Theos-Talk Archives (October 2003 Message tt00232)

Hi Eldon and all of you,

My views are:

I will here present some of the cornerstones of Sathya Sai Baba's teachings.
I will then if time permits we can make a comparison between Sai Baba's
teahcings and the theosophical teachings.

Before we go to far with this. One thing I would like to emphasise.
There is a spiritual word called "onepointedness".
This implies, that the Seeker doesn't waver forth and back between teachings
and teachers - but sticks to ONE teaching or teacher.
But sometimes - the Seekers needs to change their views upon the world.
Contrast can help us to do that. And by comparing Theosophy with other
teachings we might learn to -as Blavatsky puts it:
"cull the good we find in each"...i.e. in each thought-system.

Further more:
The romours about Sai Baba being a child-molester are bad news to Sai Baba's
reputation. And we have to face this. But being a teacher on the present
Planet with its stage of development - and the spread of an informations
society almsot world wide - this is what one could be excpeted to happening.
He could be a bad person or maybe not. You will have to make that choice
yourself.


I am siting here with the outprinted pages, which Nirmal and a few others
compiled some years back in 1996-7, so to present a solid - and quote
overview of Sai Baba's teachings. It is an indexed dictionary called: "Sai
Dictionary of Quotations" edited by Nirmal.
It runs past 500 pages - and is on everything from UFO's over computers to
eating and drinking.
It is the best overview of the teachings I have seen yet. With references
from Baba's books - intact. I got it from the Internet, a few years back
when I was absrobing the Sai teachings.

An almost similar - but I think revised and expanded - version and overview
is to be found here: http://www.saiaustralia.org.au/teachings.htm (It runs
past 500 pages and is indexed - and with references to Sai Babas own books,
and those edited by N. Kasturi. - The "key" to the references seems to be
missing though). Revised because Baba's views for instance on computers
seems to be missing.
Be patient if you have a slow connection - the PC has to load the PDF-files
first.

So I suggest, that if you want to compare Sai Baba's teachings with
theosophy you could use this to compare with by ploughing the index. (Or try
this one, - and mail to get a dictionary:
http://home.no.net/anir/Sai/NDX.html).

Try also this excellent place for free available Baba books online:
http://www.saibabalinks.org/booksonline.htm

Other readings could be "Voice of The Avatar" by Compiled by D. Hejmadi.
M.Sc. a very close (highrank) devotee. The book is an excellent source of
collections on Sai Baba's quotations. But there are other books. Remember,
that more than 700 books has already been made about this strange man - Sai
Baba.

There is one book on this thesophical subject in question. Howard Murphet
(the longtime pro-Baba author) wrote the book:
"Walking The Path With Sai Baba "
(Buy it here or elsewhere:
http://www.accessnewage.com/books/VedantaYogaHinduism.cfm )
As far as I remember - he devoted one entire chapter on the subject of
comparing Theosophy with Sai Baba's teachings.

The following link - might spark someones interest.
- Overview of Sai Baba's teaching by Sai Organisation devotee's:
http://www.sathyasai.org/inform/dessummer.htm
(Look at the years. It was about that time Sai Baba got really publicly
known.)
- Sai Baba has friends at United Nations:
http://www.eaisai.com/baba/docs/mind.html



A ultra short overview on the main teaching follows here:

The Sai Organisation has this to offer:
http://www.sathyasai.org/intro/message.htm

I offer the below as an addition:

1. Sathya Sai Baba from Andra Pradesh India near the village/town named
Putthaparti has many views on teachings. He/she seems to be both a man and a
woman - according to the romours surrounding the being Sai Baba. I will use
the term "he" in the following for convenience.
He is presently very much concerned with helping the Indian nation to be
lifted spiritually - although he from time to time is romoured to be
materialized in other countries - with shorter or longer intervals (almost
like the figure known as Khidr - The Green Guide). He seems to adapt his
teaching to the moment. This is my expereince by reading numerous books on
the subject of his teachings.

2. His main teaching is called Purushothama Yoga. It is Sai Baba's integral
yoga of five practices: Dharma, Bhakti, Karma (Baba may substitute the terms
Seva(selfless service), Thyaga, or Vairagya for Karma), Jnana and Dhyana
(meditation).
But there is more to it than that - and it is difficult to pinpoint an exact
main teaching at all.
This looks appearently like theosophy - right ?

Purushothama Yoga is in fact the name on chapter 15 in the Bhagavad Gita.
http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/Gita/chapter-15.html
or the excellent theosophical version by Sir Edwin Arnold:
http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/ctg/bhaggita.htm
or by W. Q. Judge: http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/gita/bg15.htm

The word "Purushothama" is from "Purusha" and "Atma". Purusha being the same
as ParaBrahman/Brahman and Atma being the Withness - the Self behind the
ignorant Seeker.
Adwaita Vedanta as promoted by Shankararchya teaches: Atma = Brahman.
Blavatsky teaches the same.
Sai Baba also.

