Baba
Save $$: escape trappings of capitalism
Namaskar,
This letter investigates present-day capitalism and its infestation in your life.
Degeneration: toys dwarf human values?
Due to extreme capitalist propaganda, nowadays everyday items, such as clothing, have taken on a huge stature. No longer are garments simply something for covering the body. Instead clothing has become a very important factor for defining one's economic status, and gaining prestige and respect. Good clothes are needed - costly ones, with a certain brand name or label from a particular company. This is what the capitalist agencies preach, and this is what the ignorant public has come to believe. People literally are assessed and valued by the brand of the clothing on their back, and not by their inner qualities like honesty, integrity, and sincerity etc.
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Certainly, for the sake of objective adjustment, one must wear clothes, but those mundane garments should not be regarded as the dominant feature of one's being. Yet, this is exactly what is going on. Clothes have taken on greater importance than human values. Human values like morality and kind-heartedness have gotten lost in the sea of capitalist materialism. In those capitalist countries, one's status and worth is solely dependent upon physical possessions - not one's inner feeling or existential quality. And the common ignorant people have started believing this because those capitalists have imposed their values on everyone through their propaganda machinery.
The above stands as one very common day-to-day example. There are countless other examples. Bear in mind that wherever materialism is more in vogue, the same type or similar events are unfolding. It is not limited to one place; rather this problem is quite pervasive as capitalism now encroaches upon nearly every nation and community.
If a scoundrel wears fancy clothes?
So the general society is suffering from an inferiority complex. People constantly feel the need to define and redefine themselves by having the latest technological gadget and the best fashion clothing etc. Without that, they will view themselves as a “nobody”. All have been scooped up into this net - the poor suffer more psychically from this entrapment.
For this reason, ignorant people get lured into purchasing expensive company brands, models, and designs to enhance their own prestige as they have forgotten their innate human quality. The root cause of this most tragic situation is the inferiority complex which is injected into the minds of the common ignorant public by those rapacious capitalist exploiters. In this particular instance, it is those who have cheaper clothes who are low and valueless.
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If those plain clothes are worn by one neo-humanistic, sadhu-minded person, even then that person will not be highly regarded or respected by others in the society. They will not get any status; in contrast, if a scoundrel wears fancy clothes, they will be revered. The values have gotten changed - distorted.
How whole life gets destroyed
This is the first time in human history that a Guru has given dharmic guidelines for managing life in the economic sphere. In the past, various so-called gurus either avoided this issue entirely or created their own dogma. That happened with the various religions. Sadguru Baba is the first to guide and preach dharma in all the spheres.
Here below are some Proutistic guidelines and tips to overcome the modern-day vaeshyan machinery and lead life in a balanced way. Baba wants that we should be alert about the various ways ruling capitalists dupe and exploit the ignorant people in order to grab their money. Otherwise, one will naturally run and compete with the general society on the point of money and material prestige etc - whereby their whole life gets adversely affected.
So we should be aware of the situation and not get drawn into the whirlpool of capitalist propaganda, which now the common society is suffering from - such that they are tied up in one noose.
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Victim of Psycho-economic exploitation
While talking about exploitation Baba has categorized this topic into many different categories. Nowadays when the psychic faculty is comparatively more developed than in the past history, the mode of exploitation has changed to psychic. And from there exploiters have paved the way to do psycho-economic exploitation. And this has been in vogue for some time.
During the period of European colonisation, their main strategy was to create inferiority complexes in the minds of the ignorant people, and exploit them economically. In that phase, the ruling nations controlled the vanquished country, subjugated the ignorant people and imposed their economic exploitative machinery. Now, however, the leading vaeshyas just put local stooges in power and execute high-end economic exploitation without directly controlling the top governmental seats in that country. From the outside, that vanquished nation appears to be autonomous when in truth the people and resources of that land are controlled and dominated by outside corporate interests.
Although its shape has changed externally, the effect is the same: Psycho-economic exploitation is where the local uninformed citizens are crushed psychically and turned into pawns for the profit of top vaeshyan leaders. That is what we find when we examine practical examples of how capitalist exploiters execute their negative work of psycho-economic exploitation.
