Category: Activities

Envirocare

Sri Sathya Sai Baba exhorts us to “develop the spirit of Oneness” and to experience unity in diversity. He teaches us that the entire creation is the body of God and Nature is the mirror in which the image of God can be seen.

“There are three entities in the universe with which man has to deal: God, nature and man. Of course, God is to be worshipped by man, to be realized by man through nature. Nature is the name for all the various items that impress upon man the glory and the splendor of God. ”

Sri Sathya Sai Baba, March 27, 1967

He further explains that the five elements that make up all aspects of nature (ether, air, fire, water, and earth) exist in perfect harmony. Today however, as a result of man’s excessive desires and over consumption, nature is out of balance, resulting in increased natural disasters we experience today.

“Many natural catastrophes are entirely due to man’s behavior. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, wars, floods, and famines and other calamities are the result of grave disorders in nature. These disorders are traceable to man’s conduct. Man has not recognized the integral relationship between humanity and the world of nature. ”

Sri Sathya Sai Baba, November 22, 1992

To support the Swami’s mission of Envirocare, the SSIO-USA promotes several initiatives including Tree planting, Go-Green projects, Cleaning up programs, Community Garden ideas and Environmental Education (refer Related Links on the right side, for more details).

Activities

Women’s Wing

“Women should develop the qualities of sympathy, compassion, love and sacrifice. Study the lives of our great women who were models of patience, fortitude, compassion and sacrifice. I desire that you should take up the reins of leadership, and bring peace and prosperity to the nation(s) by leading ideal lives”.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Vol 29 (1995)

Peer Group Goals:

1. To give a platform for women to communicate, share and support each other.

2. To empower women to seek Sai- based solutions for problems.

3. To enrich women to be able to pursue options to address with their concerns and issues.

“You must be a Lotus, unfolding its petals when the Sun rises in the sky, unaffected by the slush where it is born or even the water which sustains it!”

Sri Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol 10 (1970)

Sri Sathya Sai National Peer Enrichment Group
Established with the loving guidance of regional and national coordinators, this group provides a spiritually nourishing platform for women to come together to reflect, uplift, and empower one another in the light of Sai teachings.

🗓️ Launched: August 21, 2021
🏠 First Meeting Hosted By: St. Louis Sai Center – July 19, 2022
🔁 Frequency: Quarterly
📈 Sessions Held: 9 to date

🧘‍♀️ Topics Explored

Conflict resolution
Emotional well-being
Overcoming limiting beliefs
“Who Am I?”: Self-inquiry
Sathya Sai Education in Human Values (SSEHV)
Finding joy within

“If the nation has to prosper, improvement must start with the parents. Without peace and harmony at home, there can be no peace in the nation. This message should be propagated throughout the country on every November 19th, by observing it as Ladies’ Day.” Sri Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol 28 (1995)

Activities

Events and Activities

Activities

Young Adults

Sri Sathya Sai Baba, in a discourse during the World Youth Conference of 1997, revealed the important role of Young Adults in fulfilling a noble mission:

“Young men and women, the world’s good fate, world’s progress is dependent on the transformation of the youth, today. Only when the youth transform themselves with good character, will the world be able to experience ideal virtues.”

Sri Sathya Sai Baba, World Youth Conference, 1997

The guiding principle for Young Adults is self-transformation. Sri Sathya Sai Baba revealed a clear path to achieve this grand mission. He said:

“It is the privilege and duty of the young men and women to promote the welfare, progress and peace of the world. Transform all your actions into sacred duties. Experience the love of the Divine. That is the meaning of Swami’s declaration: “My life is My message.” Adhere to the ideals set before you by Swami.

Sri Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 30, 16 July 1997

The Sri Sathya Sai Young Adults Programme (SSSYAP) seeks to deliver this powerful message to the world through Young Adults worldwide. The Programme encourages men and women, between the ages of 18 and 40, to lead purposeful lives in service of their families, communities, and countries by learning and practicing the spiritual principles revealed by the life, teachings, and work of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Primary importance is given to holistic character development through both personal transformation and selfless service.

The International Young Adults Committee (IYAC) was established under the auspices of the Prasanthi Council and works with its guidance. The IYAC comprises of the International Young Adults Coordinator, Deputy International Young Adults Coordinators, Subcommittee Leads, and the Zone and Deputy Zone Young Adults Coordinators. Together, they coordinate and lead the SSSYAP around the world.

“Young people should consider the true purpose of life. They should get rid of all the impurities in their hearts. With pure hearts, they should embark on service at all times and everywhere. ‘Hands in society, head in the forest.’ From today develop an unwavering mind and a steady vision. That is the way to divinize the world.”

Sri Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 30, 16 July 1997

Young Adults are engaged in service activities in their respective communities around the world, including serving the needy by providing food, clothes and medical care. They also participate in various disaster relief projects such as tsunami, hurricane and earthquake relief.

In addition to the regular SSSIO activities and events, the Sai Young Adult programme has undertaken several initiatives that further:

a) help develop YA interests and talent and
b) address YA-specific issues in leading a spiritual life.

