Questionable desires are obvious and come in the form of wishing evil, condemnation, or cursing another. There are also desires hidden and formed under the influence of selfishness, like wanting the acquisition of supernatural abilities aimed at self-enrichment and unlimited power.
I remember interviews where some people asked Sathya Sai Baba to give them clairvoyance and the ability to fly in the astral body, at will. What we ask of God is a big and difficult question. Is it really necessary to ask God? Is it good to have desires? Jesus Christ said: "Ask and you will receive." Sathya Sai Baba also directed his devotees to formulate their goals in life more clearly and not to be shy in asking God for help in achieving their good aspirations.
Some suggest that by gaining a mystical experience of unity with God, a person loses all interest in the manifested world. Many people think that self-actualization leads to loss of motivation and apathy. There are traditions that preach the signature that a person has become a saint is, allegedly, the denial of society and all aspects of human life.
God is the supreme and original source of love and creativity. One who has truly awakened the inner God reveals infinite and great potentials within himself. The one who knows God perceives the manifested universe as a space for the manifestation of love. The one who has discovered God in his heart becomes a creator.
57. Vision and perception
People came to Sathya Sai Baba with various difficult situations. Sometimes he blessed them, and the difficult situations disappeared, but sometimes he refused to solve someone's problems. There were cases when, after his blessing, the situation escalated even more. How to understand it?
Sathya Sai Baba could heal any disease. We know of a large number of such cases. However, there were situations when people came with severe illnesses, but Sathya Sai Baba refused to heal them. After that, the person suffered and died at a relatively young age. How to understand such situations?
People came to Sathya Sai Baba with colossal financial collapse. Some he helped with his blessings and people solved their difficult business issues, and to some he gave a resounding, no. How can we understand such unpredictable behavior?
We understand that the Avatar sees the situation so deeply that we, as human beings, cannot comprehend it. There were rare cases when Sathya Sai Baba explained he did not give a person an energy flow of money because the person would not know what to do with it and would destroy his life, and possibly the fate of those around him.
I remember a case where one man was seriously ill and Sathya Sai Baba did not heal him. The man died at a young age. Sobbing relatives came to Sathya Sai Baba and he explained that based on the evolution of the soul of this person, it was good for him to die from diseases at a young age and in the next incarnation to reach a completely different level of spiritual development. Such situations are difficult to understand with the ordinary human mind.
We are often attached to our relatives and friends and such explanations are hard to accept. We love our close relatives and to understand that the body of a loved one has died, but the soul continues its journey on a higher level is complex.
There have been many similar situations where we think in human terms while Sathya Sai Baba perceives reality in perfect knowledge of the evolution of the soul. Problems and suffering are sometimes important factors in pushing a person to a more intense spiritual quest. Human evolution occurs as a result of regular practices of meditation and prayer and, most importantly, deep work to realize the primordial divine essence of the soul.
Some claim they do not want to make any effort in their personal development because it, supposedly, means they do not believe in the power of Sathya Sai Baba. That is why such people believe they need to completely entrust their life to Sathya Sai Baba, while remaining in complete inaction. Yes, trusting the Avatar is important, but that doesn't mean shifting the blame. Inaction is spiritual laziness and fear of taking responsibility.
Do happiness and suffering really depend on external circumstances? If this were so, then all socially successful and wealthy people would be guaranteed happiness. Happiness and suffering are two sides of the same coin. They are constantly revolving. Life is not permanent – it is a cycle of imaginary happiness and illusory suffering. Nothing is permanent in this world except the eternal Lord and his Holy Spirit.
58. Grace of the supreme light
Man strives to know the truth. The search for higher truth lies in self-knowledge. The greatest treasure lies in the depths of the inner world. In striving to know the truth, the spiritual seeker attracts Divine Grace.
It is important to realize your destiny and be able to build a life in such a way as to realize your talents. A successful person is one who embodies his destiny and gives people the fruits of his creativity. To understand the meaning of life, and then be able to realize their creative potentials, the Grace of God is needed.
Divine Grace is that which grants a person all the highest blessings. It is Grace that one must ask God for, for there is no greater treasure. When the Grace of God is upon you, you freely and joyfully create the creativity of eternal life.
Why did people want to have the opportunity of personal contact with Sathya Sai Baba as often as possible? Why did they want to be interviewed? During personal communication, there was a unique opportunity to ask personal questions and discuss important topics of both spiritual and life circumstances.
During such meetings, there was an amazing feeling of close and friendly communication. In moments of personal communication Sathya Sai Baba ceased to be a world famous and majestic teacher – he became a close friend.
Besides being able to get answers to important questions, I think there was another significant reason why direct contact with Sathya Sai Baba was so important. During direct communication, he completely concentrated on those people sitting in front of him. Imagine, the Avatar is completely focused on you for a whole hour.
During face-to-face interactions, visitors received tremendous blessings. People received unique experiences of direct energy interaction plunging them into the universal love of Sathya Sai Baba.
59. Devotion and love
I remember various stories that happened during personal communication with Sathya Sai Baba. The challenge for me as a storyteller is that the most amazing experiences are beyond words.
Often during personal meetings, Sathya Sai Baba performed miracles. He materialized objects and showed amazing superpowers. Sometimes he gave deep spiritual instructions on meditation practices or analyzed the features of the spiritual path.
Where materialization and healing took place, such stories are easy enough to retell, but what about the moments when outwardly nothing happened? Sometimes there were moments like this, when Sathya Sai Baba could just look at someone, or make a mysterious gesture with his hand, or look into the distance, or sink into deep silence for several minutes. It is difficult to talk about such moments because there is nothing to say, but sometimes it was at such moments that the most intense experiences of gaining Divine Grace descended.
I remember how deeply devoted people came to personal meetings who loved him endlessly. Such people had no questions, they came to communicate with him simply because they had deep feelings of love and gratitude for Sathya Sai Baba. They did not have any requests – it was pure spiritual communication, during which even the room itself filled with the vibration of joy and peace.
Such meetings are difficult to describe because there is nothing to tell and there are no words to convey these subtlest spiritual states. Outwardly, nothing happened, but in fact a great miracle was happening even though no supernatural events or philosophical instructions were given. During this deeper communion, Sathya Sai Baba performed few outward miracles and gave almost no philosophical instruction. Instead, the energy of such meetings was transformative; words were not required.