sick and giving protection to those > who need it. It is the symbol of divinity, quite different from the > magician's trickery mentioned by you. > > MIRACLES OF HEALING > > Q: You are believed to have performed miraculous cures to the extent of > resurrecting the dead. There are cases where you reportedly saved people > from drowning and other accidents in distant places. Medical experts have > attested to remote controlled surgical operations performed by you. How > do you manage these? > > Baba: By my own sankalpa - that is, divine will and power. As an Avathar, > this power is intrinsic, inherent, total and natural to my will and > decision. I need no mantra (mystical formula), no sadhana (spiritual > practice), no tantra (sacred writings) and no yantra (pilgrimage) to > perform the so-called miracles which are natural to my state. My powers are > simply > the expression or assertion of the reality of goodness which merges me > with everything, everywhere, at all times and places. The miracles belong > to the boundless power of God. > > Now coming to the main points of your question, this healing phenomena > has a dual aspect. I can cure, save, even resurrect people provided they > are in a spiritually receptive condition. It is like the positive and > negative currents of electricity. My capacity to heal can be compared to > the positive current. Your devotion to me is like the negative current. > Once > the two come together, the devotion provides what is called the miracle of > healing. > > It is man's mind that is really responsible for his illness or health. He > himself is the cause or motivator of either. So when it comes to healing > or curing, the necessary faith has to be created within his mind for the > purpose. All I do is invest him with the confidence, will and power to cure > himself. It is my abounding love reciprocated by the intensity of the > devotee's faith in me that produce the desired result. > > NOT SIDDHIS, NOR MAGICAL TRICKS > > Q: So these are not siddhic powers or magical tricks, as your critics > suggest? > > Baba: They are neither magical tricks nor siddhic (occult) powers, which > can come to everybody with the appropriate discipline and yoga exercises, > but my powers to protect, heal and save people and materialize objects > originate in God and can be used only by an Avatar. They are in no way > designed, disciplined or developed, but flow from cosmic power. > > Q: Some say that you command invisible spirits which can transfer objects > from one place to another on your orders. > > Baba: There is no need for me to command invisible spirits since my own > divine will materializes the objects. I am everything, everywhere, > omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent; and so whatever I will, instantly > happens. Like the qualities of truth, love and peace, these are things that > generate the atmic (godly) or cosmic forces behind the universe. > > Q: Your followers at home as well as abroad claim positive evidence of the > presence of Baba in their innermost hearts. Some have written of you as > their in-dwelling God. What is the explanation of this phenomenon? > > THE IN-DWELLING GOD > > Baba: This is the grace begotten of my love for them reciprocated by their > devotion. After all, as I repeatedly say, we all belong to the same divine > principle. The godliness which is present in everybody in the form of a > little spark is present in me as the full flame, and it is my mission to > develop every little spark of God in everyone to the fullness of the divine > flame. > > The first imperative of this development is that the receiver of the grace > also provides from his or her side the devotion necessary to the > consummation. Those who carry the presence of Baba in their hearts like > an in-dwelling God belong to these kinds of devotees. They come to me, see > me and hear me, experience my love for them and receive it with devotion. > Thus, they become part of me and my divinity. > > To the doubting or confused ones, I give this illustration. Those who want > to secure pearls from the sea have to dive deep to fetch them. It does > not help them to dabble among the shallow waves near the shore and say > that the sea has no pearls and all stories about them are false. Likewise, > if a person wants to secure the love and grace of this Avatar, he must > also dive deep and get submerged in Sai Baba. Then, only, will he become > one with me and carry me in his innermost heart. > > Q: The critics of Swamiji ask why Sai Baba does not help people in distress > by bringing rains in times of drought or creating food where there is > famine by means of his sankalpa shakti (divine power, universal energy). > Cannot an Avatar help humanity to control the natural forces and prevent > calamities like earthquakes, floods, droughts, famine and epidemics? > > Baba: This is precisely what I am doing by incarnating the in-dwelling God > in man to overcome such calamities. There are two ways in which an > Avatar can help people: an instant solution a against a long term one. > > Any instant solution would go against the fundamental quality of nature > itself as well against the karmic law of cause and effect. Most people live > in the material world of their desires and egos, which is governed by this > law. They reap the fruits of their actions. This brings about their > evolution or devolution. If the Avatar intervenes to instantly solve their > problems, it would stop all action, development, even evolution. This > solution can be ruled out because it totally negates the natural laws. > > The other and more effective alternative presents a long-term solution > whereby the Avatar leads the people themselves to a higher level of > consciousness to enable them to understand the truth of spiritual laws > so that they may turn towards righteousness and steadfastly work for > better conditions. This will relate them back to nature and the karmic law > of causation. This would then transcend the cycle of cause and effect in > which today they are involved as victims and thereby command and > control the natural forces to be able to avert the calamities you mention. > > RAISING MAN TO GOD > > Q: You mean that you are presently raising the consciousness of mankind > to a