One of the well-meaning seva wing ladies asked me if I have ever gotten into trouble for being candid. I replied that I was replaced for promptly that reason. And added that, if we really need to please, we need to please (the silent, ever-watching) God. I remember that Shitu Chudsama mentioned in the opening talk of WYCII that Swami is his ONLY friend.
Quite frankly, he who has God does not need Maslow. A true spiritual aspirant will be able to identify the thin, but clear distinction between respect and sycophancy. And realize that the latter is futile...
for God is our ONLY friend.
Praveen- You were dispatched to the forsaken corners of oblivion due to your "performance". If you want to understand the meaning of performance, please read the "oru Chinna Katha" below
ReplyDeleteA Priest dies & is awaiting his turn in line at the Heaven's Gates. Ahead of him is a guy, fashionably dressed, in dark sun glasses, a loud shirt, leather jacket & jeans. God asks him: Please tell me who are you, so that I may know whether to
admit you into the kingdom of Heaven or not?
The guy replies: I am Pandi, Auto driver from Chennai!
God consults his Taurean Consultant M , smiles & says to Pandi: Please take this silken
robe & gold scarf & enter the Kingdom of Heaven ....
Now it is the priest's turn. He stands erect and speaks out in a booming voice: I am Pope's Assistant so & so, Head Priest of the so & so Church for the last 40 years.
God consults M & says to the Priest: Please take this cotton robe & enter the Gate 22A
'Just a minute,' says the agonized Priest. 'How is it that a foul mouthed, rash driving Auto Driver is given a Silken robe & a Golden scarf and me, a Priest, who's spent his whole life preaching your Name & goodness, selfless service, showed compassion, has to
make do with a Cotton robe?'
'Results my friend, results,' shrugs God.
'While you preached, all devotees SLEPT; when you did service- all were attached to the organisation but when he drove his Auto, people PRAYED'
"It's PERFORMANCE & not POSITION that ultimately counts."
Sai organisation is a mirror of external world- Swamy says it is a mini representation or replica of the world outside. The issues we face in the external world- competiveness, self interest, hypocricy, envy, jealousy unfair treatment of fellow individuals etc are pretty much what we should expect to see in Sai Organisation. So Praveen if Candidness could have cost you a job in say a corporate organisation, there is a high chance that it will and can cost you one in Sai Organisation. And we know it has! (there are many other traits also which has cost and we will address it later!)
ReplyDeleteThe problem we have with ourselves is that we expect a spiritual organisation, especially one that bears the name of Swamy to be much different to a corporate one and therin lies the root cause of all problem- "our expectations". We expect or want Sai office bearers to show some semblence of spiritual and righteous conduct if not be the epitome of dharmic excellence and it turns out to our utter surprise that they behave much worse than even an ordinary corporate executive
Swamy knows this very well. By letting the organisation be as is he helps us become aware of the negative emotions that lie within us that would not have come to the surface had the organisation been anything otherwise- emotions of frustration, irritation, helplessness, hatred, contempt and disgust. Swamy wants us to be cognizant of the hidden imperfections within us when these emotions come out and he wants us
take steps to slowly eliminate them from our being.
However, even more important is the fact this awareness helps us learn and develop the qualities of tolerance, forbearance, sacrifice, compassion, steadfastness, faith (shradha) and (saburi) patience.
Without tolerance and forberance - love cannot blossom
Without Sacrifice and compassion- unity cannot be experienced.
[The sole objective of Sai Organisation , as per Swamy, is to experience the consiciousness of unity among diversity]
Without Shradha and Saburi- the Grace of the Lord cannot be obtained!!!
The next question to ask is "What about those who mistreat us. Should we do nothing?
ReplyDeleteSwamy says yes Do nothing
The Bible says Beloved, Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay
Swamy says Love can never entertain the idea of revenge, for it sees all others as oneself. When the teeth hurt the tongue, do you seek vengeance against the wrongdoer? No, for they both belong to you and are integral parts of your body. So too, when someone insults you or inflicts pain, allow your wisdom to guide you.”
One of the best quotes of Swamy and the most potent is
Bear all Do Nothing
Hear All Say Nothing
Give All Take Nothing
Serve All Be Nothing
Serve (S) All (A) Be (B) Nothing (N)......!!!!
Finally, the S.A.B.N. in SABN unveils itself!
