The doctor rubbed my sore shoulder
spraying copious amounts of analgesic compound
to freeze the area
from the side of my eye I caught the
silver glint of a 6 inch needle poised
to penetrate my quivering shoulder
with cortisone
intense pain exploded through my consciousness
as the syringe fracked into the deeper regions of
my shoulder

Afterwards, while reflecting on this incident
I thought about polarities and Newton’s Law:
“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”
The pain I had just experienced did not occur in a vacuum
Somewhere along the time continuum I’d set up that opposite
swing of the pendulum

I recollected all the intense moments of extreme and dizzying
sense enjoyment, lust and gratification
my mind has sought and indulged in with rabid satisfaction
always wanting more, restless, never content or at peace

When we examine this world, and its quintessential duality
we are confronted with extremes at every angle
Hot, cold, up, down, win, lose
We can’t have birth without death and so on
hmm…. I thought as the enlightenment bulb
went off in my head
This is why many great sages and saints
fostered a way of life that
transcended duality

Lord Buddha extolled the “Middle Path”
He described the middle way as moderation
between the excesses of carnal indulgence
and self mortification

Aristotle gave us the “Golden Mean”
“every virtue is a mean between two extremes, each of which is a vice.”

Sathya Sai Baba states:
“The object of meditation is equanimity,
the object of equanimity is samadhi (enlightenment or self realization)"

This beautiful quote by Bhagavan Baba is redolent with wisdom
and sublime beauty:

“Surrender to God and to life means the absence of duality
and being of the same nature as God.
But such a state is beyond man’s will.
Surrender is when doer, deed and object are all God.
It comes naturally to a heart filled with love for God.
God is as a spring of fresh and sweet water in the heart.
The best tool to dig a well to that inexhaustible source and
savor its sweetness, is Japa (Chanting God’s Name)

Divine city
in the stars...
in my heart
where my Lord
of Kailash, Sathya Sai
dwells
My Soul is a blazing comet
streaking towards You

Sai Bolenath

When will I know?

Grasp?

Realize?

That You are mine
forever?

The lucky red Chinese lanterns filled the restaurant atmosphere
with a happy glow. David and I had just concluded
our meal and set about opening our fortune cookies.
David’s read: “Some extra bucks are floating your way”
“I like that!“ he exclaimed, his face lighting up like the
lucky lanterns swaying from the ceiling.

I opened mine: “From the heart you draw true happiness.”
“I like that even better,” quipped David. I agreed contemplating
on how true wealth is not measured by the amount of
green paper or gold bullion we can cram into our pockets
but by the nature and vast reservoir of love stored
up in our hearts. For it is love that brings the bliss of
self knowledge and makes clear our purpose and path of service.

Of course, the green stuff is necessary for a balanced,
optimum life but it should not become the be all
or end all of our lives.

Sathya Sai Baba says: “Wealth does not accompany one
when he leaves the world. Wealth is necessary only for
meeting one’s essential needs.Too much wealth is
an embarrassment like an over-sized shoe.
Too little of it is likely to be painful like a tight-fitting shoe.
So, it is desirable to have only that amount of wealth
that is adequate for one’s basic needs. You should
try to promote the wealth of good conduct, strive to earn
the eternal wealth of the wisdom of the Spirit.
Happiness is union with God."
Lots of Prema,
sonya ki