Transcript Document

Devotion
“Among all forms of Sadhana, bhakti or devotion to
the Lord is the easiest and the holiest. Bhakti is
derived from the root “bhaj”, with the suffix “ti”. It
means “seva” or service. It denotes a feeling of
friendship coupled with awe”.
“Worship the divine through seva (bhaja sevayam).
Devotion calls for utilizing the mind speech and
body to worship the Lord. It represents total love”.
New Officers Orientation
Mini Retreat
Devotion Wing Presentation
Jeff Lucas
Regional Devotion Coordinator
Meaning of Devotion
• Devotion should also be the unified
expression of love for God, action in the
service of God and total surrender to the
will of God.
• Devotion, worship and awareness of the
self together demonstrate the oneness of
the divine
Purpose of Devotional Practices
• Nine ways of Devotion
Swami says,
You are God. Understand this truth in the
first instance. Everyone is divine.
• You have to worship Him till you
understand and experience this unity.
• (You) should firmly believe “I am God”
Devotion and Society
• We cannot realize the Divine if we are selfcentered.
• Value of Community Prayers- A service for
the welfare of the World
“ We must try to rise to higher stages from
natural devotion through para bhakti.
Perform your bhajans, perform your pujas,
but when you enter society, recognize society
as a form of God, and thereby acquire good
qualities in society.”
Duty, Discipline, Devotion
• “Duty, discipline and devotion, all three are
absolutely essential for everyone in our
organization.”
• “You may have devotion, you may discharge the
duty entrusted to you. But, unless you are
saturated in discipline, the other two are
useless.”
• Guidelines - necessary until the members realize
the spiritual unity of all.
• “Devotion has to be guided and controlled by
discipline and duty.”
Devotion Coordinator RoleWhat is it?
• To help any devotee or person who attends a
Center meeting experience their faith
• In the process- being as inclusive and expansive
as possible
• Giving each a role to play
• Major facilitator role in Sai Center
Devotion Coordinator
Responsibilities Include:
1. Being well versed in Swami’s teachings
regarding devotion and the devotional
components of the Center program, including
bhajans (devotional singing) and study circle.
– Read any of Swami’s discourses or writings.
– Make a sincere study and self-inquiry around His
teachings. Strive to apply what you learn.
2. Striving to create and maintain a disciplined,
reverent and quiet atmosphere at devotional
meetings
Devotion Coordinator
Responsibilities Include:
2. Striving to create and maintain a disciplined,
reverent and quiet atmosphere at devotional
meetings
“Bhagavan desires from all of you only
discipline. Hence, when the discourse is
over or when the bhajans end, you should
go out in silence. As a rule, observe
restraint in speech everywhere. You should
realize that the voice of the divine is heard
in the depths of silence.”
Discipline
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Be an example- speak softly and sweetly
Treat all with respect
Talk only when necessary
Encourage devotees to observe silence
Observe time boundaries; encourage punctuality
Altar
• Creating an Altar for the devotional program,
including its setup and removal in cases where the
Altar must be set up and taken down after each
Center meeting
• Simplicity the guiding word
• Only a picture of Swami, and perhaps of Shirdi
Sai Baba, plus a candle and flowers is sufficient.
• Sarvadharma symbol may be displayed
Coordinating – Devotional
Singing
• Establishing and maintaining a regular
program of bhajan practice, led by
devotees who are musically competent
(instrumentally and vocally), to foster a
high quality of devotional singing in the
Center devotional meeting itself.
Devotional Singing
• Bhajans “visiting card” for many new
devotees
• Bhajans- Foundation of Sai Center- very
important
• Promotes Namasmarana (Baba)
• Do Practice at least monthly; and more
often if possibe
Baba on Devotional Singing
• “Bhajans (devotional songs) charge the
atmosphere with divine adoration; that is
why I insist on group singing of the Names of
the Lord.”
• “Bhajans are highly sacred. Bhajan singing
makes the heart sacred. What is important is
that it should come from the heart. Bhajan is
not just rhythm, tune, and beat. You should
sing God’s name with love. You will see the
manifestation of Divinity with your physical
eyes when you sing His glory with all love.”
Devotional Singing
•Singing from such DEVOTEES
will certainly liberate the
individual and transform the
community and the world
Group Devotional Singing
In order to realize the potency and efficacy
of the Lord’s Name:
• Purity of thought, word and deed
• Name that is uttered by the tongue is meditated
upon by the mind.
• What is uttered and dwelt upon should be hailed
by clapping the hands.
• Thus - Unity of mind, speech and action –
purifies the heart and nourishes the feeling of
devotion.
Group Devotional Singing
Group / Community bhajans should:
• Be fully absorbed in the devotional process and
the ecstasy of that experience
• Be vibrant and soulful
• Combine feeling (bhava), melody (raga) and
rhythm (tala)
“What delight can be experienced when all sing in
chorus, with the same feeling, in the same tune
and to the same timing! When there is such
unity the divine can be experienced.”
Baba on Bhava (Feeling)
• “Bhava is the quintessence of bhajan singing.
The heart of the Lord is like soft butter. The
warmth of bhakti and devotion expressed
through bhava will melt this soft butter. It is the
cry of the devotee with deep yearning for the
Lord, which makes the Lord rush to the rescue of
His devotees. This is the effect of Bhava.
