Cultivate Character: Lead an Ideal Life World Youth Conference 1 Discourse July 19, 1997

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Cultivate CharacterLead an Ideal LifeWorld
Youth Conference 1DiscourseJuly 19, 1997
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Importance of Character

• Character is the basis for all your behavior,
  quality and actions. None can be perfect, but
  you can make an effort to develop excellent
  character.
• Character is the most important life principle to
  be imbibed. Both men and women should consider
  character as their very life breath.
• Whatever country you may hail from, whatever
  language you speak and whichever faith you
  follow, you should maintain sterling human
  character.
• If you maintain good character, the future
  generation will prosper. Individual sacredness
  and purity ensure sacredness of society and
  country.

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Two Key Subvalues to Develop Our Character

• Control of the Senses the hallmark of character
• Selfless Service
• the way to liberation

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Control of the Senses The Hallmark of Character

• Swami tells a story
• In the ancient days people were noted for
  their control of the senses. Take the example of
  Janaka, the great ruler and father of Sita,
  offering his daughter in marriage to Rama
  immediately after the latter broke the Shiva
  Dhanush (the formidable bow of Shiva), in terms
  of the proclamation made by him (Janaka). When
  Janaka repeatedly asked Rama to look at Sita and
  take her hand, Rama looked in a different
  direction because he should not look at a woman
  until he tied the wedding knot around her neck.
• How can we make the lessons in this story
  applicable to our time and the society in which
  we live?

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Techniques Sense Control

• You should control your vision initially. Many
  saints have prayed to God to give them the
  correct vision only to see good, ears to hear the
  songs of Divine glory, and hands to engage in
  service.
• Use the tongue not to indulge in untruth, not to
  speak ill of others and avoid excessive talk.
• You should avoid gaudy dress. Dress should be
  simple but clean.
• Nagara Sankeerthan ( community singing of
  spiritual songs) has been arranged as part of the
  program of the Sathya Sai Organization to still
  the mind and make the singer and the listeners
  peaceful and happy with the thought of the Divine.

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Sai Challenges - Sense Control

• You must make it a practice to observe silence
  for at least one hour daily.
• Practice silence without TV, CDs or the internet
• Speak soft, sweet, gentle words (using no harsh
  language) for 2 weeks
• Sing 2 bhajans a day at a specified time everyday
• Reduce by half the amount of TV/movies you watch
  in a week
• Watch and listen only to positive news
  (www.thehappynews.com, www.positivenews.org.uk,
  www.newsun.com, www.futurenet.org)

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Selfless Service The Way to Liberation

• Doing selfless service is the best way to cross
  the ocean of Samsaara (worldly existence and
  activity).
• The Vedas declare Not by penance, not by
  undertaking pilgrimages to holy places, but by
  rendering service to humanity you can achieve the
  goal of liberation.

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Performing Selfless Service

• Reflect a peaceful and happy demeanor.
• You should be careful and not disturb their work.
• You must behave with humility and start working
  sincerely.
• Avoid talking too much.
• You need not spend much money for traveling to
  distant places. Select the villages (or the
  communities in need) close by and teach them
  principles of health, hygiene and living in clean
  surroundings.

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Techniques - Selfless Service

• It is for the sake of Prema (love) that we should
  do work. We should be prepared to do work as a
  consequence of our remembering the oneness of all
  humankind.
• We should serve old people, hungry people and the
  weak people. Such service should be regarded as
  service to God. What we see, do, and say will
  always come back to us as resound and reflection.
• Baba asks us to see our favorite form of God in
  the one we are serving.
• The first lesson in selfless service has to be
  learned in the family circle consisting of
  father, mother, brothers, and sisters. In this
  limited, well-knit group, one must engage in
  loving service and prepare for the wider service
  that awaits outside the home.

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Sai Challenges - Selfless Service

• Visit a home where the elder residents are not
  able to go outside. Spend time with the resident
  who does not receive many visitors. Read one of
  their favorite stories to them.
• Perform an act of selfless service every day,
  whether the recipient is aware of it or not.
• Keep a private diary of what you felt after doing
  the service. Sincerely reflect on your writings.
  How did that act of service affect the rest of
  your day? Did that feeling carry over in the
  home, office, or in the center?
• Identify or create a list of the most important
  things in your daily life and observe where
  selfless service fits in. Can you move selfless
  service up two places on the list?

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Whatever happens I shall protect you. Do not be
carried away by profit or loss. Think of God
ceaselessly. Swami is prepared to do anything
for you if you follow the path explained and
become good and useful to the society.
Jai Sai Ram