SPIRITUAL MATURITY - TUNING TO THE VOICE WITHIN
BY MS. LYN KRIEGLER FROM NEW ZEALAND
BY MS. LYN KRIEGLER FROM NEW ZEALAND
Born in Niagara Falls, New York, Lyn Kriegler earned a BFA in Fine Art and English with honours from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1971. After graduation she worked as an illustrator and art director. She settled in New Zealand in 1974 where she began working in the field of book illustration, fine art and design, specialising in children’s books; of which she has published over 150 titles and won several awards.
She was invited to join the New Zealand Book Council Writers In Schools Programme in 1990, and is a frequent guest speaker, artist and storyteller in schools throughout the country.
Lyn received a copy of Gita Vahini from a Collins Books rep shortly after her arrival in New Zealand, which culminated in over 30 trips to Prashanthi Nilayam, three cherished interviews and numerous conversations with Swami in darshan lines.
Since 1990 she has assisted many Sai devotees in writing and publishing books of personal experiences, insights and realisations. In 1995 Bhagawan commanded her in private interview to initiate a Book Centre in New Zealand, which has evolved into the Sathya Sai Baba National Library and Book Center in Balmoral Road, Mount Eden, Auckland. Lyn lives and works from her studio in Karekare Beach, overlooking Auckland’s wild west coast.
In the present article, in her distinctive style Lyn narrates how she received from Bhagawan, one of His most important teachings that forms the cornerstone of her spiritual journey. Read on to discover Bhagawan’s answer to the query that besets most of humanity, “Where is God?”
She was invited to join the New Zealand Book Council Writers In Schools Programme in 1990, and is a frequent guest speaker, artist and storyteller in schools throughout the country.
Lyn received a copy of Gita Vahini from a Collins Books rep shortly after her arrival in New Zealand, which culminated in over 30 trips to Prashanthi Nilayam, three cherished interviews and numerous conversations with Swami in darshan lines.
Since 1990 she has assisted many Sai devotees in writing and publishing books of personal experiences, insights and realisations. In 1995 Bhagawan commanded her in private interview to initiate a Book Centre in New Zealand, which has evolved into the Sathya Sai Baba National Library and Book Center in Balmoral Road, Mount Eden, Auckland. Lyn lives and works from her studio in Karekare Beach, overlooking Auckland’s wild west coast.
In the present article, in her distinctive style Lyn narrates how she received from Bhagawan, one of His most important teachings that forms the cornerstone of her spiritual journey. Read on to discover Bhagawan’s answer to the query that besets most of humanity, “Where is God?”
“God is neither distant nor distinct from you.”
- Sathya Sai Baba
April 24, 2011. It’s 5 pm Easter Sunday. At 6 pm I am due to give a talk on the resurrection of Jesus to about 250 Sai devotees gathered in Auckland’s Mount Roskill Grammar School Hall.
Suddenly everyone is looking at their mobiles and whispering, shaking their heads, starting to sob. Swami has left His body. The news ricochets around the hall and I see the office bearers and elders conferring as more people arrive.
People are settling in their seats and the chairman gives the official announcement. My talk is to follow his introduction to the programme. There is complete shell shock in the audience – tears, tears, and more tears.
Out of the corner of my eye I see Uncle Muru coming towards me. “Lyn”, he whispers calmly in my ear, “this is a time for spiritual maturity”.
My mind went back to an insightful interview with Bhagawan that had happened in February 1997.
Suddenly everyone is looking at their mobiles and whispering, shaking their heads, starting to sob. Swami has left His body. The news ricochets around the hall and I see the office bearers and elders conferring as more people arrive.
People are settling in their seats and the chairman gives the official announcement. My talk is to follow his introduction to the programme. There is complete shell shock in the audience – tears, tears, and more tears.
Out of the corner of my eye I see Uncle Muru coming towards me. “Lyn”, he whispers calmly in my ear, “this is a time for spiritual maturity”.
My mind went back to an insightful interview with Bhagawan that had happened in February 1997.
Where Is God?
“Where is God?” Swami’s powerful voice rang out. It followed a quiet moment in His interview room in the Prasanthi Nilayam mandir. I had been studying His feet, nestled in a lovingly handmade cushion that resembled an open-petalled pink lotus.
That mostly unadorned room was deceptively simple in its outward appearance. Yet within its walls, the greatest misunderstandings we devotees shared were regularly - and sometimes fiercely-corrected by Bhagawan. My husband was His target this time. Swami did not wait for his answer. He began pointing at each one of us saying, “God, God, God, God, God, God, God.”
