Healing Conundrum Resolved

Much is made of Sathya Sai Baba's powers of healing. Reports of such have been around since he was a schoolboy, and he has allegedly treated and cured a variety of diseases from the most common to (allegedly) end-stage cancer, and even AIDS! As such, a large body of evidence exists that simultaneously supports and criticises the claims to Sai Baba's healing powers but very little attention has been paid to the methodology of the healing itself.

Now that science has reached a level of understanding whereby some quarters pay serious attention to the influence of positive thinking on medical conditions, and that there are studies to that effect, we may like to view Sai Baba's words in this context as opposed to the notion of 'supernatural' healing as evidence of divinity.

Here, in a rare interview to the media in 1976, Sathya Sai Baba explains how his healings occur:

Q: You are believed to have performed miraculous cures to the extent of resurrecting the dead. There are cases where you reportedly saved people from drowning and other accidents in distant places. Medical experts have attested to remote controlled surgical operations performed by you. How do you manage these?

A: By My own sankalpa -- that is, divine will and power. As an Avathar, this power is intrinsic, inherent, total and natural to My will and decision. I need no mantra (mystical formula), no sadhana (spiritual practice), no tantra (sacred writings) and no yantra (pilgrimage) to perform the so-called miracles which are natural to My state. My powers are simply the expression or assertion of the reality of goodness which merges Me with everything, everywhere, at all times and places. The miracles belong to the boundless power of God.

Now coming to the main points of your question, this healing phenomena has a dual aspect. I can cure, save, even resurrect people provided they are in a spiritually receptive condition. It is like the positive and negative currents of electricity. My capacity to heal can be compared to the positive current. Your devotion to Me is like the negative current. Once the two come together, the devotion provides what is called the miracle of healing.

It is man's mind that is really responsible for his illness or health. He himself is the cause or motivator of either. So when it comes to healing or curing, the necessary faith has to be created within his mind for the purpose. All I do is invest him with the confidence, will and power to cure himself. It is My abounding love reciprocated by the intensity of the devotee's faith in Me that produce the desired result.

Source: BLITZ News Magazine, September 1976. R. K. Karanjia interview with Sathya Sai Baba. Also quoted in 'Spirit And The Mind', S. Sandweiss (1985), p. 242-243.

Copyright © Sai Baba EXPOSED! 2005-2007. Discuss this post!