godlike condition to enable them to command their own destiny? > > Baba: Exactly. They would become shareholders of my sankalpa shakti > (divine power, universal energy). I have to work through them, rouse the > in-dwelling God in them and evolve them to a higher reality in order to > enable them to master the natural and forces. If I cure everything > instantly, leaving the people at their present levels of consciousness, > they would soon mess up things and be at one another's throats again with > the > result that the same chaotic situation would develop in the world. > > Suffering and misery are the inescapable acts of the cosmic drama. God > does not decree these calamities but man invites them by way of > retribution for his own evil deeds. This is corrective punishment which > induces mankind to give up the wrong path and return to the right path > so that he may experience the godlike condition of sat-chit-ananda -- that > is, an existence of wisdom and bliss. All this is part of the grand > synthesis in which the negatives serve to glorify the positives. Thus death > glorifies immortality, ignorance glorifies wisdom, misery glorifies bliss, > night glorifies dawn. > > So, finally, if the Avatar brings the calamities mentioned by you to an > immediate end, which I can do, and do, when there is a great need, the > whole drama of creation with its karmic (universal, inescapable duty) law > will collapse. Remember, these calamities occur not because of what God > has made of man but really because of what man has made of man. > Therefore, man has to be unmade and remade with his ego destroyed and > replaced by a transcendent consciousness, so that he may rise above the > karmic to command. > > Q: Have you succeeded in bringing about this synthesis, Swamiji, > particularly with the wealthy and powerful classes? > > FUSION OF RICH WITH POOR > > Baba: I have not reached all of them as a class, but to the extent that > I am able to contact them individually, the results are encouraging. The > wealthy and powerful, of course, present a difficult problem in the matter > of transformation. They need a special approach. The poor people, on the > other hand, are very cooperative. They understand, appreciate and help my > plans and ideas. > > Q: What is the solution to this escalating conflict between wealth and > power on one side, and poverty and weakness on the other? > > Baba: The transformation of both into a single cooperative brotherhood on > terms of equality without competition or conflict. This can result only > from truth and love. The main issue is to fuse the two classes into one > single class. The problem, however, is one of bringing them together on a > common base or platform. Wealthy people live isolated in a certain state or > condition. The poor also are similarly isolated in another state or > condition. How do we bring them together? > > I do so in many subtle ways by breaking the barriers of wealth and poverty > and creating a feeling of equality and oneness between the poor and the > rich. In this ashram (spiritual community) you find them living and working > together, even performing menial labor on terms of complete equality. Here > there are no distinctions whatever, nor any special facilities for the > rich. They live, eat, work, worship and sleep like the poor. All live like > > community of workers to share the common austerities of the ashram. > > PEACE OF MIND BEYOND WEALTH > > Despite our rigorous discipline, industrialists and businessmen want to > come here. Why? Because they secure peace of mind beyond physical > comfort which no wealth or power on earth can purchase or provide. > > Thus we open to them a wonderful new world of spiritual treasures and > they must sacrifice material wants and comforts. My mission is to show > them the way to peace of mind which everybody, rich and poor alike, > desires. In that process of spiritual evolution, the seeker learns that > this blissful state cannot be purchased for money in a shop or gifted to > one > by anybody but oneself. It can come only from the universal source of > divinity, the in-dwelling God that embraces poor and rich alike. This > concept creates a common fellowship, a brother hood of give and take > between the wealthy and the poor. Those who have too much are obliged > to give up their unnecessary wants, while those who have too little get > their needs fulfilled. > > After all, in spiritual terms, all mankind belongs to one and the same > class, caste or religion. The divine principles in each and all of them > derive from one and the same God. This fundamental oneness has to be made > manifest to them through direct contact with spiritual realities and the > persuasive expanding power of love, till they become part of the universal > religion of work, worship and wisdom. > > MATERIAL WEALTH IS SPIRITUAL POVERTY > > Q: All this would be simple and welcome evangel for the poor since they > lose nothing and gain everything from your philosophy, but what about the > rich who have to lose all if they followed it? > > Baba: That is the crux of the problem. They simply have to lose, surrender, > submerge their false values if they want my grace. So long as people > continue to be slaves of materialistic definitions of wealth and poverty, > there can be no solution. I, therefore, try to convert their minds and > hearts to spiritual values and truths. > > After all, who is the richest man? One who has the largest wants and, > therefore, troubles and worries? Or one who is satisfied with the barest > necessities of life and, therefore, is more or less desireless and > comparatively happy? Judged from this criterion of happiness, the poor are > spiritually rich but the rich are spiritually poor. It is not material but > spiritual satisfaction that ultimately makes life worth living. > > As I have said before, life without desire brings divinity to man; and > those who seek my grace must shed desire and greed. Riches provide a fatal > temptation. They are the source and cause of human bondage. The desire > to raise the standard of life can never be satisfied. It leads to > multiplication of wants and consequent troubles and frustrations. ------------------------------ End of tariqas-digest V1 #21 ****************************