Baba
AMPS: recipe for successful projects
Namaskar,
This is an ongoing issue related with the practical survival of our AMPS society, our service projects, and our Wt cadre. You might have noticed that these days many Wts posted overseas, and a growing number in India, are heavily involved in doing business. They earn money for their day-to-day needs and for their different projects; plus they have to pay "dues" to their supervisors etc to keep in "good standing" with their bosses. So they have various financial demands. And these economic pressures, which include maintaining Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha social service projects, are met increasingly through their various business endeavours. As an organisation and Ananda Marga family, we have to carefully evaluate how sustainable this approach is for our AMPS society, and how far it supports the well-being of our Wts.
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Projects should be run by local margiis & sympathizers
When we analyse the history of our human society, there are numerous examples of organisations that were only supported by particular individuals, or only by a single rich person, or only by the king etc. Such organisations could not survive. In India, in the Mogul period, many mosques were sustained by the then Muslim rulers. And when the throne changed, and a different dynasty came to power, thousands of mosques were abandoned and left to rot.
In the Buddhist era in India, Buddhist monasteries were financially supported by the ruling kings of different regions. And when those rulers lost their power, the Buddhist monasteries could no longer be maintained and were ultimately lost to neglect and decay etc. The bottom line is that any organization needs broad-based support from its local members and citizens. If those local members and sympathizers are not encouraged or welcomed to be deeply involved in managing those projects, then that organisation will not survive long.
In our Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha, local margii involvement and management is necessary in all service projects. Family margiis should be encouraged and empowered with positions of management. At the same time, Wts will oversee those projects on a broader level, while the day-to-day running of the project is done by margiis, including financial management.
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Wts should supervise not run the project - why
So in each area and in every district, our local margiis should take on managerial-level positions for those projects. And more and more locals should be initiated and brought on board to help. Otherwise, if only a migrant / transitory population alone is managing the project, as is the case with Wts or margiis from other areas, then that project will not succeed over the long haul. That we have seen again and again. At the same time, sympathizers can always help; but, non-margiis might leave anytime so they cannot be depended upon to sponsor or oversee our projects.
That is why in each and every country, province, city, and town, Baba has given the plan that local people, i.e. local margiis, should be actively involved and act as the managers of our organisational works in that place. Only by this way can our projects grow. By this approach, the inhabitants of that area will feel more connected with Ananda Marga. Because they will see their own hometown citizens managing the projects. They will have greater trust etc.
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Overall then two points are needed:
(A) Local margiis should get opportunity to actively engage in and run the organisational projects in their area.
(B) Further efforts should be made to involve the local inhabitants in a supportive role. Our AMPS organization should not depend on a migrant or temporary population only.
Nowadays Wts are running the projects
Practically speaking though, nowadays most of the projects in Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha are funded in two ways. Wts earn money by doing business, and Wts collect donations from the public etc. This is the case in various sectors. And when the particular Wt funding a project gets transferred, then the project falls apart. The reason is that worker was overly busy in business and sponsoring the project. Neither he had the support from his supervisors, nor the time and presence of mind to create and nourish local margiis so they could run the local service projects.
To build up our Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha, Baba guides us to do pracar among the local people. That is the only way. In every nook and corner around the globe Baba wants for AMPS to grow following this plan. Yet upon reviewing the history since 1990, we see that gradually our acaryas working overseas became more and more dependent upon doing business to earn the requisite money and run the projects. So more business involvement is needed to fulfill their different financial needs. In this condition sincere Wts hardly have time to manage their own psycho-spiritual development, let alone guide others in that arena. Wts engage more heavily in their business affairs while their spiritual life gets neglected.
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In other areas, Wts collect money from locals and do not give any account. In that situation, some margiis and sympathizers are not are not fully invested and committed to the project. They think it is someone else’s work. But if margiis and locals are given an active role in managing the project then it will flourish. Otherwise the tendency is to become apathetic to the project. It is just like if you are walking and saw a beggar in distress and gave them some money and walked away, thinking that your duty is over.
Conclusion
To run successful Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha service projects in any area:
(1) Both local margiis and Lfts should support and be actively engaged in that project. Our Wts are to supervise but not become overly engrossed in the daily operation of those projects.
(2) The accounting should be verified by a CPA, and the annual report should be put on-line. With this transparency, the donations will come pouring in. There will not be any dearth of funds. Remember, there are so many who are searching for good service organisations to support.