I had been lost in thought because it was me that Swami had been correcting earlier. It was just 8 a.m. The chanting of Vedic hymns was echoing throughout the Mandir.
He had started the ball rolling by asking our group, “Any spiritual questions?” I quickly raised my hand.
That mostly unadorned room was deceptively simple in its outward appearance. Yet within its walls, the greatest misunderstandings we devotees shared were regularly - and sometimes fiercely-corrected by Bhagawan. My husband was His target this time. Swami did not wait for his answer. He began pointing at each one of us saying, “God, God, God, God, God, God, God.”
I had been lost in thought because it was me that Swami had been correcting earlier. It was just 8 a.m. The chanting of Vedic hymns was echoing throughout the Mandir.
He had started the ball rolling by asking our group, “Any spiritual questions?” I quickly raised my hand.
“Swami, when the human body is cut or injured, it has the capacity to heal itself in most cases… like a scratch or a cut. But when a heart is broken it sometimes never heals. What is this thing we call heartbreak… heartache?”
Swami said, “What you do not understand is that you have two hearts. Heart on the left is a pump. Its duty is to pump the blood. Heart on left is full of desires; desires lodge in the muscle tissue of the heart and cause you pain. Too much pain brings heart problems and circulation difficulties.
“To the right of the physical heart is the spiritual heart.” He pointed to the centre of His chest about seven inches directly below His Adam’s apple.
“It is atomic in size. It is the only point of positive energy in the body. Blood, brain, skin, muscle, organs, bone, etc. are negative, negative, negative. They are all negative energy; they will not last.”
Swami leaned forward, and repeatedly touching the centre of His chest said, “Consciousness is God. Find Me Here. I live in your spiritual heart. I am in front of you, behind you, beside you; I am all around you. I am always with you.”
So how do I know when I am near to God? How do I know God is near to me? Swami answered these two questions for me and one extra – “Where is God?” and His answer rang out, pointing to each one of us – “God, God, God, God, God, God, God” – Divine wisdom was being imparted to us.
Swami said, “What you do not understand is that you have two hearts. Heart on the left is a pump. Its duty is to pump the blood. Heart on left is full of desires; desires lodge in the muscle tissue of the heart and cause you pain. Too much pain brings heart problems and circulation difficulties.
“To the right of the physical heart is the spiritual heart.” He pointed to the centre of His chest about seven inches directly below His Adam’s apple.
“It is atomic in size. It is the only point of positive energy in the body. Blood, brain, skin, muscle, organs, bone, etc. are negative, negative, negative. They are all negative energy; they will not last.”
Swami leaned forward, and repeatedly touching the centre of His chest said, “Consciousness is God. Find Me Here. I live in your spiritual heart. I am in front of you, behind you, beside you; I am all around you. I am always with you.”
So how do I know when I am near to God? How do I know God is near to me? Swami answered these two questions for me and one extra – “Where is God?” and His answer rang out, pointing to each one of us – “God, God, God, God, God, God, God” – Divine wisdom was being imparted to us.
Taking a Leaf from Science and the Scriptures
Ms. Mata Betty, a long standing devotee of Bhagawan, constantly returned to this; it was her favourite theme above all others - “God lives in your heart. Your ultimate destination is the Country of the Heart.” She would constantly quote from many revered spiritual sources.
“Within the body, purified by the Vayu and the Agni (Breath and Fire of Love) resides the Spiritual Heart, atomic in size.” - Srimad Bhagavatham
“Even he, who you were treating as your worst enemy, has the self-same light in his inner heart. Know that that same jyothi (Divine Flame) or light, is inside us all.” - Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Mata Betty said: “I believe, within this atom of light, within our spiritual heart, is the true essence of us all, and of Swami - the microcosm in the macrocosm. Perhaps therein also lies the imprint of a Divine Being, beautiful to behold, beautiful beyond imagining. One day it may be revealed fully, through the merging of science and spirituality.”
“Within the body, purified by the Vayu and the Agni (Breath and Fire of Love) resides the Spiritual Heart, atomic in size.” - Srimad Bhagavatham
“Even he, who you were treating as your worst enemy, has the self-same light in his inner heart. Know that that same jyothi (Divine Flame) or light, is inside us all.” - Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Mata Betty said: “I believe, within this atom of light, within our spiritual heart, is the true essence of us all, and of Swami - the microcosm in the macrocosm. Perhaps therein also lies the imprint of a Divine Being, beautiful to behold, beautiful beyond imagining. One day it may be revealed fully, through the merging of science and spirituality.”
