EDITORIAL Dear Brothers and Sisters of Europe, Jai Sai Ram! We humbly offer this 20th issue of Love Express at the lotus feet of our beloved Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba and pray to Him that He keeps inspiring, guiding and loving us the way He has done so far. We pray that this October 2010 edition of Love Express inspires you to keep on doing the great work all of you are doing around the world! We wish you all the best for all your upcoming events, activities and projects (especially since Swami s Birthday is coming up next month). SaiLove, The Love Express Team INDEX page 2 Message for the Youth of Europe An inspirational message from Alida Parkes, the Chairwoman of Zone 6 addressed to the Sai Youth of Zones 6 and 7. page 3 Get Inspired Following Alida Parkes inspirational message, here is a small message from Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba to all those who said yes to him. page 3 Zonal Updates A short message on the Zones 6 and 7 Pilgrimages to Prashanti Nilayam this summer. Update on the Sathya Sai Leadership Training Program (SSLTP). page 4 European Updates Travel throughout the Sai youth activities happening in North and South Europe. The Netherlands p.7 Czech Republic p.9 page 9 LASA See how the youth of Europe have turned Swami s maxime Love All Serve All into an international project. page 10 Calendar Keep up with what the youth around Europe will be doing over the coming month. page 10 Story time A story which reminds us of how precious God should be to us. France p.5 Hungary p.5 Slovenia p.7 Switzerland p.8 Italy p.6 page 11 Sathya Sai Alumni : divine experiences Dr. Ravi Kumar, one of Swami s oldest students and now professor at Sri Sathya Sai University, shares a wonderful experience with us. page 12 Chef s corner Improve your culinary skills with this special Middle Eastern dish of Chickpeas with Spinach which can be shared with your friends and family. page 13 Extras
Message for the Youth of Europe My dears, You have been chosen as instruments of a Spiritual Movement. Being instruments in LASA Mission it means being excellent examples. Being always saturated with love. Sympathise with the suffering and those lost in ignorance. Today, people think that spirituality has no relation to mundane life and vice versa. This is a big mistake. True divinity is a combination of spirituality and social obligations. Alida Parkes Detachment is the key to success. Life offers all kinds of difficulties. We get easily depressed and confused when we encounter difficulties. Depression leads to frustration. This is not the way to face the challenges of life. You should consider difficulties as challenges to test us. Remember the 3 principles: Love God, have fear of sin and practise morality in society. If you follow these three main principles, all round progress is ensured. more effective than patience. Unity is the ideal that all should strive to attain. Any task can be accomplished through unity in diversity... The most important quality of great people is that they not only know their business, they are also aware of what it exactly is. They not only know how it is done but also how to do it. What the world needs today are men and women of good character. They must have the capacity to work and the humility to serve. Sathya Sai Baba Not all of you might live in the pages of history but all of you can live in the hearts of men and become an ideal for generations to come. Greatness lies not in doing extraordinary things but in doing ordinary things extraordinarily Sathya Sai Baba If you want to be excellent example you must remember, in all your actions, to follow your heart but by using your brains and discrimination. You must accept the good and discard the bad. You must use discrimination in your vision in what you see. You must show discrimination in your words, in what you listen to, in your thoughts and, of course, in your actions and in all your behaviour. Only then will the word discrimination acquire significance. Discrimination is a very essential requirement of life. You should also be prepared to face every challenge of life with detachment. You will undoubtedly progress in all fields of activity, individual and collective. Every thought, every word and every action has its reflection, resound and reaction. Therefore develop forbearance, which is a serene patience and selfrestraint under all circumstances, giving good to all without any distinction. To achieve anything in this world, discipline is indispensable; you must also have self-confidence, and then self-sacrifice. If you do not possess these three, life will be meaningless. In this world, there is no austerity greater than fortitude, no happiness greater than contentment, no virtue holier than mercy, and no weapon So far you have ALL been Extraordinary; LASA is your vision LASA is your action, so I am sure YOU will change the world! Vision without action is a dream, Action without vision would become a nightmare. Vision and action can change the world. Wishing you all the best Alida Parkes Happiness does not consist in pastimes and amusements but in virtuous activities. Aristoteles 2
