Baba
Vulture Wts
Namaskar,
1. According to Ananda Marga teachings, the financial responsibility of cremating the dead body falls on the unit / bhukti, not the grieving family.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Ananda Marga Carayacarya states, “The disposal of the dead body and its financial responsibility belong to the society. It is not proper to give any burden to the bereaved family.” (1)
Do not burden mourning family
2. On the one side, the mourning family lost its earning member or loved one; and, at the same time, relatives and guests come and the family has to feed them. This is both unphysiological and inhumane.
3. Those crying and suffering do not want to eat; their mindset is different. Yet, those who go there to console them are eating in the house of the grieving family; that is abhorrent.
4. Those who went to console the grieving family should eat at a restaurant or at another site arranged by the bhukti etc. The family should not pay. No undue burden or headache should be placed on the family of the deceased.
5. But this is not followed in some Ananda Marga units, unfortunately. Rather the family of the deceased often has to incur loans to offer a feast.
6. Baba has wiped out this exploitative last rites dogma. The standard in Ananda Marga is that even the cost of the cremation should be managed by the bhukti. The grieving family must not be burdened by or allowed to spend one penny on these rites.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Some Wts pressure grieving family for donations
7. Here also the bhukti is not responsible for making a feast during the time of shraddha. This is bad for various reasons including competing over the size of the feast for various bhukti members when they pass. So there should not be any type of feast at all as part of the shraddha.
8. The overall spirit is not to give financial burden or problem to the suffering family.
9. But in many instances where hypocrisy is done then food is not taken in their house but the deceased family must pay the food arrangement in a restaurant or in a neighbor's house. That happens in some instances but that is sinful. It is a very deceptive practice.
10. In this regard, there are so many places where Wts are involved in hypocrisy. They pressure the grieving family and ask for donations. This is their vulture’s habit; such Wts survive off of the dead.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Conclusion
11. Remember, depending on the food of the deceased family is dirty and sinful.
12. Every unit should have a last rites fund. To ensure fair treatment regardless of whether one is financially rich or poor, an independent board will manage those funds and donors cannot dictate how funds are spent - such as a financially wealthy person who is on his deathbed cannot donate funds for a feast at his own death ceremony. The independent board will adhere to all dharmic guidelines and will not be swayed by single donors etc.
in Him,
Sudama
Should we follow local customs
Question: You know, there are other communities (a.k.a. outside of Ananda Marga) that offer food as a way of showing hospitality to those people who came to a wake or funeral to offer condolences to the bereaved person. The food has nothing to do with the deceased. Do you think Baba is saying that this is bad, too?
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Just wondering how to deal with other cultures in light of our own. In my country, and in my extended family, this practice is done to show hospitality only. Nothing to do with ostentatiousness; nothing to do with the priest class receiving food. It is purely for the guests who might have come from many hours away to pay their respects and to offer their condolence.
Answer: If there was no death would those family members and relatives from afar still have come during that time. If the answer is no, then this shows that they came for the death ceremony and should not be fed by the grieving family - but rather fed by the bhukti. There are many wrongs going in the various religions and to remove all such dogmas Ananda Marga has been created.
Reference
1. Caryacarya - 1, Disposal of the Dead Body
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The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
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== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==
"Ayuta chande ese chile tumi, nácite nácite hásite hásite..." (Prabhat Samgiita #0146)
Purport:
Parama Purusa, with the resonance of melody, in the manana of my heart, and with the jingling of the ankle bell, You came in countless rhythms, dancing and smiling, smiling and dancing - in my meditation.
You came with the resonance of melody; You came with the manana of my heart, You came with the jingling of the ankle bell. You came with the resonance of melody.
Baba, You came with the jingling of the ankle bell. Parama Purusa, with the resonance of melody, and in the manana of my heart, You came. In the jingling of the ankle bell, Parama Purusa You came.
If I blossom as a flower on the branch, then You become fragrance and fill me always. If I become the distant sky, then You become blue and fill me always. Parama Purusa, You fill me always. As a blue color You always envelop me.
If I become the distant sky, then You become blue and fill me always. Parama Purusa, You fill me always. You surround me from all the directions,
Baba, I am never alone. You are always with me, no matter what. You are ever gracious, I surrender at Your lotus feet...
Notes for Prabhat Samgiita #0146:
[1] Manana: The contemplation or ideation of the Supreme Entity by repeating the Parama Purusa's name in the mind. This special process Ananda Marga ideology has described in-depthly.
