I Am God, I Am God, I Am No Different from God

Berniece Mead, National Sai Spiritual Education Coordinator at the time, gave the following talk on the weekend of September 26-27, 1998, at the San Diego Sai Conference.

I would like to offer pranams (salutations) at the feet of our sweet and loving Lord, the indweller of my heart as well as yours. I would like to ask Him to use me as an instrument—that I may be a hollow flute with divine melody coming from it.

A familiar bhajan(devotional song) says, “I am God. I am God. I am no different from God.” Do you believe it? What does it mean? So many times when we make mistakes, we go around with sad faces, harboring resentment, jealously, anger, or hatred. And as an excuse we say, “I am only human.” What does it mean to be human? We are human beings with human bodies, but our next step is divinity. That isn’t exactly true either because we are already divine. Swami says, “Yes, I am God. But so are you. The only difference is that I know I am God and you do not.” Having human bodies is a very special privilege.

Swami has said that when righteousness declines, He comes back. Apparently, we have reached a very low ebb in our evolution. Thus, the Lord of the universe has descended to earth. Those of us here have done something special in the past, because we heard about the Avatar (Sai Baba) and decided we would do something about it. Many others heard of Him, but did not pay heed. What made us pay attention? My personal belief is that we truly have done something good in the past to be here today. And I hope that we will not lose sight of the fact that we are special.

Swami is telling us that we have to become ideal human beings. To do this, we have to follow a dharma. We have gotten into a lot of trouble by behaving as less than human. Sometimes we act like animals. Anger and jealousy—and all the things that take away peace—are not human. They are animal qualities that can even become demonic. I’m not going to ask for a show of hands because I would be the first one to raise my hand and I hate to do that. We have all had moments when we acted like demons.

In an interview Swami asked a young woman, “Where is your husband?” She told Swami she did not have a husband. He looked at her and said, “Yes, you do. You have many boyfriends. You are acting like an animal. Why are you acting like an animal? You are a human being.” Then He said, “I can’t believe it. Right here in front of Me, you are thinking about your last boyfriend.” I talked to her later and she admitted she had been and she did not know where the thought came from. But we know where the thoughts come from. Swami was teaching all of us a lesson. As He turned to me to say something, the young woman began to cry. Swami made her a ring and told her that He loved her, but that He had used her to show all of us how to be human beings.

He has told us about the value of truth, righteousness, peace, love, and nonviolence. In 1993, when Swami talked with the boys at Kodaikanal, He told them about these values and how they were a part of the sheaths (koshas)—the layers that make us what we are. Human beings are not their bodies, He pointed out. Bodies are disease-ridden and impermanent. They come and go.

Five layers make up the body. It is kept alive with food. In fact, the first layer is called the food sheath—the annamaya kosha. This sheath is connected with the value of right action, or dharma. Swami tells us it is our dharma to practice this value. This is our true nature as human beings. We are human beings for a short while in this lifetime. We come from God and we go back to God. We cannot get away from Him. He is always with us.

Why do our minds wander from the path? I think it is all a game. Probably we all helped make the rules way back when we were one with Baba. Isn’t it funny that we get bodies, then we form attachments, and our senses work overtime? We think that the world is what it is all about. The one who dies with the most toys wins. We are taught that throughout our lifetime and die so unhappy. What miserable creatures we are! And we are all so afraid of dying. Even in our Sai family, rumors come up about what Swami says. Why do we get involved in rumors? We cannot waste time worrying about dying. We have to think about living—and living in a dharmicway. We experience peace when we live that way because jealousy, hatred, envy, and all the things that make us miserable go away with right action.

The breath, or pranamaya kosha, and Swami’s love keeps our bodies going. We are walking love. Why can’t we experience that? Why can’t we turn on the switch, as we do for electricity, and find love? It permeates the entire world. God never leaves us alone. Love and God are synonymous. And both are what we are. When we sing together, we experience the unity of oneness. We cannot argue. We may be jealous of someone leading a bhajan when it sounds particularly good. But if we can just enjoy the moment and breathe together, the breath will show us that we are one.