GET INSPIRED When you said "Yes" to Me When you said "Yes" to Me you gave up the right to be like everyone else. That is why you draw experiences to yourself that will cleanse yourself of that which does not fit who you are. Over, and over, again, and again until I make you see that the past no longer works. I challenge you and tempt you every day with your past, so that you may see that the past is ultimate delusion. When you said "Yes" to Me you gave Me your body, your thoughts, your actions. When they don't suit the new you, the uncomfortableness is unbearable. It is so EVERY time until you realise this fully; then and only then will you completely give up desire. For this is the only way man will learn. Very seldom does he learn by quiet reminders. Man's desires and pitfalls are placed there so that I may do my work. When you give up totally, then the temptations will fade. I will never give up on you. Every slip will become harder to bear and less easy to remedy. You will tire of your foolishness because I love you and whether or not completely aware of it, you did say "Yes". Sathya Sai Baba (http://www.saibaba.ws, 23.09.2010) ZONAL UPDATES Zone 6 Pilgrimage 2010 A group of 580, 400 ladies and 180 men from Region 6 came to perform in front of our Beloved Swami on the 2nd of August. There were Youth and Adult participants from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia and Switzerland. The choir consisted of six national choirs had nine songs sung in unison. While the choristers were singing in chorus, one could witness the spark of joy and love for God shining in their faces as every member of the group joined in singing with great passion and devotional fervour. This en masse devotional rendering in varied tongues was enhanced by scintillating musical score by varied hands on varied instruments. While the Swiss brought the long wooden shaped alphorn or Alpenhorn, the Greeks had their favourite Bouzouki, followed by the Spaniards with Cajon. The front row occupants, numbering over twenty five, had their hands on an array of other musical instruments, namely, guitars, violins, clarinets, metal flutes, an electronic keyboard, a drum, mridangam, etc., spicing up the session with high musical beats. The presentation comprised of six individual choirs, English, Italian, Swiss, Spanish, French and Greek. Each had a different conductor, sung by all the choristers in a voice of unity. At the end of the forty minute session, special Italian prasadam was blessed by Bhagawan and, as the choir continued to sing bhajans as permitted by Bhagawan, the blessed prasadam was distributed to the choristers. Bhajans in Indian tongue, emerged from over 600 vocal cords with Bhagawan presiding over the session crowning the dais, literally lit the waning twilight inducing great devotional fervour. Article from http://www.saibabaofindia. com/southern-european-choir-in-prasanthi-nilayam-2nd-august-2010-saibaba%20.htm 3
Zone 7 Pilgrimage 2010 - We are One From the 1st to 10th of August 2010, devotees from Zone 7 had their pilgrimage We Are One in Prasanthi Nilayam. 335 devotees from 12 North European countries were to present songs in six languages. We had rehearsals everyday from 8am to 1pm, with a lunch break in between. The conductor of the choir was strict but loving. She prepared a rich program which included Sanskrit prayers, Handel s Hallelujah, some folk and popular songs Every rehearsal was enriched with inspiring stories about Swami s endless love to his devotees. All the pilgrims were very disciplined as they were not only very quiet during Darshan and in the waiting lines, but also in their uniforms as the men were always in white and the ladies had uniform saris. We enjoyed the concerts of Zones 6 (the southern European Pilgrims) and 9 (the UK pilgrims). Our time came soon. I call it the three 7s: After 7 rehearsals, the pilgrims from Zone 7 presented the concert We Are One on the 7th of August. Everyone who was a part of it felt so blessed and so happy. And how could we feel differently? Swami accepted a concert of 17 songs and five Bhajans. The newspapers in Puttaparthi wrote about the concert! Prasanthi Diary commented: It was obvious that there was something special about this group which had captivated the Lord so much that even before they had started performing, Swami was just eager to shower His copious Love and blessings. Marija Vitkunaite, Lithuania We are One, Nothern European Choir. SSLTP in Zone 7 After completing its successful first round in Zone 6, the Sathya Sai Leadership Training Program now moves on to Zone 7. Over the months to come, a pilot team of Zone 7 youth will go through the program, together with facilitators from Zone 6 and the international Leadership development section of LASA. The first introductory seminar was held in Germany in Heppenheim (close to Frankfurt) on the weekend of October 8th to 10th 2010. Mathias Seitel, Zone 7 Youth Coordinator LOVE seeks no reward; LOVE is its own reward. Sri Sathya Sai Baba 4
