Man should not die like a cat or a dog. He should leave the world better and happier than when he came into it. He must get away, full of gratitude for the chance given to him to see God in everything that he saw, heard, touched, smelled, and tasted. Sathya Sai Baba, Sathya Sai Speaks III, Chapter 20, 90.Sai Ram, Center President and Service Coordinator!
This is the first spiritual presentation in the new program of the American Sai Organization, The Earth -Help Ever Hurt Never. It should take 35-45 minutes in a Center meeting. With Swami's Grace, we hope that it will help devotees throughout the U.S. become interested in serving the Earth as a spiritual discipline, as another form of selfless service or seva. In January 1995, we will offer you the first service projects for your Center to consider.
We ask that you choose someone in your Center to put on this spiritual presentation. This devotee should spend time studying it and discussing it with you before presenting it. It is okay to change a few things in this Presentation. This is a guideline for a presentation, not a strict set of rules. Different Centers may prefer different ways of approaching certain things. However, keep the following in mind. First, although we may discuss the teachings of various religions and bring in stories from them, it is Swami's teachings that should be the core of this presentation -and of everything we do in the Center. The focus is on Swami. Second, practice presentations were held thrice so that we could experience devotees reactions and constructive criticisms. This presentation reflects these criticisms and will work well if presented as it is.
The more people that take part in the presentation, the more powerful the presentation. There are places for different people to lead songs, say a prayer, read a quote from Swami, and take part in telling a story. Find people for these parts and give them copies of this presentation to read beforehand, so they can be prepared.
There are at least two ways to hold this spiritual presentation. The simplest is to follow it through with no discussion or conversation when going from one item to the next. The other way is to make remarks at the end of appropriate items, relating them to the idea that God -Swami- is in every single thing on Earth, and we worship Him when we serve the Earth. In case you like this second way, we have provided a few comments at the end of some of the items.
In what follows, you will find some remarks [in brackets and in a different type style or font]. These remarks are to help you in preparing and delivering this presentation.
[This is probably your Center's introduction to The Earth - Help Ever Hurt Never. You might spend a few minutes explaining the program, indicating that through it we may gain an appreciation for the beauty and splendor of God's Creation and a sense of responsibility to it. We learn what Swami says about service to the Earth and how we can serve it. The introduction to the program contains useful information, which you might go into.
This reading is from Sathya Sai Speaks XI, Chapter 20, 116-122.
"All this is enveloped by God. All this is soaked in God, saturated with God. Everything is the substance of God."
Person 2: "We are on the Earth; around it revolves the moon. Both the Earth and the Moon are illumined by the Sun. Dependent on the Sun, planets like Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn dutifully move along the prescribed orbits, at different speeds. Their satellites also belong to the solar family. When we lift our eyes up at the sky at night, we notice stars beyond numbers. And in the Milky Way, we see thick masses of star clusters. There are in space more than ten billion stars, and of galaxies in the Milky Way and elsewhere, there are more than one hundred million. Without being lost in numbers, we must ponder over the mystery of the Unity and Harmony of this Cosmic Projection."
Person 3: "Man means he who marches from the status of self to the All-inclusive Self, from Atma to Paramatma. Toward the success of that march, all Nature can provide advice and guidance to the very end. The real Guru one must rely upon is Nature, saturated with God. God does not teach us directly; He teaches us through Nature, which surrounds us. When we teach OM to children, we pronounce it loudly and at the same time write the letter OM on a slate. God has written OM on every speck of nature; that is the slate from which we have to learn of Him."
[Summarize this quote if you want. We see two points: (1) Everything is the substance of God, so it is our responsibility to treat everything as God. This includes everything on the Earth. (2) Nature, saturated with God, is our real Guru; it is from the World itself that we should be learning about God.]
We thank the Oceans, whose waters rise to become clouds yielding life-giving rains that fall again to renew itself; whose microbes and plankton are the basis of the entire food chain of life and who in itself is the symbol of the eternal omnipresent spirit.
We give thanks to the great heartland of this country, the earth, the dark, rich soil from whence come the beans and grains and other foods that nourish and sustain us.
We give thanks to the forests, whose magnificence inspires awe and mystery; whose trees cleanse our atmosphere and whose animals such as the wolf and bear live as symbols of courage and strength.
We give thanks to the Sun, whose light announces the day, whose warm rays embrace us, giving comfort and joy; whose power transforms vegetation so that all beings on the Earth may receive nourishment; whose fire enters our hearts. We thank Swami, who is the Sun.