YAs can connect with like-minded individuals providing an opportunity for personal and spiritual growth.

YAs all over the world are involved in activities such as:

Devotional: prayer, meditation, devotional singing, study of Sai teachings
Retreats/conference: workshop for personal enrichment, motivational speakers
Education: computer literacy, education in human values, vocational training, mentoring
Service: soup kitchen, disaster relief, blood donation, medical camps, Serve the Planet
Cultural: music concerts, drama, poetry, devotional songs album, radio programmes
YA development: leadership training
Miscellaneous: Go – Green initiatives, YA sports day, media training

YAs engage in these activities in their respective communities around the world with the understanding that they are uplifting themselves spiritually by helping their fellow man.

“The highest spiritual practice is to transform love into service. Service will lead you to devotion.”

Sri Sathya Sai Baba, World Youth Conference, Prasanthi Nilayam, Nov, 18, 1999

These various activities are thus rendered with love, compassion and a feeling of oneness. The YAs have learned that all of humanity is pervaded by the one and same God, and by serving any part of humanity with love and compassion, they are serving God.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba has said that youth is the most precious time in one’s life. This is the time when all of one’s faculties and energies are at their peak. Hence, the Sai Young Adult programme has been established to encourage and guide YAs to make the best use of this time and lead a purpose-filled life. These young men and women, motivated by Sri Sathya Sai Baba and His all-encompassing love, are thus a beacon of hope for all.

St Louis YAs actively participating in Service projects

For further information or to connect with the St Louis YA officers, please contact stlouissaiyas@gmail.com.

Activities

Member

The qualifications for membership are to be an eager aspirant for spiritual progress, to have full faith in the name that the Organization bears.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba, April 21, 1967

Welcome

There are Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centers in various cities across the United States. Members of the Centers meet regularly to study and discuss the teachings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba and to engage in group devotional singing, meditation, and prayer. Center members also plan and implement a variety of community service projects that are within their means and resources. There is never any solicitation or fee charged for any function that a Center conducts. All are welcome, regardless of race, creed, economic status, or religious orientation.

As members of the Sri Sathya Sai Organization, we are committed to a path of self-transformation. We hope that the resources on this website allows you to deepen your study and practice of this eternal message whether you are a member or whether you are simply interested in exploring further.

Activities

Service

Love more and more people. Love them more and more intensely. Transform the love into service, transform the service into worship. That is the highest spiritual practice.

Sri Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 5, March 1965

Sri Sathya Sai Baba says that the best way to love God is to “Love all, Serve all.”  The main purpose of the Sathya Sai Organization is to realize the innate divinity and practice divine love through selfless service. Sri Sathya Sai Baba has stressed that the quality rather than quantity of service is most important. When we render service, we should feel that we are serving God. This is why He says, “Service to man is service to God”. Service done in this manner makes us realize that “service is done by God, to God, and for God”. The person who is serving, the recipient of the service and the process of serving are all one—and are all divine. Sri Sathya Sai Baba also cautions that ego and attachment; and the feeling of feeling of doer-ship and enjoyer-ship are major obstacles in rendering service.

A true volunteer can overcome these obstacles through selfless service. Service done in a pure, selfless manner becomes “Yoga” - union with God.

Sri Sathya Sai Organization – USA Service Video 2020

This brief video celebrates the unique ways in which the members of SSIO–USA have been engaging in selfless service over the past year. May this video, highlighting Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s key message of “Love All, Serve All”, inspires one and all!

National Service Retreat 2021 ~ Living A Life of Loving Service

On October 23rd, 2021, the first annual National Service Retreat was held virtually and featured a live cast of service projects from all over the country, speakers, devotional singing, live exhibits and workshops. Close to 50O people were in attendance and developed a greater awareness of the meaning of selfless service. Read More

National S.A.I. Tutoring Summit 2021

On September 18^th 2021, about 120 members, comprising adults, YA’s and SSE students, from Sai Centers across the nation participated in a virtual SAI (Schoolwork Assistance Initiative) Tutoring Summit. The summit gave Sai volunteers an opportunity to connect, be inspired and share their experience of providing learning support to underserved children in our communities. Read More

Activities

Education

Bal Vikas (Sai Spiritual Education) is the primary basis of the great movement to restore righteousness (dharma) in the world….The ideal of the [program] is to raise a generation of boys and girls who have a clean and clear conscience.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba, SSSS Vol 10/Chap 33, June 6, 1978

“The end of education is character. Education without character is of no value.”

Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Prasanthi Nilayam, November 20, 2001

Educare as an approach that brings out the inherent qualities of truth, righteousness, peace, love, and non-violence, aligning the heart, head, and hands.

True education, according to Sai Baba, “broadens the heart and deepens love.”

It fosters unity, brings out divine qualities, and shapes a well-rounded personality.

Uniform: Khaki pants And Orange Polo shirt with Logo (Shirt can be purchased from the SSE coordinator)

Along with active participation of all parents. Sai Parents study circles are held every Sunday during SSE class time and all parents are highly encouraged to participate regularly.

