Baba
Reconciling Independence Day
Namaskar,
From time to time, the question arises about the celebration of Independence Day or certain national holidays. As Ananda Margiis, what should we do? On the one side, we have to follow the neo-humanistic principle that this entire world is our homeland, and from another angle we are living in a particular country, state, or town and we have a duty to take care of and protect that place. In His teachings on neo-humanism, Baba guides us that nationalism is a psychic disease. Then how can we reconcile these two stances.
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Or think of it in this way. If some invaders attack the country in which you are living, then what should you do. If someone thinks that, “I am a neo-humanist, and I do not care about the protection of this country, as this whole entire universe is mine,” that approach will be completely wrong.
Thinking about one’s own self is ok as long as...
The practical approach is that thinking about one’s own self is not selfishness, as long as that person is also thinking about the welfare of others and not exploiting them.
Here the formula is just like our samaj system: universal in spirit, regional in approach. So if some belligerent country attacks your homeland then you have to save your country and help the soldiers fight. Protection of own’s land, block, or country is not selfishness. Because your existence is dependent upon that.
If someone becomes so selfish that they start exploiting other countries and filling their pockets with the wealth of other nations etc, then that is the psychic disease of nationalism. Here following is the same formula. Suppose some robbers entered your home to rob and kill you, then it is ok to kill them. Similarly, in the case of your province, or samaj [socio-economic unit], or your country, it is important to fight and defend it. Thinking about the welfare of the universe and at the same time working for local progress is a very practical approach.
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Nationalism vs neo-humanism
Due to the psychic disease of nationalism or provincialism, one will start exploiting those areas they think are alien, i.e. other provinces or countries. That is what is happening throughout the entire globe these days. In the name of national interest or nationalism, certain countries exploit the entire world - as do other powerful nations. While exploiting others, they justify they are doing this in the name of national interest. According to neo-humanism, this type of nationalism is a psychic disease. They do not think for universal welfare. They exploit other countries, let alone help them.
Conclusion
Saving one’s own house, county, province, or country from external invasion is in line with neo-humanism, as long as you also think about the welfare of the entire globe. The type of Independence Day that recognises when your country attained freedom from outside invaders should be celebrated. It is the same as if you ousted an aggressor from your own house then naturally you will be happy that you got your home back. Yet at the same time, we have to think about the entire universe.
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If some belligerent country attacks your homeland then you have to save your country and help the soldiers fight. Protection of own’s land, block, or country is not selfishness. Because your existence is dependent upon that.
Namaskar,
In Him,
Viireshvara
~ In-depth study ~
We have to help the soldiers
Here is an English summary of Guru’s original Hindi teaching of General Darshan, Patna, 1 January 1963.
You have to develop the power of a kśatriya to defend the society, and provide all sorts of protection including the honour of the mothers and sisters, defending country from external attack. There should not be the slightest bit of procrastination or slackness in this regard. Those who cannot defend themselves cannot progress. In ancient times, people used to say, "Yogiis and sages would live in a governed state where law and order is maintained and whose king is strong." That was the age of the dictatorship so the king was expected to be strong, but now we would say, "where the government is strong." Therefore citizens should help the government in order to maintain law and order, and defense. When under attack, we will have to help our soldiers defend the country. For that we require kśatriyan power, there should be no slackness. (English summary of Baba’s Hindi discourse of 01 Jan 1963)
How to deal when criminal has come to kill you
The following is a summary of the idea expressed in the Ahimsa chapter.
Suppose some robbers entered your home to rob and kill you, then it is ok to kill them. Those who try to assault you with weapons are also a’tata’yiis. Some advise to wait for an a’tata’yii to first attack you, and then you may counter-attack. This is an inherently flawed strategy. No doubt, you will retaliate if he attacks you. However, if you are certain that the a’tata’yii has the plan to attack you, then you should immediately strike at him first, despite the fact that he has yet to assault you. Here the word Shastradha’rii has been used and not Shastragha’tii. The assailant is armed and charging towards you. Without delay, you should attack him. The instant you know of his malevolent plan, do not delay. There are some goody-goodies who pause and allow the enemy to attack first. Launch your attack first before he can strike at you.
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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 ==
"Tumi bha'lo ba'so yadi, eso..." (Prabhat Samgiita #0792)
Purport:
O’ Parama Purusa, You say that You love me, but if You do love me then please come to me. Bestow me with Your darshan. Do not keep me away. If You judge me by my virtue and vice, my merit or demerit, then You will discover the sad truth that I only possess negative traits. It is painful to admit that I do not have even a few good qualities, nor any virtues in my life. Without considering my good or bad actions, shower me with Your causeless grace, Most Merciful One.
O’ Parama Purusa, the garden of my life is filled with thorns. There is not a single flower; but, there are innumerable buds. With Your arrival, they will surely bloom. Kindly take Your seat on those blossoms and beautify those newly blossomed lotus flowers by using them if You wish.
