Meeting Him

I had a dream few weeks ago. It was a short dream. Sathya Sai Baba appeared in my dream. He was standing a few metres away from me, in a long flowing white robe and omniscent afro hair. He was smiling widely at me. Then his hand beckoned me towards him. Then he blessed my head with his both hands. Exactly the same way which the lamas would have done. And then I woke up. It was about 3am.

It was a very clear and vivid dream, as if he was there at that moment. I was confused and mystified. I know nothing more about Sai Baba beyond recognising his face. I know him as a certain God or sage whom many Hindus worship. I wondered about the meaning of this dream. Why him? I don't know him. I am a Buddhist. He is from a "different" religion. My Master told me: "You are very blessed, my dear. Buddha can come to you in any Form. You get the meaning?"

I scrambled online to read about him. I learnt that Sathya Sai Baba is a popular, controversial Indian guru who has millions of followers in many countries. He is an avatar (incarnation) and an embodiment of love with divine powers such as omniscience and omnipotence. He is said to manifest vibuthi (white holy ash) from his palm and materialise small objects like rings and watches daily. Even his pictures can grow holy ash. His followers reported many spectacular miracles of many kinds that they attribute to Sai Baba. He preaches the unity of all major world religions and says that they all lead to God. I also read that we can only dream of Sai Baba only if he willed it.

He was the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba, another popular sage. His next incarnation will be Prema Sai Baba, who will be the manifestation of the future God/Buddha/Messiah, Maitreya. When God incarnates in a human form, He always comes cloaked in an illusion-based disguise which prevents immature souls from recognizing Him as an Avatar. Buddha, Krishna and Jesus also had their disguises.

On hindsight, prior to this dream, before meeting Sai Baba that night, I could not sleep, so I was listening to the Sanghata Sutra. Buddha has said that wherever the Sanghata Sutra is established, all the Buddhas are also present. So perhaps I had indeed met Budhha, through Sai Baba that night.



"As the bee collects nectar and departs without injuring the flower, or its color or fragrance, so let the sage dwell on earth." - Buddha