Charter of the Sathya Sai Organisation

PERMANENT CHARTER granted by BHAGAVAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA to the SRI SATHYA SAI ORGANISATIONS, AT THE THIRD WORLD CONFERENCE, dated this 14th day of January, in the 55th year of His Advent, Anno Domini 1981. BHAGAVAN SRI SATHYA SAI BABA, out of His infinite Grace and Mercy sends blessings to all to whom this Permanent Charter shall be seen, showed or read.

WHEREAS the advent of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba as declared by Him is for the establishment of Sanathana Dharma.

AND WHEREAS this World Conference is a Spiritual Organisation founded for the whole Mankind, not recognising any distinction or separateness on the basis of religion, caste, colour or creed.

AND WHEREAS this Organisation takes within its fold persons belonging to all religions in order to establish unity of all faiths AND WHEREAS, it is for establishing and promoting the content of such Sanathana Dharma and also to establish oneness of all thoughts that the Sri Sathya Sai Organisations are taking existence.

AND WHEREAS the most fundamental object of this Organisations as laid down by Bhagavan is to "Awaken in Man the awareness of the Divinity INHERENT in him" by propagating through practice and example the basic principles of Sathya (Truth), Dharma (Righteousness), Shanthi (Peace), Prema (Love) and Ahimsa (Non-violence) set by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

AND WHEREAS to experience this Divinity, mere environment and circumstances outside are not sufficient but a change in the minds of men is necessary.

AND WHEREAS the activities of the Organisation are only a means to the spiritual progress in this direction and which progress will ultimately enable everyone to enjoy inner peace notwithstanding the stresses and strains, the frustrations and sorrows, the defeats and successes, the ups and downs of life.

AND WHEREAS to achieve maximum results towards these objectives:

IT IS HEREBY DECLARED:

A. That this shall be the Charter governing the Sathya Sai Organisations all over the world.

B. That all the office bearers and members of the Organisation at present and all those who will join this Organisation shall be one in Deed and in Name, by the name of Sri Sathya Sai Organisations and as such, they shall be entitled to carry on the activities in the name of the Organisation.

C. That in order to achieve the objectives as laid down herein above the members shall follow a strict Code of Conduct of Sadhana (spiritual disciplines) so that they become worthy instruments of our Divine Master in the efforts to fulfil the objectives of this Organisation.

D. That no person shall be qualified to associate himself or herself as office bearer or worker with this Organisation who wilfully deviate from the Code of Conduct laid down hereinafter.

NOW THEREFORE IT IS HEREBY DECLARED as follows:

1. This Charter shall govern and regulate the functioning of the Sathya Sai Organisation throughout the World.

2. Each and every function and activity, in whatever form, shall be performed and conducted under the name and style of the Sathya Sai Organisation (hereinafter called "the Organisation").

3. In view of the objectives of the Organisation as hereinafter laid down, all members of the Organisation must observe the Code of Conduct hereinafter prescribed by way of spiritual discipline (Sadhana), so that they may become worthy instruments of Bhagavan Baba and thus contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the Organisation and the fulfilment of the Divine Mission of Bhagavan Baba.

THE CODE OF CONDUCT

Every member of the Organisation must undertake Sadhana (spiritual discipline) as an integral part of his daily life and abide by the following Code of Conduct:

1. Daily meditation and prayer.

2. Devotional singing/prayer with members of his family once per week.

3. Participation in the educational program conducted by the Organisation for children.

4. Attendance at least once per month at group devotional programs conducted by the Organisation.

5. Participation in community service and other programs of the Organisation.

6. Regular study of Sai literature.

7. Putting into practice the principle of "Ceiling on Desires" and utilise any savings thereby generated for the service of mankind.

8. Speaking softly and lovingly with everyone with whom he comes into contact.

9. Avoiding talking ill of others especially in their absence.

Non-observance or violation of this Code of Conduct shall disqualify a member from holding any office or from being an active member in the Organisation. The appropriate authority in the Organisation may remove any such member from office and declare him disqualified to hold such office or to be an active member of the Organisation without assigning any reason.

