It is said that one of the requirements of the saints is to be able to perform miracles even after their physical death.

Catholicism, a major global religion, has a requirement that the souls wanting to achieve Sainthood have to prove that they indeed possess the required virtues in addition to be able to perform miracles and rescue their followers.

It is considered that Sainthood functions as the medium through which a common man can communicate to the Supreme, God.

Some of the qualities of a saint are truth, charity, benevolence, service, humility, dispassion, love, and kindness. Sri Sai Satcharitha has a fine reference on the qualities of a Saint.

Sadguru Sainath exhibited all of these and more. He was a perfect celibate, a yogi; someone who looked agitated outside and yet remained calm as a deep ocean inside.

The last attribute in perfect accordance with the spiritual principles of divine manifestation in human form. It is said that while the whole world slept, He was awake as if to guard His children.

Being guarded, was the feeling His devotees had during His "life" time. Being guarded and guided by Him forever is the faith that those who truly follow Him possess.

He performed miracles during His lifetime and even today in the lives of those who surrendered their thoughts and actions to Him, and meditates upon Him constantly. Yes, He is a saint by all accounts and more.

It is also said that Sant and Anant are one and the same meaning Saint (Sant), and, the endless and all pervading attribute (Anant) are the same.

This is a faith and experience of who submit themselves to their Saint. Thus, Sai Baba is a Saint and more.
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RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD
(Feature contributed by Mr. Somalingam, Christchurch, Newzealand)

Learning About Religion
The word 'religion' comes from the Latin "religio", which means 'respect for what is holy or sacred'.

People who do not believe in a religion often find it hard to understand why others do: they may wonder how believers can put their faith in something they cannot see, perceive or prove by scientific tests.

Believers are amazed that anyone can live happily not understanding the unseen powers behind the universe.

The Beginning of Religion
Early man sought to explain the wonders of nature as the work of Gods. The miracle of rain, sun and wind all thought to be the work of gods.

People began to gather together to give thanks to these Gods and this was the beginning of the formal religions of today.

How we can learn
It is possible to learn about different religions from the outside by reading about their origins, their history and what their followers believe.

While studying these you will come across the links and similarities between some religions, and also the differences. You can also learn about religions from people who believe in them.

This inside look gives a rather different view. Individuals may not know all the facts about their religion but will have real experience and enthusiasm for their beliefs.

Anyone can learn about religions, find them interesting and move on to other things. To accept a religion as true can mean that people change what they think and what they do.

With a closer look, it becomes apparent to anyone that human needs are common, regardless where they belong. For some, this realization seems to take them beyond normal frame of thinking.

While for some others, the realization makes their whole pursuit, a mission. Some other stand out due to their virtues that transcend beyond a set boundary and reaches a Universal dimension, just like divine grace.

Some examples:
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas K Gandhi was a political and perhaps spiritual leader from India, who tried to get Hindus and Muslims to live peacefully together.

Mahatma Gandhi played a very important role in leading India to Independence from British rule earlier this century.

He tried to lessen the worst effects of the caste system by helping the lowest group- the Pariahs or Untouchables, who had to do the dirtiest and most unpleasant jobs.

He did such work himself, and called the Pariahs "Harijans", which means "children of God".

Bob Geldof
Through the power of rock music, managed to raise millions of pounds for the starving in Africa. This is an example of how charity spans all faiths.

There may be so many religions in this world, but everybody accepts that virtues of love, service, charity are the same irrespective of the religion.

It may also be a general thought that the true essence of all religions is the same and they all lead towards the same goal in life "the Happiness".

It benefits us immensely to know more about religions and faiths in order to know what are common to them and what are important.

JUDAISM

The History of the Jews To understand the Jewish faith, one has to know a little about the history of the Jewish people.

Nearly 4,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, a man called Abraham believed in only one god, Yahweh, with whom he made a covenant or bargain. Abraham's descendants became the twelve tribes of Israel.

The spread of Judaism
Judaism has spread throughout the world from its homeland Israel. Because of migration to Western Europe and then persecution in European countries where Jews had settled, the Jewish faith went with its followers to more distant places.

In 1980, there were about 13 million in Europe(including 1.7 million in the USSR) and the rest throughout Africa, Asia and South America.

