Light. Drops of. Channeled by Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D.

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2 Light Drops of Channeled by Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. i

3 2014 Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. ISBN All rights including the rights to translate or to reproduce this book or parts thereof except for brief quotations are reserved. First Edition, Copies Published by: Kapahi Books 60 Walter Havill Drive, Unit 1208 Halifax, N.S., Canada B3N 0A9 Printed through: 48hrbooks th St. S.W. Akron O.H U.S.A Cover illustration: Maja Wizor ii

4 Light Drops of Channeled by Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. Kapahi Books iii

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6 DEDICATED AT THE LOTUS FEET OF BHAGAVAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA THE ETERNAL WITNESS THE MERCIFUL GURU AND THE DIVINE MOTHER AND FATHER OF ALL v

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8 INTRODUCTION On November 25, 2013 Sri Sathya Sai Baba spoke to me saying we would begin a new book today. I sat in my meditation chair before His photos in my prayer room, notebook and pen in hand. I never know what the topic will be from day to day. It is always a surprise. I hear His quietly spoken words in the depth of my consciousness, and write them as I hear them. This book comprises many of the Teachings of Sathya Sai Baba. He wishes His devotees to continue reading all of His Books and imbibe and practice His Teachings at every moment. From time to time Dear Baba speaks about His new incarnation, Prema Sai Baba. vii

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10 Forty-Five Essays Drops of Light Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba ix

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12 Drops of Light 1 I have been observing that not enough attention is being given to My Teachings laid out in the many books available in the Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust. This is not right. These words were given to you from the Highest Heaven. They comprise the purest knowledge available delivered in the simplest fashion. I expect you to continue to read and imbibe these Teachings. There is always more to learn about the ways of God in this universe and how to realize all there is to know about the Divine. Keep on studying, contemplating, concentrating, and meditating. This book will elaborate on what devotees need to study, contemplate, concentrate on and realize. It will be a sort of summary of the basics of My Teachings I have shared over the past 60 years or so in easy to understand terms. Because Catherine has a pure, simple mind, I am able to easily convey what I wish to say to her mind. She is uncomplicated, though very wise. Because of this I am able to keep difficult concepts in simple terms. In this way many devotees are also able to understand. The Truth is simple though scholars often make it complicated. Another problem is that there are so many different meanings propounded by many for the same terms. For example, the word, 'soul' has been given many meanings, none of them correct. I wish to clarify this for My devotees and those who may read this book. So let us begin. Which of My Teachings do I wish you - 1 -

13 Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. to read and understand? Most important is the distinction between Truth and untruth. Truth is unchanging, remaining the same in all aspects. What is Truth? How do you recognize Truth? It is the Awareness in you. Even in a pitch black room where you can see and hear nothing, you are aware. That awareness is Truth or Atma. This awareness is always present, even when the physical body dissolves. Though mind with thoughts, emotions and feelings may cover up awareness, the awareness is still there behind. The nature of this pure awareness is detachment, peace and bliss. It does not need an object. Absorbed in itself is enough. No outer fulfillment from objects is needed. It is its own fulfillment. So Truth is unchanging Awareness, peace, and bliss. Everything else is untruth, because it is subject to change and dissolution. All forms fit into this category of untruth. So if one is aware of this, and mind does not get attached to and obscured by untruth, there is no problem, no pain and suffering. 2 My Dear Devotees, as you know I love you dearly and wish the very best for you. You must believe this, trust in this, and then it will be true for you. It is true. Trust, trust, trust your Baba and also be the best you can be

14 Drops of Light Today we will look at another essential teaching that must be understood and practiced. It has to do with speech. Your words are a reflection of your mind and your inner being. To be authentic speak words that reflect your Being, Atma. If you have not purified your mind, your words will not reflect your inner being, they will reflect the state of your mind and consciousness. There is not too much you can do about this except to keep on purifying through inner observation of your mind, keeping your mind on noble thoughts and ideas, and remembering God's Names and qualities, practicing and making them your own. Gradually as you pour clean water into a container of muddy water, the water in the container will become pure. In the meantime do not speak meaningless words just because others are doing so. Be careful of your associations because you are influenced by them. Particularly young people who feel a need to, 'fit in' will adopt bad speech and habits from others. Once this happens it is not so easy to change them. Parents have the duty to guard their children from impure influences. It can be very difficult in this day and age due to negative influences from the Kali Yuga, to raise children who are pure and noble in thought and speech. But it is not impossible. Even in the USA there are private schools popping up that attempt to elevate young people's minds to nobler ideals and purposes. Sathya Sai Schools around the world are doing the best job at this. I commend highly all these teachers, parents and children affiliated with Sathya Sai Schools. They are - 3 -

