3.1
CENTRES AND MEMBERS
WISE SAYINGS FROM DIFFERENT FAITHS
"And
now I give you a new commandment - love one another. As I have loved
you, so you must love one another. If you have love for one another, then everyone
will know that you are my disciples." Jesus
Christ
"In living together with kith and kin, men find courage and
comfort. When they work in unison they become stronger and better able to go through
the battle of life." Zarathushtra
FROM
DISCOURSES OF SAI BABA
WHY ORGANISE?
You
must be clear about the objectives of the Organisation of which your unit is a
limb; for, without having the goal clear in the mind, how can the journey end
in success? (130571)
What is the primary
purpose of the Sai Organisations? It is to make the people realise that they are
sparks of the Divine and not embodiments of the physical products of Nature. (211195)
The
Organisation has been established, not for publicising any person or creed, or
to provide berths for some ambitious individuals, from which they can exercise
authority over others. It is as a means of spiritual discipline that the Organisation
is to be understood. Take it in that attitude. Do not consider the rules as restrictions
imposed by me or as shackles on your freedom of action. They are devised to help
you and others in the spiritual practice you have entered upon. (221271)
The
Sathya Sai Organisation has been established to provide sacred tasks for every
moment of wakeful life, to make people conscious of the vagaries and vanities
of the mind and establishing the reign of the pure intellect, by which alone the
One behind all this multiplicity can be realised as the only Reality. (241174)
These
organisations are meant to broaden your love, to canalise your activities along
lines of constructive service performed as worship, not to confer on some people
more power over others, or greater control over the activities of other members,
or for the display of the devotion of some people. (210467)
The
Organisation must help people to realise the Unity behind all this apparent multiplicity
which is only a superimposition by the human mind on the One that is all this.
The Vedas proclaim that God is One, that the goal is the same and that Truth stands
self-revealed when the veil of the world is cast away or torn off. (290376)
Do
not imagine that your task is to propagate Sai and speak of Sathya Sai and His
Message. This is not right. But, through the name of Sathya Sai and the emphasis
on the message, aim at the promotion of Godliness and of Faith in God. Create
the spiritual attitude; promote spiritual discipline. It does not matter what
Name you use, or what Form they concentrate upon. Through some Name and some Form,
lead them into the path of faith and spiritual practice. (060175)
Your
organisations must endeavour to promote faith in God. If that base is absent,
worship, devotional singing, ritual worship, good works - all become meaningless
automatic ritual, done under social compulsion. Inner transformation, which is
the fruit, can be acquired only when these are done with faith. Faith can grow
only from the root of inquiry. Faith is made firmer by inquiry. You must encourage
inquiry by the members whom you contact and welcome their efforts to gain first-hand
experience. (210467)
WHO CAN BE MEMBERS?
Who
can be members of these organisations, and what are their qualifications? (1)
Of course, they must be eager aspirants for spiritual progress. (2) They must
have full faith in the Name that the organisation bears and in spreading that
Name, in the manner suited to It's Message and Majesty. (3) Besides, the member
must have won recognition as a good person. (310467)
I
am not concerned about the numerical growth of centres or devotees. I want only
quality. Increase in quantity should be accompanied by improvement in quality.
This is the service you have to render. The bliss which you experience should
be shared with others. (211195)
The
Sathya Sai Organisation is working with persons belonging to all religions. They
do so because all religions - Christian, Parsi, Hindu, Buddhist, Jain,
Muslim - have, as their basic doctrines, Love and Non-violence. Develop
these qualities. Then, you get the title to preach to others and propagate them.
(201170)
You know that the State requires
you to take a solemn oath, when you take up an office or enter upon an assignment.
Similarly, each member and office bearer must take an oath , from the very depth
of the heart, before engaging themselves in the activities.
"Swami,
save me from any act of commission or omission which will affect adversely the
three qualifications you have laid down. Bless me with the skill, intelligence
and enthusiasm, necessary for the task to which I am dedicating myself for my
own uplift. Guide me along the correct path; shower on me Your Grace so that I
may earn a fair name in this attempt; guard me from temptation and wrong steps."
When
you rise from bed at dawn, pray thus. At night, when you go to bed, ponder over
your activities during the day, examining them, whether you went against any of
the conditions of membership; and if any wrong has been committed, unconsciously,
pray that they may not happen again. Decide to dedicate yourself in this manner,
with the ideals, for the work ahead. (210467)
BE
A LIMB OF THE SAI BODY
You
are all My Limbs; nourished by Me. You constitute the Sai Body. Sai will send
you sustenance, wherever you are, whatever your function, provided you give Sai
the things Sai considers sweet and desirable, like virtue, faith, discipline and
humility. Be happy that you are a limb of the Sai Body. Do not complain that you
are the foot and so have to tread the hard ground. Do not be proud that you are
the head and so, up and above. It is the same blood-stream, the stream of Love
that circulates in both; the function of each is as valuable as the function of
every other limb. The function of each limb is also unique, remember; so do not
give room to despondency. Your part is something special, which only you can play.
