Dr. John Hislop is very famous among Sathya Sai Baba's devotees. He was a man of unique destiny, who for many years practiced various spiritual systems and communicated with leading gurus and philosophers of the twentieth century such as Krishnamurti and Shivananda. However, John Hislop continued to feel dissatisfied and incomplete in his spiritual life.
He felt that all the books he read and the seminars he went through, in which he studied the practices of yoga and meditation, were just steps to something very important. At the end of the sixties, he learned about Sathya Sai Baba and immediately came to his ashram. Seeing Sathya Sai Baba for the first time, Hislop was shocked by the strong vibrations of love emanating from him.
Subsequently, John Hislop published an amazing book entitled “My Baba and I”, his conversations with Sathya Sai Baba, in which he shared the most interesting answers given in response to various questions relating to the spiritual development of man and society. For many people, the book became a reference point providing clear answers to the difficult questions in one’s spiritual development. This book has been translated into numerous languages, and new editions are constantly being printed. People who want a deeper understanding of Sathya Sai Baba's philosophy read and re-read this amazing book.
John Hislop was a blessed soul, and a particularly close devotee of Sathya Sai Baba. Hislop was fortunate to follow him relentlessly for many years, observing his life and listening to his wise instructions. We are lucky that Hislop not only enjoyed his fellowship with Sathya Sai Baba but carried the good news further by writing books, communicating with people, and telling stories about Sathya Sai Baba that he witnessed or directly participated in.
In the early seventies, Sathya Sai Baba went to a large nature reserve located near the city of Mysore, in the very south of India. Sathya Sai Baba took several people with him on the trip, including John Hislop. The area near Mysore is famous for its mild climate and beautiful pristine nature consisting of low mountains covered with jungle, full-flowing fast rivers, a huge number of wild animals and the life of the local population untouched by civilization.
An account of the trip records how Sathya Sai Baba walked with his small group for a long time through the jungle accompanied by local guides. Finally, everyone sat down to rest on the bank of a fast mountain river, enjoying the beautiful views of the mountains. Suddenly, Sathya Sai Baba picked up two branches, folded them in the shape of a cross and showed them to John Hislop before he blew three times on the branches. They instantly turned into a small crucifix of magnificent work. Sathya Sai Baba immediately gave this wonderful crucifix to the shocked Hislop. Photos of this cross are well known and very common.
Many times, I have watched Sathya Sai Baba materialize objects. He made several circular movements with his right hand and small flashes of light appeared directly from the palm of his hand. Rings, rosaries, or amulets miraculously appeared from these flashes. Materialized objects may seem the most ordinary, but in fact they are the greatest objects of power arising from the pure divine light. One of the ways in which Sathya Sai Baba materialized objects was extremely unusual, he blew on his hand three times and an object appeared there.
Breathing is a sacred act. Life begins with the first breath and ends with the last breath. Breathing happens by itself. It is not in our will to breathe or not to breathe. Breathing is the divine will manifested in man. In fact, God, himself, breathes in every person.
The Yogis of India and the Russian Orthodox Elders believe that breathing is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Proper meditation begins with conscious breathing and deep prayer is performed in the rhythm of breathing. One who reaches the highest meditative state stops breathing for several hours or even for several days. In Sanskrit this state is called Samadhi.
Sathya Sai Baba breathed on his hand and materialized objects. Each object was a newly created small universe appearing right before your eyes. I have always been fascinated by the moment itself – that high spiritual state one feels when attuning with Sathya Sai Baba at the very, wonderful, moment of breath to bring forth a creation of the world in miniature. As God breathed the breath of life into mankind, Sathya Sai Baba materialized objects with the help of three significant breaths, showing that breath gives birth to life and creates a miracle.
Subsequently, that cross given to Hislop also came with some amazing details. Sathya Sai Baba said the cross was made from a piece of the same tree on which Jesus Christ was crucified. This is absolutely incredible! How can this even be? Who is Sathya Sai Baba who can do such a thing?! How could Sathya Sai Baba materialize a cross from the same legendary tree 2000 years after the event. Explaining the meaning of this cross, Sathya Sai Baba also said that the face of Jesus depicted on this cross is an exact portrait of Jesus on the day of his crucifixion after several days of torture and hunger.