Baba
Dharmic donor
Namaskar,
One of the key points of yogic life is service, including financial service. Yet just giving away money in any old manner will not do. There is a spiritual science involved. For starters, the value of a person's giving is measured by four qualifications that enable us to determine the greatness of a person's donation:
(1) Percentage: The percentage of wealth donated.
(2a) Hardship Incurred Beforehand: The degree of struggle undergone in earning that money.
(2b) Hardship Incurred Afterwards: The degree of struggle undergone after donating that money.
(3) Means: Was the money earned honestly (shuddhodana), or through trickery, deceit or exploitation.
Another key factor for determining the greatness of one's offering is how they earned the money. Did they earn their money through honest and fair means. That is what is discussed below.
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If a robber stole large sums of money
For instance, if a robber stole large sums of money from one town and then offered just enough money to one village so they could purchase a simple hand pump, we cannot call that offering or donation worthy. Rather it is tainted and dirty. The robber’s money is not pure, i.e. not earned through honest means.
If one procures their money by harming the public and / or doing heinous activities, then we cannot think of that as pure money. And any donation made with such funds is not done as per one’s sacrifice. Yet that is what we commonly see in the height of this vaeshyan era [era of wealthy exploiters].
Here is a case in point. The oil companies have ravaged impoverished countries around the globe in order to gain monstrous profits and in return such companies donate comparatively paltry sums for erecting new schools in the countryside. The whole episode is a farce. Their so-called donation has nothing to do with service. It is more like an advertisement or bribe because they are making such a donation to enhance their own public image. And with that heightened public image they will further exploit the resources of that country for their own corporate gain. So we cannot consider their offering to be dharmic, generous, or pious. It is greed and selfishness.
Unfortunately in this advanced stage of the vaeshyan era [era of wealthy exploiters], these types of ploys are rampant; but never should we associate such "donations" as being expressions of selfless service or giving. To truly give one must have earned their money in a sentient manner, free from exploitation and manipulative tactics.
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Blind public bows down to wealthy exploiters
In today's vaeshyan era [era of wealthy exploiters], Baba's mandates are essentially unknown - as the general society is mostly not aware of these teachings. So they are not accustomed to determining the importance of one's offering.
Nowadays, when the mass of wealth is controlled by 1% of the population, the common people sit back dumbfounded and awed by how some greedy capitalists give away a meager % of their enormous wealth. The public hails such givers as "great philanthropists", "divinely generous", and "true friends of humanity" etc. They think such capitalists are really, truly great. They bow down to them with full reverence, honour, and respect. When in fact, those big donors offered a paltry amount of their total wealth and did not undergo even an iota of sacrifice. Plus they may have earned their fortune in unjust ways. Thus, for those big donors, their so-called act of giving was effortless yet it earned them great praise. They became champions in the eyes of the common people who were stupefied by the size of the gift. That is one half of the story.
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Economic inferiority complex: common public suffers
Then that same public looks upon their own importance as marginal at best. They develop a huge inferiority complex and deem themselves to be comparatively worthless and become pawns of capitalist exploitation. Such persons undergo endless trials and tribulations to give back to their families and communities, but that is all looked upon as quite trivial.
Rather all the gusto and glamour goes to those so-called great capitalists who control all the wealth. The newspapers, the media, the people, and the whole society gathers round in awe of those capitalists.
So the entire situation is upside down - backwards. Those who are sacrificing the most and offering the greatest percentage of their wealth are marginalised and those who give paltry amounts of their enormous wealth are hailed as the great philanthropists. When in fact to accumulate such wealth they had to exploit the common people terribly whereby those commoners become destitute and depleted.
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Capitalists devour flesh & bones, & raise banner of religion
Here Baba points out the hypocritical ways of such vaeshyas (capitalists).
