Baba
Prout & fasting
Namaskar,
In India, news comes regularly how one or another social reformist is undertaking a protest fast. This is ongoing because of the dogma of Gandhism etc - it is a psychic disease in India. The defective Gandhian way of thinking is that by fasting one will melt the hearts of those exploiters. But Baba mocks this idea by branding it as utopian. Those exploiters and wrongdoers will not be sentimentally swayed by seeing people perform protest fasts. Rather those wrongdoers will be pleased that their opponents are destroying themselves by fasting for days on end.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
How to fight injustice & exploitation
Baba guides us to protest and fight social injustices by adhering to the principles of Prout. Then we confront the problem directly through mass education, economic policies and programs, social awareness and all kinds of ways outlined throughout His vast body of Proutistic teachings. So we are to wage a ceaseless war against exploitation by abiding by Proutistic principles - not succumbing to the detrimental Gandhian approach of fasting and ruining the body.
That is why Baba guides us to stand up and fight against injustices - not starve oneself and die. And that fight against injustice should be carried out in all kinds of ways - intellectually, morally, physically, socially, collectively etc - along all kinds of avenues. It is a dynamic approach that will buckle the knees of those very exploiters.
Jail: only circumstance for protest fasting
There is one and only one condition when one should fast against injustice. And that is when one has been placed under arrest and put in jail. And if while in jail one’s very life is threatened due to food poisoning - and all the jail authorities are corrupt etc, then in that unusual circumstance one’s only option may be to perform a protest fast. Outside of this circumstance, one should never resort to fasting to oppose injustices.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
1. Jail is very different - one has limited means to protest when in solitary confinement - so fasting in that circumstance is different. If you are in a jail cell then you cannot communicate with others or organise, so there are limited means of what one can do.
2. When outside one should engage in mass awakening - that is the Proutistic method. When in solitary confinement in jail then one cannot do mass awakening.
3. This issue came up many times, when Baba was in jail. The margiis outside wanted to fast in protest, but Baba banned this practice.
So nowadays, when some in AMPS have taken to fasting to promote unity etc, while their aim is noble, they should be properly educated about Baba’s guidelines. And instead of doing a protest fast, they should arm themselves with the teachings of Prout. Then surely they will get success.
Bring revolution through Proutistic ideals
4. Some Wts fasted to pressurise margiis to engage in work and donate money for building construction and bring maximum new people to dharmacakra. Then Baba scolded Wts and ordered them to stop their fast. Baba told them that is not the way - better to convince and inspire, but not ruin one’s own body by fasting.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
5. If Baba would have allowed this then fasting would have been going on all the time for one or another issue. Baba is against such type of penance - this body is of Parama Purusa and one should not destroy it. Rather Baba just instructed us to fast 2 or 4 times per month as per our normal health rules.
6. In Prout’s teachings on revolution, Baba has given various steps to bring revolution but fasting is not one of those steps.
7. Protesters and sympathizers should start a Prout study circle for their inspiration and understanding.
Conclusion
Fasting as a means of protest is not accepted in Ananda Marga. In the last 40 years in AMPS there has not been any fasting on that front. Otherwise - if that were our approach - then around the world always margiis would be doing this or that protest fast. But this is not our way. In Ananda Marga, we do not accept this dogmatic Gandhian method. To fight injustice and exploitation, we are to follow the ideals outlined in Prout.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Prout philosophy guides us, “Remember – you have to serve humanity. You have to dedicate yourself to the cause of humanity as a whole. Your life is valuable; your time is all the more valuable. You should not waste a single moment. The task is glorious. The task is novel. Lead the life of a warrior and constantly fight against evils. You will be victorious. So march ahead!” (1)
In Him,
Dhyanesh
~ In-depth study ~
Baba forbids protest fasting
Years ago in the late 1970’s, one DS Dada was posted in Muzaffarpur and during that time there were 15 family acaryas in Muzaffarpur as well. And those family acaryas were constantly bickering and quarreling on all sorts of points. They were disunited and not talking to one another. To unite them, the local DS started a protest fast. News of this reached Baba and right away He sent word that DS Muzaffarpur must give up his fast immediately as he was just abusing and misusing his body by this tactic. By this everyone understood that in our Ananda Marga protest fasts are not appreciated. They are forbidden by Baba.
The approach of trying to achieve unity by any type of fasting protest is not condoned by Baba. Excess fasting - i.e. more than what is allotted in Sixteen Points - is harmful to the body. And when the body becomes compromised and broken, then one cannot perform the work that is needed. So doing an extended fast for unity - or fasting for any social cause - is a misguided approach.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
The dogma of Gandhism is prevalent in India whereby they try to solve all sorts of social problems by fasting protests. But this is not appreciated by our Ananda Marga. And this is well demonstrated by this above story.