15 Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. cultivating Divine values in children who will be the exemplary citizens for the Golden Age. It is My wish that such schools spread to all the cities and countries in the world. It is your speech that will be noticed by others and influence them. When you speak kindly, respectfully, intelligently, and wisely without egoism, judgement, and pride, but in a gentle, loving, self-confident manner, others will definitely take note of this. Your speech should come from an inner knowledge that you are God and all others are also embodiments of God. Address your words and feelings to the Divine in each form privately in your own mind. Then you will be certain not to hurt anyone with your words, and also to be truthful. And please do not speak too much. Much can be conveyed in silence through looks and feelings, gestures and touch: a pat on the hand, a loving smile, a helping hand. Work toward the ideal of having your words reflect your Being, the Atma. Share spiritual teachings or wisdom with great discretion. The person must be open to hear and learn and have respect for the teachings. All are not ready to hear and imbibe spiritual teachings. Their level of awareness/consciousness may be too low and thus prevent understanding of subtle spiritual teachings. Use discernment and intuition to know who is ready and who is not ready. So tailor your words to the situation you are in and the people you are with also. When in doubt remain silent

16 Drops of Light 3 My Dear Devotees, today we will look at another important teaching absolutely necessary for Godrealization. It is living a moral life. What do I mean by moral? I mean being aware of the highest, purest, most sublime ideals and values; the ones extolled in the world s greatest scriptures. So let us look at these moral values I wish My devotees to inculcate and express. I will give you a long list of moral values and then we will look at a few in depth. It is necessary to cultivate these values if you find upon examination of yourself that they are missing and some other lower energy is taking their place. I place great emphasis on honesty and purity in thought, word and action; and that these three should be in alignment. If they are not in alignment, there is no purity. If they are not in alignment, there is dishonesty. For example, you tell yourself you will meditate every day for one hour and you do not do it. So your thoughts and actions are not in alignment. You tell yourself you will not eat meat and you do it, so there is impurity, dishonesty within your being. The pure good thoughts are coming into you but you are not catching onto them and having them manifest in your life. Why not? Many reasons. You think you are too weak; you procrastinate to a future time; you do not have control of your senses so you are tempted; the habit is very strong and you keep on giving in. If you took the attitude that you will - 5 -

17 Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. follow your Satguru/God s Teachings no matter what, and that you are determined to be a Master of your senses, mind, emotions, etc., and that God has given you the power, will and strength to follow the highest moral life, you would do so. You need to make this morality a priority rather than running on automatic pilot the way you were used to doing in your unrefined and unenlightened state. So unity, honesty and purity through alignment in thoughts, words and actions. Why to do this? So you can easily know your Divine nature as Atma and have the Divine manifest through all your bodies purely and freely. Other moral values that must be cultivated and maintained are unconditional love, kindness, respect, righteousness (right action, speech and thought), peace in all the bodies (thoughts, words, and actions), charity, forbearance, patience, renunciation, and sacrifice. Though there are more, these are the important ones for Self-realization. 4 If I were to look at you all, what would I see? Sparkling lights scattered all over the earth. It is the light of Atma in the spiritual hearts of you all. It is coming through to the earth plane creating heaven on earth. How to understand this? You see, though Atma is everywhere, it has been blocked from - 6 -

18 Drops of Light manifesting on the earth plane for a very long time. The ego has been given full reign through man for millennia. Only now is the Atmic consciousness beginning to take over planet earth. When it does, moral values will be honoured and practiced as the only way to live. So it behooves you to know them and practice now so as to be a part of the new wave of being. So let us look at another essential teaching that a devotee, a seeker of God-realization, should know and imbibe. It is honesty. Only through honesty will you have integrity and trust from others. Honesty is a high moral value. You must never lie to or deceive others or yourself or God. Of course you cannot deceive God though many try to. Cheating, lying, deceiving and stealing are sins. When you do these actions, have these thoughts and speak words related to dishonesty, you are separating yourself from others and God. You are disrespecting and dishonouring the other. Many people try to bargain to get the best price for an object to the point of robbing a poor person of his livelihood. Where is your sense of fairness and charity toward others when you do this? It is a bad habit to do this, not caring for the one who is trying to make a living. Strike a fair deal where you both are happy. Do not rob others in this way. Many people tell lies. It is better to remain silent than to tell a lie. Do not place yourself in a position where you think you must tell an untruth. Live a moral righteous lifestyle so you - 7 -

19 Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. can always speak truth in an obliging way. You will be trusted and respected by others who will see you as having good character and virtues if you maintain honesty in thoughts, words and actions. 5 When I was a boy, I dreamed of helping thousands of devotees all over the world to remove their distress. It came to pass. Still I move about the planet relieving the distress of many. I also dreamed, (I am here speaking about waking-state dreams), that huge masses of devotees would come to Me and that also came to pass. Now I wish to tell you that I never intended to cut short My mission as Sathya Sai Baba. I fully intended to remain until My 96 th year. As many of you learned through reading My conversations with Catherine, My physical body became very ill and I allowed it to happen. I realized also that more and more of My physical Darshan was not going to move you along the path to Selfrealization that fast. So I decided to leave the earth plane earlier than originally planned, to give you an opportunity to go within to find the Truth within. Have you found it? Or are you still procrastinating, postphoning the practice that would uncover the Truth that you are? I beseech you for your sake to take up My teachings and apply them in earnest