We’ve been given the manomaya kosha (mind), which is like a stumbling block in a sense. Swami says this koshais equated with the value of peace, but to attain peace is up to us. The mind is a special gift that can set us free when we see that God is all there is, when we see that the person tearing us down and making us feel small is God, too. We can move toward freedom when we begin to use our minds to control the senses and to use the discrimination that makes us different from animals. The koshas are all related, like the values—they all fit into each other.

We have something else inside—an intelligence that is even greater than the all-seeing eye called the vijnanumaya kosha (intelligence sheath). It knows everything. Our entire life must be a continual inquiry. Where did I come from? Where am I going? Who am I? Swami tells us we are God. All of us can repeat, “I am God.” But do we really believe these words? Can belief in our divinity become our experience? Swami says it can. We are born with this belief. It is our gift.

Next, we have the anandamaya kosha (bliss sheath), the part of us that is the causal body. The mind, breath, and intelligence are the subtle bodies. The causal body is bliss. Once in a while, we reach a state that we recognize as our true nature. These five layers are the essence of what we are as human beings. But we don’t want to get trapped in that. The causal body is an easy trap. Like the moonlight, it is a reflection of the sun, not the real thing. We have to go beyond it to God—to the bright light from which we came and where we will return.

Swami says, “Don’t try, and do.” We are God! We are no different from God. See God in others, and see what the experience does for us. Let’s really give it a try. “I am God   I am no different from God.” And so is everyone that I see. If everything is God and everyone is God, what about the people who are acting like animals and demons? Swami says they are God, but don’t get close to them, because they will steer you away from your path. We need to use discrimination. We can love them and leave them. Keeping company with the good is very important.

Swami uses all of us in strange and mysterious ways. I am a retired teacher. For many years, I worked in the public realm. I used the human values in my classroom. When we began the Education in Human Values (EHV) foundation in 1983, we went into some school districts ready to save the world. We felt it was our duty to do so. Then we began to hear the organization say, “Wait.” We became cautious. We did not use Swami’s name, feeling that the organization would not let us do our work if we used it. In 1983, at a Teacher Training workshop in Prasanthi Nilayam, I represented the United States. Every night we met with the Chairman of the World Council and representatives from other countries. We decided we would begin training teachers in the principles of human values, but without using Swami’s name. Our belief was that more doors would open this way.

During the training, Swami was very loving to us. He came and asked why we did not want to use His name. He said there would be many educational programs in human values—all different from His program. “You must use My name,” He said. Just after His comment, the college boys passed out what we had said the night before, including the decision not to use His name. We were cornered, so I told the organization that we would have to use Swami’s name. I am telling you these things because it describes a dilemma that all of us seem to have continually. Why do we fear the name? Why do we feel we will be crucified if we talk about Swami? Our children deny Him. They hide materialized medallions. Is something horrible going to happen to us if people at work find out we visit a guru in India? We do the same in education. One principal in Reno thought ours was such a wonderful program that she wanted to be a teacher trainer. But we were told not to let her attend the Sai meeting because she would be turned off. She would see us sitting on the floor in front of a picture of a wonderful God, saying, “Om.” We would be doing things that would make her think “cult.” Everyone was scared. But we shouldn’t have to hide our Sai meetings from people who might become involved.

That was 12 years ago. Little has changed since. For my part, I was straightforward with my principal. I told her who Swami was. She thought it was great and wanted to participate. I went into classrooms once a week to talk about religion and values. The principal wanted to apply for a grant because she felt the program was too good to be limited to just one school. In the grant proposal, I wrote that this was from Sri Sathya Sai Baba in India. The Board asked questions, but not too many about Sai Baba. Mostly they asked about the lessons. Two very fundamental Christians sat on the Board, so I wasn’t surprised when I was turned down. Another principal, a good friend, asked why I included His name. She felt I would have gotten the grant if I had not. I replied, “I used His name because that is where the program is from. Someday someone would have found out that it comes from a guy named Sathya Sai Baba in India. What would you have said about me?” She understood.