Utopian Gandhian approaches never work
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Some people are of the opinion that only humanistic appeals and no other approach can affect a change of heart. Although the principles of such people may be high, in reality the soil of the earth is extremely hard. Their appeals to do good cannot easily gain support.”
“What are humanistic appeals, or satyágraha? They are simply a special means of using violence to create circumstantial pressure. We can, in fact, call them the intellectual’s method of using violence. They are a way to make people eager to move along the path of human welfare without resorting to actual violence, relying on legal enforcement, or becoming angry and adopting the path of bloodshed. Or, in simpler language, they are a way to compel people to move.”
“What is circumstantial pressure? Does it not aim to vibrate the individual or collective mind with the wave of collective welfare through the application of force? In fact, this approach is an attempt to touch the aspect of the human mind which is very tender and capable of responding to humanistic appeals. Thus, those who have finer sensibilities and rational judgement readily respond to humanistic appeals, or satyágraha.”
“This sort of appeal does not hold much value for those with crude minds. To vibrate the minds of such people it is, and will forever remain, necessary to influence their minds by giving them a rude shock. Otherwise one will have to wait indefinitely for the sensitive violin strings of some secret recess in their hard minds to be similarly vibrated by high-minded appeals to do good. And meanwhile the existence of the helpless, exploited people, on whose behalf these appeals are being made, will have been reduced to dust.”
“That is why no matter how much importance was given to the benevolence of the human mind by the Gandhian and Bhudan movements, or how saintly their propounders may have been, selfish and mean-minded people will never accept their principles. The bleeding sores on the feet of marching protesters will never be able to soften the minds of ruthless exploiters. Gandhism may be an excellent utopian model, but in the harsh reality of the world it is absurd and self-righteous.” (2)
Fasting for health & spirituality
Ananda Marga Caryacarya says, "On and around the times of new and full moon, one may observe that the gaseous and aqueous factors in the body rise up into the head and chest, creating an uncomfortable feeling. Therefore, if a person does not take food at these times, these factors will be drawn down from the higher portions of the body to the lower portions, thereby alleviating the uncomfortable feeling." (3)
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "You should not depend on food too much. This is why I have prescribed fasting on four days a month for some people and two days a month for others, and personally I have proved by fasting for five years and ... months at a stretch that if people try, they can remain without food. If one's dependence on food decreases, one will gain more freedom in a particular aspect of life." (4)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "So, fasting is a necessity in the eleventh moon, pu’rn’ima’, that is full moon, and new moon. In A’nanda Ma’rga, I didn’t prescribe these four days fasting, that is, for grhii’s — that is non-wholetimers, non avadhutas — they are to fast only two days, two eleventh moons. And for workers, avadhutas, they are to fast how many days? Four days. Because they will have to engage themselves more in spiritual and higher works, in intellectual and spiritual [realms]. That’s why they should fast four times in a month - and others, twice. But if others so desire, they may fast four times — I won’t say anything. But it is not compulsory. For them, two eka’dashiis." (5)
References
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 18, Your Mission
2. Human Society - 1, Social Justice
3. Caryacarya - 3, Procedure for Fasting
4. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 7, In Kali Yuga, Strength Lies in an Organized Body
5. 12/1/71 Patna
* * *
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 2: Important Teaching ==
Mental balance & extravaganza
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Now everywhere, in cent per cent of the cases, there is wastage of human psychic potentiality. The psychic potentialities of human beings are immense, but people do not utilize them because most of their valuable time is wasted in undesirable thoughts, in psychic extravaganza...wasted in petty or useless activities. How much time do people really get to devote to worthwhile tasks?"
"This psychic extravaganza should be checked either by physical approach, or psychic approach, or by spirituo-psychic approach..."
"I have already said that the scope of rationality and rationalization should be increased more and more, and for this, unnecessary waves should be removed from the plane of physicality. From the psychic sphere also, unnecessary waves are to be removed. This will remove many burdens from the mind. 'I must not bother about petty things, because that will waste my time' - people should remember this. This removal or rather withdrawal of unnecessary and undesirable thoughts emanated from the mind will help you in rationalizing the major portion of your mental faculty, so this must also be practised." (1)
Verily, in Baba’s above guideline He he clearly sets forth some key concepts:
(a) One should think of Parama Purusa all the time - i.e. all the 24hrs;
(b) When engaged in any type of mundane work - personal, family, social etc - then one must think and ideate that it is His work.