Mata continued:
“Swami told me, ‘Physical heart is on the left. The spiritual heart is on the right. Therefore, the human heart has two sides - right and left. Follow only the right, not the left. This is the correct path, right to the end.’
A quotation from Dr. Daniel Fry’s American magazine, “Understanding”, of March 1972, has a remarkable fact. It noted that a certain Dr. Hamish had discovered, that within the back of the fourth chamber or auricle of the heart, there is a fifth chamber, and within this chamber was the ‘Divine Atom’.
He found that this chamber was an airless cell and maintains a perfect vacuum. When exposed to a microscopic camera and enlarged up to a million times, the magnified atom becomes visible. It appears as a mature and sexless human being in perfect youth. It remains free from all human qualities. It stands upright without touching the cell walls anywhere.
Russian research also has confirmed its existence. Mata Betty embraced this picture wholeheartedly. I know she meditated constantly on her spiritual heart, and had a clear vision of how it actually looked and functioned. It has been known by many names throughout history and mentioned in many sacred scriptures: The Sacred Heart. The Bundle of Life. The Golden Bowl. The Jyothi. The Unfed Flame. The Threefold Light. The Light of the Self. The Golden Disc. The Little House Shaped Like a Lotus. The Robe of the Tathagatha. It was there that she found her Sai.
(End of Part 1: http://media.radiosai.org/journals/vol_16/01JAN18/Spirituality-The-Inward-Path-01.htm )
Thanks to Radio Sai Team
“Swami told me, ‘Physical heart is on the left. The spiritual heart is on the right. Therefore, the human heart has two sides - right and left. Follow only the right, not the left. This is the correct path, right to the end.’
A quotation from Dr. Daniel Fry’s American magazine, “Understanding”, of March 1972, has a remarkable fact. It noted that a certain Dr. Hamish had discovered, that within the back of the fourth chamber or auricle of the heart, there is a fifth chamber, and within this chamber was the ‘Divine Atom’.
He found that this chamber was an airless cell and maintains a perfect vacuum. When exposed to a microscopic camera and enlarged up to a million times, the magnified atom becomes visible. It appears as a mature and sexless human being in perfect youth. It remains free from all human qualities. It stands upright without touching the cell walls anywhere.
Russian research also has confirmed its existence. Mata Betty embraced this picture wholeheartedly. I know she meditated constantly on her spiritual heart, and had a clear vision of how it actually looked and functioned. It has been known by many names throughout history and mentioned in many sacred scriptures: The Sacred Heart. The Bundle of Life. The Golden Bowl. The Jyothi. The Unfed Flame. The Threefold Light. The Light of the Self. The Golden Disc. The Little House Shaped Like a Lotus. The Robe of the Tathagatha. It was there that she found her Sai.
(End of Part 1: http://media.radiosai.org/journals/vol_16/01JAN18/Spirituality-The-Inward-Path-01.htm )
Thanks to Radio Sai Team
PART 2:
How Do We Access God?
After Swami took Mahasamadhi on April 24, 2011, so many people felt suddenly bereft.
Now where did Swami go? Why did He ever leave? Where is He now? When is He coming back? Is Prema Sai coming now? How could He have gone anywhere else if He says we must find Him in our spiritual heart? Maybe He is communicating through someone else! Oh, but no, no, no... Let us look at what Swami Himself has said regarding this.
“There are others who claim I am speaking through them and answering questions put to them. These people must be either insane or hysterically affected or possessed by some ghost or by the greed to earn money thereby. I can only tell you that I do not speak through them.
“I do not need media; I do not need substitutes or subsidiaries or representatives. That I am supposed to ‘possess’ such people, or speak through them, or shower My Grace through them, is an assumption of which one ought to be ashamed. How then can anyone believe it I wonder? Treat all such people and their agents as brokers, as you would treat cheats: if you do not treat them so, then you are accomplices in the cheating process.” - Divine Discourse, November 22, 1970
Brigadier S.K. Bose, who was in-charge of ashram construction for many years, shared with the students in Trayee Brindavan the three great lessons he had learned over the years of serving Bhagawan.
• When we do our work with devotion, without a trace of ego, Bhagawan will bestow on us complete success by removing all the obstacles in our path.
• Swami is present with us all the time. We need not wait for a particular time or place to contemplate on Him.
• Since our heart is His abode, we should strive to keep it pure and clean by not allowing the dirt of evil feelings like anger, jealousy and hatred to enter there.