EUROPEAN UPDATES France The French summer was filled with zonal events in which several youth took an active part. The first event was the zonal pilgrimage which took place in our beloved home of Prasanthi Nilayam which was attended by twelve French youth. Six of them delighted the crowd with their violins, cellos and drums within the global European orchestra, while the others sang in the choir. Despite all the possible difficulties inherent to such a journey in the Divine abode, this experience was first and foremost a pilgrimage towards Unity of all the South Europe countries as well as towards ourselves. With daily practices and efforts, we succeeded in reaching a harmony within the diverse cultures, languages and songs. That Unity was our goal as it was the theme of the pilgrimage. Beyond this enriching group experience, one precious moment (among the many others) fed me with a deep feeling of Joy and Love. For the first time, on the evening of the choir on the 2nd of August, I had the opportunity to be seated in the very front during Swami s Darshan. Close enough to feel what He is and represents. When He passed by, I was able to see His face it was similar to a child s pure face. At that precise moment, I could no longer look at Him without feeling anything, as it was the case before. Study circle at the Spanish youth camp in Albacete One blessing never happens alone. I felt showered with his Grace again when He accepted the last issue of the French youth Newsletter that we had prepared for Him. After all these events, I realized that I had been reminded of a fundamental teaching: the difference between looking at people and seeing Him in them while looking at them. But I also learnt that this was not sufficient in itself. It needs to be remembered and cultivated in our everyday life, like an inner garden that needs to be taken care of and worked on for it to become a spontaneous habit rooted into our daily lives. This teaching, that I had somehow forgotten, came back in another way on the occasion of the second zonal event of the summer - the Spanish youth camp in Albacete. It was held from the 9th till the 12th of September. Over four days, about twenty youth from Bosnia, France, Germany, Poland and Spain came together to share marvellous moments in the middle of Nature, close to the World s spring river. Several senior devotees came to help. I was taught a great lesson of Love in action and Humility through the hard work of these senior devotees. While I could not communicate in Spanish with most of them, I could see some manifestations of Swami, as well examples of his message through their cooperation with the youth. With Light, Aude Gachet NYC France Hungary The Sai Organization in Hungary organizes a Sadhana Camp at the end of every summer. We wait for it all year the tradition continued this year as it took place from the 20th to the 22nd of August. This time we travelled to a place of pilgrimage called Péliföldszentkereszt, which is located 60 km from Budapest. We were accommodated in a youth house at the Salesian Monastery (which usually serves as accommodation for socially disadvantaged teenagers). The priests showed us around we saw the shrines, the Calvary Altar, the Maria Source and the Baroque styled temple where we attended a holy mass. Of the 47 participants, 10 were from the youth wing. These youth helped a lot in organizing the different colorful programs throughout the camp. They consisted of spiritual and team-building games, children activities and a collective workshop called Who are You?. We all enjoyed these programs as they not only deepened our knowledge in Sai literature, but also helped us improve our self-confidence, sense of unity and brotherliness. Through the joyful collaboration new bonds of friendship were created. We started every morning with Omkar and Veda chanting, which was followed Morning yoga under the blue sky. by yoga under the blue sky, on the dewy grass. We held bhajan-sessions in the mornings and in the afternoons, which promoted unity of religions. This was 5
also felt by the priests who expressed their liking for the Bhajans as they overheard them from the Bhajan hall. Seva chant at the Hungarian Sadhana Camp. lized their efficiency as the environment was godly, the air was crystal-clear, the hills and pine-forest were radiant. rooms and public places. When we asked for approval to do this in the form of a selfless service, the leader of the institute had a very funny reaction: I can t give you any further discount The last program was another form of Seva. We all went to an old people s home to sing Christian songs and share poems which had been composed by the devotees. Small children also took an active part in cheering up the sick residents by performing songs and reading stories which they learnt during the Sadhana Camp. On the last day everyone was reluctant to leave, thus we decided to organize the next Sadhana Camp also in this amazing sacral place. After the bhajan-sessions, we practiced different kind of meditations. We rea- In order to realize the threefold unity of Head-Heart-Hand, we cleaned some Ilona Ács, NYC Hungary Italy Dear All, I write to you as I am just back from a great weekend where all the youth from Italy got