O’ Parama Purusa, I do not have a sonorous voice nor do I have bhakti in my core. Due to the lack of a melodious call, I cannot sing in such a spiritually loving way and float the pollen of my heart on the crest of the gentle breeze. When I get Your spiritual touch, my whole existence will be vibrated with bhakti. Come to me with the fragrant, sweet melody, and bless me with Your exquisite smile. Baba, without evaluating my virtue and vice, shower Your krpa on me…
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Baba: AM is for all
Ananda Marga ideology says, "I dedicate A'nanda Ma'rga in this DMC to all sections of society...from this DMC onwards I have become a man of the people because I believe that dharma is the property of the masses, not the exclusive monopoly of a handful of so-called educated middle class elite. Dharma belongs to one and all. From this DMC, I recognise it as the property of the common people." (1)
Reference
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 7, Spiritual Truth Surpasses Everything
== Section: Important Teaching ==
How samadhi can be bad
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "By the way you should know that samádhi does not only occur as a result of a certain realization; other samádhis can occur on indriyas or the five fundamental factors. When the mind is focused on a particular object and becomes intensely concentrated it is called samádhi. According to spiritual science the samádhi attained when the entire mind is pin-pointed on Parama Puruśa is called prajiṋá samádhi."
"When a sádhaka focuses his or her mind on the solid factor (solid is one of the five fundamental factors) and thinks “I am the earth” he or she attains kśitibhaetik samádhi, losing all practical intelligence in the process. Those who constantly think about rupees or dollars attain a kind of samádhi, 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." (1)
Story of my own cousin
Note: Tragically, my own cousin experienced this type of negative samadhi. During the economic downturn in 2009, he became very worried about his finances. He had an inheritance of 20 million dollars, and he thought he was going to lose it all. He experienced a very strange, deep, dark depression and feelings of hopelessness and helplessness.
Finally, his mind just stopped - and he sat there frozen - completely fixated on the prospect of losing all his money. He sat in a comatose state completely engrossed in thoughts about losing money - everything else in his mind vanished. It was just money, money, money. He skipped his food, ignored natural call, and sat in one spot all day long for almost 1 week. He did not die, but he came very close to death. When at last he emerged from this state, he was totally unaware about what had happened. It was as if he had been in a vacuum.
Baba's warning is that mundane things like money or wealth should never be one's object of ideation. Worldly things are by definition transient. They slip away. And when that happens, people become shocked, even negative samadhi. This becomes very serious for those who were very attached with those objects. They will fall into a state of terrible misery, and perhaps even death.
Best is to goad and point the mind to Parama Purusa. Because if one is fixated on the mundane and prone to that negative type of samadhi then one may remain depressed or even resort to suicide…
In Him
Sudhiindra
Reference
1. Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell, Ekendriya – 7
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Needlessly overwhelmed
Here following is one of the main offshoots of attacking another’s religious beliefs. The main idea is that those dogmatic religious followers, i.e. those believers, do not use their brain to determine right from wrong when it comes to their religion. Just they believe. Verily a large percentage (99% or so) were indoctrinated into that religion during their childhood. And if anyone mocks their illogical beliefs, those followers become very frustrated and angry; in turn, they will blindly cling to their religious beliefs even more fiercely. They will be more rigid in their dogmatic ways. In that case, the purpose in challenging that follower’s dogmatic religious beliefs will not bear any fruit. Rather it defeats the purpose.
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, "Never attack the religious beliefs of anyone. Make the person understand gradually with logic. If you attack a person's religious beliefs, it means you have attacked Ananda Marga." (1)
Here is an example: In India people worship the mythological monkey god. Those followers think that one morning the so-called monkey god had nothing to eat so he ate the sun. Then all around it became completely dark. But this is a ludicrous idea. Yet, if anyone makes jokes about this and attacks the religious sentiment of those monkey god worshipers, those followers will become more rigid and adamant about their beliefs. They will not give up their dogma. And this applies to all the dogmatic religions. In contrast, if one patiently and gently tries to convince them through logic and reasoning, then they make get convinced and start doing sadhana. In sum, dogmatic beliefs should be corrected through polite logic and reasoning, and not just ridiculed and attacked through, attacking language, jokes, or mockery.
If you say, “Hanuman is just a wild monkey - why should sane human beings worship a monkey. Those who do so are lunatics.” If someone levies such a claim or accusation, that goes against the spirit of our Ananda Marga approach. One should not mock any religion in this way.
2nd half of this vital teaching
Without understanding the below, one’s knowledge of religious issues will be half-baked.
Generally when Ananda Marga philosophy is compared with the theology of other religions, even in a respectful manner, then some uninformed people get overwhelmed. They forget that Baba encourages respectfully pointing out the defects of various religions. See Baba’s teaching below.
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Read any so-called religious book: one will seldom find anything resembling tolerance of the religious beliefs of others...If necessary, different views can be compared and presented in philosophical books. The philosophical and psychological loopholes in an argument may be pointed out without being disrespectful.” (2)
Due to their unawareness they think, “Do not point out any harmful things practiced by other religions.” They believe Baba forbids this. To remove their confusion, the above yellow highlighted quote may help.
Without bringing the logical point and respectful discussion of loopholes of various religions, it is not possible to open the eyes of the common people that what they are doing is wrong and harmful to them. That is why religious loopholes should be highlighted in a respectful manner.
References
1. Caryacarya - 2, Society, Point #9
2. Human Society - 1, Moralism