I. GENERAL PRINCIPLES

In order to enable the Organisation to be one in Deed and Name, every constituent of the Organisation must compulsorily affiliate with the Organisation in such manner as may be expedient from time to time and in the absence of such affiliation no person or body of persons, calling themselves Sai devotees, shall be entitled to use the name of Sri Sathya Sai Baba in any spiritual activities.

The Membership of the Sri Sathya Sai Organisation or of any Unit thereof shall be purely voluntary and hence it cannot be claimed as a matter of right. All rights and privileges are reserved by the Organisation.

No difficulty or dispute should ordinarily arise in respect of the affairs of the Organisation in course of its functioning or administration. However, matters which are not covered by this CHARTER, shall be placed before the Central Office for guidance by the appropriate authority or person.

II. OBJECTIVES OF THE SAI ORGANISATION

The Sathya Sai Organisation is not an evangelical or proselytising Organisation. Its principal Objectives are:

1. To help the individual

i. To become aware of the Divinity that is inherent in him and to conduct himself accordingly;

ii. To translate into practice in daily life Divine Love and perfection; and therefore;

iii. To fill his 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), Dharma (Right Conduct), Prema (Love) Shanthi (Peace) and Ahimsa (Non-violence).

3.To make devotees of the religions more sincere and dedicated in the practice of their respective religions.

These Objectives can be attained in the following manner:

1.By observing the four principles laid down by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, namely:

i. There is only ONE Religion, the religion of Love.

ii. There is only ONE Language, the language of the Heart.

iii. There is only ONE Caste, the Caste of Humanity.

iv. There is only ONE God, He is Omnipresent.

2. By constant remembrance of God and looking upon all creation as only a manifestation of Divinity in different forms and shapes:

3. By underlining the essential unity of all religions and securing a proper understanding of all religions as based on Love.

4. By looking upon all works as service dedicated to the Divine.

5. By bringing to bear upon life's problems, attitudes flowing from Divine Love, such as understanding, compassion, tolerance, helpfulness, etc.

6. By basing all actions on Love of Divinity, fear of sin and steadfast observance of morality in society.

7. By engaging in spiritual, educational and service activities both at the individual and the community level, in an organised and systematic manner, without expecting any material reward or appreciation, but solely as a means of winning God's Love and Grace.

IV. ACTIVITIES OF THE ORGANISATION

The Organisation undertakes spiritual, educational and service activities under the inspiration and guidance of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba through Sri Sathya Sai Centres.

Spiritual Activities include devotional singing, study circles, public lectures, seminars, meditation, etc.

Educational Activities cover Sathya Sai Education (SSE) and Education in Human Values programs, 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 organising medical check-up camps, adoption of under-developed villages for accelerating rural development, blood donation; cyclone and flood relief, visits to hospitals, old age homes, etc., conducting eye-testing camps, veterinary camps, vocational training classes, coaching classes, feeding of the poor, etc.

For the purpose of conducting these programs, Rules and Regulations for Overseas Centres have been formed by Central Office, which are set out in the following pages.

V. THE STRUCTURE OF THE ORGANISATION

In order effectively to administer the affairs of the Organisation, the administrative structure of the Organisation shall be as follows:

1. There shall be a Central Organisation or body at Prasanthi Nilayam, India, comprising the Central Office, the All-India President and the International Chairman. The duties and responsibilities of the Central organisation are:

i. To guide and supervise the working of the various constituents of the Organisation throughout the World.

ii. To make rules and regulations and provide guidelines for the Organisation in India and Overseas Countries from time to time.

iii. To determine all matters requiring authoritative decision in the Organisation and in relation to its constituent units.

iv. To convene meeting of members or officers of the Organisation as may be necessary from time to time.

v. To compile information relating to the working of the Organisation in each region.

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