together for their Love for Swami. The meeting was in Pescara, in the beautiful region of Abruzzo; many of us had to travel many hours to reach the place, but this is part of the game and was worth it. On Saturday afternoon, after the opening ceremony, the youth participating to the zone pilgrimage in India in August took the floor to describe the experience. It was amazing to hear their experiences. They told us about how wonderful it had been to sing in front of Swami, after the many hours spent every day in practicing for the performance. After the talks, we rehearsed for the Italian LASA project. It reminded those who participated in the European Youth Conference last April of the performance entitled The Dolphin. There is a new LASA performance being prepared for the month of October, when we will be participating in an event organized by Vivipet (an association for the abolition of animal experimentation). It will be a public event aimed to spread awareness on vivisection and animal experimentation. It will be taking place in Milan on October 9th and 10th. Many organizations will participate in the event. I believe it will be a great occasion for our group to spread the message of Swami through LASA songs around our community. It will be a hard challenge, but we perfectly know Swami will lead us step by step. After a short visit to the city (during our get together) in the evening we went to bed early, as we had an intensive day ahead of us (in energy and emotions). On Sunday morning all the youth participated as an audience to the Italian Central Council meeting. As Sai Youth, we like to work with the senior youth of the Organization in all the wings of the SSO: Education, Devotion and Service. We share the feeling that Unity in every centre and throughout the organization is very important for our personal growth as well as to achieve the best in every task we undertake. This happens through the harmonious collaboration of people with different characters. The beautiful city of Pescara. I was really happy that all the Youth participated to this experience since many of us will be called upon in the near future to undertake very important roles in the Sai Organization. It was inspiring and interesting to watch our leaders in action. Summer is over now and we are ready to go back full time to all our activities. It is always a great opportunity to meet in the name of Swami and live all the opportunities He offers to us with Love. Let Swami s Love always burn in our hearts. Eugenio Casadio, NYC Italy 6
The Netherlands National youth days July 3, in Emmen A group of Sai youth took up the challenge to help an old lady with her house cleaning and gardening duties. There was a lot of heat (30 C) but we all felt grateful to get the opportunity to help and make someone happy. September 4, in Amsterdam After singing Bhajans, the youth participated in a study circle. Two groups (men and women) talked about a text that everyone prepared at home. The text was a letter written by Swami which is called When you said Yes to Me. We shared our thoughts and feelings about it and discussed what it meant to say yes to Swami and in which ways we felt supported by Him. We also spent some time preparing a drama that will be performed by the Dutch youth during the 85th birthday (national celebrations) of Swami in November. The theme of the play is unity of religions. The play explains that while there are many religions, they all lead to the same God. After Swami s birthday celebration, we have the intention to use the play as a starting point for a LASA-activity in our country. National Seva camp in the Netherlands In the springtime of next year, a Seva camp will be organized in the Netherlands. During one week, devotees of the Sathya Sai Organization will do social Seva in several cities around the country. Every centre, group, Mandir and the youth will be preparing an activity in the coming months in preparation for the National Seva camp week. Sai Pilgrimage zone 7 Let us be your loving instrument The last Sai Pilgrimage in August was a great experience. We were all blessed to get a chance to present a musical performance in front of Swami. My experience with Swami during the Sai Pilgrimage We all know that Swami loves bhajans and it appears often that He wants to hear Bhajans while giving Darshan. That s why a group of youngsters from the Netherlands prepared some Bhajans with a lot of energy and passion while practicing the main chorus/group songs. During the practices, no one knew if Swami would accept the performance and the Bhajans. Yet, we all focused ourselves on the practices and Swami hoping that he would accept it. We also practiced the chorus songs and Bhajans in Parthi. These practice sessions were very demanding (physically and morally). Meanwhile, the youngsters of the bhajan group and devotees from the group got ill one by one. Some were so ill that they had to be taken to the hospital. We were very worried whether we all would be healthy again if we were called up to perform. Obviously we had faith in Swami, but sometimes I had some doubts. Later I realized that I had to have