1978: The Teacher and his task
Teachings to treasure, teachings that transform.
In this auspicious year 2015 commemorating the 90th birthday of Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, we offer a compilation of key messages from the over 140 discourses in the month of July, including Guru Poornima Days between the years 1958 and 2009.
What is correct way to accost God?
1978: The
Teacher and his task
The profession of a teacher is the most responsible one in
every country. If the teacher strays
from the path of truth, the entire society will suffer. So you
must make every effort to live your
life uprightly. You have in your charge, looking up to you for
guidance, children so innocent that
they have no knowledge yet of the world and its ways. It is
only when the teacher himself is
wedded to discipline and observes good habits that his pupils
will be able to shape themselves
into ideal individuals and citizens.
Man alone can rise through effort to higher stages of spiritual
evolution. No other animal can do
so. Animal tamers of the circus can train a tiger to perform
various tricks, but they cannot change
its nature. They cannot make it live on grass and completely
deprive it of meat. But man is
different. His nature can be changed by means of his own
disciplined effort. He can control, by
his will, the 'evil thoughts and ideas that arise in his mind.
This is why birth 'as a human being is
considered a rare gift.
During our lives we have to accept help rendered by many
thousands. We have to pay back this
debt by helping at least as many people as we can. With a
genuine keenness or readiness to serve
others, you can be happy in any group or community. Derive
bliss through seva that is not done
with any desire to get something in return. When you get a
chance to help someone, rejoice at
your good fortune. The very eagerness to serve others will
endow you with the power and skill
necessary for the required service.
Once you have placed an ideal before you or set a goal, stick
to it through gain and loss. There are two ways of accosting God. One is in the
manner of the beginner, of the devotee who is still in the elementary stage. He
rhapsodizes, "Lord! You are the embodiment of mercy, you are Aanandha-swaruupa
(embodiment of divine bliss), you are All-powerful," and hopes
thereby to win God's Grace. But the dearer the devotee holds God, the more this
distance disappears. It is just as when an acquaintance visits you, you welcome
him with a hand shake and smiles which are largely artificial. But when an old
friend drops in, you receive him with an informal hello and show him a seat
with a twinkle in your eye and warmth in your heart. In the flood of formal
praise, love is mostly absent. As it happens, in dealing with the personal God,
love is the preeminent requisite. Therefore have faith, have patience and do
acts of love and service. Love will be rewarded with Love a thousand-fold.
Points to
Ponder:
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