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This whole episode is a pervasive issue around the globe. Everywhere ignorant people are measuring their success, worth, and value by materialistic means. In economically poorer countries the measuring rod may be different, instead of a $50,000 car it might be a $5 bicycle, but the essence of the issue is the same, i.e. defining oneself by superficial, materialistic labels, brands etc. As capitalism spreads deeper into those countries, the stakes will rise.
Capitalist creates unhealthy, artificial demands
All these examples prove how capitalist exploiters have created inferiority complexes by perpetrating psychic exploitation, i.e. creating a false need in the minds of buyers, purchasers of their products.
Prout philosophy states, "Capitalists exploit society through their gigantic propaganda machinery, and create unhealthy, artificial demands which not only poison the mind but encourage dangerous habits detrimental to psychic sanctity and expansion." (1)
Baba has given us all the tools to lead a perfectly balanced and practical life. Verily, we Ananda Margiis have been shown the path and are therefore the torch-bearers for the present day human society. Thus we have to follow and propagate Prout in our practical life. In that light, we should strictly follow Baba's guidelines and pay heed to His warnings. Then we will be able to help others. It is the duty of each and every Ananda Margii to lead the society out of the darkness. When society gains artha (financial ease) then the psychic and spiritual renaissance can get stronger. So we should all pay heed to Baba's unique teachings and special guidelines on this significant point.
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Baba guides us how to assess what is what and who is who; and that we should recognize all the tricks being played by those capitalist exploiters. By exposing their false shams and inculcating higher values in life and basing one's self-worth on psycho-spiritual development as opposed to material wealth and fashion, immediately one steps out of the vaeshyan era and enters into a fresh, clean neo-humanistic way of living.
The whole point is that once anyone truly recognises how the capitalists inject complexes into the society in order to sell their wares, then they will no longer be victims. They will not be economic victims, nor existential victims. Once freed, we can help them to advance.
Conclusion: people will look back - astonished
Some may reflect and think that all this is normal. It is natural for people to seek out and accumulate material wealth. But such persons should know that what is happening now is wholly unique to the capitalist era. So this problem is the off-shoot of capitalism and is not a permanent human condition. Every era has their own defining status. Money and material wealth is everything in capitalism, but in other ages physical might and intellectual prowess are more highly regarded. And in some ages, spirituality is seen as the greatest quality.
So the present manner where money trumps all is nothing but a phase. A day is sure to come - by Baba’s grace in the very near future - where people will look back on this period, completely astonished at how crazed everyone was for material wealth. They will be amazed at how ignorant people would sacrifice everything for money, yet wholly overlook their mental and spiritual potentiality and wealth.
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Namaskar,
In Him,
Viplava
~ In-depth study ~
Who are brainwashed
Another example that abounds is about cars. Especially in so-called rich countries an automobile is not simply just a method of transportation. These days it is a model of prestige. How much costly a car one has, accordingly that person is great and qualified. The point is that with that costly car people get respect.
No doubt one can get a fine car which might cost $2,000 - 4,000 dollars US; and that can be used for simple transportation. But surely those who are the owners of such cars have to suffer the humiliation and inferiority complex as they are low, like a beggar. To avoid this, in the competition and race for prestige, ignorant people spend their whole life's earnings and go into debt in order to purchase and maintain a costly, latest model car. Even they purchase vehicles that cost from $50,000 to $80,000 to more than $100,000 US dollars and more.
A halfwit person may even resort to working 2 of 3 jobs to purchase a bigger, more prestigious car. Then that same person will have to spend more money on gasoline and more money on replacement parts. Nonetheless, they feel compelled to move in that direction as it heightens their prestige. They may have to eat their meals in a "soup-kitchen" for the poor, and they may have to go into extraordinary debt, that is no matter. Their chief aim is to get that car, even if it means leasing away their life.
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Common uninformed citizens do not recognise what is going on. They are befooled by the chicanery. But here is the reality: Profits go into the capitalists' pockets, while they, the common uninformed citizens, go into debt. So they became one tool or puppet in the hands of capitalists. What way the capitalists sing the song, accordingly the common ignorant people dance. Unknowingly they think they are living the good life. When in fact they are pawns in the capitalists revenue manufacturing plant.