complete faith in Swami. Then the moment came when Swami granted us the chance to perform and sing for Him. Everyone was overjoyed. The most surprising part of it all was that Dutch Sai youth helping in the garden. everyone was healthy again and had rested enough to sing with love as loud as possible for Swami! Swami was very happy - he kept smiling during the whole performance and blessed everyone! What I learnt from this trip was that we really should always have faith in Swami. I believe that Swami prepared this test for us. As long as we have true faith in Him, He will be our Guide and Guardian. No matter what happens Aum Sai Ram! Dinesh Ramcharan The Netherlands Slovenia Summer is the time when the five regular Sai youth members separate themselves to test the benefits and teachings acquired during the joint activities during the year. Three of us visited Prashanti in July and August for the South Europe Pilgrimage (Nina, Severin and Tina). Severin was asked at the last minute to take care of the registration of the 700 South European pilgrims in Prashanti Nilayam. He took on the challenge with the faith and trust that with Swami s guidance and help, everything would be ok. As you may all know, the 2nd of August was a blissful day for all of Zone 6. We got the opportunity to sing to Swami. It was beautiful to see Him smiling at us and our hearts were filled with joy and blessings. After the EYC 2010, our group focused on the LASA activities since we are all actively involved in the web & publishing section. LASA really gave us wings; it gave us a new vision for youth activities for personal and social progress. Currently we are working on the LASA website. This work is teaching us a great lesson: patience. The other ongoing project of our group is the editing of about 30 hours of uncut audio/video material 7
from the EYC. Currently we are waiting for the sound material to be converted. This is something which is really testing our patience. The second part of the LASA workshop Practical hints for our spiritual growth in daily lives in today s world (title yet to be finalized) is also in progress. Every participant is preparing the material for the study circles on a chosen topic of the workshop, which will later be used as a material for the booklet. This will continue until December along with the activities mentioned above. We find our meetings to be inspiring and feel that there is so much more to explore and realize spiritually. We re happy to be learning together, making each other feel that we do have something to give to the world around us. It is really a great feeling. In Sailove, Tina Hribar Trifunović, NYC Slovenia Switzerland Sairam dear All, August and September witnessed activities in the cities of Geneva and Zurich. Swiss Youth praying during 85 hours prayer for Swami s health. The Geneva youth organized a chanting marathon that lasted for 85 hours from 19-22 Aug 2010. The mantra chanted was one of the Shiva mantras called the Mahamrityunjaya mantra. Aum Thryambhakam Yajamahe Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam Urvaarukamiva Bandhanaan Mrithyor Mukshiya Maamrithaath. This 85-hour prayer was an offering of our Love for good health to the physical frame of our beloved Lord. He has said Swiss Youth praying during 85 hours prayer for Swami s health. that only the prayers of the devotees can heal him. There was enthusiastic participation from the elders and the youth alike at the peak of the marathon, we had 70 people. While the day time chanting went smooth with elders participating in good numbers, the challenge of chanting during the nights was taken up by the youth. The four days passed in discipline and devotion. The event was a grand success. We hope Swami listened to all your prayers! On the 5th of September, four youth from the Geneva Centre attended a Laksha-archana in the city of Monthreux, where they helped sing the Vedas with the Sai Students and some French devotees. On 11 Sept 2010 the youth of Zurich conducted a special event to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, the birthday of Ganapati at the Zurich Sai Center. A schedule was drawn out consisting of Veda chanting, special Ganesha prayers and Bhajans. The youth decorated the altar with flowers, leaves, fruits, etc., specific to Lord Ganesha on the auspicious day. Prasadam was prepared by youth and elders. The energetic round of spiritual exercise was followed by some sumptuous and bellyfuls of Prasadam the Ganesha way! Love, Ramachandra Vutty, NYC Switzerland Why Fear When I am...also? One day, some devotees were called into the interview room. One of the ladies complained to Baba, Swami, that Seva Dal outside, the head Seva Dal, we are frightened of her, because of the way in which she speaks to us. Baba leaned forward and said, I will tell you a secret I am also frightened of her. Extract from Sai Humour, by Peggy Mason, Sandra Levy and Dr. M. Veeravahu 8
