Baba
Horrors of debt
Namaskar,
The present era of materialism preaches "instant gratification": Enjoy the world by buying superfluous things. Credit cards and loans are readily available to the common person. Indeed lending agencies and credit card companies are standing by with astronomical interest rates in order to rip off consumers. It is a deadly cycle; already so many have been victimised.
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In Ananda Marga, our view is diametrically opposite. We interact with this physical world solely to help others - not for indulgence - and aim our mind towards psychic and psycho-spiritual pursuits. We seek happiness and peace in those upper realms, not in the instant gratification of worldly pleasures; but, even then some in our Marga have gotten bound by the noose of capitalism.
One who incurs no debt is really happy
Here, everyone should understand there is no winning in capitalism. The common public just borrows and spends money on material allurements hoping to find happiness; but, ultimately, they find themselves upset, frustrated, and in debt. All the while, the impoverished masses around the globe suffer from an extreme dearth of resources, which have been gobbled up by those capitalists. So we should not fall prey to the capitalist cycle of borrowing and spending.
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Ananda Marga philosophy says, "The person who is able to get some vegetables to eat at least once a day, who incurs no debt and who has no need to leave home to earn a living, is really happy." (1)
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "A marriage feast is completely optional and depends upon the financial capacity of the people concerned. Arranging the feast by taking a loan or incurring a debt is prohibited." (2)
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "For the celebration of this ceremony the arrangement of a social feast depends entirely on the desire and the financial position of the guardians concerned. Taking a loan or incurring a debt for this purpose is forbidden." (3)
Ananda Margii to keep strict vigilance
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "To purchase, by incurring debt, serge where tweed will do, or gabardine where serge will do, is surely against the principle of aparigraha. Similarly, people should take food which is nutritious but not rich. They have to give up the practice of feeding others with money taken on loan. That is why social control over the individual's conduct and expenditure is indispensably necessary. Hence, all Ananda Margis, when they see other Margis acting against the principles of Yama and Niyama, must make them shun this habit either by sweet or harsh words or by dealing even more strictly. Thus they will have to make the society strong. Henceforth I direct every Ananda Margi to keep strict vigilance on other Ananda Margi to make them practise the principles of Yama and Niyama and also to accept calmly directions of other Margis in this connection." (4)
Conclusion
This era of extreme capitalism has devoured the lives of many - leaving them as desperate beggars unable to regain their footing. We must not let this happen to us or anyone. We should remain out of debt and keep our mind free. That is the only way. By following Baba's guidelines, we can maintain our psychic equilibrium. Going into debt and digging means losing one's mental peace and becoming a lifelong tool of those greedy capitalists. We should all exercise extreme caution in our financial dealings.
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Namaskar,
Sastaunga Pranam to Baba,
Divyacaksu Deva
Below please find a grand Baba story that features His detailed guidelines about borrowing and lending money. This is very practical knowledge for us all to have.
~ In-depth study ~
Please read this following Baba story and ensuing teachings about this subject of being bound by the noose of capitalism.
Baba story: never lend but donate
~ Courtesy "My Days with Baba", Ac Sarveshvarananda ~
Baba is against people borrowing or lending money. One day He said, "You must know that lending as well as borrowing is undesirable and detestable."
I had known Baba's attitude and so had always tried not to borrow money. But I still had a question, "Was it so bad to lend money to someone in distress?"
Baba answered with an illustration. "Do you know why it isn't desirable to lend out money? Suppose someone has come to you to borrow some money. Maybe his need is genuine and his appeal is justified. As you listen to his story of distress, you are likely to want to be kind to him. Even if it is beyond your own means to lend a big amount, you become so upset thinking of his dire need that you take pity on him. Your thoughts get interrupted as the gentleman says, 'You need not worry, dear brother. Please help me wriggle out of my crisis. If your generosity can take me out the present crisis, I'll repay the loan within a month. Meanwhile I'm likely to get some money soon, so you may rest assured that you'll get back your money on time.'"
Baba continued, "There may be no reason for you to disbelieve him. Suppose you are soft-hearted, so you collect the money somehow and hand it over to him. And he, too, feels glad and goes away."
"That man may not have any intention of taking you for a ride, but it may turn out that he can't get hold of the money as he thought. It is not so unusual. But you go on nursing the hope that he will repay you at the end of the month."
"A month goes by. He hesitates to see you out of his shame because he has no money to repay to you. Suppose you go to him out of need for the money. In all likelihood he will be ill at ease and may take offense at your uncalled-for-presence. He will think, 'How disgusting! He has come to me straightaway.' Understandably, he will tell you a long excuse about why he has failed to repay you. You will give a patient hearing to him and coming back home begin to wait for the deadline as promised. There will be times when you come across him on the street. Immediately, he will think 'O, my God! Here he is again, he will certainly remind me of my debt!'"
"Of course it's only natural such thoughts come to mind, interspersed with some inaudible abusive remarks. Maybe you didn't go to him for money, but what is that to him? Your presence will be unpleasant enough."
