Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Hong Kong 10/F, Block A, Burlington House, 92-94 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong Tel : 852-23674240, Fax : 852-27248000 Email : saiorghk@netvigator.com
"LOVE ALL SERVE ALL" "HELP EVER, HURT NEVER" Sai Baba

The Code Of Conduct

To be worthy instruments of our Divine Master, each one of us must perform Sadhana. In the Sanskrit word ‘sadhana’, ‘sa means auspicious and ‘dhana’ means wealth. Hence, sadhana is the process of acquiring this auspicious wealth of UNITY, PURITY and DIVINITY. There is no wealth greater than this, the one who has it is not less than a God walking on earth. Swami is an example to us, He is full of Unity, Purity and Divinity. The code of conduct is a practical guide for one’s sadhana (spiritual discipline).

Swami says: “The eye affected by a cataract swears there is no lamp in the room, an operation to remove the cataract makes that eye aware of the lamp. That operation is the symbol of sadhana that one has to undergo, in order to have a Vision of God.” Sadhana helps one to see the underlying unity in the whole universe. This vision purifies the mind and fills it with divine qualities like forgiveness, non-violence, detachment, peace, selflessness, love for all, etc. Thus, Unity brings Purity which leads to Divinity.

The following codes of conduct should be adhered to sincerely.

1) Daily meditation and prayer

Just as the body needs to be cleaned everyday to maintain its good health, the mind too needs daily cleaning through prayer and meditation for its good health. Swami says prayer cleanses the devotee, and a pure mind becomes focused and concentrated. It prepares the mind for meditation.

Among the different sadhanas, meditation is the subtlest and also the greatest purifier. It helps one to see the underlying unity in the whole creation. Knowledge of the technique, sincerity and consistency are the secrets of the successful aspirant.

Meditation is a flow of thought(s) that is maintained. This is a simple definition, it is not the highest. For example, one could take a particular pose of Swami, or one could think various thoughts about Swami. Or, one can take a scriptural thought, like “I am That”. This flow of thoughts should be continuous and effortless. This happens when devotion for Him is deep in the heart of the devotee.

Meditation is effortless awareness of our true nature. It is not an action which is time bound, rather it is a vision (knowledge). Spirituality is not doing something special, it is Being. This Being is what Swami terms Divinity.

All actions of a true meditator are nothing less than meditation. His vision does not get disturbed while performing actions. For us people who have not reached that state, meditation is a particular state of mind and, hence, it gets broken. For the wise one there is no such thing as distraction. For him walking, talking, eating, sleeping, etc. is all meditation. Swami is a living example of this. Nothing can distract Him from Being.

2) Devotional group singing/prayer with members of family once a week

A family that prayers together achieves unity. How? Prayers have a very calming effect on the mind. When the mind is focusing on the Lord, who is Pure Love, our minds calm down. A calm mind is capable of dealing with situations and people well. Hence, there will be more love and understanding in the family. Love which is born and shared in the family in the name of the Lord has a different quality, there is a higher degree of warmth in it.

3) Participation in educational programmes (Bal Vikas) organised by the Centre for children of Sai devotees

Swami loves all, especially the children because they are innocent and easy to mould. Since the spiritual journey is a fairly long one, the sooner one starts the better chances one has of reaching the goal of Unity, Purity and Divinity. Swami says “If you start at 5, you might reach at 60.”

The profound truths declared in the scriptures are offered to children through value-based techniques. The children unconsciously absorb these values and grow up to be better equipped in life, to face life HAPPILY. They develop faith in God and the teachings of the scriptures.

These classes are the biggest blessing of Swami on modern man, who seems to have drifted away from values. Generations will benefit from this programme in years to follow. It is Swami’s long term plan to mould mankind to infuse it with values so that all move towards the goal of Unity, Purity and Divinity.

When children inculcate the universal values, Swami says there is bound to be peace and harmony in the home. Then there will be peace and harmony in society and the nation. There will be a movement towards unity every where.

4) Participation in community work and other programmes of the organisation

Swami teaches us not only to help ourselves by following Him but also to help others less fortunate than us. We have received a lot from Him, and we need to pass on that goodness to the people around us according to our capabilities and talents.

When we work for the betterment of society, it is we who benefit. Swami says that when one works selflessly one purifies the mind. It is not enough to be good, one must do good too.

5) Attendance at least once a month in group devotional singing organised by the Centre

Have you noticed the effect of soft music on your mind? It has a very calming effect. Music is food for the soul. This is exactly what group devotional singing at the Centre is.

The name of the Lord, when sung with love to the accompaniment of musical instruments in a group, fills all with bliss and transports all to the Lord Himself. Swami says that wherever His name is sung, He manifests there. The bhajans are very calming and fill one with love for Him. Filled with love, the mind purifies. We must take a dip in this river of love at least once a month.

6) Regular study of Sai Literature

Whatever an Avatar or a Godman says takes on the magnitude of a scripture for generations to come. Hence, whatever Christ said became a scripture for the Christians. Whatever Sri Krishna said became a scripture for the Hindus. Whatever Buddha said became a scripture for the Buddhists, etc. The words of such rare people are very profound. One needs to study them regularly for proper understanding to take place.