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If the above two points are strictly followed, then our AMPS service projects will last long, far into the future. And by this way our tantric society will grow by leaps and bounds. Baba has said that the world will come to know about Ananda Marga teachings by our service projects.
Namaskar,
in Him,
Trikalajina
~ In-depth study ~
Some important notes and quotes are here below which relate to this entire theme - i.e. some Wts who meet their fate due to over-involvement in business affairs.
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "Those who were decent human beings and deeply spiritual, and used to collect money for a noble cause, but in the process of fund raising forgot Parama Purus'a and attached greater importance to their fund raising at the cost of Parama Purus'a -- that is, they remembered Parama Purus'a as part of dharma sa'dhana' and collected money for a great cause, and although Parama Purus'a was the goal collecting money became the dominant desire -- they attain the state of yaks'a devayonii after their demise." (1)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Those who constantly think about rupees or dollars attain a kind of sama'dhi, too, for they become completely identified with their crude object of attraction. If such people incur heavy losses due to the collapse of their business or bank, they will die an instant death, for the pillars on which their life was built crumbled beneath them. So, once they lost their wealth, they lost their lives too." (2)
Why not whole life in one place
Some advise that Wts should stay in the same posting and location for ages and ages. They wrongly think that by this way those workers will be able to accomplish a lot. And, after all, this is what the various religions do etc. But such an approach runs wholly counter to our Ananda Marga conduct rules and the spirit of Wt life. We have seen again and again that when a given worker stays in the same place they get degenerated. They become involved in all kinds of vices, stagnancy sets in, and all their dynamicity is lost.
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Who is Wt: All know that WT means wholetimer dedicated worker - male and female, i.e. Dadas and Didis. Furthermore in this letter the term acarya is used to represent both male and female Wts.
References
1. Microvita in a Nutshell, Disembodied Souls and Microvita – Excerpt B
2. Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell - 6, Ekendriya – 7
* * *
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 ==
How rich commit crimes
In this below teaching Baba is pointing out how economically wealthy people indulge in anti-social activities like adulteration, drug dealing, and many other vices and illicit affairs. All the while they employ poor people to do the dirty work. In result, the poor people get arrested by law enforcement personnel while those rich, wealthy people save themselves by paying bribes or hiring high-powered lawyers. In the end, most of the profit of those gross dealings goes to rich people and the poor suffer. Due to their poverty, the poor cannot escape this cycle from one generation to the next. That in the ghettos people are perpetually incarcerated.
In this teaching Baba is referring to crude criminal acts as well as white-collar crime. In big business and on the corporate level, the schemes are much more sophisticated. Big banks cheat millions of people out of billions of dollars. Yet, those top bankers are almost never arrested or even charged. They escape because the laws are in their favour, or they hire lawyers to find loopholes in the law. And if they do get caught and are found guilty, then 99.9% of the time those high-level executives do not go to jail. Instead they pay a fine. But if a poor person steals even a single item they will get arrested and sit in jail for robbery for twenty years.
This happens only in the vaeshyan era and we have to raise awareness to put an end to this.
Prout philosophy states, “Most of the evils that occur in society are created due to the exploitation carried out by the vaeshyas. In order to increase the size of their bank balances, the vaeshyas create an artificial scarcity of such items as food, clothing and other essential commodities, and then earn a profit by black marketeering. Those who do not have the capacity to purchase commodities at exorbitant prices steal, commit armed robberies and engage in other criminal activities in order to obtain the minimum requirements of their lives. Poor people deprived of food and clothing work as the agents of the greedy vaeshyas engaged in black marketeering and smuggling. When these poor people are caught, they are the ones who get punished, while the vaeshyas escape thanks to the power of their money. Such ill-fated poor people lose their consciences and descend deeper into sin. Society condemns these sinners, while the rich vaeshyas, the instigators of the sinners, play the role of public leaders. They wear garlands, set off verbal fireworks, and shrilly exhort the masses to make greater sacrifices.” (1)
Reference
1. Human Society - 2, The Vaeshya Age
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Can one remain tight-lipped & sit quietly with folded arms
Prout philosophy states, “Now, suppose a man seems to have good relations with his neighbours, but it becomes apparent that he is about to murder his wife, what should be the duty of the neighbours? Will they remain tight-lipped, sit quietly with their arms folded, and dismiss the situation as purely a domestic affair, thereby making the murder of the woman easier, and thus assist in establishing static peace? No, that is not the dictum of human dharma. On the contrary they should rush to the house, break down the door, save the woman, take suitable action against the male tyrant, and in this way come forward to establish sentient peace.” (1)
Note: The above Proutistic teaching applies to both individual and collection life. Wherever there is an injustice, then there must be an intervention, either by the neighbouring family, or the neighbouring country. Sitting quietly and biding the time while a wrongdoing is unfolding is not our way. According to Prout, it is the bounden duty of every right-thinking individual and government to jump into action.