20 Drops of Light I have decided to assume a new physical form that will be named Prema Sai Baba earlier than was previously forecast. Why? Because I love you and care for your spiritual development and wish to give you joy and bliss. Now to the topic for today. Today I will discuss another important Teaching needed for Selfrealization. It is purity on all levels. As you wish to raise your energy level, your vibrational level as high as possible, this entails raising the vibration of all your bodies, the physical, emotional, mental, etheric and spiritual. How do you do this? Through purity and spiritual practice. Let us look at purity first. Purity on the physical level would comprise keeping the physical body, clothes and the environment in which you spend most of your time as clean as possible. I am speaking here about energetic cleanliness mainly. The food must be acquired by honest means from an honest source. It should be cleaned and cooked by a pure person. The food should be offered to God before eating and should be sattwic food, not rajasic or thamasic. Medicines should be minimized as they have a toxic effect unless they are alternative such as homeopathic or ayurvedic medicines. Get plenty of exercise and enough pure water. These actions are essential to raise the vibration of the physical body. But this is not enough. As all the bodies, mental, emotional, physical and spiritual affect one another, they all must be purified

21 Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. For the mental body, give it sacred music and sacred mantras; desist from thinking of or listening to any negativity or violence. Do not worry; have faith and trust in the Divine and pray and meditate regularly. Read and follow the Teachings of the Guru or Spiritual teacher regularly. Always keep a positive outlook, do your duty, your dharma and offer it to the Divine. Never have negative feelings; they pollute the mind, emotional and physical bodies. Transmute negative thoughts and feelings through self-love, selfforgiveness and forgiveness of others. Listening to uplifting sacred music will replace negativity with a serene, loving and peaceful mind. Have gratitude for all the blessings in your life. Eliminate judgement, comparison mind, criticisms, etc. Concentrate on thinking, speaking and doing what is good, helpful, and kind. These should raise the energy vibration of all the bodies and keep it up. Unconditional love in thought, word and action will maintain a high vibration if all the other measures are also followed. Keep the company of holy, sacred people as much as possible. The energy they carry in all their bodies will help you purify your energy. Keep away from lower vibrational areas as much as possible. If you have to do your employment there, ask God for a blanket of protection from all negative energy and influence no matter what the source on a regular basis and visualize yourself surrounded by white light. So purity of all the bodies is important to raise your

22 Drops of Light energy vibration. You cannot become polarized at the Atmic level unless you lead a pure, sacred life. 6 My Dear Devotees, please bear with Me while I tell you yet another new bit of information pertaining to My new incarnation as Prema Sai Baba. My new body has been born. It is beautiful with large brown eyes and fair skin. This body will be larger than the Sathya Sai Baba form, but not that much larger. Of course, this boy will be very intelligent and wise beyond his years. He will be recognised as the new Sai Avatar at three years of age due to his precociousness and ability to know many things beyond his years. I am telling you these things about the new Sai incarnation so that you will become interested and excited to see Me again manifesting through a physical form. You will be able to know Me much earlier in this new form than did devotees of the Sathya Sai form. This is very fortunate as many of the devotees of the Sathya Sai form are elderly or at least senior citizens. They will be able to see their Lord again in the Prema Sai form before too long

23 Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. Today I will speak about an important teaching that I wish you all to imbibe. It has to do with grounding yourself on the earth. Many of you wish to leave and live in the heavens with Me, or merge in Me forever due to your great devotion towards Me. But let me explain the proper way to look at this. You are here on earth for a specified period of time. It had already been decided before you took a physical form, and as well there is a lot that has been planned such as marriage, children, profession, karma to exhaust, things to learn, etc. Though these seem much less important than your spiritual path, they are all to be incorporated into your path and dealt with and gone through. You cannot just up and leave, you must do your dharma, your duties. The idea is to ground spiritual energies on the physical, mental and emotional planes of your existence. Through purity of thought, word and deed, and right thinking, speaking and acting, you are grounding spiritual energies into these lower planes of existence. As you know yourself more and more to be Atma and Mighty I Am Presence, and allow these high vibrations to radiate through the three lower bodies, you ground Heaven on Earth and help to raise the vibrations of Planet Earth and all who dwell therein. This is your spiritual mission on earth. All can do this work or, said in another way, prepare themselves through following My Teachings. So you raise yourself up as well as everything you come into contact with. Of course, practice detachment, unconditional love, peace, contentment and equanimity