The Creation
The Jewish Scriptures tell a creation story in which God creates the world in six days.

The first people, Adam and Eve, are given a garden to live in the Garden of Eden. An agent of evil appearing in the form of a serpent tempts them to violate God's command.

Their act cuts them off from God. This story is also part of the Christian and Islamic religions.

Ethiopian Jews
There are black Jews in Ethiopia, many of whom were taken to Israel recently to escape famine.

These Ethiopian Jews believe that they are descended from those followers of the Queen of Sheba, who converted to the Jewish religion during their time at the court of King Solomon in Israel.

Jewish movements have developed because scholars have interpreted the law in the Torah in different ways.

Orthodox Jews are those people who accept the Jewish laws totally and who follow them strictly in their lives.

Judaism has always had mystical sects in which meditation and contemplation are very important.

The Hasidim group is one of these sects. It was formed in Eastern Europe in the 18th century. Hasidic Jews show continual religious devotion through prayer.

Passover
Passover is the eight-day festival, which celebrates the time when Moses led the Jews out of Egypt. There is a special meal, called the Seder, and a special ritual.

The youngest child in the house asks, in Hebrew, 'Why is this night different from all other nights?' The father replies, 'Because we were slaves under Pharaoh in Egypt and God brought us forth out of Egypt.'

Then people drink wine and sing psalms of thanks and praise. The Jews have other festivals to remind them of their history.

Bar Mitzvah
At the age of 13 all Jewish boys have a coming-of age ceremony called a Bar Mitzvah when they are accepted as adults in religious events. Some Jews have developed a similar ceremony for girls - the Bat Mitzvah.

Kosher Food
The Jewish laws contain rules about what foods can be eaten and how they should be prepared.

Although they are religious laws they were medically, quite sensible rules for a country as hot as Israel.

Jews do not eat pork or shellfish because these creatures scavenge and can carry disease.

Milk must never be drunk when meat is eaten. People assigned by the religious authority slaughter food animals for consumption.
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Sai Activities:

We are two weeks away from Gurupoornima. Although Gurupoornima is celebrated on a day auspicious to the followers of Hinduism, it is a special day for all the devotees of Sadguru Sainath.

This is evident from the numbers of devotees thronging in at the shrine at Shirdi; Hindus, Moslems, Sikhs and Christians alike.

Satsangs all over the world celebrate this occasion by involving in various activities towards glorification of Sainath. Shirdi Sai Website organization has plans to celebrate the occasion.

This includes a call for readers' participation in the essay writing activities on the topics related to Sai teachings and philosophy.

This is a very good opportunity for devotees who are interested in reflecting Sai philosophy through their writings.

Best writings will be rewarded appropriately. Please look forward to our next issue for more details.

Saivichaar will be blessed to carry news on other such activities conducted by various satsangs throughout the world.
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Devotees say...

Sarika Sadarangani from Belize City says, "I would like to take this opportunity to thank you so so much for including me in your list and for sending to me SAI BABA'S stories (SAI VICHAAR) every week!

I am really grateful and I think that what you all are doing is a wonderful idea! If I can ever be of any assistance, feel free to ask."

Deon Chetty wrote to us, "pranams to the team at sai vichaar, Sai ram. Once again your issue has me really inspired. I hope you guys receive swami's grace in all that u do, cos by compiling this excellent newsletter u are showering us with divinity.

David Rebus suggested, "Sai Ram. Blessings to you for providing this service to all. In you newsletter the lines continue on to the right for extended lengths and it is a bit awkward to read.

I am not sure what can be done other than pressing the ENTER key after so make characters per line. Other than this, I greatly appreciate your distributing this newsletter and including me in your list. Thank you.

Thank you all devotees for your support. Deon ji, thanks for your comments and we will do our best to keep up and improve our newsletter. His grace.

Sarika ji, you can be of assistance to Sai Vichaar by making contributions in the forms of stories appropriate for Sai Vichaar, on the topics dear to Sainath and His philosophy.

Please drop us a line for more suggestions. Thanks for your suggestion Mr. Rebus. We have received similar comments from other devotees.

The format as it exists now is on a trial basis. We are still working it out and we assure you that very soon we will have Sai Vichaar in a new lay out and a reader-friendly format.

We sincerely appreciate your suggestion.

Sai Vichaar team
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