[2] Jingling of the Ankle Bell: This song (PS #0146) carries great symbolic meaning and is the poetic expression of what the sadhaka feels in dhyana. So the "ankle bell" is not a physical bell attached to one's ankle nor does it refer to some type of bell that Parama Purusa is wearing around His foot. Rather when the sadhaka realises and feels the proximity of Parama Purusa in deep dhyana, then one hears this ankle bell sound within. That is the meaning of this metaphor in the song. One hears this ankle bell sound when in His close proximity.
Ananda Marga ideology states, “The rhythm in which the vibrational flow of the cosmic mind vibrates the annamáya kośa of individual microcosms – veins, nerves, arteries, blood, lymph, etc. – is the initial stage of the divine cosmic sound. When this sound is heard in the anamáya kośa it resembles that of a cricket. When this cosmic sound vibrates the kámamaya kośa it resembles the sound of ankle bells. In the manomaya kośa it resembles a flute...in atimánasa kośa, the resonance of a gong; in vijiṋánamaya kośa the buzzing of bees or the rolling of ocean waves; and in hirańmaya kośa, a prolonged oṋḿ sound. Thus the cosmic sound is expressed in various ways according to the degrees of crudity or subtlety in relation to the fundamental factors. There are various physical and psychic expressions centring around the various degrees of cosmic sound. When one’s mind is confined to a particular stratum one hears the sound peculiar to that stratum only. A person who lacks concentration of mind cannot hear any expression of the cosmic sound. In the field of spiritual practice the divine sound is expressed in a spontaneous way.” (1)
The medical condition of ringing in the ears is known as tinnitus - it is bothersome, irritating, and a painful condition. In contrast, the divine sound of the jingling of the ankle bell is sweet and blissful.
[3] Two More Metaphors: The metaphor of the sky and its blue colour indicates how they are inseparable. The sky and blueness cannot be made distinct from one another. The two are inextricably interlinked. In the same way the bhakta and Parama Purusa are inseparable. Similarly, the flower cannot be separated from its fragrance; where there is a flower there is fragrance, and where there is flower fragrance there is the flower. The two are completely part and parcel of each other. Here again this refers to the inherent link between the Parama Purusa and the bhakta. Parama Purusa is always with the bhakta - one cannot remain separate from the other. Parama Purusa comes with His omnkara dhvani (eternal sound) the bhakta gets attracted and merges in Him.
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Prout philosophy states, "The more the human mind becomes magnanimous or expanded, the more it rises above the sentiments of tribalism, communalism, provincialism, etc. Often I hear people say that nationalism is an appreciable sentiment and that there is no narrowness in it. But is this true? Nationalism is also relative, just like tribalism, communalism or provincialism. In some places it is more worthwhile than tribalism, communalism or provincialism, while in other places it is less worthwhile."
"Let us consider, for example, the case of a Portuguese nationalist. The mental object of a Muslim communalist is certainly larger than that of a Portuguese nationalist, because the former desires the welfare of a greater number of people than the latter. This is because the number of Muslims in the world is greater than the number of Portuguese. Judged from this perspective, I cannot denounce the sentiments of a Muslim communalist in comparison to a Portuguese nationalist. Similarly, it has to be accepted that the sentiments of a Rajput casteist are broader than those of a Portuguese nationalist, because the former desires the welfare of more people than the latter. Likewise, the feelings of an Andhrite provincialist will have to be considered broader than those of a Portuguese nationalist. If one supports provincialism with seventy-five million Bengalees, it must be accepted that these feelings are more expanded than the nationalism of most of the nations of the world. (The population of most of the nations of the world is less than the population of Bengal.)"
Prout philosophy states, "Hence it is observed that communalism, casteism, provincialism and nationalism are all of the same defective type. Those who are able to capitalize on one of these sentiments advocate it volubly. In fact, every one of these sentiments suffers from the defect of ism, and is completely filled with narrowness, violence, envy, mean mindedness, etc. Those who enter the field of social welfare by creating divisions between “yours” and “mine”, substantially widen the fissures of fissiparous intellect in human society."
"Those who want to promote the welfare of all human beings, remaining above all sorts of parochial sentiments, have no alternative but to embrace universalism with their heart and soul – there is no other way. As universalism is totally devoid of any characteristic of ism, it is not proper to depict universalism as an ism. If everyone is looked upon as one's own, no one remains beyond the periphery of one's kith and kin. Naturally, then, there is no scope for violence, envy, narrowness, etc." (1)
Reference
1. Problems of the Day, Point #18
== Section 4: Links ==
Other topics of interest