"So whenever you meet him, he will think, 'I am lost! He has come again to pressure me for that money.' At the same time he will hurl some unsavory remarks at you, albeit silently. Contrary to what is in his mind, he will say, 'Welcome, my dear brother. I am glad to meet you. I am so grateful to you,' and so on and so forth.
"Undoubtedly the moment he sees you, he will heap uncharitable remarks on you, but when you will come within earshot, he will be all praises and parade his respect for you. It goes without saying that you will be put into a dilemma from not getting your money back even at the time of your own dire need. It may happen that your need will drive you to his house and shout from outside, 'Hello, Mr.----, are you there?'
"He will think, 'Oh! he has come again for the money. What will I say to him?'
"Thinking this, he will not only silently curse you, but also try his best to avoid an encounter with you. Instead of coming outside, he will tell his little son to tell you that his father is out. Accordingly, the boy will run to you to inform you that his father is not in.
"Looking askance at him, you will say, 'Go inside and find out for certain whether or not your father is there.' The simple-minded child will reply, 'Why, I don't need to check because father has himself said that he is out.' In this way your relationship with that friend will sour and you don't know where it will end."
"Well, he certainly would have been offended that first day if you had not lent him money. Not only that, he would possibly have been shocked and have silently heaped some abusive remarks. Nevertheless, the unpleasant situation would not have spilt over onto the rest of your life. If you lend money, you will inevitably invite filthy remarks galore. That is why a person should think many times before lending to others."
I asked, "Sometimes a really good man may fall into trouble and sincerely need help. In that case, what is to be done?"
Baba said, "Instead of lending him money, you should help him according to your capacity. Suppose he is asking for five thousand rupees. Tell him your attitude about lending money and let him know your financial condition. Then help him with an amount that's within your means. It may not be as much as he demands, but he will get consolation that you tried to share his difficulties." (Courtesy "My Days with Baba", Ac Sarveshvarananda)
The above story is quite clear on the point of borrowing and lending. According to Baba, we should not borrow money nor should we lend it. If anyone truly needs financial help, then we should give them money according to our capacity, and not expect anything in return.
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Misuse of loans: non-productive investment
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "You might have noticed that there are many countries which suffer from financial stringency, so they take loans from other countries. These loans are then used for ventures like constructing large dams on their rivers."
"The science of economics teaches that the rolling of money should never be blocked by any sort of non-productive investment. Sometimes people misuse loans to construct an unnecessary building or a new showroom for their business, and thus prevent the possibility of reinvesting the capital and increasing their wealth. Economics teaches that loans taken for business investment should always be utilized for productive purposes, and should never be utilized in any unproductive venture. Foreign loans, for example, should never be invested in constructing large railway stations instead of railway lines." (5)
Ananda Marga Philosophy says,"In economic exploitation, vested interests deprive people of their minimum requirements. Money lending, charging exorbitant interest rates, compelling poor farmers to sell their produce through distress sales, etc., are examples of economic exploitation. Regardless of the type of exploitation used by the exploiters, when society is moving towards revolution, the role of the exploiters is exposed. The exploiters are unable to disguise their exploitation any longer." (6)
Farmers converted into landless labourers
First Baba warns us that we should seek counsel and permission before (a) spending money on superfluous items and (b) before taking any loan.
Ananda Marga Philosophy says, "If any Margis have to spend on anything in addition to the fixed expenditure (for example, expensive clothing, ornaments, articles of furniture, marriage, building, etc.), they should, before incurring such expenditure, obtain a clear order from their ácárya, unit secretary or district secretary, or any other person of responsible rank. Similarly, permission is to be obtained before taking loan from any businessman or money-lender. Where one’s own ácárya or any person of responsible rank is not easily available, consultation or rather permission is to be obtained from any other ácárya, táttvika or any right-thinking member of the Marga. Every member should follow this instruction strictly." (7)
Secondly, Baba warns us how money lending itself is a filthy profession. We should keep such greedy persons at arms-length.
Their occupations are despicable
Ananda Marga Ideology says, "People should also not earn their livelihood by lending money and taking interest. Such persons want to lend more and more money to gain more and more interest, and they do not want the borrowers to refund the capital. The scriptures stipulate that people should not accept food from such people, because their occupations are despicable." (8)
Over the course of history - in so many lands - money lenders have exploited people and taken all they had. This has happened not only with the farmers of Bengal depicted below but in so many regions and eras, including in the present day US where countless innocent families have incurred debt and are unable to pay back the money they owe.
