Sathya Sai Organization
Encyclopedia
The Sathya Sai Organization (or Sri Sathya Sai Seva
Organization) was founded in the 1960s by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
. The first Sai Centers were started in India under the name Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithi. The Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization originated "to enable its members to undertake service activities as a means to spiritual advancement." According to the Sathya Sai Organization, there are an estimated 1,200 Sathya Sai Baba Centers in 130 countries worldwide. Its current chairperson is Michael Goldstein.
The principal objectives of Sri Sathya Sai Seva
Organisation are:
1. To help the individual
2. To ensure that all human relations are governed by the principles of Sathya (Truth
), Dharma
(Right Conduct), Shanthi (Peace), Prema
(Love) and Ahimsa
(Non-violence).
3. To make devotees more sincere and dedicated in the practice of their respective religions by understanding properly the true spirit of their religion.
Sathya Sai Baba further explains the quality of service expected of the organization. "The Organisations named after Me are not to be used for publicising My Name, or creating a new cult around My worship. They must try to spread interest in japam (recitation of God's Name), dhyaanam (meditation
) and other sadhanas (spiritual practices), which lead man Godward; they must demonstrate the joy derivable from bhajan (devotional group singing) and Naamasmarana (remembering God's Name), the Shanthi (peace) that one can draw from Sathsang (good company).
They must render seva
(service) to the helpless, the sick, the distressed, the illiterate and the needy. Their seva should not be exhibitionistic; it must seek no reward, not even gratitude or thanks from the recipients. Seva is sadhana
(spiritual exercise), not a pastime of the rich and well placed. Each one must realize this truth
."
Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust
Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust -Publications Division-
Radio Sai
Educational Institutions
Sri Sathya Sai Medical Trust
Ashrams
Service, Devotion and Education Wings
Drinking Water Supply Projects
The center structure operates with the Service, Youth, Education, Ladies and Spiritual coordinators addressing the center President directly, who in turn reports to the Regional coordinator.
(The regional coordinator acts a liaison between the centers' Presidents and the regional council)
The President of each center has with him/her a secretary, vice president and treasurer.
The regional organizational structure (using region 13 as an example) consists of regional coordinators (from various geographic parts of the region) reporting to a Council Chairperson. Independent of the regional coordinators, the Service, Youth, Publications, Education and Spiritual coordinators report directly to the Council Chairperson. The Council Chairperson then communicates with the Central Coordinator of that region.
Selfless Service
Selfless service is a commonly used term to denote a service which is performed without any expectation of result or award for the person performing it.-Religious significance:...
Organization) was founded in the 1960s by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Sathya Sai Baba
Śri Sathya Sai Baba , born as Sathyanarayana Raju was an Indian guru, spiritual figure, mystic, philanthropist, and educator. He claimed to be the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi, a spiritual saint and miracle worker who died in 1918 and whose teachings were an eclectic blend of Hindu and...
. The first Sai Centers were started in India under the name Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samithi. The Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization originated "to enable its members to undertake service activities as a means to spiritual advancement." According to the Sathya Sai Organization, there are an estimated 1,200 Sathya Sai Baba Centers in 130 countries worldwide. Its current chairperson is Michael Goldstein.
Mission statement
"The main objective of the Sathya Sai Organization," as Sathya Sai Baba states, "is to help man recognize the divinity that is inherent in him. So, your duty is to emphasize the One, to experience the One in all you do or speak. Do not give any importance to differences of religion or sect or status or color. Have the feeling of one-ness permeate every act of yours. Only those who do so have a place in this Organization; the rest can withdraw."The principal objectives of Sri Sathya Sai Seva
Selfless Service
Selfless service is a commonly used term to denote a service which is performed without any expectation of result or award for the person performing it.-Religious significance:...
Organisation are:
1. To help the individual
- To be aware of the DivinityDivinityDivinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
that is inherent in him and to conduct himself accordingly; - To translate into practice in daily life, divine love and perfection; and therefore
- To fill one's life with joy, harmony, beauty, grace, human excellence and lasting happiness;
2. To ensure that all human relations are governed by the principles of Sathya (Truth
Truth
Truth has a variety of meanings, such as the state of being in accord with fact or reality. It can also mean having fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal. In a common usage, it also means constancy or sincerity in action or character...
), Dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
(Right Conduct), Shanthi (Peace), Prema
Prema
Prema may refer to:*Prema – actress in the Kannada Film Industry*Prema – 1952 Telugu film*Prema – Telugu film starring Venkatesh and Revathi*Prema – British recording artiste...
(Love) and Ahimsa
Ahimsa
Ahimsa is a term meaning to do no harm . The word is derived from the Sanskrit root hims – to strike; himsa is injury or harm, a-himsa is the opposite of this, i.e. non harming or nonviolence. It is an important tenet of the Indian religions...
(Non-violence).
3. To make devotees more sincere and dedicated in the practice of their respective religions by understanding properly the true spirit of their religion.