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Vaeshyas are not satisfied with just sucking people's blood, they often devour their flesh and bones as well; then they beat drums made from the skins of their victims as they deliver religious and philosophical discourses, build temples and construct lodgings for pilgrims, and undertake various other activities. They criticize materialism and try to retard its progress not because they object to it philosophically or psychologically, but because in a materialistic system there is every possibility that their vested interests would be adversely affected. Although they support spirituality, they are not motivated by spiritual sentiments. The fake spirituality they preach actually injects impotency into society. In their endeavours they are assisted by like-minded exploiters who trade in religion." (1)
Actually such capitalists suffer from a psychic disease. They accumulate money not for their basic needs but to satisfy their misplaced longing of expansion. What such capitalists fail to understand is that mundane wealth can never satisfy their inner psychic urge for infinite peace. Instead of looking within they try to accumulate such a vast wealth which they cannot consume. This is their psychic disease.
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "These capitalists are the unworthy sons and daughters of the Cosmic Father because they go against the principle of cosmic inheritance. They should be cured of their ailments." (2)
Businessman got money by unethical means
In His own practical example, Baba has clearly demonstrated how He never gives importance to the "amount" of the offering, but rather the spiritual feeling of one's heart. For instance, Baba would always accept an invitation to stay at a bhakta's residence even if that person was of modest means; and Baba would always refuse the luxurious offerings of big capitalists when they gave only out of pomp and show.
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Consciousness raising
He has given us the duty to bring this capitalist era to an end. Such capitalists suffer from psychic disease: They hoard money when in fact it is meant for all. When people have a better understanding about this then we can bring forth the shudra revolution. Once the people know how capitalists got their money and at whose expense, then the masses will be ready to come forward and usher in the new era of social and economic justice. We must hasten this movement.
Conclusion
The importance of any financial donation is not the actual amount of the money given, but (a) the means by which that money was gotten by the donor, and (b) the heartfelt feeling with which it was donated.
Namaskar,
in Him,
Ekbuddhi
~ In-depth study ~
Billionaire admits zero sacrifice in giving
It has become the trend for big billionaires to give away portions of their wealth. In particular, Mr Buffet has made the following call to other billionaires: What is most valuable to you is your time, and I am not asking you to give away that. I am asking you to give away an amount of money that will in no way infringe upon your current or future living standard. In a phrase, you will not even miss it. That was Buffett's central message. Thus per his own terms, Mr Buffett readily admits that there is no question of any sacrifice when a billionaire gives away portions of his wealth. The fact that they choose to give away some of their money is far better than if they had kept it all for themselves, but according to the yardstick of bhagavad dharma their giving falls far short of the mark.
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Underneath their wealth is sinful crime
This entire subject would be incomplete if we did not discuss how such capitalists got rich. This is not something that happened overnight by chance. It did not just suddenly come to them - rather they got their money from somewhere. Most often these capitalists have had a long-term devious motive. They indulged in so many sinful activities including not giving a fair share to their laborers who did all the work. Indeed these capitalists did all sorts of wrongs to collect their money. And along the way they purchased all the editors, writers and reporters and got the media in their favor. Thus they got positive press even though they did so many unjust acts.
Finally, those wealthy barons who do donate have a hidden agenda. Such donors give their money with certain stipulations for the propagation of their own name, brand or company etc. It is just like how certain religious donors give money to the suffering masses in impoverished nations with the stipulation that the money be used to convert those citizens to "my religion". Here the whole point is that the giving by capitalists is not done with the sole motive of helping others but with the tactic of executing a personal agenda.
Charity of few pennies is greater
Here are more of Baba's teachings on this important topic of service and giving financial help. First Baba points out that it is not the pomp and show of one's donation, but rather the conditions in which it was given.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "You know, the measure of sacrifice is not its quantity or its grandeur. A sacrifice should always be measured in terms of the circumstances in which it has been rendered." (3)
When a poor person or a weak person gives their all in trying to help another, that far outshines the rubies and diamonds given by capitalist exploiters. And here below Baba categorically states how a poor man's penny is greater than a wealthy man's fortune.
