Aspiration and Desire

Aum Sairam

It is most important for us to try to develop a genuine hunger for Sri Sai Baba's love, Sri Sai Baba's compassion and Sri Sai Baba's blessings. There are two ways to increase ones inner hunger. One way is to cry for Sri Sai Baba like a helpless child crying for his mother. The other way is to offer ones actions to Sri Sai Baba while keeping a cheerful attitude. With both these ways the seeker will make real inner progress.

Desire is a wild fire that burns and burns and finally consumes us. Aspiration is a glowing flame that secretly and sacredly uplifts our consciousness and finally liberates us. Thirst for the highest is aspiration. Thirst for the lowest is annihilation. Desire is expectation. No expectation, no frustration. With desire killed, true happiness is built. Aspiration is surrender. Surrender is man's conscious oneness with Sri Sai Baba's will.

We aspire through proper concentration, proper meditation and proper contemplation. Aspiration covers both meditation and prayer. There were many saints who did not care for meditation; they realized God through prayer. He who is praying feels he has an inner cry to realize Sri Sai Baba, and he who is meditating also feels the need to bring Sri Sai Baba's consciousness right into his being. The difference between prayer and meditation is this: when we pray, we talk and Sri Sai Baba listens, and when we meditate, Sri Sai Baba talks and we listen.

We are a seeker. When we pray, concentrate and meditate, we have to feel that each second is infinitely more important than we thought it was previously, before we entered into the spiritual life. This second we can use either for meditation or for gossip or for cherishing impure and undivine thoughts.

When we consciously aspire in all parts of our being, we will be able to accelerate the achievement of liberation.

Allah Malik