24 Drops of Light and all the virtues to perfect your character and raise your vibration to the highest possible level while here on earth embodied in the physical, mental, emotional, etheric and spiritual bodies. How to ground the Divine energies? Visualize a flow of Divine Light high above your head flowing down through the crown chakra through all the chakras, down through the legs and feet, moving into the center of Mother Earth. Do this a few times per day. Feel this pure Divine Light also encircling all your bodies, protecting you from any and all negative energies. In this way feel you are a Divine being sanctifying Mother Earth and her inhabitants wherever you go. 7 My Dear Devotees, how much I love you, you will never know. How can you know unless you become like Me? And that will not be possible for a very long time. Yet you can experience a glimpse of My Divinity by coming near to Me and joining with Me as Atma, where we are one Love, one Being in pure pristine union. Loving the Self, God, is the most important duty you have in life. Loving the Self leads to becoming the Self that never changes. Seek that above all else and find complete fulfillment. After

25 Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. finding this complete fulfillment, even then you will be inspired to expand to encompass more and more of Divinity ad infinitum. Today the topic is, How to get along with people when there are great differences. The key word here is acceptance. Accept people as they are. Don t judge or criticize them. If you knew God was in them as awareness/energy/matter, you would try harder to be an ideal person. It is difficult for you to see God in others if you do not first see God as yourself in manifestation. So treat others as you would wish to be treated; that is, with kindness, respect and tolerance. You may not agree with them, their lifestyle, their speech, ideas, their religion or guru, their manners and so on. You decide how much time you wish to spend in their company. Perhaps it is only a few minutes. During those few minutes, be a good listener and be respectful. Do not roll your eyes, frown, or speak in an unpleasant way. If you are very uncomfortable, excuse yourself after wishing them a good day. A smile and divine greeting like Namaste may be used if appropriate to the culture. If the encounter is work related and you must spend more time with another, remember I am in them as the inner motivator, the consciousness/energy. Focus your kindness, respect and smile on Me in that person and remain focused on the work at hand. You do not need to get personal with the other person. Do the work and move away

26 Drops of Light As for family members with whom you may need to interact more often, there is more opportunity for conflict. But be aware to avoid conflict as much as possible. Seek harmony, allowing for differences of opinion, vision and outlook. Be accepting of the differences, make compromises, seek for the happiness of all; do not be critical and judgmental. Remember that life is a play, a game, as well as a challenge. Be a love finder, not a fault finder. Allow for differences, but stand firm in your own virtues and character that make you unique and a teacher and an inspiration for other members of the family. Be patient, tolerant, detached, kind, caring, and giving. Speak softly, speak only when necessary. Do not waste your words; choose the words that will best convey what you wish to say. Always seek the harmony with others through allowing differences to be, and seeking the love that you share between you. 8 My Dear Devotees, here we are together again, heart to heart, mind to mind. Today I wish to remind you of another important teaching to be mindful of as you pass through your days. Today we will discuss the importance of having a loving attitude. When you have a loving attitude, you are as Atma or very close to Atma as long as the love is selfless. How do you

27 Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. know your love is selfless? You expect nothing in return. You are loving for the sake of love. It springs from within you without a cause; it is your natural state. Some people have cultivated a social mask of loving congeniality, smiling, laughing, agreeing, etc. Though this is not the true thing, it is better than negativity and discord. These ones may not have done introspection into Who Am I, and have no idea of Atma or Truth. However, the ability to be positive and loving at least in social life, may help them to keep a positive attitude at all times, even during crises. Somewhere, sometime, they have learned that it works to be loving and positive. They are luckier than the ones who are mainly gloomy and depressed. Love springs from Truth. The Truth that Existence, Consciousness is one. All are One; be alike to every one in the sense that whatever you do to another, you do to yourself. You feel compassion when another is hurting and wish to relieve the pain. You feel it is your pain too. At the same time you know if you have true awareness, that psychological pain is of the ego, the phantom self that believes its thoughts and feelings are truth, are part of themselves, and that they therefore must believe in them and deal with them. And that the world of images, sensations, thoughts and feelings are real and one is at their effect. None of this is true for the awakened one who sits as Awareness in the center of the Self

28 Drops of Light So though you have compassion, an expression of love for the suffering, the greatest gift you can give is to help them to awaken to their true Self, the Atma, whereby they would be set free from suffering and pain. Of course, physical pain may be there in the awakened, but it does not have the same impact. One does not identify with it as my pain. It is part of the human condition of living in a physical body. I am not recommending that one lives with physical pain for years and years. Now there are many ways to reduce and eliminate physical pain, and can be used if necessary to reduce stress and irritation of long-term physical pain. Even before it becomes your natural state, you can cultivate a loving attitude at all times by giving up judgement, condemnation, hatred, jealousy, anger and the like. Put on a happy face and be happy for no reason. You are joy and contentment and equanimity in your true Self. Empty your mind of negative and useless thoughts, and be the God that you are. The keyword here is be. You are a loving, joyful being always. At birth you became a human being, encased in a human-type body. But you have always been simply being, unattached, pure, and joyful. Radiate that pure being. Shine, that others may recognize their Self in you. The world needs your Divine Light. You are a beacon to show others the way to freedom and blessedness