For all this, we give thanks.
Morning has broken, like the first morning, Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird. Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning! Praise for them springing, fresh from the Word. Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven, Like the first dew fall, on the first grass. Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden, Sprung in completeness where his feet pass. Mine is the sunlight! Mine is the morning, Born of the One light Eden saw play! Praise with elation, praise every mornin' God's re-creation of the new day.
"Well, the past is past; begin life anew from tomorrow. Revere the world as divine; do not underestimate it as unholy. All that is seen or heard is God. The inner world and the outer world are both immersed in God. Person 3: So don't renounce the world or condemn Nature. Don't restrict the God of the Universe to any one Name and Form. Love all names and forms. Consider this: When lentils are served for lunch, if they don't have enough salt you set them aside. We take such great care about a moment's sensation on the tongue. Well, when we have to spend 70-80 years of life on Earth, imagine the care we must take to see that we realize the purpose of life. Virtue is the salt of Life. Love is the highest virtue. Develop love by sharing it. Revere the Universe as your Guru. That is the message I wish to give you on this Guru Pournima."
[Summarize this quote if you want.. The key lines are: All that is seen or heard is God and Revere the Universe as your Guru. Take care of the Universe as you would Swami, your Guru.]
This story is about Vaamana and Bali. Vaamana is the fifth of ten main incarnations of Vishnu. Vishnu is the Preserver in the Trinity of Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu, and Siva (the Destroyer). Bali was a rather power-hungry but honest emperor. This story is pertinent to our presentation because it shows how God is in everything, in fact is everything, including the Earth. Note also Vaamana's statement about reducing desires. Will the readers of this story please come forward?
Narrator Bali once became so powerful that he conquered all the planets of the universe. The 3 worlds of heaven, earth, and the netherworld were all under his control. People prayed to Vishnu for help. To help them, Vishnu incarnated as Vaamana, the dwarf.
One day, Vaamana came to the court of King Bali dressed as a wise holy man. It is the custom for a king to offer charity to such holy men, so Bali said, 'Whatever you want you can have'.
Vaamana replied, `I don't need anything from you. Just give me three paces of land, as measured by my own steps. That will satisfy me.'
`But I can give you a whole island', urged Bali, `Whoever takes charity from me should never have to ask for anything ever again. Please take as much as you want.'
`If I were not satisfied with just three paces of land', responded Vaamana, 'I wouldn't be satisfied even with the whole universe. If I received one island, I would want others. It is better to be satisfied with whatever destiny brings, for discontent can never bring happiness.'
An aside: These words could well be addressed to our own society, which is never satisfied with what it has but demands an ever-increasing standard of living through growth. And still society is not happy. Only by placing a ceiling on desires may we be happy.
When Bali's counsellor heard Vaamana's words, he urgently warned Bali, `This is Vishnu himself in disguise, come to trick you. Don't give him anything!'
But Bali would not go back on his word. `How can I behave like an ordinary cheater', he said. `I gave my word, and there is nothing worse than untruthfulness. The Earth once said that she could bear any heavy thing except a liar, so I don't fear hell as much as I fear going against my word. Anyway, if this is Vishnu, what can I lose by giving to him?'
Turning to Vaamana, Bali agreed, `Okay, please take three steps of land.'
Then Vaamana-Vishnu started to grow in size. He grew and grew until he filled the whole universe. Everything was within his form -the Earth, the seas, the birds, animals, human beings, and the planets themselves. Bali saw Everything in that wonderful form of the Lord.
Bali saw the Earth on his feet, mountains below the knees, birds on his knees, the oceans on the stomach, the sky in his naval. Dharma was in his heart, rightness and truth on his breast. All the gods, beginning with Indra, were on his hands; the directions, on his ears; the ether, on his head; clouds, in his hair; breath, in his nose; the sun, in his eyes; fire, on his face. The Vedas were in his words; day and night, agreement and disagreement, in his winking; anger, on his forehead. In his touch, there was desire; in his radiance, water; in his laugh, illusion; in his hairs, medicine; in his veins, rivers.
Bali saw Everything in this wonderful form of the Lord.