Czech Republic The Self awareness course of the ESSE Institute was conducted between June 2009 and September 2010. It included 10 weekend sessions on Swami's teaching for our daily lives as well as presentations on the theme of Human Values by the participants. The whole program included creative activities, study circles, discussions, role plays, meditation and group activities. Half of participants (and half of the facilitators) were youth. The course left a positive feeling within those present and helped them to get a deeper understanding of their real Self. Edita Burešová, NYC Czech Republic LASA LASA Love All Serve All project updates During the summer, the LASA project has been continuing its development at a fast speed. In July, the international sections and some of the active countries mapped out the projects that need to be implemented by the end of 2010 and 2011. Those actions were gathered in an Action Plan 2010-2011, and were approved by the LASA Supervisory Board on the 4th of September. future is planned, as it is seen as a powerful tool to communicate LASA s message. Furthermore, it is something that anyone can do without needing a lot of equipment or audiovisual knowledge. One animation which aims at presenting the LASA Board has already been made and uploaded to www.youtube.com/lasaplanet. Photo projects are being planned in several countries: Lithuania, France and Making of the LASA movie. As a result of the Action Plan, musicians are focusing their work on the creation of an international LASA band and on some new songs. At the same time, the preparation of the LASA Prasanthi Band which will be performing in front of Bhagavan on the occasion of His 85th Birthday is the current priority. The Arts section has been and will be focusing on films and animation. This summer, the Medical Camp in Poland was documented by the LASA Film team. The plan is to finish the documentary by October 30th in order for us to be able to participate in the contest No time left, a project dealing with the UN Millennium goals set for 2015. At the Medical Camp, an important part of the team s work was also to make stop-motion animations with the local children, in order to include them in the creative process and at the same time teach them human values. It was a great experience for both the children and the facilitators. Using more animations for LASA in the Spain want to put a focus on human values through the use of the camera. In Berlin, the local LASA team is still working on some LASA Cards which will soon be ready to inspire people. LASA Arts is mostly involved in the organization of the LASA Festival that will take place next summer, sometime between the end of July and the end of August. All NYCs have now been invited to apply to host this unique event.... Find out in the next edition of Love Express which country will host the LASA festival 2011! In relation to leadership and service, service training for non-devotees was carried out in Dubrovnik (Croatia) on the 24th of July. In the future, such service trainings will be taken on by both sections. Until then the Service & Logistics sections will focus on the creation of a global database intended to collect data of all the youth interested in taking part in service actions. To conclude, the Web & Publication team is dedicating a lot of time to finalize the official LASA website which should go online in October. We are all looking forward to it as it will allow everyone to stay updated, find out how to support and participate in all the LASA activities on a local and international level. With Love, The LASA Team 9
Do you want to express your creativity and inspire others with your professional or amateur skills in graphic designing? The LASA Web & Publishing team invites you to join the team where you will have the opportunity to create leaflets, booklets, brochures, etc for LASA activities that will take place in the following year. All those with who have experience using Adobe Photoshop, CorelDraw, Indesign etc. are kindly invited to contact Tina or Severin at the following e-mail: publishing@lasaplanet.org We are eagerly waiting for your reply. With love, LASA Web & Publishing team Get inspired and share your songs with us! Dear friends and youth, We finally have the system ready to invite you to share your songs and inspiration with us and to create songs that move us and touch our souls. We will use them for further LASA actions and occasions as songs which came out of the rising HeArt of Light. Don t feel confined to a single music form and let your creativity lead you. God is expressed in many ways and you should do it through your favourite and most appealing. The only condition is that it sends positive vibration and message of love and other human values. We will come together next summer for the very first LASA Festival. Let s bring new songs to bloom and spread them on this beautiful planet. Europe is a sleeping giant. Let us awaken it within ourselves by getting courageous to show that we all belong to one family and one true self. In November, LASA has the opportunity to play before Swami during the days of His 85th birthday celebrations. Some of you already decided to be there and make the LASA Band in Prashanti powerful and enthusiastic. If you decide to come as well, tell us. It will be a wave of love and joy