Our heart is His abode. But how does it feel? What does it look like? How do we operate from the heart, listening to its perfect guidance, the Divine Voice of Sai - without the confusing, regular interference of an argumentative and flitting mind and an educated and logical brain trying to run the show?
Professor G. Venkataraman liked to illustrate this by drawing a picture of a human head and torso in profile. Then he would add a brain and a heart with a line connecting the two. He would comment that there is an unseen channel connecting the brain and the spiritual heart. If the channel is clear and uncluttered, brain and heart can and do act in perfect harmony and unison.
Professor cautioned that a kind of molecular soot or phlegm also builds up along this channel, impairing its perfect decision making. Too many desires, ego, vasanas (tendencies), excessive body consciousness, misunderstood words and ideas, false or misleading information, lack of harmony in thought, word and deed, prejudices, fault-finding, cynicism, hatreds, obsessions and short-sightedness - all of this contribute to this murky and densely clouded build up.
My heart is His abode. How can I make this an unshakable reality for myself? All of us have heard it said: God is Love.
Most people long to “find” God in a human form they can love or worship - a master, a guru, a teacher, cherished friend, life partner, helpmate, romantic interest, lover, etc.
The energy called love is so powerful that it literally provides the momentum that makes this planet spin on its axis. Love is rain, sun, wind and cloud. Love is the power that sings and dances, pushes a pen or a paintbrush, sweeps the floor, plants the tree, comforts the child, feeds the hungry.
Sound and word arise from the spiritual heart, powered by the breath. The state of the heart determines the genuineness or the falseness of the feelings one expresses to the other.
Pushing hard to “make something happen” in one’s life will not ultimately work, because outcomes are powered by an energy that has its own qualities and obeys certain cosmic rules.
Knowledge of the Swami within the spiritual heart and its makeup, will enhance our ability to make the right decisions and conclusions in this lifetime of lifetimes, when we have Sai’s guidance with us always, at any time, in any situation, place or circumstance.
If we listen to His Inner Voice which emanates from the spiritual heart it is accessible in both the deepest silence or in the noisiest of streets. He always, always, always counsels speaking softly and sweetly. It can be an instantaneous answer, or it may take some time to hear that Voice Within. Time should not matter – because He IS Time Itself.
Becoming a Perfect Instrument through the Spiritual Heart.
Now where did Swami go? Why did He ever leave? Where is He now? When is He coming back? Is Prema Sai coming now? How could He have gone anywhere else if He says we must find Him in our spiritual heart? Maybe He is communicating through someone else! Oh, but no, no, no... Let us look at what Swami Himself has said regarding this.
“There are others who claim I am speaking through them and answering questions put to them. These people must be either insane or hysterically affected or possessed by some ghost or by the greed to earn money thereby. I can only tell you that I do not speak through them.
“I do not need media; I do not need substitutes or subsidiaries or representatives. That I am supposed to ‘possess’ such people, or speak through them, or shower My Grace through them, is an assumption of which one ought to be ashamed. How then can anyone believe it I wonder? Treat all such people and their agents as brokers, as you would treat cheats: if you do not treat them so, then you are accomplices in the cheating process.” - Divine Discourse, November 22, 1970
Brigadier S.K. Bose, who was in-charge of ashram construction for many years, shared with the students in Trayee Brindavan the three great lessons he had learned over the years of serving Bhagawan.
• When we do our work with devotion, without a trace of ego, Bhagawan will bestow on us complete success by removing all the obstacles in our path.
• Swami is present with us all the time. We need not wait for a particular time or place to contemplate on Him.
• Since our heart is His abode, we should strive to keep it pure and clean by not allowing the dirt of evil feelings like anger, jealousy and hatred to enter there.
Our heart is His abode. But how does it feel? What does it look like? How do we operate from the heart, listening to its perfect guidance, the Divine Voice of Sai - without the confusing, regular interference of an argumentative and flitting mind and an educated and logical brain trying to run the show?
Professor G. Venkataraman liked to illustrate this by drawing a picture of a human head and torso in profile. Then he would add a brain and a heart with a line connecting the two. He would comment that there is an unseen channel connecting the brain and the spiritual heart. If the channel is clear and uncluttered, brain and heart can and do act in perfect harmony and unison.
Professor cautioned that a kind of molecular soot or phlegm also builds up along this channel, impairing its perfect decision making. Too many desires, ego, vasanas (tendencies), excessive body consciousness, misunderstood words and ideas, false or misleading information, lack of harmony in thought, word and deed, prejudices, fault-finding, cynicism, hatreds, obsessions and short-sightedness - all of this contribute to this murky and densely clouded build up.
