Ladies Spiritual Upliftment Plan
Swami in His Ladies Day Discourses has emphasised that women play a pivotal
role in the family and if the women lead a more spiritual life it will have a
flow-on effect on the family. Many when attempting to change their way of life
for the better, had difficulties, as they were on their own without support.
The proposed Spiritual plan attempts to pursue this as a group exercise.
Objective
The objective of this exercise is to set a plan in place to assist the ladies in their spiritual development. Some ladies find it hard to take out personal time for their own needs and we hope that by putting a structured plan in place, we should be able to better incorporate these activities into our daily life, thereby elevating us spiritually by paving a stable path on which we can walk confidently and courageously. The program will also help keep alive constant awareness that the purpose of us coming to Sai (as our Spiritual Teacher) and the Sai Organisation is for self-transformation.
The focus of this program is on personal transformation through disciplines practiced primarily outside of group activities within the Centre.
At the end of the exercise, we will visit Prashanti to get Swamis grace and blessing that we continue to progress on our spiritual journey.
The visit will be at National level for solidarity and to unite the ladies of Australia as a Nation.
What will be more important than the visit to Prashanti is the nine months period preceding the visit where we work on our spiritual development step by step. This will not only develop us individually, but will also flow on to other people around us, especially in the home.
Background
This plan has been adopted from the Spiritual Plan recently issued by the National Spiritual Wing coordinator and the Young Adults plan.
The Charter states that 'every member of the Organisation must undertake sadhana (spiritual discipline) as an integral part of his daily life and abide by the (nine point) Code of Conduct'.
The following six points in the Code of Conduct present themselves as especially suitable for personal Spiritual Practice. These are:
- Daily meditation and prayer
- Participation in community service and other programs of the Organisation.
- Regular study of Sai literature.
- Putting into practice the principle of "Ceiling on Desires" and utilise any savings thereby generated for the service of mankind.
- Speaking softly and lovingly with everyone.
- Avoiding talking ill of others especially in their absence.
Although the Charter, given by Swami Himself, is expecting us to do all nine, it is reasonable to make a sustained effort on a lesser number with the goal of doing all eventually.
Remember, Swami provided the codes and they are there for our spiritual development. Therefore, to maximise our benefits from being in the Organisation, it seems logical that we follow Swami's guidance.
Plan
The emphasis is on practice - Practical Spirituality. Each code has a set of suggested action plan/goals that can be undertaken by participants for their individual practice on a needs/preference basis. But be creative. Individuals may decide on other ways of achieving the best results. After practising the first code for a month, the second ode is to be added to your plan. Therefore in the second month, codes 1 and 2 are to be practiced together and in third month another code is added on. By month 7, we will be practising all of the 6 codes.
A record sheet is provided at the end of this handout to allow individuals to document their progress and experiences. This is a form of self-audit; a very useful aid in spiritual development. It is recommended that the record be used from the start, as it is a good habit to record achievements on paper rather than rely upon our fallible memories.
We suggest that a buddy system be put in place to share the experience and to provide mutual support and assistance. You can nominate your own buddy or seek assistance from your centre/zone coordinator.
Please give your names to your centre convenors/zone coordinators who will provide support and encouragement as we progress in the plan.
Action Plan
Month 1
Daily Meditation and Prayers
Many members might have already been practising daily meditation and prayers.
Please continue your practice in the manner that you are most comfortable.
| It is recommended that everyone endeavour to practice 20 minutes of daily meditation and prayers. You can choose to meditate at any convenient time but it should be consistent by meditating at the same time every day.
The 20 minutes meditation can be:
5 minutes chanting (your favourite name of God, Gayatri, So Hum, or other mantras), or prayers followed by 15 to 20 minutes of Light Meditation.
In regard to meditation:
- The Light Meditation (Joythi) is recommended by Swami as the safest and best form of meditation to undertake.
- Chanting the name of God (Namasramana) is also promoted by Swami as a very powerful tool in self-transformation.
- Picturing your preferred Form of God is useful in helping with chanting God's name
- Soft, peaceful music may help calm the mind
|
Month 2
Participation in Community Service
Swami says that Selfless Service is the highest form of worship. He also makes it clear that the service we do is ultimately for our own sake. Naturally, we want to help others, but the real value of the service lies in what it does for us - provided we do it with the right approach and attitude. Selfless Service helps us to control and purify the mind, puts a ceiling on our desires, brings love into our lives and removes the ego. It also helps us become aware of the God within all, and win God's grace. Our attitude during a service activity determines whether the service helps us grow spiritually. Service performed with a sense of 'doer-ship', of pride or superiority may help the person we are serving, but it does not help us spiritually.
| We suggest that we each adopt an elderly person/s in your family/ centre/or neighbourhood and call them once a week for a brief chat.
OR engage in any service activity either at work or in the community you live in. eg
a. Visiting elderly people staying alone at home or in nursing homes;
b. Helping the elderly with their shopping, taking to doctors and other appointments;
c. Doing voluntary work with other community service organisations;
d. Assisting in schools (School aide or volunteer);
e. Help in adult literacy programs; and
f. Teaching English to non-English speakers etc.
|
Month 3
| 