Both Sai Baba and Theosophy (- Blavatsky) uses the Bhagavad Gita as
important teaching. Blavatsky puts great emphasis on the Upanishads and says
that there isn't much difference between them and Theosophical teachings.
Sai Baba holds the Upanishads in high regard as well as the Bhagavad Gita.
Try this by Al Drücker - an excellent one. Read the Foreword...:
http://www.atmapress.com/saibabagita/index.html

a)
In Sai Baba's book "Vidya Vahini" we have:
"Vidya is the authentic Purushothama Yoga, the Yoga of the Supreme Person
defined in the Gita, the knowledge of the Supreme, The Higher Learning, the
Vidya. This Yoga cannot be bought for money or acquired from friends or
ordered from concerns or companies. It has to be assimilated and won by each
one for oneself, through steady faith and ardent devotion."
http://beaskund.helloyou.ws/askbaba/vidyavahini/vidya05.html (Chapter II)

b) In Sai Baba's book "Prema Vahini" we have:
"Therefore, each individual deed must be full of the spirit of Seva, of
Prema and of Jnana. In other words each group of life's activities must be
saturated with Karma, Bhakthi and Jnana. This is verily the Purushothama
Yoga. It has to be acted in practice, not merely spoken in words, Sadhana
should be done constantly with ever-expanding heart full of Bhakthi and
Jnana. The sweetness of nectar or the Lord's name is the charm of life; the
internal joy derived from the Name is akin to the external joy of the outer
life."
http://beaskund.helloyou.ws/askbaba/premavahini/prema07.html (Prema = Love)

c) Sai Baba's view on Raja Yoga is, that it is a special path - where the
disciple don't need a physical teacher.



3. A Guide to Service in American Sathya Sai Baba Centers - 4 small chapters
on selfless service - to compare with some theosophical branches use of the
Theosophical Order of Service (TOS).
http://www.sathyasai.org/organize/z1reg01/serviceguide/servg.htm (A must
read to the heart doctrine interested.)
This aught to be connected with the term: Purushothama Yoga

4. The interested student of Sai Baba - named Nirmal has made the following
statements from Sai Baba on the future available.
http://www.saibaba.cn/goldenage.html (Also about the prophechy ion the
famous book called "Ocean of Light" called "Mehedi Moud" in arabic.)

5. Critics have compared his teachings with those of RamaKrishna - and said,
that they have had dificulties finding the difference between the teachings.
P.S.: In one book Sai Baba is said to have expressed - that RamaKrishna was
dead. Later it was checked and confimred, that RamaKrishan died in the same
hour as Baba did mention it. He died several hundred kilometers from where
Baba was standing.

6. --- Sex ---
"The craving and hunger for sex drag you into perdition. Desist from
catering to the tongue and its
greed; do not be a victim of lust or taste. Have Sathwic food and keep the
senses strictly under control.
(SSS, IV, 226) --- i.e. from the book Sathya Sai Speaks volume IV, page 226
(a Sai Baba book compiled I think by K. Nasturi).

7. "Educare is true Education" - Sai Baba on education and books.
http://www.eaisai.com/baba/docs/d011120.html

8. Sai Baba put much emphasis on the Adwaita Vedanta teachings - and the
teachings of the Upanishads.
He has made a small book on 6 philosophical school of India. - Blavatsky
emphasises these schools - and says, that their synthesis is Theosophy. Baba
can be said to do the same - by his version of Purushothama Yoga.
But remember, that Sai Baba's main PHYSICAL audience is the Indian one. The
great Avatars are for certain reasons most often showing themselves in
India. And we westerners wonders why ? Dream on !


Did this help a bit.
Just ask about subject, and I will look for the answer.



from
M. Sufilight with peace and love...




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eldon B tucker" <listmail@theosophist.org>
To: <theos-talk@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2003 9:09 PM
Subject: Theos-World talking about Sai Baba


> Dallas:
>
> Under the subject of comparative religion, it's possible to consider the
> beliefs and claims of popular gurus. Sai Baba is seen as a spiritual
teacher
> by his followers. How authentic are his claims and does he fake any of his
> phenomena? That would be a question for our theosophical historians. Apart
> from claims, we can study the ideas and learn how and why they think the
way
> that they do.
>
> Any claims made on his behalf are probably more for the benefit of his
> followers than for proving anything to skeptics. If people follow him and
> benefit from it, should we seek to discredit him in the name of truth? I
> think that would be a bad idea. Such thinking is back of most religious
> wars, which accomplish nothing but getting some people to change their
> professed beliefs from "brand x" of religion to "brand y" of religion.
Even
> after that professed change of belief, though, the people are no more
> intelligent, compassionate, loving, self-sacrificing, or noble than they
> were previously. They just pay lip service to a different creed.
>
> I recall reading in Tibetan Buddhism that one should hold complete faith
and
> confidence in his or her guru, regardless of the human failings of the
> actual person. This total acceptance is given as an important part of the
> training. I can understand why, although I also recognize the wide variety
> of spiritual schools and training available, some that adopt this
technique
> and others that shun it. If certain people flock to a guru and seem
content
> with the spiritual benefits offered, I'd suggest we respectfully leave
them
> to their chosen path until they feel an inner urge to seek out something
> else, leading our paths to cross with theirs and giving us the opportunity
> to help.
>
> If we discuss what Sai Baba says, we can contrast it with what we've
learned
> from the theosophical teachings. That discussion might help round out our
> theosophical knowledge as well as provide a different way of presenting
our
> ideas that someone studying with him might better appreciate. Perhaps
> someone could outline in a few paragraphs what his basic philosophy is?
>
> -- Eldon
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: W. Dallas TenBreoeck [mailto:dalval14@earthlink.net]
> Sent: Monday, October 20, 2003 11:41 AM
> To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: RE: Theos-World the future evolution of the theosophical seal
>
> Oct 20 2003
>
> Dear Eldon:
>
> I don't think the free for all about Sai Baba has much if anything to do
> with Theosophy.
>
> Claims settle nothing but convey a certain anger and annoyance which
> disturbs philosophical considerations? Or am I wrong?
>
> Also (to me) it is rather annoying for those who desire to sturdy
> Theosophical ideas, ramifications and their sources.
>
> I believe it is one of the original rules of the THEOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT
> that nothing be said antagonistic to some other religion, sect or system
> of belief.
> I feel this is a violation, but, I may be wrong.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Dallas
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>