29 Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. 9 My Dear Devotees, I am sharing with you the essence of My Teachings in small lessons for you to remember and apply them in your daily lives. They must become as second nature to you. You see, transformation must take place on a gradual basis, and by applying these lessons, you will transform your nature to a Divine nature. This is your destiny. In former days enlightened ones lived in remote areas, mainly alone except for devotees who would visit. But now the way is to remain amidst the society, being in the world but not of it. As the new Golden Age of Truth is dawning upon earth, many more will live as Atma, yet be in the world and act as examples of Divine Beings in human bodies. The bodies will appear to be ordinary human bodies, yet they carry more Divine Light than unenlightened human beings carry. I am telling you this so you will feel comfortable being in the world and know that this is the way now. Be in the world and radiate the Light of Truth. I am showing you how to behave in the new world that you and many others are bringing about and manifesting in every moment. The next topic has to do with boundaries. Do you know that there are really no boundaries? It seems to the mind that there are boundaries, but that is a concept in the mind. All is consciousness and energy. Yes, the skin around the bodies seems to define the

30 Drops of Light individual. But the skin is also made of atoms and it is not a boundary really. It is tremendously porous. The point is that an individual s body does not end with the skin of the so-called physical body. There are energy bodies beyond the skin such as the mental, emotional, etheric and spiritual bodies that comprise energy relating to the so-called individual. And these energy bodies are intermingling with other energy bodies all of the time. In light of this knowledge, I ask you to keep the company of holy people who maintain a high vibration in all the energy bodies by chanting God s name, and maintaining purity of thoughts, words and actions. If this is not possible due to job situation or family situations, you can still chant God s name, read sacred books, be in nature, and spend time alone or in company of holy people as much as possible. Higher vibrations transmute lower vibrations. It will be more of a challenge for you than for others to transmute your energy to higher vibrations but it is possible. So there are no boundaries in Truth. All is energy. The energy in nature, in forests, by the ocean is relatively pure. I advise you to spend time in nature chanting God s name. Here you can easily feel the Oneness of consciousness, energy and raise your vibration

31 Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. 10 My Dear Devotees, here we are together again at another time and perhaps another place for you. However, for Me there is only one time and one place and this is here now. We live in many dimensions simultaneously, the one interpenetrating the other. Do you see that? If not now, you will. Today the topic is jealousy. You see if this is not eradicated, you will always be plagued with it. Let us get to the bottom of why it happens. Really it is due to desire that jealousy comes up. You desire something someone else has. Because someone has it and you very much want it, you become jealous of that person. But who is that person really? Who is the I in that person? It is God Himself, or you could say your Self as there is in Truth, one Self. In seeing this, you could think, Well it is okay. The one Self is experiencing through that body rather than this body. But if it is some longstanding desire you very much want, and have been unable to get fulfilled, and others easily get it, it may be more difficult to do away with jealousy. And there may be great disappointment and sadness accompanied with the unfulfillment of the desire. Sometimes God will fulfill the desire to move you forward so you do not remain stuck

32 Drops of Light However, it is best to renounce the desire and be free from it for peace of mind. But not all can do this so easily. Two aspects of wisdom can help you give up the desire and/or drop the jealousy toward others that have what you desire to have. One is to see that the true Atma or I, that you are, is free and has no desire, and the other as I mentioned, is to see everyone as God. That the person is unreal, only the one Atma, the one Presence, Satchitananda, Existence, Awareness and Bliss, truly exists. This is a high level of awareness and most do not have it firmly established. So what to do in the meantime? How to abolish jealousy? Ask yourself whether you would rather be happy, peaceful, and content or jealous. Feel the energy of jealousy and see whether you really wish to carry and perpetuate that energy in your being, or would rather be peaceful and content with what you have in the moment. It is most often the case that you prefer peace and contentment. So make a firm choice. Though your desire(s) have not been fulfilled in the moment, make a list of what you really want (if you cannot renounce the desires), and place it in front of My photo or simply address it to the Supreme Power of the Universe and place it on the altar or in a temple or church if you prefer. Do not be anxious about the fulfillment; just trust that it will be fulfilled in the way God decides to fulfill it

33 Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. So you can see, jealousy is really not about another person who really does not exist. It is about something you have in your own mind, an image of a thing, an object, an idea that you believe would make you happy and more fulfilled, more loved or loveable than you already are. It is due to wrong identification. You already are the embodiment of love, loved, and loveable. God loves you as His own Self. Wake up and realize that you need not covet what another has. You may admire the beauty. It is all the manifestation originating from the one cosmic Divine energy having taken many forms. You are also a Creator. Rather then creating the energy of jealousy, be original and create yourself in the Highest image of God you are able to manifest on earth. 11 My Dear Devotees, here we are together, mind to mind and hopefully heart to heart as well. When you read My words, I am aware of this. Remember, all is energy; My words are My energy; they contain the energy signature of Sathya Sai Baba. So reading My words or gazing with love at My Photo, singing bhajan, speaking about Me, connects Me to you. It is really so easy as all are One. One simply needs to be aware and trust in the beginning, that Oneness is the

