Baba
Spiritual outlook on death
Namaskar,
Paying off debt...Purchasing a house...Saving for retirement...Gaining name, fame, money, prestige, beauty etc, etc. All these plans and programs are rampant in today's materialistic society. People consider and plan for their personal enjoyment many decades into the future. They basically think they will be on this earth forever. Certainly, some may say, "One day I am going to die", but there is nothing going on in their life that points to the idea that they really believe this.
Their entire life outlook, structure, and planning demonstrate that they feel they will remain on this earth forever - or at least for so long that they need not think about death. Most aim for material wealth and comfort, name and fame, and various temporary gains - thinking that those things will keep them happy forever. And they say that, "When I retire (at the age of 65 or so) then life will be glorious: I will have xxx amount of money and lots of free time." People begin planning for this “golden era” of their life when they are merely 25 years old, or even younger.
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Future of those who indulge in worldly pleasures
For such persons, their life revolves around the false notion that they have come here to remain permanently on this earth - as if this place is their eternal abode. They do not think that one day they will leave. Nor do they contemplate that their death could come as early as today or tomorrow. This outlook is quickly spreading from western materialistic nations to all countries of the globe, wherever materialism is in vogue. However, as we know, this type of mentality is not helpful as it runs contrary to our spiritual ideal and Guru’s guidelines. Plus it invites, at minimum, two serious deficiencies in the practical sphere.
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There are two main character flaws which manifest when one thinks of this world as their final abode:
#1: People fail to utilise their life to do truly good works that will enhance their progress, i.e. increase their proximity to Parama Purusa. They do not engage in a life of sadhana and service. Instead they spend their time in mundane pleasures on this earth, going from one sensual longing to the next, from one indulgence to the next. But in this mundane world their desires remain unsatisfied as they don't get endless pleasure.
#2: When the time inevitably comes to confront death, either their own or their companion's, they are scared, depressed, grief-stricken, and gloomy. They utterly lack the psychic stability to deal with this basic fact of life.
Anyone’s death can come at any time
So what is it that one should do - how should we live on this earth bearing in mind our own mortality? Baba's guideline is that we should always remember the fact that this world is jagat, i.e. mobile, temporary. Nothing on this earth is fixed. This earth is samsara: everything is moving - moving towards expiration or death. That is why Guru's teaching is to remember that death can come at any time - in childhood, in adolescence, as a young adult, whenever. Nothing is certain. Our place on this earth is not permanent - at any moment we may leave this world.
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Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "That is, during dharma'caran, i.e. dharmic pursuits [following yama and niyama, service, svadhyaya etc] one should think that the god of death has already started pulling one’s hair – that one’s death is imminent. And accordingly one should work sincerely and vigorously; one will have to do a great many noble deeds within a short period." (1)
When a person understands that death is potentially very near and can come at any time, they will attend to the most important endeavors first. It is just like if someone is planning to leave their house in 5 minutes then they will attend to the most important works: grab their keys, lock the house, and prepare to go out. They will not waste those 5 minutes in petty pursuits. Similarly, those knowing they will leave this earth soon will address the most significant points first and aim to make a link between unit and Cosmic. They will try to please Parama Purusa, and not just waste their time in fleeting pleasures. Here again is Baba's teaching about how we should view everything in this world, including our own life.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "Then, Smara nityamanityata'm. Nityam means “always” – “Remember always the transitory nature of things.” [Anityata'm means “the ephemeral”, “the transitory”.]... A thing which was born will die one day...That which comes within the scope of the spatial, temporal and personal factors will alone be born and die." (2)
One day you will have to leave this human body
All this demands a fundamental shift in outlook. Instead of thinking that, “I have come here for a long, long time.” One should think that, “I am here on borrowed time. This body has been given to me for a limited time - an extremely short time, a maximum of 100 to 150 years, not thousands of years.” In addition, one should bear in mind that they may die any time and not even see tomorrow's sunrise. In that case, a person will rush to do great things immediately and try to understand their true nature.
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Tragically, most forget that this body has been given to us on loan. They think this body will last forever on this earth. This leads to lethargy and a false sense of contentment. A person will eat, drink, and be merry, and whittle away one's time. They will forget that their current energy and strength will not last. After the age of 39, the body begins to decay. One will lose energy, muscle power, hearing, eyesight etc. Plus any moment, one may be scooped away from this earth without a moment's notice. Because this body has been given on loan. And only Parama Purusa knows for how long - we do not.
