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world religions, I wondered why spiritual insights from great people like Buddha, Krishna, and Jesus were not discussed and integrated into psychiatric practice. Did their teachings about love and peace have no relevance to the behavioral sciences? I knew that this could not be so. Granted, psychiatry has some valid misgivings about certain rigid, overly restrictive, narrow- minded, and punitive spiritual practices. Beyond that, however, I found that much of psychiatry’s avoidance of spirituality comes from the fear the mind experiences when facing spiritual themes like impermanence and physical death.
In the book I described a terrifying primal fear, which I call “mortal fear,” arising in the mind when it sees the impermanence of life. When we recognize that our body, mind, family, friends, wealth, power, and position can change like the wind and cease to exist with death, we can become terrified. Understanding the true nature of man, elucidated with remarkable clarity in the teachings of Sai Baba, can dispel this fear and make the vast rich field of spirituality more available to Western behavioral sciences.
This third book is an aempt, through story, analysis, and devotion, to further define what Sai Baba has taught me about the meaning and purpose of life and the goal of human existence: realizing our divinity. In it, I develop an overview of Sai Baba’s teachings and their relevance to modern life. I reach a deeper understanding of the place of suffering and sacrifice in our lives.
I explore Sai Baba’s teachings by identifying nine core elements that represent special landmarks along the spiritual path, and add meaning by way of stories and the recounting of personal experiences. These teachings expand our understanding of the strengths and limitations of the mind and explain why it is the key to our liberation or bondage. I list them here and will examine them further in chapter 3. The nine elements are listed in the following graphic.
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