Book excerpt: In India, The Land of Contrasts, Sri Sathya Sai Baba teaches that both education and medicine are a God-given right for all men and women, regardless of their financial status, caste, creed, race, or religion. In accordance with this philosophy, He has established The Sri Sathya Sai University and The Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medicine, offering superior educational opportunities and medical care for all, free of cost. Students are instructed in astronomy, mathematics, ecology, architecture, and other subjects. From primary school through post-graduate study, the educational program emphasizes the development of self-discipline and character, as well as the acquisition of knowledge and attainment of skills. In this book, the author, a retired public school administrator, describes how Sai Baba provides a highly individualized learning program for each of His hundreds of thousands of devotees all over the world, relating her own challenges and lessons she has learned in her eleven-year relationship with this unique spiritual preceptor.