The Five Human Values
Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love, and Nonviolence. Taught by Sri Sathya Sai Baba as the foundation of human transformation, spiritual awakening, and education.
Truth
Living in alignment with what is real. Truth extends beyond honesty to recognizing the divine nature of existence.
Right Conduct
Living with integrity, responsibility, and righteousness. Allowing our actions to reflect our highest understanding.
Peace
Discovering the inner stillness that is not dependent on external circumstances. True peace arises from within.
Love
Unconditional, selfless love that recognizes the same divinity in all beings. Sai Baba taught that love is the foundation of all human values.
Nonviolence
Causing no unnecessary harm through thought, word, or action. Living with compassion, respect, and reverence for all life.
Love is the source
Sri Sathya Sai Baba taught that Love is the foundation of all human values. The others are Love expressed through different parts of a human life.
- Love as thought is Truth. A mind turned toward what is real.
- Love as action is Right Conduct. Hands that follow the heart.
- Love as feeling is Peace. A stillness that circumstances cannot take away.
- Love as understanding is Nonviolence. Seeing that all life is one, and acting from that.
Inner and outer belong together
Much humanitarian work focuses only on material need. Much spiritual work focuses only on the inner life. We do not believe they can be separated.
A family with a safe home can rest. A person who knows they are cared for can begin to discover who they truly are. The Five Values are how we hold both: they shape what we do, and how we do it.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Sri Sathya Sai Baba (1926–2011) was a spiritual teacher from Puttaparthi, in southern India, whose teaching centred on selfless service and the unity of all faiths. The Five Human Values are at the heart of his educational philosophy, known as Education in Human Values, which has been taught in schools in many countries.
His teaching is often summarised in two short phrases: Love all, serve all and Help ever, hurt never. The Maitreya Buddha Foundation draws on these values with gratitude and respect. The Foundation is an independent organisation.
Help a family come home
Families in Nepal lost their homes to flash floods. Our local team is helping them rebuild. Every contribution, of any size, brings a family closer to a safe place to live.