When a person adheres to these aforementioned principles then that is proper use of one’s psychic potentiality; failure to follow these principles results in misuse of one’s psychic potentiality, i.e. extravaganza.
Next Baba guides how to treat one who suffers from this type of improper thinking or extravaganza:
(a) Firstly, one should be removed - or remove oneself - from that physical environment;
(b) Next, such negative thinking must be removed from one’s own mind;
(c) Then one must goad the mind to Parama Purusa.
In result, one will have proper sadhana and be free from worry.
References
1. Yoga Psychology, The Cult of Spirituality – the Cult of Pinnacled Order
== Section: Prabhat Samgiita ==
बाबा! आज तुम मेरे घर आये, तुम्हें शत शत प्रणाम
प्रभात संगीत 3233 एसेछो आमार घरे, कृपारो पसरा हाते कोरे...
भावार्थ
हेे परम पुरुष बाबा! तुम अपनी करुणा के साथ मेरे घर, कृपा की टोकरी भर लाये। तुम्हारा आगमन मेरे मेरी पुकार से नहीं हुआ, वह तो तुम्हारेे अनन्त प्रेम के कारण ही हुआ है। हे मेरे प्रभु ! तुमने मेरे घर आने का अपार कष्ट किया है। तुम बहुत दयालु हो। मेरी अपनी कोई योग्यता नहीं है, न ही मैं अच्छे कार्य करता हॅूं और न ही साधना ही ठीक ढंग से करता हॅूं। फिर भी गहरी आशा लिये मैं अपने हृदय से तुमको याद करता रहता हूूं, बाबा! आज तुम मेरे घर आये, तुम्हें शत शत प्रणाम। ।
बाबा! विशाल आकाश और तारे तुम्हारे पवित्र नाम का गायन कर रहे हैं, और कह रहे हैं कि तुम ही प्रेम के सागर, परम रक्षक हो, और तुम सबको मदद करते हो। बाबा! तुम हर जगह, हर समय सब पर अहैतुकी कृपा करते हो। ए परम सत्ता! तुम ही सम्पूर्ण विश्व पर नियंत्रण करते हो। नीले आकाश में धूमकेतु और नीहारिकाएं तुम्हारी सेवा करने के लिये, तुमको प्रसन्न करने के लिये, तुम्हारे लिये ही अपनी चमक विखेरते हैं---। बाबा! आज तुम मेरे घर आये, तुम्हें शत शत प्रणाम।
बाबा! मैंने जो भी जीवन में पाया हैे वह तुम्हारी ही कृपा है। मेरे पास मेरी कोई योग्यता ही नहीं है , तुमने ही कृपा कर अपनी अपार करुणा से मेरा पूरा अस्तित्व ही अपने अनन्त प्रेम से भर दिया है। दुर्भाग्य से मैं तुम्हे कुछ नहीं दे पाया। हे बाबा! आज मैंने तुम्हारे चरण कमलों में, अपने पूरे अस्तित्व के साथ, ताजे फूलों का गुच्छा अर्पित किया है। बाबा! आज तुम मेरे घर आये! मैं अपने आप को तुम्हारे प्रति समर्पित करता हॅूं।
== Section: Important Teaching ==
All religions: full of rampant hypocrisy
Ananda Marga ideology states, “Átmánátman viveka will teach you that the Singular Eternal Entity in the form of Consciousness should be your only object of ideation. You will see the colours of religion fade before your eyes as the pure white effulgence of dharma shines with ever-increasing brilliance.”
“All the “isms” prevalent in today’s world can easily be included in the category of religions. All the defects of religions exist in the “isms” too. None of the political, social or economic “isms” are free from superstition none are straightforward; all are full of rampant hypocrisy. In all “isms”, doctrines and religions, the scriptural authority is supreme. There is no scope for the functioning of the five types of conscience, no place for service, love or devotion. With the help of falsehood and immorality, these “isms,” doctrines and religions slander and make accusations against each other. They make attractive promises to the people while hiding their own internal sins. In fact, false piety is not the path of dharma, leading to welfare, but the opposite of dharma, the negation of welfare. They can be likened to asses wearing lion skins: take away the lion skins and their their true form will be revealed. They have no other purpose than to grab votes and usurp power. The mentality to grab the votes first and then serve the people is not the true spirit of selfless social service; rather, it is the mentality of power craving materialists.”
“You will have to advance with the true spirit of genuine social service, because the very characteristic of dharma is to promote the cause of welfare. Dharma and welfare are inseparable.” (1)
Reference
1. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life - part 7, p.533
== Section 3: Links ==
