Sathya Sai Baba The World-Avatar Teaching and Revelations

Success in this task can be achieved only through spiritual education.
But man today has deep faith only in acquisition and accumulation. He
cannot give up or renounce. He has no faith in truth. (...)
Man yearns to know all things; but he does not make an effort to know
the truth. (...)
Man should know that not even an iota of genuine happiness is derivable
from the “three worlds”, the three “divisions of time” and the “three
levels of consciousness in daily life” (wakefulness, dream, sleep). (...)
Therefore, one should learn spiritual knowledge, the process by which
one becomes aware of one's Divine reality. By learning it and living it,
one can quench one’s thirst and help to quench the thirst of all mankind.
(7-45/49)
Man has to achieve many goals during his life. The highest and the
most valuable of these is winning the mercy and love of God, which will
give him the great wisdom he needs for attaining unshakable inner
peace. Every one should endeavour to have on understanding of the
true nature of Godhead. Of course, man cannot, at the very beginning
of his attempt, grasp the unmanifest Absolute phenomenon. He has,
at first, to impose a form and some attributes to bring it within reach.
Then, step by step, he must try to enshrine it in himself, as the descent
of Divine energy. The person engaged in the pursuit of success in this
effort is not a mere individual seeker entitled to pursue the goal. He has
to cultivate also the spirit of service and be engaged in good deeds
which earn the gratitude of people. Thus only can he accomplish the
task of cleaning the levels of his consciousness and become a fit candidate
for spiritual victory.
Monkhood does not mean the mere acceptance of the fourth stage of
life and its rights and obligations, retiring to the forest after breaking
contact with the world in order to lead the austere life of ascetics. The
monk must move among people, become aware of their sorrows and
joys and impart the instruction and inspiration they need. (...)
True education is that which directs and counsels the mind and intellect
of man towards the earning of pure happiness. Of course, it can
be secured only by untiring effort. The scriptures declare: “Happiness
cannot be acquired through happiness”. By undergoing unhappiness
alone can happiness be won. This truth has to be instilled through education.
When man knows of the bliss that pure happiness can confer,
spiritual education too will be found easy and palatable.
Having been born as humans, all efforts must be directed to acquiring
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