Then Vaamana-Vishnu took two steps. With his first step he covered the entire surface of the earth. With his second step, he covered all the planets of heaven, and his toe pierced the coverings at the edge of the universe, causing some of the surrounding waters of creation to pour in from outside. Falling down through the different planets, these waters eventually reached Earth, where they were caught by Lord Shiva in his matted locks of hair. The same water flows down from the Himalayas as the Ganges and Yamuna rivers. That is why Hindus revere the Ganges and Yamuna. They are the waters that washed Lord Vishnu's toes. By bathing in these waters, all their sins are washed away.
Now, Vaamana was ready for his third step. `You promised me three steps', he said to Bali, `I have covered everything with two. Where I can put my third step?'
In wonderment, Bali said, `Please, Lord, put your third footstep on my head.' In this way, he surrendered everything he had, even himself, to Vishnu. (End of story).
[Comment on the parts of the story that are pertinent to this Presentation.]
Men: He (the yogi) sees himself in the heart of all beings and sees all beings in his heart. This is the vision of the yogi of harmony, a vision which is ever one.
Women: And when he sees Me in all and sees all in Me, then I never leave him and he never leaves Me.
Men: He who is in this oneness of love loves me in whatever he sees, wherever this man may live, in truth this man lives in me.
Women: The visible forms of My nature are eight: earth, water, fire, air, ether, the mind, reason, and the sense of I.
Men: He who sees that all work, everywhere, is only the work of nature and that the Spirit watches this work -he sees the truth.
Women: But beyond my visible nature is my invisible spirit. This is the foundation of life whereby the universe has its being.
Men: And when a man sees that the God in himself is the same God in all that is, he hurts not himself by hurting others; then he goes to the highest Path.
Women: All things have their life in this life, and I am their beginning and their end. In this whole vast universe, there is nothing higher than I. All the worlds have their rest in me, as many pearls upon a string.
Men: When a man sees that the infinity of various beings is abiding in the One, and he is an evolution from the One, then he becomes One with Brahman.
Women: I am the taste of living waters and the light of the sun and the moon. I am the OM, the sacred word of the Vedas. I am the pure fragrance that comes from the Earth, and the brightness of fire am I.
Unison: The splendor of light that comes from the sun and that illumines the whole universe, the soft light of the moon, the brightness of fire -know that they all come from Me. I come into the Earth, and with life-giving love, I support all things on Earth. I become the fire of life which is in all things that breathe, and in union with the breath that flows in and flows out, I burn the four kinds of fire. And I am in the heart of all. With me come memory and wisdom, and without me they depart. I am the knower and the knowledge of the Vedas, and the Creator of their end, the Vedanta.
We are standing on holy ground And I know that there are angels all around Let us praise Swami now We are standing in His presence on holy ground Song with tune (in key of C) c e g g g a a g We are standing on holy ground c e g g g g g e f e d And I know that there are angels all around c e g a a g Let us praise Swami now c e g g a a g e c d d c We are standing in His presence on holy ground
Close your eyes and sit in a comfortable position. We ask Swami to bless us as we go within. Focus on your breath -being fully aware of the in breath and the out breath.
Visualize a candle flame. Try to feel the flame inside you between your eyebrows. Let the flame slide down into the lotus of your heart, illuminating the path. If you wish, picture whatever Divine Form of God you choose seated in the upturned lotus of the heart. Feel the light expanding in your heart. It will drive away all dark feeling seated there.
Let the light become wider and brighter. In turn, take the light to the right hand, then the left, so they will not engage in bad acts, only good deeds. Take the light to the eyes, so they will see only good and pure things, so you will see the light that is everywhere present. Take the light to the ears, first the right and then the left, so that they will hear no evil, but only pure and good things. Take the light to the tongue, so that out of your mouth will come only kind and true words. Then move the light to the right foot, up the right leg, to the left foot, and up the left leg. These legs will carry you only into good activities.
Move the light through all parts of the body. As it comes to the head, let the light erase all evil thoughts from the mind and enable you to think only good and pure thoughts. Finally, take it to the top of the head, pouring out of the crown chakra and encircling the head with light. Let that light encircle you.
Now imagine that light projecting outside the body to relatives, friends, all living things, all Creation. Feel it filling the room you are in, the building, the city, the surrounding towns. Let the light flood the fields and forests, the rivers and lakes, the deserts, the mountains, the valleys. Watch the light move to fill the deep oceans and encircle the Earth. Ask the light to teach us to love and to care for our home -this vast, interconnected, magnificent miracle that supports our life and brings joy to our souls.
Thank Swami for allowing us to be here. Slowly open your eyes. Be happy.