Baba’s guideline
Baba is the divine teacher and He has given the solutions to all the problems in all the realms of life. Thus He has addressed all the 4 vargas: kama, artha, dharma, & moksa. Because, after all, these four aspects of life are inter-linked. If a person is deprived of food or lacks the essentials to live, they will not have proper scope to pursue spiritual practice. And on many levels these 4 aspects of life are interrelated. Baba's teachings touch all the levels of life. It should be noted that this type of treacherous exploitation which Baba describes is not limited to the field of clothing and automobiles.
Shoppers can completely lose their sanity
During the holiday season or when a hot new product is released, there will be reports of stampedes to get into stores whereby ignorant people literally trample over and kill others "just to get a good deal." Here it should be clarified that these are not starving persons trying to get a loaf of bread. Rather these are halfwit persons who have all the basics and more for their survival; they are stampeding for superfluous items that have no bearing on their existence. For instance, they may want a new video game, the latest sneakers, or they may be doing it just for the enticement of low prices. In that rush, shoppers can completely lose their sanity and resort to punching and even shooting & killing fellow shoppers in order to get a particular item into their bag. Such is the madness and degree to which ignorant people have become victims of capitalist schemes.
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This negative scene invaded into each and every aspect of life in materialistic countries - and every hour of every day this defective psychology is being pumped into the bloodstream of every nation on this planet. People are valued by what type of house they have, where they live, what university they attended, what cosmetics they wear, what job they have, what restaurants and hotels they frequent. The list goes on and on. Indeed it has bled into every aspect of life - across the globe.
Baba has addressed this negative phenomenon in great detail and given the solution as well in His Prout discourses. In particular please refer to 'The Parts of the Economy', Prout-12.
The overall point is that in this age of extreme capitalism, the great qualities of intellect, service, dedication, spirituality, kind-heartedness, & neo-humanistic feeling have zero value. Instead certain dogmas injected by capitalist exploiters have become the gold-standard.
Our chief duty is to awaken the common ignorant people
In the capitalist era, people are given status based on material possessions. After indoctrinating ignorant people into this depraved mentality, then companies and corporations are not just selling products, but tools that grant people prestige, respect, and honour. By this way, they are able to create an incredible hunger in the common ignorant people to purchase those items - whether it be a designer shirt, a laptop, a sports car, or anything. This type of psycho-economic exploitation is the special tool of capitalists. Our chief duty is to awaken the common ignorant people so they are aware how they are being victimised. Then only can society begin to march forward and usher in that new era of where true human values - honesty, morality, spirituality etc are valued and sought after.
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Such materialists are just dressed-up monkeys
Ananda Marga ideology states, "There can be progress only in the spiritual sphere. In physical and psychic spheres there cannot be any progress. You will be where you were. Only when your spirit, your átman, your soul, comes closer to the starting point, that is the only progress, that’s why there can be progress only in the spiritual stratum. Do you follow? In physical spheres, no. Suppose a man is mentally just like a monkey, and he wears a good silken dress and drives an ultra-modern vehicle, but has there been any progress? He is in the monkey state, not in the human stage. So he is a monkey, a well-dressed monkey. So there cannot be any progress in physical and psychic spheres...Spirituality means that which helps you in moving towards that goal." (2)
Ways psycho-economic exploitation ruins society
Ananda Marga philosophy guides us, "Psycho-economic exploitation is the latest form of dangerous and all-devouring capitalist exploitation. It is a special type of exploitation which first weakens and paralyses people psychologically in various ways, and then exploits them economically. Some of the methods of psycho-economic exploitation include, first, the suppression of the indigenous language and culture of local people; secondly, the extensive propagation of pseudo-culture, exemplified by pornographic literature which debases people’s mind and particularly undermines the vitality of the youth; thirdly, the imposition of numerous restrictions on women, forcing them to be economically dependent on men; fourthly, an unpsychological education system with frequent political interference by vested interests; fifthly, the negation of dharma in the name of secularism; sixthly, the balkanization of society into numerous castes and groups; seventhly, the damaging of society by the use of unnatural and harmful methods of birth control; and eighthly, placing the control of different mass media, such as newspapers, radio and television, in the hands of capitalists. Both intellectual exploitation and psycho-economic exploitation are great dangers to the human race today." (3)
Vaeshyas exploit: unsuspecting masses unaware
Ananda Marga philosophy guides us, "Those who exploit human beings to serve their own self-interests do not want socio-economic freedom to be granted to people. That is why they continue their psycho-economic exploitation in such a way that people do not clamour for socio-economic freedom. They do not directly exploit the people in the social or economic sphere, but in the psycho-economic sphere, and they do it so intelligently that people are totally unaware of it, and hence are unable to develop their yatamána outlook properly. Moreover, the exploited masses are also unable to develop economically because the exploiters control the economy in a subtle way." (4)
Verily, the common people are unaware they have become slaves - chained down by the horrors of capitalism, where their humanity is lost and they sadly define themselves by inert possessions. Their hearts and minds are at the beckon and call of those capitalists.