My heart is His abode. How can I make this an unshakable reality for myself? All of us have heard it said: God is Love.
Most people long to “find” God in a human form they can love or worship - a master, a guru, a teacher, cherished friend, life partner, helpmate, romantic interest, lover, etc.
The energy called love is so powerful that it literally provides the momentum that makes this planet spin on its axis. Love is rain, sun, wind and cloud. Love is the power that sings and dances, pushes a pen or a paintbrush, sweeps the floor, plants the tree, comforts the child, feeds the hungry.
Sound and word arise from the spiritual heart, powered by the breath. The state of the heart determines the genuineness or the falseness of the feelings one expresses to the other.
Pushing hard to “make something happen” in one’s life will not ultimately work, because outcomes are powered by an energy that has its own qualities and obeys certain cosmic rules.
Knowledge of the Swami within the spiritual heart and its makeup, will enhance our ability to make the right decisions and conclusions in this lifetime of lifetimes, when we have Sai’s guidance with us always, at any time, in any situation, place or circumstance.
If we listen to His Inner Voice which emanates from the spiritual heart it is accessible in both the deepest silence or in the noisiest of streets. He always, always, always counsels speaking softly and sweetly. It can be an instantaneous answer, or it may take some time to hear that Voice Within. Time should not matter – because He IS Time Itself.
Becoming a Perfect Instrument through the Spiritual Heart.
Becoming a Perfect Instrument through the Spiritual Heart
In Japanese spirituality, a proverb says that the lotus is like a man’s heart, while the autumn sky is like a woman’s heart (Onma-no kokoro, aki-no sora). Men are more practical and logical as a rule, while women tend to be more changeable. Think shifting sunlight, then cloud, then sun again, then cloud, rain, mist. It is so true.
Women are deep down, still emotional at heart; moon-like, with many hourly ups and downs, phases of waxing and waning – running hot and cold – though modern education and workforce attitudes dictate that they must develop and exhibit a certain toughness in order to compete with the male workforce.
Yet Swami points out that women's hearts are softer than men’s, that they are better able to feel and exhibit compassion. The best maxim is again from Bhagawan wherein He says, “Your heart should be soft as butter, hard as a diamond”. It should be able to melt with compassion but hard enough to withstand such assaults as trickery, deception, cruel words, and taunts by others, hardship, illness, being cheated, and the temptation for wrongdoing.
Women are deep down, still emotional at heart; moon-like, with many hourly ups and downs, phases of waxing and waning – running hot and cold – though modern education and workforce attitudes dictate that they must develop and exhibit a certain toughness in order to compete with the male workforce.
Yet Swami points out that women's hearts are softer than men’s, that they are better able to feel and exhibit compassion. The best maxim is again from Bhagawan wherein He says, “Your heart should be soft as butter, hard as a diamond”. It should be able to melt with compassion but hard enough to withstand such assaults as trickery, deception, cruel words, and taunts by others, hardship, illness, being cheated, and the temptation for wrongdoing.
Becoming a perfect instrument starts with pro-actively identifying and getting rid of one bad quality that we have. Bhagawan has always pointed out that this is all He asks of us – “Get rid of one bad quality”.
Many devotees at some point become overwhelmed by His teachings, they feel they cannot possibly live up to His ideals. Not so. We have to focus on lessening and eliminating just one bad quality. If we cannot identify one, we should brave up and ask someone we trust. It’s that simple.
As one bad quality is tackled with sincerity, gradually others too will leave the heart, where they had their domain.
All treasures, including the Presence of God whom we seek, our beloved Sai whose form is no longer visible, are contained within our hearts, waiting for us to discover when we turn inwards and cease running behind external mirages.
Many devotees at some point become overwhelmed by His teachings, they feel they cannot possibly live up to His ideals. Not so. We have to focus on lessening and eliminating just one bad quality. If we cannot identify one, we should brave up and ask someone we trust. It’s that simple.
As one bad quality is tackled with sincerity, gradually others too will leave the heart, where they had their domain.
All treasures, including the Presence of God whom we seek, our beloved Sai whose form is no longer visible, are contained within our hearts, waiting for us to discover when we turn inwards and cease running behind external mirages.
(End of Part 2: http://media.radiosai.org/journals/vol_16/01JAN18/Spirituality-The-Inward-Path-02.htm )
Thanks to Radio Sai Team
Thanks to Radio Sai Team
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