21. You are what you think of yourself
The secret of creation is known only to the Creator; the rest cannot know it.
(Sathya Sai Baba – «Collection of lectures», 1991)
The question is how do you know yourself? If you perceive yourself as a limited human being, then the secret of the universe is hopelessly hidden from you. However, when, as a result of a spiritual journey, a person gets to the very depths of his Spiritual Heart, then he becomes the same Creator, who is the original creator of everything that exists. Everyday experience sometimes reveals that you are limited and weak, but the truth is there is great power in the depths of your soul.
People are convinced they are, supposedly, unworthy of realizing their dreams, but this is not accurate thinking. If you see problems in your life and feel deep dissatisfaction, then you need to simply change your perception of yourself, as well as your reactions to the events in the surrounding space.
All changes in life must always begin with a change in yourself – it’s these changes that impact and create positive change in your environment. The construct that you “should not” be selfish sometimes keeps us from even attempting to fulfill our infinite potential. This principal is simply a guise of a good idea taught to us as children and reinforced by people around us who prefer we do their will their way, instead of allowing us to just be ourselves.
Is allowing yourself to sing your own song and become all you were created to be, instead of surrendering to someone else’s will, be it friend, spouse, or institution, selfish? I think not. You are what you think of yourself. You are the only one responsible for your own mind and your own life.
22. Sathya Sai Baba materialized a living parrot
This is another wonderful story about Sathya Sai Baba told to me by Yogi Hari. I later read this same story in several books written about Sathya Sai Baba.
One day Sathya Sai Baba went on another trip in the state of Andhra Pradesh, which is located in the south of India. During one of the stops, he was invited to visit with some people. Naturally, many people always traveled with Sathya Sai Baba, so the whole procession was invited. This is in accordance with the tradition that if a teacher travels with students and an invitation is extended, then the teacher will be invited with the entire retinue.
During the reception, Sathya Sai Baba and all those present were offered treats. Sai Baba animatedly communicated with the owner of the house while he made some kind of picture on his plate from leaves and nuts. Everyone listened attentively to what he was saying and observed with curiosity the unusual image that Sathya Sai Baba was putting together from the items on the plate.
Finally, it became clear that Sathya Sai Baba had skillfully laid out a picture of a parrot. He looked around and asked, “what do you think God does?”
Some of those present answered that God is engaged in creation. After that, Sathya Sai Baba softly and, unexpectedly, touched the image of the parrot and it came to life, flapped its wings, fluttered, and flew out the window. How does one relate to such an event as this, even when it happened in front of a large number of witnesses?
The rational mind refuses to accept the reality of such events. Perhaps some will say it was a mass hallucination or hypnosis, while others may argue that Sathya Sai Baba is a divine incarnation and, therefore, is able to create a great miracle and create a living being from inanimate objects in front of everyone. How to relate to such miracles?