More Aspects of Bhajans
• Feeling should come across in bhajan: Like
talking to a friend
• To develop bhava, dwell on Swami, His Glory,
and what He has done for you
• Encourage devotees to know 20 bhajans wellchoose common bhajans of simple or medium
complexity
• Avoid difficult bhajans
• Voice exercises
Devotional Singing - Coordination
• Coordinating musicians, bhajan singers and
bhajans, including English devotional songs,
to create a more uplifting devotional program
• “Let the different faiths exist and let the glory
of God be sung in all languages and tunes.”
• How do we implement this beautiful message
from Swami?
Devotional Singing
• Singing in Sai Centers a great honor
• Sai devotional singing “greatest music in the
world”- combines music and mantra
• Bhajan singing a service
• All bhajans should be rendered perfectly
• Song list should be inclusive and expansive
• Should look like a check mark
• 75% of bhajan selection of songs
• With average singers you can make bhajan very
good
• Keep regular singers 60% of the time
English Devotional Singing
• Songs should be sung in English as much as
possible
• Unless one understands the meaning, one
cannot develop bhava
• In Centers where none of the songs are being
sung in English at present, training should be
provided to the singers so at least one or two
could be sung, to start with
• Unison Bhajans
Universaility of Baba’s Teachings
• “I have not come on any mission of publicity for
any sect or creed or cause; nor have I come to
collect followers for any doctrine. I have come to
tell you of this universal unitary faith, this path of
Love.”
• “There is only one religion, the religion of Love”
“Universalizing” Devotional
Singing
• Making efforts to “universalize” the devotional
program such that it is welcoming to people of all
religious backgrounds and languages
• Sai Centers, as “Public Face” of Swami, need to
represent Him authentically and credibly
Examples of “Universalizing”
• Include bhajan selections and prayers from
various spiritual traditions
• Where universally accepted chants/prayers
are part of the program, the meaning of such
chants in English should accompany the
actual chants
• Minimize the use of rituals
• No Particular Prayer is Required
Universalizing our Programs
• Sai Centers have great flexibility in determining
the content of their devotional programs.
• Center members can discuss amongst
themselves in membership meetings the content
of a universal devotional program reflecting
Baba’s teachings
• Examples: North/West Suburban Chicago
Centers, Northwest Region of U.S.A.
Study Circle
• Maintaining a regular Study Circle that is conducted in
accordance with the Guidelines for Sathya Sai Study
Circles in America
• Ensuring that the Coordinator for Study Circle should be
prepared in advance
• In small centers the Devotion Coordinator may play the
role
• In large centers where Study Circle Coordinator is
selected as an extended Officer, he / she will take the
full responsibility to coordinate Study Circle
• As Study Circle comes under Devotion wing, Study
Circle Coordinator should work closely with the Devotion
Coordinator in planning and conducting the Study
Study Circle
• Sadhana 75% Self Inquiry (Baba)
• If you are earnest, study circle will take off and
become a transformative force in your Center.
• Groups are powerful
• Important to our Spiritual Practices
• Emphasis on study and application of Baba’s
Teachings
• we can move the “vehicle” of our spiritual life
quickly down the road
Sadhana of Love
• “Pure Love is like a well-paved,
one-way road with no speed
bumps…You can rush along it to
God at whatever speed you want.”
(Baba)
Study Circle Guidelines
• Encourage all to participate as presenters
• Present about Swami’s teachings while including
your personal experience of practicing them
• Raise relevant questions about Baba’s teachings
around the issue of practice
Guiding Principles of Study
Circle
• Principle of compassionate leadership on the
part of the facilitator
• The principle of equal opportunity for participants
to express themselves
• The principle of non-argumentative exchange of
views
• The principle of opportunity for everyone to be a
presenter
Books / Audio / Video
• Overseeing the sale or loan of books, videos, DVDs
and photos that are purchased from the Sathya Sai
Book Center of America (Tustin)
• In small Centers, Devotion Coordinator may be
directly involved in lending or sale of books and
other related material
• Library Coordinator- extended officer role
• Need to be at Center regularly to play this role;
actively follow-up with devotees as needed, etc.
• Make announcements as appropriate at Center
Meetings
Newcomer orientation
• Establishing and maintaining a program of newcomer
orientation
• Jody Cleary and Ted Henry’s “welcoming
sadhana” hand-out approved by Baba.
• DVD- “Who is Sai Baba?”
• Newcomer packet could include appropriate
information on Baba
• Be Friendly, Be Smart, Be creative!
Regional Involvement
• Being available to provide support to regional
officers regarding conferences, retreats, projects
and reports, and other matters as requested, as
well as actively participating in regional
conferences, retreats, etc.
Plans for Devotion Wing
• National Program being developed around the
theme of “Unity, Purity, Divinity”
• Developing more universal devotional programs
• Working to release the English devotional songs
recording
• More English Bhajan songs for region; song
sheet of English spirituals/folk songs for
community service
• Mini-public/Open House meetings with any
speakers who express Swami’s message
To Conclude
• “My Life is My Message; Expansion
is My Life”
To conclude
“Seen through the eyes of love… the world is one
vast kin.”
“This is a great chance. Be confident that you will
be liberated. Know that you are saved.”