Jesus

Jesus’ life and example show us the qualities we must develop in order to have a fruitful spiritual life.  We can all be messengers of God by developing love, service and compassion.  Christmas brings an annual opportunity to reflect on the teachings of Jesus. 

Man is like a seed. The seed sprouts, becomes a sapling, grows into a tree and fulfills its destiny, offering flowers and fruits to the world. So, too, man rises from childhood through adolescence into youth and middle age. When fully grown, he has to justify his existence by offering the world the flowers and fruits of good thoughts and deeds, and he has to acquire wisdom. A bird needs two wings; a cart must have two wheels. Without these, they are mortally handicapped. Man, too, must have two types of knowledge—to live on and to live for. The one helps him to eke out his livelihood and the other rewards him for having lived at all. The one is called Jivanopadhi (the means of living), and the other Jivanaparamavadhi (the goal of living). The one enables to us to garner the material riches that make our lives comfortable and safe, the other answers the questions that haunt us during life—from where have we come, where are we going, how did the universe originate, etc. No religion concerns itself with the first type of knowledge, they all stress the second type only. Each of you has to pay more attention to the goal of living  rather than the means of living, since the former will beneficially affect the latter.

Dharma provides peace…

In all countries and communities, man has set down certain rules and regulations to secure the orderly and smooth running of the actual process of living. Since these rules have become part of the code of conduct, they are described as ‘discipline.’ They are also subsumed under the basic principles of dharma (righteousness). Dharma promotes peace and happiness, contentment and joy. In every community, great personalities have appeared from time to time.  They shape and burnish codes and adapt the details to the needs of the time.

Today we do not need to strive for a new religion, society or code of morality- they are already there in each country. The basic plans for spiritual training are laid down in most religions. But we need persons who have attained purity in all levels of consciousness. Man can reach perfect bliss only when his heart becomes free of envy, egoism, greed and other evil traits. We need persons who can recognize and relish the kinship and identity between man and man, as well as between one society and another. They have to move beyond the bounds of the limited “I” to break loose from the entanglements of the senses. They have to jump over the battlements of the fort called “body,” and enthusiastically enter the wide world beyond.

Turn inward

From the narrow vision of individual need, man must voyage out into the broad vision of the Universal. When a drop of water falls into the ocean, it loses its narrow individuality, its name and form, and assumes the form, name and taste of the ocean itself. If it seeks to live separately as a drop, it will soon evaporate and be reduced to non-existence. Each one must become aware that he is part of the one truth that encompasses everything in the universe. It is reprehensible to stick to the low narrow paths of selfishness, envy, and greed for one’s whole lifetime. Make your heart big and your mind pure. Only then can peace and prosperity be established on the earth.

This day is a holy day, the day on which Jesus was born. He announced himself as the messenger of God. In fact, all humans are born as messengers of God. The sole purpose of this human career is to propagate the omnipresence of God, His might and glory. No one is born just to consume quantities of food and to cater to one’s senses. Human life is much more precious than that. That is why the capacity to appreciate beauty, truth, and goodness has been endowed only to man.

One need not journey to any special region or place to acquire awareness of the Divine. It is enough if the eye is turned inward. In the Bhagavad-gita (song of God), the inner reality, or atman, is described as “resplendent like a billion suns.” But man has not become aware of the light and power within; he still flounders in the darkness of ignorance. The scriptures proclaim that man is amrithasya puthrah (the child of immortality), but man is unaware of this glorious heritage. He feels he is mortal, his end is imminent, and his existence is temporary.

Man debases himself

The scriptures also say that the atman, the real core of the individual, is anandaswarupa (the very embodiment of bliss). But man is blind to this truth, and invites sorrow and anxiety to hold mastery over him. He discards the joy that awaits him. Every man is a messenger to fellow men, entrusted with the task of spreading knowledge of the joy that is being missed. If he misuses this mission and fritters away his years in gratifying his senses, he only loses the chance and reduces himself to the level of beasts. He who announced Himself as the messenger of God developed through the blossoming of divinity, especially compassion and service, in His heart to a stage when he declared Himself as the Son of God. And then, finally, He rose to the status of “I and my Father are One.”

When Jesus declared that He was the Son of God, He became entitled to the paternal majesty and power. He could only claim these when He developed the qualities of His Father. As a result he attained sayujya (mergence), which led Him to assert, “I and my Father are one.” The scriptures say, Brahmavid Brahmaiva Bhavathi: He who knows Brahman (supreme self) becomes Brahman.

Jesus inspired all mankind

These three stages are referred to as dwaita, visistadwaita and adwaita in Vedic thought. The stage of dwaita (dualism) is when messenger and master are basically separate. In the next stage, the son and father, though two separate entities, are bound by affection and kindred feelings and attitudes. They are like the whole and the part, the body and the limb. This stage is called visistadwaita (qualified non-dualism). And when the son and the Father are one, the stage is of adwaita (non-dualism).

Even a child is eager to pass from one class to the next; he would hate to vegetate in the same class for years. Then what can we say of persons with intelligence and discrimination, satisfied with the attainment of the lower steps? Jesus passed through the entire process and inspired all mankind, by His example and teachings, to be generous and kind, detached and discriminating, and to bring light and love to all. He attracted people by His miracles and transformed them into apostles and exemplary servants of man.

You must realize that the divine current that flows and functions in every living being is the One universal entity. When you desire to enter the mansion of God, you are confronted by two closed doors—the desire to praise yourself and the desire to defame others. The doors are bolted by envy, and the huge lock of egoism prevents entry. If you are earnest, resort to the key of prema (love) and open the lock; then remove the bolt and throw the doors wide open. Education must train you in this difficult operation.

Give up the two evils

You undergo training in various subjects of study, but the crown of all subjects is adhyatmic vidya (spiritual wisdom). People desirous of bathing in sacred rivers are advised by Thyagaraja, the famous mystic, poet and singer, to bathe in the ocean, for all rivers pour their waters into it. Therefore a bath in the ocean means bathing in the waters of all the rivers at the same time. The atmavidya (knowledge of self), if mastered, is the key to all knowledge. It teaches us Tat [the indescribable Absolute], which if known, means all else is known. It reveals to us that the One is in the many and that the many are really One. Isavasyam idam sarvam: “All this is enveloped by God,” as the shruti (sacred text) declares.

Sadhana is the name for the mental discipline and intellectual effort to realize this unity. Jesus sacrificed his life and poured out his blood to instill love and compassion in the heart of man, so that he may be happy when others are happy and sad when others are sad. You should not celebrate Christmas with festivity and fun. Celebrate it rather, by resolving and putting into practice at least one of the ideals He enunciated, or endeavoring to reach at least one of the goals that He placed before man.

Let Me call upon you to give up, in memory of this holy day, two evils from your mind: self-praise and talking scandal. Adopt one habit: the habit of loving service to the distressed. If you spend all your time and energy in worldly comfort and sensual delight, you are disgracing this human existence. Life is not to be spent in just eating; eating is only a necessity for living. You consider this habitation of yours as your body; no, it is the temple of God. God resides therein. Keep it clean, fresh and fragrant by developing compassion and love. Use the temple of God only for holy thoughts, words, and deeds. Do not demean it by using it for low, trivial, and unholy tasks. Wherever you are, whatever you do, have this resolution steady and strong.

Source: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 13