Reference
1. Problems of the Day, Point #15
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Helps cure disease
Sadguru Baba says, "To maintain the internal functions of the body without hindrance and to maintain the internal liquid balance, everyone should drink a sufficient quantity of water every day. A healthy person can consume three or four seers of water a day, a sick person four or five seers, and a person suffering from skin disease, five or six seers. These amounts of water help cure disease to a great extent." (Yogic Treatments, Appendix, A. Water Drinking)
Note: One seer is very close to one liter.
== Section: Important Teaching ==
How they become worse than animals
Ananda Marga ideology says, "Animals are guided by instincts. They do not know the why and the how of things. Human beings, on the other hand, are led by the mind. Animals cannot go beyond their instincts. In case of [great] intellectual clash, however, the animal mind, like the human, gets more subtle. This is generally found to occur with those animals who remain in contact with humans. But the development that is discernible in this case is not spiritual, it is simply intellectual. Dogs and monkeys who are trained, for instance, can be made a bit [more intelligent] than other ones."
"Human beings, on the other hand, have the capacity to develop even in the spiritual realm. Those who do not pay heed to this special gift are animals, nay, even worse than animals. Animals are unable to make efforts for their spiritual development, whereas humans do have this ability." (1)
Note: Here above Baba is pointing out some of the basic differences between humans and animals. Animals are dominated by instinct, whereas humans are mind dominated and have the capacity to grow spiritually. Even then, tragically, some degenerated human beings surrender this cherished human quality and foolishly submit their existence at the altar of instinct. Even though they possess a human mind they live like animals - always in the grip of their baser propensities. Verily, they are worse than animals. By Baba's causeless grace, we are fortunate to have been blessed with a human body and mind, as well as the tools of spiritual sadhana, so we can progress and become divine.
Reference
1. Subhasita Samgraha - 24, Mysticism and Spirituality
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Bhakti and fear are mutually exclusive
Here below Baba gives us a very unique definition of who become fearful.
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "You should remember that a situation will never arise in this world which will give you cause for fear. It has been said that Parama Purusa is the fear of fear. That is, fear is as afraid of Parama Purusa as humans are afraid of fear."
"Ananda Marga is essentially Tantra-orientated, it too, has a few special features of its own. As I have said previously, our ideology maintains that no-one need be afraid of anything under any circumstances. If anyone does get afraid, it should be understood that he is doing something ultravarious to our ideology." (1)
Reference
1. Kolkata, 14 November 1978
== Section: Important Teaching ==
"তোমাকে ভাল-মন্দ খৰাৰ, আদর করৰ, যত্ন করৰ--
পাপ তোমাকে কেন দৰ?"
“ভগবান যদি তোমাকে ৰলেন, "আরে, তুমি তো অনেক পাপ করেছিস, তো তোর পাপটা আমাকে দিয়ে দে” | তখন তুমি কি ৰলৰে ? যে “না, ভগবান পাপটা তোমাকে কেন দৰ ? তোমাকে ভাল-মন্দ খৰাৰ, আদর করৰ, যত্ন করৰ--পাপ তোমাকে কেন দৰ ? আমার যা সুকৃতি তাই তোমাকে দৰ | কিন্তু পরমপুরুষ মানুষকে তো ভালৰাসেন, মানুষ তো পরমপুরুষেরই সৃষ্টি | আর, মানুষকে তিনি পাপের হাত থেকে ৰাঁচাতে চান, তাই তিনি কি করেন ? তাকে না জানিয়ে, লুকিয়ে, তার পাপ চুরি করেন, হরণ করেন | চুরি না করলে, লুকিয়ে না নিলে, তো মানুষ দেৰে না পরমপুরুষকে তার পাপ | ভাল জিনিস দেৰে, পাপ তো আর দেৰে না | তাই যিনি পাপকে হরণ করেন, তিনি হলেন হরি |” [1]
Reference
1. অপ্রকাশিত, ১৯৮৮ আনন্দ নগর
== Section 3: Links ==
Other topics of interest