34 Drops of Light Truth. Realization of the one Self is your true nature. You just need to regain it, rediscover it. Today I wish to speak about the need that many of you have to be accepted by others. Non-acceptance by others creates a lot of anguish in many. They keep on feeling there is something wrong with themselves when others do not accept them, and this negative energy acts to subtly erode their self-love and selfconfidence. It is not good for devotees to feel and think this way about themselves. So what to do? What is the remedy? It is to activate self-love under all conditions and circumstances. At the same time become aware of faults, shortcomings and mistakes within yourself and fix them or make atonement for them. Because you find faults within is not a reason to dislike or berate yourself. Note them and resolve to make the changes or improvements. For example, you may speak about yourself, your accomplishments, etc. in the company of others. They may think you are boasting, have too much pride, and in their own mind feel jealous or inferior. So others may keep a distance from you, and you feel not accepted. So note this tendency you may have and stop talking about self and instead take interest in others and be a good listener. Be kind and loving with others because this is your nature to be this way expecting nothing in return

35 Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. For a devotee, popularity is not important. You are to work on yourself to purify yourself of ego-sense, I and mine, develop virtues and eliminate faults. Do not bother what others think about you. That is their business, their projection. If you are at a higher level of consciousness than most people you have to interact with, then naturally your interests, thoughts, words and actions will be different and others may believe they do not have much in common with you. You have become empty-minded, very peaceful, desireless, ambitionless, no longer interested in petty things, idle gossip about others, television programs, and sports. So often there is not much in common with others as you are centered in Atmic Consciousness and their minds are elsewhere. So do not worry if others do not accept you in the way you would like to be accepted. Love them anyway and accept them as they are. If you do not have like-minded people, devotees to spend some time with, you may feel lonely. But this loneliness too will pass as you come to the awareness that all are the embodiment of consciousness/ energy, and the rest: the forms, personalities, dramas, projections, etc. are unreal and a passing show. You are not affected by all the maya drama as you know the Truth and abide in the Peace, Bliss and Eternal Life

36 Drops of Light 12 My Dear Devotees, I wish to tell you how very much I love you all. You are part of My Self, My very own. When I say My, I am referring to the One Self that all extensions of the Atma are rooted in. I am your home, your Self. Realize that and be free. Today we will discuss freedom. I say, we, because when you are reading My words, I see that your mind questions, agrees, disagrees, inquires and so on. So what is true freedom? Freedom from what? It is freedom from the mind, the thoughts. Thoughts may be there but you are separate from them and do not react, nor are affected in anyway by them. As airplanes fly through the sky, the sky is unaffected; same with sensations and emotions. They pass through the sky or space of your consciousness and you are unaffected. This is freedom. Also the Peace that you are as Atma is freedom. Nothing disturbs Atmic peace; disturbance takes place in the mind. Freedom is also from maya or illusion. One who is free is unaffected by circumstances, situations, conditions and happenings. He is a witness, because he knows everything in the phenomenal world is temporary, ever-changing and transient. I have said that everything is comprised of nithya the eternal Atma, maya shakti deluding energy, and mithya the false. When you know this in depth, you are free. Truth is eternally the same; what is false is

37 Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. bound to disappear. Freedom is also the ability to be anywhere at anytime and have any experience you wish to have, with awareness of who you truly are. More highly evolved spiritual beings are able to be anywhere in any dimension in subtle bodies and to manifest a physical body also. They do this mainly to help others in distress or provide a teaching or some type of grace. Spiritual adepts can enter others dreams to provide counsel and grace. So you can see that such a high level of freedom to do all these things is still within the confines of spiritual principles or laws to love all and serve all and are not to be used for selfish aims. Ones who have such freedoms live God s Will and Laws and also often take on great responsibilities in the universe to further the Plan of Evolution of Consciousness to higher levels. These give great joy, when suffering is abated in others and they come to realize the Light and Love they truly are. Where are you in regards to freedom? Are you free from reaction to your thoughts and feelings? Are you free from other s opinions of you? Are you free from yours and other criticisms and judgements? Are you free from happenings in the world or do you still react? Are you always peaceful, equanimous, loving? If not, you do not have full freedom as yet

38 Drops of Light 13 My Dear Devotees, let us look today at jealousy again. It is so rampant, even in the Sai Organization. During bhajan, one devotee is judging, taking an opinion on a lead singer s singing abilities, perhaps comparing their voice with one s own. This is not right for a seeker of God to do. Do not compare yourself with others. All have differences in the manifestation. Some are better at some things, others have their unique skills. When you compare, you often feel jealous of what another has or superior to the other. So be aware of this tendency of your mind. You should think of God all of the time and give no scope for these kinds of thoughts. Many of you think that because devotees have attention from Me in the form of interviews, vibuthi, and kumkum, etc. on My photos in their homes that these ones are superior to you in some way. And you may feel jealous of them, putting yourself in an inferior position or status. In whose eyes are you less loveable and loved? Not in Mine. It is your own imagination. I give what is needed to awaken, guide and to use those instruments who are pure and strongly wish to be part of My Mission. No need for the comparison mind which exalts one and denigrates the other. This is a useless waste of Divine power and energy. There is One God and all are His/Her manifestations. We are not separate. Only in your mind may you feel separate, not in My