Precious are the words of Lord Sai too. We are very fortunate to be His contemporaries and to hear directly from Him. He comes down to our level of understanding, lifting our vision to those lofty heights. Hence, to study HIS WORDS on a regular basis will benefit us devotees immensely, for knowledge is the greatest of all purifiers.

7) Speak softly and lovingly to everyone

This is difficult but not impossible. With practice and understanding, it can be cultivated. Swami says: “You can’t oblige everyone but you can always speak obligingly.”

Speaking softly and lovingly is the sign of a sadhak (one who practices spiritual discipline). If the seeker is sincerely practicing the first 6 codes of conduct, then this duty to love shall manifest from his heart, the center of love within us.

We are not able to practise this properly because of arrogance, impatience, anger and, of course, ignorance. So long as we see ourselves to be superior to others, we will be troubled and will trouble others with our unloving speech. We are often not aware of this superiority but by speaking harshly to one who is weaker than us, whilst avoiding harsh words to those who can give back, we put ourselves under the illusion that “I am very good.”

Hence, a seeker must be very alert. When we are not aware of what is going on in the mind, it takes us very far from the Lord. When we live unconsciously we loose control over the mind. If a thought has grown to a monstrous size it becomes very difficult to control. It grows to that size when we water that thought a number of times. Swami says that when a negative thought arises in the mind, nip it in the bud stage and replace it with a positive thought. The more you think a particular thought the stronger it grows. Same way the less you think a particular thought the weaker it becomes. So the solution is not to entertain negative thoughts.

We will gain positive thoughts when we study Swami’s literature.

8) Not to indulge in talking ill of others specially in their absence

This too comes out of our sense of superiority and arrogance. It also comes from a very narrow and unaccommodating mind. There is so much of tamas and rajas in our minds. These 9 codes of conduct will help us to move towards satwa (purity) if we practice them sincerely.

We look at the world through our mind. No one really sees it as it is, except a Realised Master or Bhagawan Himself. So what we really see is our own mind. Hence, a good person sees only goodness in all that happens around him. If I react negatively to anything it means that the problem is in myself, and so it is I who must make the necessary adjustments.

There is really no need to talk ill of others, especially in their absence. We do not have entry into others’ minds so we cannot really judge why they do what they are doing. We also do not know their circumstances. Also, when we talk ill of others we are unconsciously absorbing what we do not really like in them. We are in fact harming ourselves as the negativity within, which should decrease with time, is actually increasing.

If I remind myself that Bhagawan knows what He is doing through each and every instrument of His then I might be able to surrender my likes and dislikes, which are the true cause of all my problems. Life only brings situations, not problems. I do not have a problem, I am the problem. If I can see Him as the real performer of every action, I will not reject or react to anything. I will then truly become peaceful.

9) Put into practice ‘Ceiling on Desires’ and utilise savings generated for service to mankind

All Masters and Avatars who have walked this earth have said time and time again that our main enemy is selfish desire. There is no external enemy. It is worldly desire that is standing between us and the vision of Bhagawan. It is desire that manifests as lust, anger, greed, delusion, jealousy and arrogance.

Why do we desire? Bhagawan says that when one does not see one’s true Self one takes what one sees, namely, the body-mind entity, to be one’s self. The body-mind feels incomplete and so it desires, feeling that with the fulfillment of the desire it will feel complete and happy. The problem is that the happiness we experience does not last. It ends in sorrow as the mind starts to fancy something else very soon. Hence, the restlessness returns. That has been our lot so far.

When we desire, the mind becomes restless. When our desire is fulfilled we feel happy and restful, not because the desire was fulfilled but because the desire was wiped out of the mind by its fulfillment. When the desire is wiped out, we experience our own Self and therefore become happy. But because of the subtlety our gross mind does not see it as such, but relates the happiness with the object gained and, thus, we go on running after objects and beings all our lives.

Happiness is experienced because the mind was desireless for a short while. Very soon happiness evaporates as the mind becomes restless again with a desire. Happiness equals desirelessness. Swami says that man without desire is God, and God with desire is man. Hence, only that person is happy who has renounced desire.

Because desire has arisen from the ignorance of our true nature, it can be controlled only when we know who we are. Until then, selfishness will not go. Swami says “You Are God”, and “Love is selflessness”. Only when I transcend desire can I really understand what love is. I will become desireless only when I know who I am.

Until we reach that stage let us reason out our desires instead of trying to fulfill all of them. Nobody can actually quench their desire because desire is like fire, the more fuel you add the bigger it gets. So the solution lies not in its fulfillment but in its eradication.

The one who becomes selfless shares all that he has. He realises that what he has is for everyone and not just for himself. He truly gives because he sees himself in everyone.

These are the 9 points of the Code of Conduct for members of the Sai Organisation. No organisation can function without some guidelines. Even though spirituality finds its fulfillment in love and freedom, these rules and regulations that seem to restrict our freedom are there for spiritual growth, from Unity to Purity to Divinity. Our bad tendencies can be changed by observing good rules and regulations. The rules are made for a purpose: to eventually transcend all rules and regulations.

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