to our dearest Lord. We also focused on Eurovision 2011 Song Contest that will take place in Germany. Eurovision is a European international song contest to inspire new talents in writing songs and expressing their message (for more information you can have a look at http://www.facebook.com/eurovisionsongcontest). It would be great to see lots of us in the finals with songs related to human values. Inform yourself at your national broadcast to get details for the national pre-elections that start now in the countries. If you are deciding to do it we will support you in the best way we can. In order to apply for our events, share ideas or pose some questions, please contact music@lasaplanet.org. If you have songs of your own feather related to the message of human values, you may send them in mp3 and notes (jpg, word- or pdf-file). Feel free in whatever style you get inspired, just listen to your heart. Always be welcome to share your ideas with us! Life is a song, sing it! With love Jörg Schuppler, Jadranka Krstic and Antonio Bratos Leaders for International LASA Music The acid test by which an activity can be confirmed as holy or sacred is to examine whether it promotes attachment or avoids bondage. Sri Sathya Sai Baba 10
Calendar 8th-10th of October: 9th-10th of October: 16th of October: 30th of October: 14th of November: 20th of November: 20th - 21st of November: 23rd November: 11th of December: 25th of December: SSLTP in Heppenheim, Germany Shanthi Yatra in Szeged, Hungary Song creation workshop in Paris, France Youth in the Netherlands will be practicing for the play. Akhand Bhajans in Geneva, Switzerland (the youth will be singing and will help in the setting and cleaning up of the hall) Swami's birthday celebrations in the Netherlands and Switzerland by the local Youth World Conference in Puttaparthi, and Shanti Yatra in Budapest, Hungary along with Swami's Birthday celebrations Swami's Birthday Celebrations in Puttaparthi Seva Day in the Netherlands Christmas Celebrations in Puttaparthi We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. Sir Winston Churchill Story time There was once a boy, who picked up a precious gem, bright and round, and used it for playing marbles on the road, with his comrades. A merchant dealing with precious gems happened to pass along that road and his discerning eye fell on the gem. He approached the boy, took him aside and offered to pay him fifty rupees in exchange. If the boy could know the value of fifty rupees he would have known the value of the gem! He went to his mother and told her that a stranger had tempted him with fifty rupees in return for the marble he played with. She was surprised that it was so costly and she said, Do not go at the compound with it; play in the garden with your friend. When the value was revealed, limits were set. The merchant had no sleep that night; he was planning to secure the gem from those simple folk, so that he could sell it at a huge profit to some millionaire or maharaja (king). He discovered that house of the boy and moved up and down that road hoping to find the boy. When he saw the boy playing with it, as if it was as cheap as a marble, his heart was wrung in agony. The boy threw it on the floor; his mother emerged just at that moment from the inner apartments and it struck her foot and fell under the bush. He spoke to the boy asking for the gem in exchange for a hundred rupees, and again for five hundred rupees! The son ran into the house in tears, complaining about the stranger who would not let him alone. The mother came out into the garden and begged the merchant to go away. The merchant grasped the chance; he told the mother that he was ready to give a thousand rupees on the spot, if the marble was placed in his hand! On hearing this, she forbade the child to play with it outside the house; he could play only within the rooms. The merchant could not be shooed off like that; he appeared the next day in front of the house; he held out ten thousand rupees as his offer for the marble. The mother refused to part with it but she kept it now in an iron safe, under lock and key! When the merchant came the next day with fifty thousand rupees, she took it to a bank and deposited it in their safety vaults. You are also playing marbles with the name of God unaware of its value. Once you realize its worth, you will keep it in your heart of hearts as the most precious treasure. Know that the name is the key to success in your search for consolation, confidence, courage, illumination and liberation. Story from Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba s Chinna Katha s Story sent in by Sai Kiran from Italy. 11
