Baba
Cleaning the mind
Namaskar,
Every human being wants anandam or bliss. But due to their confusion, they run hither and thither for worldly acquisitions and never get satisfied. Those who are fortunate land on the spiritual path. They want to realise Parama Purusa. In the following teaching, Baba uses the example of muddy water to guide sadhakas how they can realise Parama Purusa.
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Dirty water analogy
Ananda Marga ideology states, “Suppose there is some article in water, and the water is stirless and clear. Then you will be able to see the article. But if the water is not transparent, you will not be able to see the article even if the water is stirless. So to see Parama Puruśa within the mind, the mind should be transparent and acaiṋcala [calm] – there shouldn't be any movement in it. In order to check that movement one is to practise concentration [sadhana], and for purifying the mind and making it transparent, one is to render selfless service to the society. A sádhaka must remember this fact.” (1)
If the water is muddy and calm then a person cannot see their face in the reflection. And if the water is clean and choppy then also you cannot see your face. So both are needed; the water should be clean and calm. Then you can see your face in the water’s reflection. And this analogy is related with the sadhaka who wants to see Parama Purusa in their mind. If the mind is dirty and filled with all kinds of junk thoughts, then one cannot see the reflection of Parama Purusa. So cleaning is needed. And to clean the mind, as the above quote says, one has to do service.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Unfortunately, some are commonly confused by what it means to do service. They think that, by definition, feeding the poor or giving a donation is service. But that is not the determining factor. If an atheist gives money or food to the beggar that is not service or seva according to Ananda Marga philosophy.
Requirements for doing seva
To do seva the following ingredients are required:
(a) One should think that their energy is coming from Parama Purusa, and that whatever money or strength one has is His - not theirs.
(b) One should view those being served not as a beggar but as a manifestation of Parama Purusa. He has come before you in the shape of a beggar.
(c) One should view themselves also as a representation of Parama Purusa.
So with His strength you are His agent serving Him, with His energy. If you have this ideation then ego will not develop. And if all the above ingredients are enlisted then it is true service. Unfortunately, most of the people do fake service. They think they are doing everything: they are serving beggar, and they are doing it with their own strength and money etc. By this way they create negative samskaras and ego, and ultimately they degenerate.
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Fake service has a negative effect. If you are old enough and have several decades of experience in Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha, then you can understand how those busy in fake service did not progress as human beings. Rather, they became arrogant, self-centered, and crude. They became aged, but their mental standard went down. They became quite degenerated in comparison to when they first joined the Marga. Sadly, they went in the reverse gear, i.e. opposite direction. And, as you know, Baba has declared Ananda Marga as a man-making mission. But those people could not get the benefit because they were doing fake service. If they had been doing true service they would have progressed a lot.
Example of hypocrisy in sadhana
Some do not do sadhana regularly in their home, but at retreats or at some public gathering where others are around, they like to show how they are above the level of a normal sadhaka. On that occasion, they sit for long hours in sadhana harbouring the strong desire that others should regard them as a great sadhaka. To this end, they sit in some visible place for an extended period in their meditation posture. The sole motive is to project the image that, “I should be revered as a great bhakta.” By playing this external facade, they get “success” to some degree; a few might hold them with great regard. But in the psycho-spiritual field this type of behaviour is terribly detrimental for mental progress.
In sadhana, satya is of utmost importance. So when hypocrisy, external show, and the tendency to glorify oneself are at the forefront, then the mind degenerates. You can easily recognise if one is a fake or top-grade sadhaka by their overall behaviour. It is also meaningful to find out how that person lives in their own house when no one is around.
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So there are two classifications: fake sadhakas and true sadhakas. True sadhakas should be venerated, whereas fake ones should be avoided. Those who effortlessly sit for long sadhana feel a strong spiritual surge which gives them the psychic strength to sit for an extended period, and they never feel tired. Because when doing sadhana internal stamina is generated. In contrast, if a person is trying to do sadhana but their mind is not concentrated then soon they will feel very tired. You know sadhana is a science and if one practices sincerely and deeply engages in mantra japa etc, the entire personality will become very positive.
Those indulging in hypocrisy in the name of sadhana know they are hypocrites and Parama Purusa also knows. So that is not spiritual service. By their hypocritical display of sadhana, they cannot please Parama Purusa.