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Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "The charity of a few paise of the poor has the same value as a thousand rupees from a millionaire. Indeed the charity of those few paise is greater." (4)
Squirrel analogy
The way things are now is not good. Greedy capitalists who are veritable enemies of society get treated as the golden ones, and the common people who toil day and night to support their families and help their communities are often forgotten - their contributions are not at all recognised.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "Days roll on. Empires, wealth and valorous human deeds ride on the wings of time, creating only brief flashes of brilliance. Against this panorama the efforts of common people, like those of the squirrels, do not receive recognition – they are like stones lost in the shadows of towering mountains. The leaders of society perform outstanding feats which are recorded in glowing letters in the annals of history. The students of later ages do research on them. But the common people, who carried the golden banners of these heroes, disappear into oblivion." (5)
We must no longer give importance to those who are undeserving (i.e. those capitalists) and instead we must give value to those who are deserving (i.e. the common people). Only then can society progress, otherwise not. Till this situation is righted, people will continue to aspire to become rich by all kinds of wrong means. Because by this way they know they can get worldly power and be regarded as "divine and generous".
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References
1. Human Society-1, 'Various Occupations'
2. Prout in a Nutshell - 15, Talks on Prout, Capitalism
3. Ananda Vacanamrtam, part 31, Svarńanakula Kathá
4. Subhasita Samgraha, part 1. Yajiṋa and Karmaphala
5. Human Society Part 1, 'Social Justice'
* * *
The below section is an entirely different topic, unrelated to the above material.
It stands on its own merit as a point of interest and ideological awareness.
* * *
== Section 3: Important Teaching ==
Truly blessed: Baba dream
Svapne táre dekhechinu
Svapne hálo paricay
Svapne bhála besechinu
Dekhechinu premamay.
[I saw Him in a dream
In dream I made His acquaintance,
In dream I loved Him,
I called to Him, “O Lord full of love.”]
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “In the lives of many people, a time may come when their days are full of the thorns of miseries, but at night, during dream, they transcend their pains and pleasures. Then, meeting their Iśt́a in dream, they beam with joy and laughter in the ocean of bliss. All the sufferings and sorrows of their lives, great or small, merge into that indescribable ocean of bliss. Those who experience this type of dream are truly fortunate. It is they who can say,”
Cokhe dekhá pái náko
Dekhá hay mane mane
Se milan sundara
Sakala duhkhahara
Svapne báṋciyá tháki
Bhule tháki jágarańe.
[I do not see Him with my eyes,
I see Him in my mind;
In that beautiful meeting,
All sorrows disappear;
In dream I am alive –
In waking, I forget.]
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Even in the waking state their lives are drenched in the drowsy sweetness of that dreamy atmosphere, and then in their lives, that dream becomes a reality. As a result, the waking state for them becomes meaningless.”
“Then cannot those dreamy persons do any good to the society? Yes, certainly they can, and in a better way. This state of drowsiness is not dullness or crudeness; rather it is the golden opportunity to fully utilize one’s existence by touching the feet of Táraka Brahma, as long as there is life.” (1)
Reference
1. Namah Shivaya Shantaya, Shiva's Teachings – 2 (continued) (Discourse 16)
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Those who do a lot of mental labour combined with a little physical labour, also fall asleep immediately upon going to bed, due to the tiredness of their nerve cells. But those who perform some mental labour, but proportionately less labour of the nerve fibres [that is, physical labour], suffer from insomnia. They use various types of drugs and injections to induce sleep by forcing the nerve cells and nerve fibres to stop functioning. So it can be imagined how dangerous and harmful is the effect of those drugs and injections.”
“Getting the amount of sleep necessary to maintain physical and mental health should not be criticized. But as with any of the four vrttis, if sleep is encouraged, people can spend twenty-three out of the twenty-four hours of their day in sleep. This kind of sleep is as bad as death. Human beings have come onto this earth to do some work. Now if they spend most of their time in sleep, when will they work? If a major portion of life is spent only in sleep, is that not another name for death?”
“Human beings want to emerge from the dark chasms of sleep and death into the world of light – golden flashes of light piercing the heart of darkness. That golden light is a dynamic and spirited life, which people can enjoy only in the waking state.” (1)
Reference
1. Namah Shiváya Shántáya, Disc: 16
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Pomegranate: Medicinal properties
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Da'd'imba [Pomegranate]. Its bark, roots, and fruits are all very good medicines for all kinds of female diseases. In a'yurvaedic schools of medicine, as practiced both in India and China, these qualities of da'dimba are recognized." (1)
Reference
1. Namah Shivaya Shantaya, All Bask In the Glory of Shiva – 3 (Discourse 8), '95, p.121
== Section 4: Links ==
Other topics of interest
