Sathya Sai Baba. Supernatural Experiences and Divine Transformation. Book Two - Святослав Игоревич Дубянский
It would be naive to assume that by retiring to the mountains or forests, renouncing family life and material well-being, only then will you come closer to realizing the eternal treasure that is hidden in the depths of your Spiritual Heart.
People go on distant pilgrimages seeking God in distant temples, while the true pilgrimage is made to the depths of their consciousness. Of course, if a trip to holy Jerusalem, Mecca or Kailash will help you find the truth in your heart, then you need to go. By the way, Sathya Sai Baba by no means denied the need for pilgrimages or temporary solitary practices. A trip to Sathya Sai Baba’s ashram is also a pilgrimage that has helped many people to discover the truth within themselves.
Arriving at Sathya Sai Baba’s ashram, deep spiritual seekers did not become attached to his outward form but discovered eternity within their hearts. Sathya Sai Baba constantly asked people not to be attached to his physical presence, but to dive into the depths of their soul.
Of course, it was difficult to implement because Sathya Sai Baba was a living divine incarnation. In the presence of Sathya Sai Baba, it was very difficult to get rid of attachment to him and disengage from the desire to constantly see him, listen to him, and communicate with him.
The manifested world is a space of spiritual evolution and endless self-perfection. Matter, space, and time are manifestations of the Divine Consciousness. If you want to escape from the illusion of this world, then you need to change your perception as just physically avoiding participation in social life will not help.
I have visited many Orthodox and Catholic Christian monasteries, Buddhist monasteries and Himalayan yoga ashrams. Monastic life in any denomination cannot help or bring one closer to the depths of the spirit; any monastery, whether Buddhist or Christian, is still a part of society. Real renunciation takes place in the mind, and it consists in letting go of attachment.
Even if you go to the distant Himalayas, you will see the same human society there. One should not run away from one's duties in society but should be cleansed of ignorance and attachment. Trying to run away from people and pretend to be a saint is naive. The spiritual path is insight, awareness of divinity in yourself and in every person who is next to you.
As long as you are in duality, you will want to run somewhere or avoid something, expecting to find peace outside the circle of life. Being in unity, where and from whom can you run? While serving society and people, you feel that in fact there are no “other” people, because everything is in unity.
Everything that happens in life is a step on the spiritual path. Sathya Sai Baba perceived life in unity, therefore his blessings affected all levels and aspects of human existence. Good health, a happy family, caring for one's parents and children, a successful career and business, scientific research and artistic creativity, spiritual insight are all integral parts of the divine evolution of man.
50. The Power of the Holy Names of God
This is a story about an Indian women named Pedda Botu who lived in the ashram and was deeply devoted to Sathya Sai Baba. She was a very close devotee of his and everyone knew her well and loved her very much for her kindness and sincerity. One day she asked Sathya Sai Baba how to meditate. He replied that she did not need to meditate at all but should constantly chant aloud or, to herself, the Holy Names of God. In those distant times, few people lived in the ashram, so some devotees preferred to sleep on the street just under the windows of Sathya Sai Baba. Blessed people!
One night, Pedda Botu was sleeping on the grass under the windows of Sathya Sai Baba, covered with a light blanket. It was very comfortable for a hot Indian night, but suddenly it began to rain. Pedda Botu woke up to several large drops beginning to fall on her. The first thing she said softly was the mantra: “Om Sri Sathya Sai Ram.” Immediately, the door opened and Sathya Sai Baba came into the street pretending to be dissatisfied. He asked Pedda Botu why she did not let him sleep.
The frightened woman apologized and said she had not called him. However, Sathya Sai Baba insisted that she woke him up and called him. After that, Sathya Sai Baba explained that the power of the Holy Names of God is so great that one who constantly repeats them achieves the deepest intimacy with God. For such people, it is enough to say the mantra “Om Sri Sai Ram” only once and God immediately perceives this as a personal appeal and instantly comes.
The first time I heard this story was from Padananda, and then Sathya Sai Baba told about it in my presence.
One day I thought about how many times you need to repeat a mantra or a prayer in order to be heard? We all know the stories from the Gospels when, through the prayer of Jesus, amazing miracles took place, i.e., the resurrection of the deceased Lazarus, the materialization of fish and bread, healing from diseases, and much more. We remember the amazing stories about Saint Seraphim of Sarov – a prayer uttered by him only once could bring down the Holy Spirit.
In the ashram, people often discussed that it is not so important to say a lot, but it is important to pronounce mantras of high quality. But what does quality mean? Some suggest that if you say the mantra with perfect concentration once, then this is quite enough and you do not need to practice it millions of times. These are all complex and deep questions.
In the story I told in this chapter, Pedda Botu felt the beginning of rain and spontaneously uttered a mantra and received an instant response from Sathya