ReplyDeleteYou are spot-on when you mention that 'we expect a spiritual organisation, especially one that bears the name of Swamy to be much different to a corporate one and therin lies the root cause of all problem- "our expectations".'
You are also absolutely right when you add that 'by letting the organisation be as is he helps us become aware of the negative emotions that lie within us that would not have come to the surface had the organisation been anything otherwise- emotions of frustration, irritation, helplessness, hatred, contempt and disgust.' and especially the last emotion.
Finally, you are also inadvertently accurate with my situation on what we need to 'develop the qualities of tolerance, forbearance, sacrifice, compassion, steadfastness, faith (shradha) and (saburi) patience.' However, I would mention tolerance with a T in my case.
At the end of the day, Swami has given me a 2-year learning experience of myself for myself. Now comes the tough part, the implementation of the learning! Please pray for me!
Sai Organisation is an Illusion much like the world is and those attached to it and passionate about it due to the paraphernalia of unwanted sychopancy and position are in a state of delusion much like you and I got dragged into for a brief while
ReplyDeleteWe are for the Banana not the Banana Skin- but the banana (Sai) cannot be had without peeling the layers of skin (the organisation) with the scalpel of reason, detachment and dispassion
I will not pray for you Praveen- It is an utter waste of time. It is only Silver that needs polishing. Gold shines on its own!
Samastha Loka Suhkino Bhavanthu!
It was Einstein (no less) who noted: Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
ReplyDeleteAppropriate, I would say!
The final nail on the coffin of non-"T"olerance
ReplyDeleteShirdi Sai Satcharita Page 230
"He who carps and cavils at others, pierces Me in the heart and injure Me, but he that suffers and endures, pleases Me the most"
The paragraph goes on to say "Baba likes nothing but love to all beings"
Reminds me Robert Frosts poem-
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there's some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Really Praveen there is miles to go (in the woods of Tolerance) before one sleeps!!!
http://www.saibaba.ws/teachings/kshama.htm
ReplyDeleteTrue and Selfless Love manifests as Sacrifice. Such Love knows no hatred. It envelops the entire Universe, and is capable of drawing near even those who are seemingly far away. Love it is that transforms the human into the Divine. In the phenomenal world, you come across many shades and derivatives of this Primordial Love. You love your father, mother, brother, sister, friends and so on. In all such cases, there is always a tinge of selfishness somewhere or the other. Divine Love, on the other hand, is totally free of even the slightest trace of selfishness. You must surrender to such Love, become completely submerged by it, and experience the Bliss it confers.
For acquiring such Love, the quality of Kshama or forbearance is a vital necessity. Every individual must cultivate this noble quality. Kshama is not achieved by reading books or learnt from an instructor. Nor can it be received as a gift from someone else. This prime virtue Kshama can be acquired solely by self-effort, that is, by facing diverse problems squarely, enduring difficulties of various sorts, not giving in to anxieties, and bearing with equanimity suffering as well as sorrow. In the absence of Kshama, man becomes susceptible to various evil tendencies. Hatred and jealousy easily take root in a person lacking this virtue.
Kshama is the grandest and the noblest among virtues. The troubles the country is currently passing through are largely due to the absence of this noble quality of Kshama. Without Kshama, mankind becomes degraded and starts declining, but if it has this quality then it can progress in leaps and bounds. Kshama is thus the very breath of life.
Everything must have a basis. For spiritual progress and advancement, Kshama is the real basis or foundation. When Kshama disappears, disturbance sets in and there is decline. Great countries have lost their glory, prestige and reputation for this reason. Patience is therefore a virtue that must be assiduously cultivated, by individuals as well as nations, if troubles and tribulations are to be successfully faced. Without patience and the capacity for forbearance, one becomes spiritually weak. When patience is gone, the greatest of men get reduced to utter fools.
The importance of Kshama cannot be over-stressed. This virtue is best cultivated under adverse circumstances, and one must therefore gladly welcome troubles instead of regarding them as unwelcome.
Jealousy is the greatest enemy of man, and it takes root when Kshama is absent. If you possess the virtue of Kshama, then none of these enemies can come anywhere near you. Cultivation of Kshama must therefore be an important priority. No doubt you will face many difficulties during life's journey, but bravely march on, taking courage from the fact that once you have Kshama there is nothing that you cannot achieve.