How to clean & calm the mind
To see Parama Purusa, one has to clean the mind with the help of service. There are three types of service:
(a) Physical service to Parama Purusa: Serving the various manifestations of this expressed universe with the ideation of Narayan (God)
(b) Psychic service: Singing and dancing kiirtan is psychic service to Parama Purusa.
(c) Spiritual service: Doing the various lessons of sadhana with the ideation that, “I am doing sadhana to please Him.”
In practicing these three services the mind will be clean. And now we come to the point of how to calm the mind. According to Baba, to calm the mind one has to do dhyana.
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When the mental mirror is both clean and calm, then one can see and realise Parama Purusa and become one with Him. When a sadhaka becomes pure, they will merge into and become one with Him. They become part and parcel of Cosmic Mind, as there is no difference between unit and the Supreme Entity. All feelings of differentiation are due to the dirt of the mind. When the dirt is removed, the unit mind becomes one with the Cosmic Mind.
Conclusion
That is the overall approach for how to clean and calm the mind and see Parama Purusa. On this point Baba says why should one wait for the time of their death, rather one should realise Parama Purusa with this body and this mind. Why wait for the future.
In Him,
Jyotirbrahma
References
1. Subhasita Samgraha - 21, Unit Spirit and Cosmic Spirit
== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==
Am I outside the universe?
“Tumi yadi jagat joŕá, ámi kii jagat cháŕá...” (Prabhat Samgiita #0830)
Purport:
O’ my Parama Purusa Baba, if You are associated with the world through Your ota and prota yoga and care for each and every entity in this entire universe, then am I outside the scope of the universe? Why are You not concerned about me. You have left me by the wayside, completely neglected. If You are the reliever of all sorrow and the remover of everyone’s suffering, then why don't You relieve me of my terrible torment. I am still wallowing in misery. Please be gracious. Being the Supreme Entity, if You are related with the entire universe then am I outside it? I am also part of this world; please look towards me.
O’ Purna Brahma, I do not want happiness, but rather peace. I do not want boons or siddhis from You, just a wee-bit of Your divine grace. Lord, a small shelter above me - a tiny roof over my head - is all that is needed. I do not desire a garland of pearls or anything fancy or luxurious - nor any material gain. But I do want freedom and no longer wish to be imprisoned by dogma or stifled any longer, where my intellect is barred. I want to bask in the vast, unbounded, open-air of neo-humanism. Baba, being the Supreme Entity, if You are related with the entire universe then am I outside it? Certainly, I am also part of this world. Please look towards me.
O’ Parama Purusa, You are great, and I am meagre. You are the vast Cosmic Entity, the Supreme Consciousness, and I am a small, unit being. You are like the sun, and I am like a snowflake. By Your touch, my body melts into water. When my unit mind comes in contact with Cosmic Consciousness, it merges into that and loses its existence. Baba, being the Supreme Entity, if You are related with the entire universe then am I outside it? I am also part of this world; please look towards me.
O’ Prabhu, I want to be immersed in the spiritual colour of bhakti. Kindly be gracious...
“Tumi yadi jagat joŕá, ámi kii jagat cháŕá...” (Prabhat Samgiita #0830)
Purport:
O’ my Parama Purusa Baba, if You are associated with the world through Your ota and prota yoga and care for each and every entity in this entire universe, then am I outside the scope of the universe? Why are You not concerned about me. You have left me by the wayside, completely neglected. If You are the reliever of all sorrow and the remover of everyone’s suffering, then why don't You relieve me of my terrible torment. I am still wallowing in misery. Please be gracious. Being the Supreme Entity, if You are related with the entire universe then am I outside it? I am also part of this world; please look towards me.
O’ Purna Brahma, I do not want happiness, but rather peace. I do not want boons or siddhis from You, just a wee-bit of Your divine grace. Lord, a small shelter above me - a tiny roof over my head - is all that is needed. I do not desire a garland of pearls or anything fancy or luxurious - nor any material gain. But I do want freedom and no longer wish to be imprisoned by dogma or stifled any longer, where my intellect is barred. I want to bask in the vast, unbounded, open-air of neo-humanism. Baba, being the Supreme Entity, if You are related with the entire universe then am I outside it? Certainly, I am also part of this world. Please look towards me.
O’ Parama Purusa, You are great, and I am meagre. You are the vast Cosmic Entity, the Supreme Consciousness, and I am a small, unit being. You are like the sun, and I am like a snowflake. By Your touch, my body melts into water. When my unit mind comes in contact with Cosmic Consciousness, it merges into that and loses its existence. Baba, being the Supreme Entity, if You are related with the entire universe then am I outside it? I am also part of this world; please look towards me.
