Be Like Jesus

Be Like Jesus
The Good News of Jesus
in the Words of Sathya Sai Baba

The content of this book is taken entirely from the discourses of Sathya Sai Baba. Thematically compiled, there are five main sections: The coming of Jesus, the teachings of Jesus, the Sacrifice of Jesus, the Oneness and Omnipresence of God and Merging with Jesus. The main section on the teachings of Jesus is centred on the Beatitudes, which were given by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. This book is a ground-breaking masterpiece, which shows the seamless teachings of the divine in both the lives of Jesus and Sathya Sai Baba.

Sathya Sai Baba has described the time of the birth of Jesus. He has said, it was "thick with ignorance". When the darkness of ignorance overwhelms the world, the practice of righteousness declines, and devotion to the Lord is scoffed at and ridiculed, the Lord takes human form, for the welfare of mankind.

Both Sathya Sai Baba and Jesus are karana-janmas, births taken up for the welfare of the world, not because of any previous karma that needed to be exhausted. Swami has told that Jesus was one such Master, born for a purpose, the mission of restoring love, charity and compassion in the hearts of mankind. Swami has said that Karana-janmas belong to the whole human race. They should not be confined to a single country or community.

On the life and teachings of these great masters, Sathya Sai Baba has told: "Far more beneficial than honouring the great is the practice of loving them. Praise, glorification and eulogy raise them on to an unreachable pedestal. Love binds one heart to another. Gratitude for the inspiration and instruction received by them must bind the hearts of mankind in love."

There are many parallels in the lives of Sathya Sai Baba and Jesus. Both Jesus and Sai Baba revealed the Divine Light, the param-jyothi.

Sai Baba revealed the Param Jyothi to devotees on the banks of the Chitravathi. Many people report different experiences. Some also say that this happened on more than one occasion. What is common is that Swami told devotees that he would show the eye of Shiva. Others tell that Swami told he would show the param-jyothi. Swami ran on ahead, to the top of a hill. He called out to the devotees, and then a brilliant light was seen. All fell down at the brilliant light, totally overcome with the divine splendour.

In the liturgical calendar, the church celebrates an event called the Transfiguration of Jesus. This event occurred at a place called Mount Tabor, in Palestine.

The Gospels tell that Jesus led three of his apostles - Peter, John the Apostle, and James the Great - to pray at the top of a mountain. Once at the top, Jesus became transfigured, his face shining like the sun, and his clothes a brilliant white. They say that Elijah and Moses suddenly appeared with Jesus and talked with him. Once they had spoken with each other, the Gospels state that a bright cloud overshadowed them (Luke also says they entered into the cloud), and a voice from the cloud proclaimed, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

This book is split into five parts. Part One covers the Coming of Jesus, with extracts from discourses divided into

Why God Incarnates as Man
*Jesus' Early Years
*Jesus' Divine Mission
*Jesus Inspired Everyone to be a Light in the World

An example of the seamless unity of the teachings of Jesus and Sai Baba can be found in the story of Jesus lost in the Temple for three days:

One year, Jesus and his parents, Joseph and Mary, happened to go to a Jewish festival in Jerusalem. In the jostling crowds Jesus got separated from his parents. Not finding him anywhere, Mary sat under a tree and prayed to God to come to her help. At that moment, a thought flashed in her mind that Jesus was perhaps in a nearby temple.

They went there and found Jesus sitting in a comer of the temple listening to the words of the high priest. That scene reminded her of the prophetic words of one of the Arabian kings who visited Jesus at the time of his birth, who said that he would love God. Mary affectionately rushed towards him and embraced him.

When Mary told Jesus about the anxiety that they felt when they missed him, Jesus replied: "Mother! Why should you have any fear? Those who believe in the world will have fears. But why should anyone believing in God fear at all? I am in the company of my Father. You taught me that God is everything for us. How, then, can you worry like this? This is the temple of God; it is my Father's mansion. Nothing will be lacking here. In this eternal and sacred home, I am perfectly safe and protected."

This shows that even by his twelfth year, Jesus was full of Divine qualities and was imparting the Divine message to those around him. He had learnt his lessons from his mother and developed his spiritual faith. In these words Jesus revealed that he regarded himself as the Son of God.

Part Two encompasses the Teachings of Jesus and is centred around the Beatitudes, the central teaching of Jesus, sometimes called the Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus's Message was Universal and for all of Humanity
*Blessed are the Humble, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven
*Blessed are those who Mourn, for they Shall be Comforted
*Blessed are the Meek, for they shall Inherit the Earth
*Blessed are the Righteous, for they shall be Fulfilled
*Blessed are the Merciful, for they shall obtain Mercy
*Blessed are the Pure of Heart, for they shall see God
*Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they are Children of God
*Blessed are the Persecuted for the sake of Righteousness
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven
*Blessed are the slandered for the sake of God, for Great is
their reward in Heaven
*Love is the Basis of Jesus' Teachings

Part Three takes the theme of the Sacrifice of Jesus. These focus on the challenges in Jesus' life.

*Jesus faced criticism from the priests
*Jesus faced troubles like other divine personalities
*Jesus' Last Supper
*Jesus' Crucifixion
*Jesus' Sacrifice
*Jesus turned people to God
*Jesus' Second Coming

The focus of Part Four is The Oneness and Omnipresence of God. In this part the excerpts from the Divine Discourses cover striving for the Divine and honouring all religions.

*Ask and you shall receive
*Be true devotees of Jesus
*See all as children of God
*Recognise the One Spirit in all of humanity
*Develop Spiritual Discipline
*Cultivate Love
*Realise that God is One
*See the Unity of Many in the One
*Respect the Variety of Religions
*Esteem the basic teachings of all religions
*Foster the well being of society through all Religions

Part Five takes up the task of Merging with Jesus. This task embodies self awareness, discovering who you really are. Citations from discourses cover,

Enquire into 'Who am I'
*Know yourself as a combination of body, mind and soul
*Go beyond body consciousness
*Follow the path of Jesus' life
*Know yourself as God.
*There are many colour plates with a Christian theme, and the book concludes with a full compendium of discourse references, showing how all the material in this book was resourced from divine discourses.

Few books consider the lives and teachings of Sathya Sai Baba and Jesus. Peter Phipps of New Zealand has authored two titles: Sathya Sai Baba and Jesus Christ. A Gospel for the Golden Age, 1994, and Greater than You Know. Sathya Sai Baba, Jesus Christ and Christianity, 1997 There is the highly acclaimed An Eastern View of Jesus Christ and the excellent study guide prepared by Dr Pal Dhall for the Sai Vision Program of many years ago Sai Vision Program, Volume III, Christmas Discourses 1972 - 1994. Until now, there has been a shortfall of books embracing the life and teachings of Jesus vis-�-vis the teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. This book remedies that situation.

Many devotees sometimes wonder, 'What do we have to offer the Christians who ask us questions about the teachings of Sai Baba and Jesus'? Swami tells us to study the lives of the founders of the different faiths and grasp their message and teachings. Know the teachings you profess to follow; know the teachings in this book and be prepared to give an account of both the teachings of Sai and how they may be read as one with the teachings of Jesus. As this book illustrates, there really is no difference.

Sathya Sai Baba tells,

"Try to be like Jesus. Jesus was a person whose only joy was in spreading Divine love, offering Divine love, receiving Divine love and living on Divine love. Christ proclaimed that God is all-powerful and omnipresent, the One without a second. His teachings have to be interpreted, understood and followed from this universal point of view."