39 Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. Awareness. So there is no scope for jealousy. It is due to your desires also that you feel let down when they are not fulfilled. Drop the desire if you can, and just be in the now. That is where we are One in Being, Awareness; in the present. And this is the highest goal for most of you, to remain as Satchidananda. You are already that in your innermost Self as are all others. Everything changes, comes and goes. What you may be jealous of may disappear tomorrow when a body dies and no longer serves as a medium to express a certain talent, skill or manifestation of beauty. If you could see yourself in all, then all would be expressions of your self. Where would there be scope for jealousy or comparison mind that values duality then? If you love Me as your God, take it for granted that My Love is freely available to all. Purify your self and get immersed in Me, the Embodiment of Pure Atmic Love. Get attached to Me by chanting My Name, remembering My attributes and glory, doing every action with and for Me. Do not bother about the dramas and comings and goings of the worldly life. Concentrate on Me and realize the Self the Atma and you will at the same time know you are that same Self, the One Self. Do not give any scope for comparison mind, jealousy and hate. Of course, the world is full of variety and differences; but why to concentrate on these when they give no joy or satisfaction. Fulfillment in the form of joy, peace and contentment are within you as your Self/Atma. You

40 Drops of Light need not look outside so much and become mentally and emotionally bothered. Remain as the witness and be free of the mind. 14 My Dear Devotees, it is with great pleasure that I address you again today, My Beloveds. Yes, you are all My Beloved Selves, My Extensions, who are rapidly returning home to Me, the Father/Mother of this universe. Now what will be the topic today that will enlighten and enrich you just a little bit more? Today I will speak about the importance of having a good exemplary character. Why does it matter? Some people say worldly life is all maya, illusion. So why should character be important? I will tell you. You are on a path to perfection. You seek perfect unconditional love, perfect peace, perfected thoughts, words and actions that are in perfect alignment. You try to be selfless, to sacrifice your ego, to have the vision that the One Spirit dwells in all forms. In order to realize this unity of Divinity, purity is a requirement. How to cultivate this purity? I have time and again told you to see what is good, hear, speak and do what is good. What do I mean by good? I mean that which is truthful, peaceful, loving,

41 Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. righteous, and non-violent; that which reflects the five values of peace, love, truth, righteousness and non-violence. Do not be involved with anything else than these. So a good deal of what you are involved with today may have to go if you want to live in purity. I have said that you do not have to look at and listen to everything that comes on your path. Turn inward, away from it; move away from it. For example, speaking about others in a negative, derogatory way, gossiping, watching negativity and violence and untruth on television and movies and in gatherings. Practicing the five values and their sub-values leads to purity and perfection and a good character that exemplifies the five virtues in thought, word and action. A good character is full of Truth, Love, Dharma (right action that springs forth from alignment with Sathya-Truth and Prema-Love), Peace and Non-violence. One with such a refined and pure virtuous character is one with Sathya, Prema, Dharma and Shanti. On the other hand, when this congruity and alignment is lacking, there is disparity and chaos in the character. The thoughts go one way, the words another and actions another. So purity is lacking. And if not aligned with the five values, ego is likely to take the upper hand with the ensuing sense of separation from others, and thus purity and unity are lost. So a virtuous, refined, perfected character

42 Drops of Light results from purification from conditioning, vices, ignorance and illusions. Continue with your sadhana, always discerning between Truth and untruth, leaving the false. Like the Swan Hamsa, take only the milk and leave the water the false. Milk is pure white, the purity of God-consciousness, Satchitananda. A sterling character will enable you to realize this Self and Be It. So purify, purify, purify and Be the perfected one you truly are. 15 My Dear Devotees, how I love and adore thee! I am full of love, it knows no bounds and you, My Devotees, are the target of My Love. You long for Me and I long for you and in the middle, the heart, we meet in oneness. How lovely; how beautiful! Love to love as one love. How precious! How exquisite! There is nothing so fulfilling for a devotee as to expand into God s Love and become that Love forever. This is what I wish for you all. Your freedom and Love in God. Today the keynote is expansion. How does one expand the consciousness to encompass more and more? For most souls or jivatmas, the scope of consciousness is mainly limited to the space inside the mind. And this space is choked with many