O’ Prabhu, I want to be immersed in the spiritual colour of bhakti. Kindly be gracious...
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Expecting moms
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Pregnant women and female animals may work half of what they usually do at other times; but under no circumstances should they be allowed to do strenuous work, as it may lead to premature delivery or stillbirth." (1)
Unfortunately both in the east and in the west expecting mothers are often put in physically challenging and compromising situations. For instance, many expectant women who have career jobs in the US might work full-time right up until their delivery day. They are often compelled to work, either due to financial or professional pressures. In many countries, expectant women are often forced to engage in strenuous work throughout their pregnancy. These types of critical situations are neither healthy, nor sustainable, nor humane; yet they are pervasive around the globe. In comparison, women in economically wealthier families in the east, generally do not work and are less physically active during pregnancy.
Coerced to return to work
Systematic steps need to be taken to ease the workload of all expectant women. Failing that, the well-being of both mother and baby will remain precarious, at best. When the aim should be to provide a very comfortable and safe environment for all expectant women, especially those in the latter stages of pregnancy. Not only that, a maximum amount of job leave should be given to those moms who recently delivered. But unfortunately, often working mothers return to work as quickly as possible.
One can easily imagine that when mothers do not get resting time before giving birth, then how will that same mother provide love and affection to newborn infants if they are in a rush to return to work. This is a very sad state of affairs and related with the future of the people all over the globe, not just in those local areas. Because without proper love, their child's development is severely hampered and their full psychic growth will be impeded. So this is a universal issue that needs everyone's attention.
Baba says, "Pregnant women and female animals may work half of what they usually do at other times; but under no circumstances should they be allowed to do strenuous work, as it may lead to premature delivery or stillbirth." (2)
Situation of mothers in so-called developed countries
Those who are forcing or allowing expecting mothers to do engage in physically demanding work or chores during their pregnancy may be developed materially but are not developed on humanitarian grounds - with regards to understanding others' problems. That is why nearly everywhere in the western world, in all offices up to the last stage of pregnancy, women are working as they did when they were in 100% fit and healthy condition. That is why nowadays the most affected on this point are females in western countries. And, in result, serious damage is done to the fetus. One can easily imagine that when mothers do not get resting time before giving birth, then how will that same mother provide love and affection to newborn infants. Because in one week or so they will again join their career jobs. This is a very sad state and demands our attention. Because this is related with the future of the people in those affected areas. And indirectly the whole globe is seriously affected. Because without proper love, their children's development is severely hampered-- the flowering of their psyche and the growth of their brain is impossible because of this problem. Baba addresses this tragic situation in His book, Namah Shivaya Shantaya.
Financially poor mothers in so-called third world countries are also suffering from the same problem of being overworked in the late stage of their pregnancy.
In Him,
Lata’
References
1. Shabda Cayanika - 20
2. Shabda Cayanika - 20
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Watching crime films: outcome
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "The base propensities which lie dormant in everyone are easily stimulated by constant association with bad people. Through the united efforts of parents, people living in the locality and educators, it may be possible to save children from bad company. But it is very difficult to save them from the evil influences which reside in their own homes or preponderate in their neighbourhood. The only way to overcome such influences is to popularize the ideals of dharma, spread moral education and train an honest police force." (1)
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "In the modern world there is a wide variety of films which excite the passions and have a degrading influence on boys and girls, adolescents and young men and women. Such films create in cinema-goers the desire to emulate in their individual lives the criminal activities, the vulgar expressions of love, or the adventurous behaviour that they see enacted on the screen. This is another example of how keeping bad company causes depravity. Many cinema-goers imagine that the characters that they see on the screen are their actual acquaintances, but when they try to emulate these characters, they discover that the real world is much tougher than the world portrayed by the cinema. If their family ties are weak, if they are their own guardians or if they have no high ideals to inspire them, it will be extremely difficult, although not impossible, to save them from bad influences." (2)
Note: Now read about the below incident. Then it will be quite clear how the very thing Baba is warning about has taken shape, tragically.
Conclusion
Allowing children to watch such films, and play degrading games etc means knowingly harming them.
References
1. Human Society Part 1, Justice
2. Human Society Part 1, Justice
== Section 3: Links ==
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