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References
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 12, Quadri-Dimensional Economy
2. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 14, Kiirtana and Dance / The Psychic Order
3. A Few Problems Solved - 9, Capitalism in Three Spheres
4. Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell - 5, Yatamána – 2
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Dangers of sterilization
Prout philosophy states, "The population of the world is rapidly increasing...In the event of shortages in the food and accommodation of an entire population, people, through their collective efforts, will convert uncultivated regions into new cornfields [arable land], increase the productivity of the soil by applying scientific methods, and produce human food from the earth, water and air by chemical processes. If the earth becomes depleted of resources, the people of the world will rush to other planets and satellites in search of new land." (1)
Prout philosophy says, "Using birth control methods which deform the bodies of men and women or which destroy their reproductive capacity forever, cannot be supported, because in such cases a severe mental reaction may appear in them at any moment." (2)
Reference
1. Problems of the Day, Point #24
2. Problems of the Day, Point #24
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Sun & health
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "When children are massaged with oil and then bathed in sun-warmed water it increases their vitality. Sun-warmed water is also beneficial for older people, however for older people it is not good if the temperature of the sun-warmed water is greater than the temperature of the body." (1)
Reference
1. Shabda Cayanika - 3, Disc: 17
== Section: Ananda Vanii ==
Manifestation of the Cosmic Entity
Original Ananda Vanii states: “Human society is one and indivisible, don’t try to divide it. Each and every individual should be looked upon as the manifestation of the Cosmic Entity.” (Ananda Vanii #21)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “You see, in the psycho-physical sphere, many people are guided by – rather goaded by – dogmas. Dogmas have taken root in the human mind. People cannot get rid of these false ideas because they have been injected into their minds since childhood. As a result, one human society is divided into different nations, and one nation is divided into different religions; religions also have different castes, and caste also have different sub-castes – what kind of situation is this? We have only learned how to divide and subdivide humanity, and we never learned how to unite the people. This is all due to the defective teachings of dogmas.” (1)
Note: Sadguru Baba has assigned a number to all His original and true Ananda Vaniis. In contrast, Fake Ananda Vaniis do not have any number. By this simple formula, one can easily recognise which is a true Ananda Vanii and which is fake. For the upcoming occasion of January 1st 2017, all Ananda Marga units should use one of Baba’s original and true Ananda Vaniis, not a fake one. By this way, one will surely get His blessing.
Reference
1. A Few Problems Solved - 7, Renaissance in All the Strata of Life
== Section: Important Teaching ==
I saw this gentleman sitting quietly at the foot of a tree
Ananda Marga ideology states, “Feeling of dislike takes place through the word jhanjhan. The wife of a certain gentleman that I knew was quite ill-mannered. One winter evening I saw this gentleman sitting quietly at the foot of a tree. I asked him: “Why are you sitting under this tree on a winter evening? You’ll freeze.” He replied: “You know, my young friend, if I go in the house I’ll hear only khankhan jhanhan. It’s a lot more peaceful out here.” (1)
Reference
1. Varńa Vijiṋána, Disc: 19
