DIMENSIONS OF A REPLY

There are many possible replies to this material. It is not a matter of simply reducing any reply to considering the truth and falsity of any assertions about Sai Baba. The mode, manner, presentation and supporting evidence (and the lack of same) also ought be taken into consideration. The reply may also take into consideration communication and modes of conveying experience. How is the Truth communicated in ways that is verified in the life of the listener, the reader? These and other issues form some of the dimensions of reply.

FIRST: WHAT IS IT YOU VALUE IN SAI BABA?

The value of being confronted with a document of that sort is that it makes you think twice about your spiritual path, where you want to go, and how. You have to analyse what is it that you value in Sai Baba, what it is you have faith in, what validating experiences of that faith form your foundation and how you experience divinity. How do you continue to experience divinity?

WHO IS SATHYA SAI BABA?

Sai Baba is a GURU and as such he should be judged. There are requirements central to that task while others are peripheral. Those requirements are:

A. CENTRAL OR ESSENTIAL
• The quality of the Teaching.
• The ability to transform others, to facilitate living in accordance with the teachings
• The capacity to lead others to the goal effectively.
• The example of Integrity.
• The effect on society at large


B. PERIPHERAL OR ANCILLARY
• The ability to attract people towards the spiritual path.
• To create ashrams or social works for the benefit of
people.
• To write or make write books or other reference material on his teachings
• The numbers of persons transformed

We shall examine these facets of a Guru, as we would examine any other matter, using discimination.

To break momentarily and examine GURU, a word which has the following meanings and associations (not from Sai Literature):

from Microsoft Encarta Dictionary:
gu·ru (plural gurus) noun
• Hindu or Sikh religious teacher: in Hinduism and Sikhism, a religious leader or teacher
• leader of religious group: a spiritual leader of or intellectual guide for a religious group or movement especially one being described as non-mainstream
• somebody influential: somebody who is prominent and influential in a specific field and sets a trend or starts a movement a meeting of the world's software gurus
• individual's revered teacher and counselor: a teacher or counselor in spiritual or intellectual matters who is especially revered and followed by an individual

[Early 17th century. From Sanskrit, "elder, teach]

The Columbia Encyclopedia: Sixth Edition. 2000.
guru (gu'ru, g'ru´) (KEY) , in Hinduism and Buddhism, spiritual teacher. The guru gives initiation into spiritual practice and instructs disciples, often maintaining a close relationship with them. Among the Sikhs (see Sikhism) the title guru was given to the 10 leaders of the community from Nanak (c.1469–c.1539), founder of Sikhism, to Govind Singh (1666–1708). Govind appointed no successor, declaring that the Granth (the Sikh scriptures) was the true guru.

In the Bloomsbury Thesaurus:
12 sage wise man (or woman), savant, academic, intellectual, highbrow, pundit, expert, genius, authority, consultant, counsellor, adviser, mentor, teacher, tutor, guru, Socrates, Nestor, Solon, Solomon, boffin (Inf), egghead (Inf), nobody's fool (Inf), wise guy (Inf), know-all (Inf)

Again, in the Bloomsbury thesaurus:
4 educator teacher, head teacher, ... ..... ..... ...mentor, adviser, authority, expert, pundit (or pandit), guru, mullah, maestro, docent (US), preacher, homilist

Finally, for some fuller sense of the situation-in-life of the traditional guru, in the Oxford Paperback Encyclopedia we read the entry for monastery:

monastery A community of monks living by prayer and labour in secluded, often remote, locations. Such communities, which are meant to further the communal and individual practice of asceticism, are common to most religions. Buddha founded a monastic order (sangha) and a code of discipline, which is still used and was spread by missionaries throughout Asia. The sangha, remains an important element in Theravada Buddhism, with well over 250,000 members despite the hostility of communist governments in China and elsewhere. In Hinduism monasticism takes the form of ashrams, or retreats, where the influence of a guru or holy man and practices, such as yoga, are important.

It would seem fair to assert that Sathya Sai Baba foots the bill as a guru simply in the function of teacher. The teaching period commenced from the opening of the Prasanthi Nilayam mandir, 23 November 1950.

Sathya Sai Baba has stated that he does not want devotion to himself or his person, what he wants is devotion to his teachings.

There are four stated components of the mission of Sathya Sai Baba, three of which are relevant to the assessment of Sai Baba as GURU and the quality of the teachings. They are

• Dharmastaphana - the restoration of dharma (or righteousness)
• Veda Vidwath - the fostering of the vedas
• Veda Poshana - the fostering of the vedic scholars

These three components of the mission give rise to private talks, discourses, writings, interviews and guidance to devotees from all religious faiths and walks of life. The quality of the teachings is heightened by "sarva dharma", that is to say, the teachings are not limited to Hinduism or Sanathana Dharma - the eternal righteousness that forms the core of Hinduism. It is a multi faith teaching that asserts without fear or favour that all faiths are pathways to the One True God. Festivals and Feast days of other religious traditions are observed; Buddha Wesak, Christmas, The Birthday of Mohammed, the Chinese New Year with Chinese Gods are also observed.

What does The Findings have to assert about 50 years of continuous teaching of this indisputable human truth that all religions are paths to the same goal?

Does The Findings dispute this?

If not, is there due and proper cause then, to depart from the Teachings of Sai Baba?

In the West there is a little remarked upon aspect of Sai Baba's mission, that is, the fostering of the Vedas and fostering of the Vedic scholars. It is generally regarded to be irrelevant in the Western world, which has been endowed with knowledge of the One God. The obscure byways of the Indian scriptures don't seem to apply. The problem with this is that the entire universe rests upon Dharma, that is, right conduct, right action and righteousness. Dharma is something of a catch-all word that does not translate precisely into English. Dharma is the life breath of all the Indian scriptures.

The principle of the Avatar and the principle of all human righteousness, as stated by Sage Vyassa and Sai Baba is

"Sathyam Vada, dharmam chara"

This translates to Speak truthfully, act righteously

The Goal of Life

Realise Atmic Awareness:

• You must have heard of people seeking moksha (liberation) and getting moksha; many may be under the impression that it is some rare honour that only a few secure or that it is some area like Paradise or a Colony of the Elect or a Height that some heroic souls alone can climb up to. No, moksha is something which all must achieve, whether they are heroic or not; even those who deny it have to end by realising it.


Struggle to realise Atma
to visualise God;
even failure in this struggle
is nobler
than the success
in other worldly affairs'


• Always have the meaning and purpose of life in view. And experience that purpose and that meaning. You are That; that is the truth. You and the Universal are One; you and the Absolute are One; you and the Eternal are One. You are not the Individual, the Particular, the Temporary. Feel this, know this. Act in conformity with this. Someone came to Ramana Maharishi and asked him thus: "Swami! I have been doing intense meditation for the last 18 years; but I have failed to realise the Ideal on which my meditation is concentrated. How many more years should I continue thus?" Ramana answered, "It is not a question of a certain number of years. You have continue meditation until the awareness that you are doing meditation disappears". Forget the ego, let it melt and merge, with all its layers of consciousness.

We commenced this page by indicating dimensions of reply and by saying that

Sai Baba is a GURU and as such he should be judged. There are requirements central to that task while others are peripheral. Those requirements are:

A. CENTRAL OR ESSENTIAL
• The quality of the Teaching.
We finish here after a preliminary overview of the goal of Sai Baba's teachings, indicating that Sai Baba himself, fits a definition of GURU, and he himself is not the object of devotion as per his instruction.
• Devotion to and practice of the teachings of Sai Baba pass the first hurdle in dimensions of this reply.


To the next Dimension of Reply