The success of the SSE program relies on a strong partnership between parents, students, and teachers (gurus). Parents are expected to ensure their child’s regular attendance, discipline, participate in SSE activities and center events, and adhere to the 9-Point Code of Conduct.

Sai Center of Greater St. Louis

11952 Natural Bridge Rd,

Bridgeton, MO 63044

The Core Principles
Divinity manifests as love, which underlies all human values.
Educare reveals innate human values and integrates them into daily living.
The goal of education is to lead a life that is both human and spiritual.
The essence of education is character, which expresses itself in unity of thought, word, and deed.

Objectives of the Sai Spiritual Education Program

“The aim of Educare is to teach the child awareness of the Self.”

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

To instil love for God in children.
To develop character and inspire spiritual transformation.
To cultivate self-discipline and mastery over the mind.
To nurture a spirit of service towards all beings, recognizing them as part of one universal family.
To instil a sense of responsibility towards the environment and encourage moderation in desires.
To enable children to distinguish between right and wrong and to follow their inner conscience.
To promote an understanding of the unity of all faiths and that all religions lead to the same divine source.
To encourage purity in thought, word, and action.
To develop self-confidence and self-reliance.
To foster reverence for nature and the environment as divine creations.

Resources

SSE Teachers’ Training

National Initiatives

Sai Spiritual Education (SSE) Program

Bal Vikas means, literally, “blossoming of the child.” Bal Vikas or Sai Spiritual Education (SSE) as the program is known outside of India encourages children to live by the ancient truths or Sanathana Dharma that Sri Sathya Sai Baba, by His life and message, exemplifies.

The primary objective of the program is to awaken the latent divine qualities within each child. This is done gradually, through an emphasis on the cardinal human values of Truth, Right Action, Love, Peace and Nonviolence. The teaching is a process of what Sri Sathya Sai Baba speaks of as educare- knowledge revealed from within. One of the most important factors in the process is the teacher him or herself: the SSE teacher must be a living example of the values and virtues being taught.

Onsite SSE classes

Onsite SSE classes are organized by the Sathya Sai Baba centers and held weekly at a time and place suitable to the members of the Center. Typically, the classes are conducted between September and June following the regular school year. The program is an integral part of the Center activities.

Students are enrolled in the program in four SSE groups according to the grades they are attending in secular school:

SSE group 1- Grades 1 through 3

SSE group 2- Grades 4 through 6

SSE group 3- Grades 7 through 9

SSE group 4- Grades 10 through 12

There are 10 regions in the United States with over 100 SSE programs at Sathya Sai Baba Centers. The program has grown significantly, and currently there are over 3000 SSE students and over 750 volunteer teachers and coordinators who dedicate their time and energy to create a purposeful program for the students.

Sri Sathya Sai International Organization (SSSIO) Online SSE Program

The SSSIO Online SSE program is an International Program for children who are unable to attend a Sathya Sai Baba center SSE Program for various reasons. If you have SSE classes at a nearby Sathya Sai Baba center, we request you to please enroll your children for the in-person SSE program at the respective Sathya Sai Baba Center.

Please find the details of the program in this SSSIO Online SSE Program Description.

You can apply to this program if you would like your child to be considered. There are a limited number of seats and students are selected on a case by case basis. Please fill out the registration form: Online SSE Program Registration.

Sathya Sai Education in Human Values

By the 1980s, the SSE program was also adapted to foster human and spiritual values in children in the local community without the focus on a specific spiritual teacher. This new program called Sathya Sai Education in Human Values (SSEHV) is taught in community and after-school settings.

“What the head thinks must be examined by the heart and then put into action by the hands. Education must broaden the vision to include the entire world and all mankind.”

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Activities

Devotion

Devotion to the Lord is only a form of discipline to reach the goal. Seekers should not stop with acquisition of devotion; they should pay attention not so much to the devotion or love that they have toward the Lord but to the love and grace that the Lord bestows on them! They must be always eager to find out which behavior, what acts will be most pleasing to the Lord, will fill the Lord with bliss (ananda). Inquire about that, yearn for that, carry out the things that will secure that objective, be engaged in acts conducive to gain it, that is real devotion (bhakthi).

Ten Guiding Principles:

1. Love and serve your country. Do not be critical of others’ countries.
2. Honor all religions for each is a pathway to God.
3. Love all people without distinction; know that humanity is a single community.
4. Keep home and surroundings clean.
5. Help people to become self-reliant. Provide food and shelter, love and care, for the sick and the aged.
6. Be examples of honesty. Do not participate in any corruption such as bribery.
7. Do not develop jealousy, hatred, or envy on any account.
8. Develop self-reliance; become your own servant before proceeding to serve others.
9. Adore God, abhor sin.
10. Observe your country’s laws and be an exemplary citizen.

Sri Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. 18/Ch. 23, Nov. 21, 1985

Peer Group Goals:

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Resources

SSE Teachers’ Training

National Initiatives

Sai Spiritual Education (SSE) Program

Onsite SSE classes

Sri Sathya Sai International Organization (SSSIO) Online SSE Program

Sathya Sai Education in Human Values

Ten Guiding Principles:

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