43 Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. thoughts, ideas, opinions, judgments and a running commentary without stop. There is no space that one is aware of. So the first thing is to create space in one s being. This is not easy to do right away. It takes practice and vigilance to become aware of and create space. Of course the space is there, but it is blocked. Imagine, if you would, a large room or even baseball stadium crammed with furniture or people so there is no available room. If you remove everything, there is open space. It was always there. So too with the vast space of consciousness, that is called Satchitananda. Thus the need to practice quietening the mind, silent sitting, simplifying one s life to the extent possible to make more space, and through eliminating the nonessentials. Your true eternal Self is in that space. So is it not worth seeking? It is Presence, Awareness, Stillness, the Witness, the Atma. As you sacrifice more and more ego sense, thoughts, sensations, emotions, opinions, judgements and have more control over the mind and emotions, you can experience and become Presence, Self or Atma, the Witness. Can you bear the experience of nothingness, where you may not exist as a body/mind/personality in the same way you are used to? For some it is frightening to be nothing; but nothing is also fullness. All the saints and God-realized beings know themselves as this No Self or Greater Self. It is eternal, pristine, peaceful, blissful, loving and more. There is no worry, no time and no problem ever

44 Drops of Light Presence or Atma is also Spaciousness. It expands to infinity, meaning it has no boundaries; it encompasses every thing and every time. You begin by noticing the Spaciousness within your body, within your consciousness/mind and then expand your consciousness in all directions through practice. See that all is contained within one consciousness and you are that Awareness, Existence, and Consciousness. This is Self-realization. 16 Here we are together again as you read these, My words that I have chosen to share with you. Today the topic will be inclusiveness. Include all in your heart, in the space of your heart. If you think your heart is too small then make it larger. It is not just for your friends and relatives. God includes and embraces all things. If you realize that your consciousness, your heart is the entirety, then you can embrace all. By embrace, I mean include. Do not think that anything is outside of God, it is not. God s Creation is also within Him, a part of Him. Though He is not bothered by the antics of the ego in His creation because He knows it is false. You too be detached from what is false. See it as a drama with a beginning and an end and always changing in between. Then you will be free, not caught up in

45 Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. anyone s drama. And do not see it all as solid. Really it is all a flow of energy, innocent energy that has assumed a vibrational pattern or patterns that will one day be pure again as they dissolve and return to the Source. I have said that, The heart is a one seat sofa; there is only room for God there." What did I mean? That God is Truth. Realize that Truth that never changes, and Be that. At the same time, leave the false; see it for what it is; be detached; do not cherish the false in your heart as you do the Truth. You know that the phenomenal world keeps on changing. New aspects seem to emerge, others disappear. Keeping this in mind, watch and include in the sense that it all is part of the dance of creation, sustenance and dissolution. The play of Cosmic Energy under the control of Shiva, the Cosmic consciousness. When you, in your mind, decide something is not of God, you separate it from yourself. So you have in your mind only, lost part of yourself. In truth, all is One. Many people See in black and white in the sense that half of the existence for them is taboo or evil. They live in a small world of their own making. Why does it matter? It doesn t matter. It all depends on how much of God you wish to be. It is your choice. It takes courage and wisdom to embrace, to include all as your self. Knowing the difference between the wheat and the chaff, living as Peace, Love, Bliss and Oneself!

46 Drops of Light 17 It is My great pleasure to again speak with you, Dear Ones. Today I wish to discuss the ways to become closer to God, the Atma in your own awareness. Devotees today, many of them are still looking to God outside of themselves. Of course, God is outside as well as inside. However, the easiest and only way to discover God is within your Self. You see God with your own awareness not through anyone else s awareness or words. Though the sacred scriptures have their role to play as pointers to Truth, they cannot take you very far. You have to discover God for yourself; with your own inner eye of wisdom. Many, many devotees or seekers are still looking outside, waiting for a Saviour to appear to save them. Nobody can save you; they can point the way, but you have to walk your path, your own unique path, to God-realization. God is already your Self, waiting to be discovered within and around you. He is formless so it takes a subtle vision to see and feel Him; hence the need for purification so your mind, your vision and consciousness will also be subtle. When you know God, you become God. There is no other way because you are God in your essence. Know your essence, your most subtle essence, the Atma and you have discovered your God, your Self. Seekers have a lot of difficulty to discover their essence. Why is that? Too much mind stuff; too many

47 Catherine Kapahi, Ph.D. cravings, desires and attachments related to the exterior world of objects. People want money, influence, power, diamonds, comforts and luxuries much more than they want Truth. Religions have taught them that they cannot know Truth now; they must go to heaven first to know God. The masses believe this even though the founders of the religions themselves realized God; this has been forgotten down the centuries. Now many are completely lost to their God-self, depressed, highly anxious and fearful, angry and violent. When I came into the world as Avatar Sathya Sai Baba, I kept on telling people they are God, but few took Me seriously. Many worship My form but haven t gone beyond to discover the Self, Me, within their own body. I tell you over and over that you are the embodiment of Atma and Divine Love, to start, fill and end the day with Love. If you really, truly believed My Words, you would discover your Divinity. 18 Today we will discuss the meaning of surrender. Many are afraid of this word surrender and what it may entail. The first thought is, What am I going to lose? Will I be deprived, sad, or poor when I surrender, like perhaps wandering mendicants,