You cannot walk on your head; you cannot think with your feet. Whatever your position,
win Grace by your virtue, that is the main gain. (290367)
Take
a vow to develop the Sai Organisation day by day. Take all the people within the
fold. People who have gone away from this Organisation are the unfortunate ones;
you should not become unfortunate. Come what may, do not give up the Organisation;
consider this Organisation as your life's breath. This is a real penance. Take
a vow on these lines to become experts. This is what I desire. Swami will be with
you in whatever you are doing. (5th World Conf)
RULES
AND REGULATIONS
When
an organisation is started it has to lay down for itself certain rules and regulations.
But our rules are of a different nature altogether. Our rules emphasise that members
must first practise what they stand for. Whatever you desire others to do, you
must first put into daily practice sincerely and with steadfastness. (210467)
Do
not overstep the limits imposed by the Organisation; do not disobey the rules
laid down; do not deviate from the ideals laid down. March straight on, and reach
the goal. (161074)
Do not fret against
the rules and regulations which the Organisation imposes on you; they are laid
down for your own good. Regulation is the very essence of creation. The oceans
observe their limits. Wind and fire respect their limits and bounds. The human
body has to maintain its warmth at 90.4oF in order to be healthy and
the heart has to beat a definite number of times a minute. How, then, can this
Organisation escape the prescription of certain rules and regulations? (290376)
Efforts
must be made to remove from the Organisation any one, however rich, however renowned
as a scholar, however influential and important in society, if he transgresses
the rules of the Organisation. (231271)
The
setting up of Sai Centres is not an exercise in numbers. The emphasis should be
on quality not quantity. The International President and the National President
of our Organisation have mentioned how the centres have grown. But has fellow-feeling
grown to the same extent? Fellow-feeling should grow. On the contrary, divisiveness
is growing. I want quality, not quantity. (181195)
ADVICE
TO MEMBERS
The symbol
of the Organisation is "the Harmony of Religions, the Unity of all Faiths, the
Acceptance of all Approaches". (231271)
Two
guidelines, peculiar to this Organisation you should not neglect - (1) Act and
then advise; practise first, precept second. Unless you yourself avoid the evil
habits, and the undesirable practises, don't talk against them. (2) The rules,
regulations, that we have laid down for the Organisation and its Units, have to
be observed, scrupulously, down to the smallest dot and dash. (221271)
Members
of the Organisation must extend love and respect to persons belonging to any state,
any religion, any caste or community, and speaking any language. (231271)
Use
the office you hold in the Units to the best advantage, namely, to overcome your
ego, to inspire others in the God-ward path and to relieve distress. Don't go
through the routine of devotional singing, meditation and singing the Name while
walking together, because you have to; or, because someone else will usurp your
office, if you do not stick on. Share it with others, act from the depths of your
hearts. Do not indulge in mere talking. Practise what you direct others to do,
asserting that it is beneficial. (140571)
Office
bearers of the Organisation, strive to establish yourselves more firmly in your
own truth, and strive to demonstrate in your behaviour that you are aware of the
truth that all men are sparks of the same Divine Spirit. I consider service as
the most important activity of the Organisation, for it is the highest spiritual
practice. (231271)
The members of the
Units of this Organisation must be ever engaged in the twin processes of purifying
the mind and clarifying the intellect. They have to free themselves from all prejudices
and misunderstandings. They have to speak softly and sweetly, and give everyone
the respect and attention due to them sincerely. Humility and tolerance must characterise
the behaviour of a Sai devotee. (290376)
Not
merely the office bearers, but, any one of the members, if he fails to observe
any one of the rules and regulations, he is weakening the Organisation and bringing
it into disrepute. Members together form the Units. Its strength, its utility,
its expansion, its efficacy, depend on disciplined obedience to rules. Faith in
the discipline, marked out by the rules, is as the heart to the various limbs
of the Organisation. (221271)
Do not
import into the Sathya Sai Organisation the political faction mongering, group
formation, scandal spreading, and vote-catching, in order to win positions of
authority or oust others from them. Do not create splits and parties among the
devotees in order to establish yourselves over others. (140571)
Do
not give room for differences and misunderstandings among yourselves in the Organisation.
Work with unity. Love Divinity. Serve the needy and helpless and sanctify your
lives.
Do not become slaves of Mammon.
Do not allow politics to enter our Organisation. Do not depend upon or have any
connections with the Government for carrying on organisational work. Serve society
according to your capacity. When you need money, those among you who can afford
should come forward and accept the responsibility to provide funds. In any case,
never resort to the deplorable and unbecoming practice of issuing subscription
lists. Sanctify your physical, mental and all faculties by using them for the
service of society. (010188)
The Sathya
Sai Organisation and its Units must not collect money or material from those outside
the membership. Fund collection is as much opposed to this movement as fire is
to water. If you yield on this point, spiritual advance will perish. Let only
members contribute; do not ask all and sundry, or anyone who is not a member of
the Unit. (140571)
Remember that the
essential qualifications for members are faith and devotion. Remember also that
the development of this Organisation will bring Peace and Tranquillity to the
World torn by chaos. The World can be bettered and saved only through spiritual
progress, by the efforts of spiritual organisations. (211170)
Our
motto should be - may all mankind live in happiness and peace. This
is our objective. The reason is this: Nations are many, but the earth is one.
Stars are many, but the sky is one. Jewels are many, but gold is one. With this
spirit you should work. This is the truth of unity in diversity. (201192)