As sadhakas, we should always be aware of two things: (1) Our final abode is elsewhere, (2) our body will not last long. In that case, we will maximally utilise our body for attaining salvation, not worldly pleasures because worldly pleasures cannot give endless peace. It is just like if a person goes to the market to get medicine for their ailing grandfather. With that goal in mind they will reach to the drug store, secure the medicine, and return home quickly with the medicine for grandfather. They will pointedly do their duty. In contrast, if one goes to the market and fails to remember their goal of getting medicine for grandfather, they will pass by the drug store and instead spend hours and hours in the cinema house, watching one movie after another - until midnight. Finally, when they leave the cinema hall they will walk to the market and find that all the shops are closed. In the end, they return home without any medicine for grandfather. So they are scolded and punished for being so neglectful.
Similarly, degraded humans get punished by prakrti for forgetting their divine goal and instead indulging in other mundane allurements. For wasting their human life, they are punished and sent sliding down the pathway of negative pratisaincara.
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Conclusion
Those on the spiritual path always remember that life is short. They understand they have no time to look left or right, i.e. indulge in worldly fancies. They always keep their mind focused front and center - i.e. “I have come here to serve and please Parama Purusa and I have no idea how long I will have this precious opportunity. So my each and every moment on this earth is for sadhana and service. I have no time for anything else.” Those who walk this earth with this ideal in mind are truly blessed.
Namaskar,
in Him,
Gunadhar
Should not run after mirages - focus on spiritual goal
Ananda Marga ideology says, "O human beings! be established in the radiance of divinity and the splendour of valour and chivalry, because yours is the path of revolution. Your path is not the path of extra caution and scheduled movement. You are the traveller of a rugged path. You are travellers of an impregnable path. You have to march ahead proudly with the flag of Marga upright. You have no time to stagger or to look behind." (3)
Ananda Marga ideology says, "O human beings, proceed ahead in the path of oṋḿkára towards subtleness. Do not run after the superficially pleasant mirage, dominated by tamoguńa. Establish yourself in sattvaguńa and then merge into Brahma. Reach the spot whence oṋḿkára has emerged. Awaken your dormant dynamism through sádhaná and devotion. Realize the mental elevation of divinity and merge this into the endless stream of divine mercy." (4)
References
1. Subhasita Samgraha, part 11, A Devotee's Object of Ideation
2. Subhasita Samgraha - 21, Niiti and Dharma
3. Subhasita Samgraha - 1, Yajiṋa and Karmaphala
4. Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 1, Prakrti Tattva and Oṋḿkára Tattva
* * *
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "That is, if one's object of thought is a thief, what will happen? What is the psychic process? When you think something, your mind is then and there divided into two parts. One subjective part, another is objective counterpart. And when you are thinking of a bad man, or a thief, what will happen? The objective counterpart of your mind will take the form of that thief, will take the form of that bad man, and slowly what will happen? Your subjective counterpart of the mind, that is, seer portion of the mind---one portion is seer and another portion is seeing. So, seer portion of the mind will be slowly converted into that bad man, and slowly you will become a bad man. So a bad man must not be your object of ideation, should not be your object of meditation. If you think of a bad man, you will become a bad man."
"You know, there is a particular insect in India, it is called pecasha-kiit'a. It kills cockroaches. You know the cockroach, that red insect? Yes, it kills cockroach. And cockroaches are very much afraid of that insect. So when a cockroach sees that insect, that insect becomes its object of ideation; that is, its objective counterpart of the mind takes the form of---what? Cockroach. So what does happen? Slowly the body of the cockroach is converted into the body of that pecasha-kiit'a. That is, cockroach itself is converted into the form of its killer." (1)
Reference
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 30, Ideological Flow and the Eight-fold Path
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Baba eliminates veils
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Perhaps you know that in ancient India, there was no custom of using veils among the women. During the last part of the Pathan rule and in the early days of the Mughal period [16th-19th c.], the veil was forcibly imposed on the women of some aristocratic families in Burdwan, so that others could not see the ladies’ faces. Burdwan was the capital of Bengal.”
“Over a period of time, the use of the veil spread to other areas. Muslim rule was not firmly established in south India, so the veil was not introduced there. You will notice that even today the women of south India use garbhakas in the evenings.”
“I remember some years ago at Anandanagar I said that my daughters coming to Anandanagar need not cover their heads because it is the home of their father. Girls do not use veils at their parents’ house. I remember that it was the first time for the married women of north India to give up their veils. Many years have passed since then. The custom of using veils has disappeared from many urban areas of north India and is fast disappearing from the rural areas as well. That particular incident at Anandanagar set a healthy trend in this regard. This was a step forward in the direction of women’s emancipation [in north India]. An auspicious beginning indeed!” (1)
Note: Many countries in Europe have just passed and implemented laws banning veils.
Reference
1. Shabda Cayaniká Part 20, “Garbhaka”
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