The essence of the teachings of Jesus Christ is love for one’s neighbor. In the famous words of Jesus Christ about the need to love your neighbor as yourself, there is an important detail, which consists in the fact you should first accept and love yourself. Only the person who can first love himself can show love for others.
In order to love yourself, you need to see God not somewhere far away in heaven, but in your spiritual heart. Hating yourself means hating the God that is within your heart. To hate your neighbor is to hate the God in his heart.
A person who hates himself cannot show love to others. That is why it is first necessary to reveal God in your own heart and love yourself; only then is it possible to take the path of service and truly show love to others.
The highest part of the teaching of Jesus Christ is the realization of unity. Jesus Christ said that not only was he able to gain unity with the Heavenly Father, but absolutely every person who follows the spiritual path can have this experience.
Only he who follows the teachings of Jesus Christ and who embodies the principle of direct communication between himself and God and who loves himself and shows love to others is a true Christian.
The highest manifestation of a true Christian is the realization of God in one’s own heart. Jesus Christ told his disciples: “you will know that «I» am in my Heavenly Father, and you are in me, and «I» am in you” (paraphrase John 14:20). In these words, he once again confirmed that as a result of passing through the spiritual path, each person will discover the greatest treasure, which is unity with God.
45. Sathya Sai Baba on the three stages of the spiritual path of Jesus Christ
Sathya Sai Baba said that only a few were able to realize the most important part of the spiritual message of Jesus Christ, which he preached to all mankind. The most important part of the teaching of Jesus Christ is that God is the original nature of the soul of every person – God is the True Self of every person.
Sathya Sai Baba also said that people should accept Jesus Christ as their spiritual guide, follow his example, and go through the same stages of the spiritual path that Jesus Christ went through.
Passive worship of the Savior, following the formalities of church tradition, or using outward symbolism is not enough to be a genuine Christian. Jesus Christ himself told his disciples that they should follow him.
Sathya Sai Baba explained that in the beginning Jesus Christ realized he was «the messenger of God.» After that, he realized he was «the son of God.» At the highest stage of his path, he realized his oneness with God. These three stages of the spiritual path are universal; every spiritual seeker passes through them.
Sathya Sai Baba advised people to stop perceiving Jesus Christ as the greatest object of worship and accept him as their spiritual guide and example on the spiritual path. It may seem that this is too strong a statement. We are accustomed to think that Jesus Christ is the greatest world teacher, the only son of God, originally perfect and divine.
How can we accept him as an example for our spiritual path? The philosophy that Sathya Sai Baba expounded may be difficult for some Christians to accept. Quite a lot of people tend to perceive Jesus Christ as the originally perfect Godman.
Sathya Sai Baba pointed out that Jesus Christ was a truly unique person, and that he was born with a special divine mission. However, Sathya Sai Baba showed that initially Jesus Christ did not have the fullness of self-realization; he gained it as a result of the path of meditation and prayer.
Having gained the highest spiritual realizations as a result of intense spiritual practice, Jesus Christ set a great example for everyone by showing with his life that in order to gain spiritual experience intensive spiritual practice of meditation and prayer is necessary.
In order to uncover the greatest treasure of the spiritual heart, it is important to practice, and not just philosophize on spiritual topics. Jesus Christ said that the Kingdom of God is taken by force. This famous phrase signifies the need for intense spiritual practice. He also proclaimed that the kingdom of God is in the hearts of people. This means that the vector of spiritual movement is directed exclusively to the inner world.