Prout philosophy says, "Another group of exploiters emerged who took advantage of the poverty of the farmers. These were the moneylenders, who lent money to the farmers at exorbitant rates of interest. The farmers were forced to take loans which they could never repay, so they mortgaged their lands. Eventually the moneylenders became the owners of the farmers’ lands, and the farmers were thus converted into landless labourers... money lending by private capitalists should be banned and provisions must be made to pay loans in advance to the farmers through the banks. This will eradicate the exploitation by moneylenders and political cadres." (9)
Due to their extravagance
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "It is often noticed that individuals incur debt because of their violating the principles of Yama and Niyama, especially due to their extravagance – and as a result, they approach the society for relief. In this connection I must point out that just as the society is duty-bound to give relief to individuals by combined efforts, so also it must have control over the conduct of individuals, over their practice of the principles of Yama and Niyama, and also over their expenditure. Not to consult anybody at the time of spending money but to ask for help from all when in debt, is not a good practice. Such a mentality cannot be encouraged." (10)
Predatory lending brings ruination
~ Courtesy of Wikipedia ~
"Predatory lending is the unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent practices of some lenders during the loan origination process. While there are no legal definitions in the United States for predatory lending, an audit report on predatory lending from the office of inspector general of the FDIC broadly defines predatory lending as "imposing unfair and abusive loan terms on borrowers." Though there are laws against many of the specific practices commonly identified as predatory, various federal agencies use the term as a catch-all term for many specific illegal activities in the loan industry. Predatory lending should not be confused with predatory mortgage servicing which is the unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent practices of lenders and servicing agents during the loan or mortgage servicing process, post loan origination."
"One less contentious definition of the term is "the practice of a lender deceptively convincing borrowers to agree to unfair and abusive loan terms, or systematically violating those terms in ways that make it difficult for the borrower to defend against." Other types of lending sometimes also referred to as predatory include payday loans, certain types of credit cards, mainly subprime, or other forms of (again, often subprime) consumer debt, and overdraft loans, when the interest rates are considered unreasonably high. Although predatory lenders are most likely to target the less educated, the poor, racial minorities, and the elderly, victims of predatory lending are represented across all demographics."
"Predatory lending typically occurs on loans backed by some kind of collateral, such as a car or house, so that if the borrower defaults on the loan, the lender can repossess or foreclose and profit by selling the repossessed or foreclosed property. Lenders may be accused of tricking a borrower into believing that an interest rate is lower than it actually is, or that the borrower's ability to pay is greater than it actually is. The lender, or others as agents of the lender, may well profit from repossession or foreclosure upon the collateral." (Courtesy of Wikipedia)
References
1. Shabda Cayanika - 1, Discourse 1
2. Caryacarya - 1, Marriage Ceremony
3. Caryacarya - 1, Infant's Játakarma: The Naming of and First Feeding of Solid Food to an Infant
4. A Guide to Human Conduct, How to Live in the Society
5. Prout in a Nutshell-12, Keep Money Rolling – Excerpt A
6. Prout in a Nutshell - 21, Nuclear Revolution
7. Guide to Human Conduct, How to Live in the Society
8. Subhasita Samgraha - 11, The Supreme Desideratum of the Microcosms
9. Prout in a Nutshell - 19, Economic Exploitation of Bengal
10. A Guide to Human Conduct, How to Live in the Society
* * *
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section 2: Important Teaching ==
Breathing techniques
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "The process of breathing has a great influence on the human mind and self, or soul. Suppose a person is running: his or her breathing immediately becomes heavy. In that condition he or she cannot think properly; the sensory organs such as the tongue, nose, etc., cannot function properly, and as a result one's perception is impaired. Moreover, the process of breathing, depending upon whether the breath is flowing through the right nostril or the left nostril or both nostrils, influences people in various ways..."
"When doing a heavy job while breathing normally, a person might have serious difficulties – perhaps one's limbs might be broken – but in a state of baddha kumbhaka, or púrńa kumbhaka [with the lungs full], one can easily do the same work. While doing some over-strenuous activity in a state of shúnya kumbhaka [with the lungs empty] one might even die."
"Suppose you are climbing to a high place or lifting a very heavy load. If you do not follow the system of breathing while lifting the load, your hands may become painful or your bones dislocated. If you do the same work in a state of shúnya kumbhaka, you will have great difficulty – you may even collapse. If, on the contrary, you perform any strenuous activity in púrńa kumbhaka, taking a deep breath, you can easily do it. All this comes within the scope of that svaravijiṋána. You might have read in the Rámáyańa that Hanuman, by taking a deep breath, made his body swell and lifted a whole mountain. Although it is a mythological story, it refers to the science of svaravijiṋána." (1)
Reference
1. Namah Shivaya Shantaya, Shiva – the Focal Point of Everything
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Cunning & degrading ways of filmmakers
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Seduced by the bestial instincts hidden in the secret recesses of their minds, people surrender to base propensities. But improvements in education and the social environment can help to bring this beast under control and make it obey their commands. To achieve this the first thing people have to do is to wage war against their animal propensities, which is no easy task. So cunning exploiters, by encouraging animality, are able to bring people under their sway."
"The cinema industry suffers from this malady. This industry is controlled by a handful of business persons who make films according to popular taste and demand. While ordinary people naturally run after those films which in their ideas, language or visual images cater to their base propensities, such ideas, language or images instantly distort the ideals of the idealist beyond recognition. It is quite in character for purely commercial film producers to exploit these human weaknesses to their own advantage, and this is exactly what is happening." (1)
References
1. Human Society - 1, Education
== Section 3: Links ==