He who waits A devotee, visiting Prashanthi Nilayam for the first time, longed passionately for an interview. Twice daily, he sat hopefully in the Darshan lines, but Swami ignored him. However, after 3 weeks, Swami did call him in for an interview. In spite of his great Joy, the devotee could not restrain himself from saying to Baba: Swami, I have been waiting 3 weeks to see you! And I, said Baba gently have been waiting 3000 years for you. Extract from Sai Humour, by Peggy Mason, Sandra Levy and Dr. M. Veeravahu Sathya Sai Alumni: divine experiences Narrating a Wonderful Instance from a drama which was enacted on November 22, 1980, one of Swami's Oldest Students and now a Professor in SSSU, Dr. Ravi Kumar says, came and this fellow got his eyesight! And we all laughed. The next day, the same thing happened, and again Swami remarked: See, Sai Baba came and he got his vision back! I had the opportunity to act in the play The Kingdom of Heaven. This was a drama on the life of Jesus Christ, written and enacted by former students, who prayed to Swami to permit them, and the Kind Lord had agreed. Swami then looked through the entire list of actors, picked up one particular role, and said, Ask Ravi to do this role. "At that time, I had finished my education in Swami s College and was doing my post-graduation at Anantapur, about 80 kilometers from Puttaparthi. So they said, Swami, Ravi is not here, he is studying there. Swami then said, No, he comes on weekends, he can practice at that time. I, therefore, was given that role, and it was only much later did I realize how so beautifully Swami had indicated to me what was to come later in my life. The role was that of a blind beggar, who is cured by Jesus Christ. And during one of those days, when we were having practice sessions, as Jesus was curing me in the drama, Swami entered through the side, and remarked: See! Sai Baba The normal tendency after the rehearsal session was to rush to Swami, and He would make a few comments about the drama, ask us to repeat certain dialogues, tell us the correct emotion which should animate the scene, and so on. While this interaction was going on, Swami suddenly asked, Did you hear the applause during Darshan? We had heard the clapping sitting inside the green room, so we said, Yes Swami, we heard the applause. And then He looked at me and said, You know, I gave vision to an 18 year old girl who was born blind! And, with His Eyes riveted on me, He immediately continued, And, I will give you also! We all laughed because we thought Swami was making a joke, since I was a blind beggar in the drama. But we never realized that Swami was actually indicating to me what was to come in the future - that I would lose my eyesight, and He would give it back! It was five years later that I burnt my eyes completely while doing an experiment in the Chemistry lab and gained my vision back only by His Grace. Every session with Swami before the actual performance, therefore, was a boon to the students. Because the Supreme Teacher would take that opportunity to instill attitudes and behaviors, knowledge and wisdom, faith and conviction into the hearts and minds of His wards, which could mould them into masterpieces of men. And to this end, He would invest any amount of time and exert Himself to any length. Om Sai Ram Dr. Ravi Kumar Story and picture taken from http:// saicharan.blogspot.com/2010/09/everyact-of-swami-is-pregnant-with.html on 23.09.2010 12
Chef s Corner Chickpeas with Spinach Enjoy cooking this Middle Eastern dish of chickpeas and spinach in a tomato sauce. It is enough for four servings. The adventurous can add some chillies into it. 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon hing (Asafoetida) 1 cup tomato puree 3 cups cooked chickpeas 1 pound spinach, steamed and chopped 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 black pepper 1 teaspoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon Italian herbs olive oil, lemon juice, and parsley to garnish DIRECTIONS: 1. Heat oil over medium heat. Briefly fry hing. 2. Pour in tomato puree and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. 3. Fold in chickpeas and steamed spinach. Mix in remaining seasonings. Reduce heat and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. 4. Serve hot drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice. Bon Appétit! Niraj Recipe from http://www.sattvicfood.com Picture from http://www.tobiascooks.com/recipes/chickpeas-with-spinach.html Extras If you wish to join the Love Express Team or if you have any questions, ideas, comments, or articles that you would wish to submit in the next edition of Love Express, please feel free to email niraj@pabari.net. LOVExpress - SSO Zones 6 +7 Youth Newsletter Copyright Sathya Sai Organisations Zones 6+7. All rights reserved. Love Express is the only zonal youth publication of the Zones 6+7 Sathya Sai Organisation updated every two months. These pages may be reproduced, distributed, and transmitted in any form, by any means, provided that: (1) no text or photographs are altered; (2) the copyright and website information are included with every set of pages; (3) they are not sold for profit; (4) no fees are charged for distribution. Publisher: SSO Zones 6+7 Youth Wing Editor: Saja Svilar Coordinator: Niraj Pabari Co-Coordinator: Aude Gachet Layout: Petra Zugal Supervisors: Ivan Bavcevic (Zone 6 Youth Coordinator - z6youthcoordinator@sathyasai-zone6.org) Mathias Seitel (Zone 7 Youth Coordinator - je@sathya-sai.de) Zone 6 website: www.sathyasai-zone6.org Zone 7 website: www.sathyasai-zone7.org International website: www.sathyasai.org 13