Sathya Sai Baba further explains the quality of service expected of the organization. "The Organisations named after Me are not to be used for publicising My Name, or creating a new cult around My worship. They must try to spread interest in japam (recitation of God's Name), dhyaanam (meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
) and other sadhanas (spiritual practices), which lead man Godward; they must demonstrate the joy derivable from bhajan (devotional group singing) and Naamasmarana (remembering God's Name), the Shanthi (peace) that one can draw from Sathsang (good company).
They must render seva
Selfless Service
Selfless service is a commonly used term to denote a service which is performed without any expectation of result or award for the person performing it.-Religious significance:...
(service) to the helpless, the sick, the distressed, the illiterate and the needy. Their seva should not be exhibitionistic; it must seek no reward, not even gratitude or thanks from the recipients. Seva is sadhana
Sadhana
Sādhanā literally "a means of accomplishing something" is ego-transcending spiritual practice. It includes a variety of disciplines in Hindu, Sikh , Buddhist and Muslim traditions that are followed in order to achieve various spiritual or ritual objectives.The historian N...
(spiritual exercise), not a pastime of the rich and well placed. Each one must realize this truth
Truth
Truth has a variety of meanings, such as the state of being in accord with fact or reality. It can also mean having fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal. In a common usage, it also means constancy or sincerity in action or character...
."
Projects
The International Sai Organization hosts a number of various institutes, trusts and associations. They include:Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust
Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust -Publications Division-
Radio Sai
Educational Institutions
- Sathya Sai Schools and Institutes
- Sri Sathya Sai University. The University founded by Sathya Sai Baba in 1981, which provides free education on three campuses: Ananthapur (for women), Prasanthi Nilayam (for men), and Brindavan (for men, on the outskirts of BangaloreBangaloreBengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
) - Sai International Centre for Human Values
Sri Sathya Sai Medical Trust
- Primary Health Care – Medical camps organised to visit orphanages, old age homes, leprosy homes etc.
- Secondary Healthcare (The general hospitals) Sri Sathya Sai General Hospitals in Prasanthi Nilayam and Whitefield, Bangalore, render free medical aid
- Tertiary Health Care (the super-speciality hospitals) These hospitals provide excellent patient care facilities to all, free of cost.
- Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Science. There are two campuses, one being in Prasanthi Nilayam, A.P. and the other in Whitefield, KarnatakaKarnatakaKarnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, India.
Ashrams
- Prasanthi Nilayam, in PuttaparthiPuttaparthiPuttaparthi is a town situated in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, India. It was also the residence of the notable spiritual teacher Sathya Sai Baba....
, Andra Pradesh - Brindavan, in Whitefield (on the outskirts of Bangalore)
- KodaikanalKodaikanal-Climate:Kodaikanal has a monsoon-influenced subtropical highland climate . The temperatures are cool throughout the year due to the high elevation of the city.-Economy:...
, a "hill station" in Tamilnadu
Service, Devotion and Education Wings
Drinking Water Supply Projects
Activities of the Organization
- Spiritual activities include devotional singing, study circles, public lectures, seminars, meditation etc.
- Educational activities cover 'Bal Vikas' (for children) and Education in Human Values Programmes, besides formal academic education combined with the development of the character of the students for age group of 6 to 15.
- Service activities include items such as organizing medical check-up camps, adoption of under-developed villages for accelerating rural development, blood donation, old age homes, etc.
Code of Conduct
The charter of the organization says that every member should undertake sadhana (spiritual discipline) as an integral part of daily life and abide by the following nine codes of conduct http://www.sathyasai.org/devotion/ninepoint.html:- 1. Daily meditation and prayer.
- 2. Devotional singing/prayer with family members once per week.
- 3. Participation in the educational programmes conducted by the organization for children.
- 4. Attendance at least once per month at group devotional programmes conducted by the organization.
- 5. Participation in community service and other programmes of the organization.
- 6. Regular study of Sai literature.
- 7. Putting into practice the principles of "ceiling on desires", utilising any savings thereby generated for the service of mankind.
- 8. Speaking softly and lovingly with everyone with whom one comes into contact.
- 9. Avoiding speaking ill of others, especially in their absence.
Organizational structure
The International Sai Organisation is ordered into 9 zones. A number of regions are then created in each zone. For example, both the US and Canada are in zone 1, however the United States is in region 11 while Canada is in region 13. Each region then branches out to individual centersThe center structure operates with the Service, Youth, Education, Ladies and Spiritual coordinators addressing the center President directly, who in turn reports to the Regional coordinator.
(The regional coordinator acts a liaison between the centers' Presidents and the regional council)
The President of each center has with him/her a secretary, vice president and treasurer.
The regional organizational structure (using region 13 as an example) consists of regional coordinators (from various geographic parts of the region) reporting to a Council Chairperson. Independent of the regional coordinators, the Service, Youth, Publications, Education and Spiritual coordinators report directly to the Council Chairperson. The Council Chairperson then communicates with the Central Coordinator of that region.