We cannot try to hide Sathya Sai Baba. When all of us begin to live the principles and the community sees us as truly dedicated people doing good—our thoughts, words, and actions in alignment—then people will take notice. When they see our lives, they will listen. We are dealing with God. We have absolutely nothing to fear.

In 1985, at Swami’s 60th birthday, He gave us ten principles to live by. The first is “Love your motherland.” Our motherland is suffering because of her leaders and the lives they are leading. But they are simply a reflection of us. Do you see why God has come to rescue us? We have reached a low point in our evolution. Don’t worry about the things that are happening. They must happen to help us overcome our bad tendencies. We should all love our motherland and take pride in it.

Second, Swami tells us to accept all religions. I used to be judgmental of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I had a tough time with them because I saw their children suffer, isolated. I felt their pain. I said that if l ever heard of a Jehovah’s Witness becoming a Sai devotee, I would know that He is God. One night a new man came to the center who had cancer. I talked with him. Sometimes, all of a sudden you know that this is God; the tears flow and you feel absolutely wonderful. The man told me it had been difficult for his family, who are Jehovah Witnesses, because he and his wife had chosen to follow Swami. His family left him. Friends of 20 years left them. We must respect all religions. I, too, had to step back and take a new look at that. Whatever path a person takes is the one he or she needs to follow at the time.

No other organization is like the Sai organization. When we go to Prasanthi Nilayam (Sai Baba’s main ashram), we see a macrocosm of the world, from ditch diggers to brain surgeons. We see every religion and every race—all looking at one Lord. This is God. He has put us all in strategic places. Each one of us must follow the path we are on. We will all wind up in the same place. I am so happy to be a part of His plan. Swami tells us that we should not leave the organization. What we have is the world. He tells us to be in the world, but not of the world. So we have the wonderful chance to take Sai into the community.

Dharma, or righteousness, means “the way we act.” Each inanimate object, person, and animal has a dharma. Swami says that animals have claws, fangs, and horns. They have come into the world to protect themselves. What do we have to protect ourselves? We did not come with guns. We were given the sweetness of speech. Sweetness of speech is our dharma. Swami says, when you have peace within you, there will be peace in the family. When there is peace in the family, there will be peace in the community. When there is peace in the community, there will be peace in the nation. When there is peace in the nation, there will be peace in the world. Confucius expressed the same idea thousands of years ago. Now Swami has used it again. We have a wonderful opportunity to learn and to grow—to disarm all modes of harm and anger with sweetness of speech. Think about it.

I want to end with a story about my nephew, who is a fundamentalist. I am the favorite aunt of my nieces and nephews. They are concerned about Aunt Berniece going to India. My nephew asked me about my trips. I told him I would tell him if he did not try to save my soul. My soul has already been saved. He told me I’d been with Swami for 12 years, which is correct. He said, “I thought that maybe you would change and you did—and it is all for the good. I want to know what this is all about.” He said he had been reading about Eastern religions because of my life. I want to tell all of you how important the way we all live is. Swami told us recently, “Your life is My message.” We must all think about that. Your family and friends are watching you. I had no idea my nephew was watching me. I never talked about Sai Baba to him. I hope each one of us will take Sai into the community. We will have to do that with our EHV—be willing to say what it is. Do not put your head down and your tail between your legs and walk away. A door may close, but another door will open, and we will enter. We must remember that we are not running the show. Swami is the doer.

~Berniece Mead, Tustin, CA
Source: Sai Sarathi, February 1999

Sarathi means “charioteer” or “companion” and reflects our yearning as devotees to have Sai as our constant charioteer in this lifetime. “The individual must install himself in a chariot with the wheels of detachment and truth; the Lord will then accept the position of charioteer. He will hold the reins (mind) and direct the horses (senses) straight and safe over the road (the path of salvation through self-realization).\

~Baba