Baba
Watch out before consuming
Namaskar,
In our Ananda Marga we aim to develop ourselves in all the three realms: Physical, psychic, & spiritual. All are aware of this common fact and every Ananda Margii takes proper care to follow it to the best of their ability. Now and again, we hear about the negative qualities of company food products, i.e. processed foods that come in a box and or "natural foods" injected with steroids and chemicals etc.
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This is a growing area of concern as more of the world's population becomes engrossed in the capitalistic lifestyle of running hither and thither all day and eating something pre-packaged from a box whenever hunger calls. Many, even in India, are losing the basic skill of how to cook and prepare fresh food.
For this reason, all the areas of our diet & food which we generally consider as sentient need careful evaluation. Due to the negative practices of capitalist companies that are only interested in their bottom-line, i.e. profits, one must be very cautious about consuming genetically impaired foods which are commonly sold in the market.
As a general guideline, we know that the more processed a food is, the greater the influence a company wields in altering the food. However even direct farm-grown products such as fruits and vegetables are likely to be treated with poisonous, and in some cases, structure-altering substances. All this is described below.
Dairy products and bovine growth hormones
First though, one area of great concern is with dairy products as today's cows are given all kinds of bovine hormones.
Dairy farmers use an array of chemicals and antibiotics on their cows. This is for two reasons: (1) the overcrowded and poor living conditions of the cows in the dairy cause frequent widespread disease among the herd (flock of cows); and (2) the farmers' desire to produce huge amounts of milk to get more money. As we know, the sole motive in capitalism is to earn more money. So cows are given bovine growth hormones to multiply their milk production, and to prevent food poisoning of old and dirty products. More about all this is written in Note 2 below.
So many chemicals given to cows
About twenty different antibiotics / poisons and over thirty other drugs / poisons and chemicals are legal for use on dairy cows in Western countries. And because of capitalistic influence in the society, those chemicals are approved by the democratic government of their respective country.
Baba addresses this in Prout: Capitalist exploitation occurs mostly in democratic countries. Democratic rule is the best suited for capitalist exploitation where capitalists can purchase the leaders with their money and get the laws passed in their favour of their business. This it the way political lobbying works: Those with the most money get their interests met.
Regarding cow's milk, these capitalists have passed regulations approving the use of more than 50 types of chemicals. The aim is to prevent food poisoning of old, rotten food. But these chemicals themselves are poisonous for human consumption.
Unfortunately, the general public is not aware about this fact. And on the milk packaging or container it is also not mentioned. They only write as - "government board approved". By seeing that deceptive and misleading label, nobody can understand what really is inside the milk. But if anybody has more interest, they will communicate with different labs and consumer advocacy groups and get the truth. And then they will have the same picture described above.
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The only intention here is to write the fact and put forth the situation as it is, so interested sadhakas can follow their pramitahara / proper diet for their all-round development and final success.
Milk can be taken
only if produced humanely
Baba has given that milk is sentient and appropriate for human consumption as per Caryacarya, Yogic Treatments, and different discourses. But the type of milk which Baba is talking about is not widely available in this exploitative, capitalist era.
Generally, such type of milk only one can be gotten when one is living in a far remote place, and the cows are living in a natural condition in the open sky, grazing directly from the ground, and not eating chemicals - i.e. where those cows are leading a good and healthy life with proper care and hygiene. Then that type of milk is the real milk which Baba is talking about. And if anybody drinks that it will give a different - i.e. positive - effect.
But unfortunately, because of capitalistic influence, the milk and milk products that are mass-produced today are completely poisoned.
We should not forget that Baba has warned in Prout discourses that, essential commodities -- food etc -- must not be allowed to be produced by capitalist enterprises. Otherwise they will create a huge problem. And we can see these days, such a problem is now on our head. And so we should be careful.
Food affects you
physically, psychically & spiritually
Ananda Marga ideology says, "Physical food is not simply for the physical body. It has got its effect on the spiritual body. The cells of your physical body are created from the cells that you receive from your physical food, and your psychic body is also influenced by these cells. So while taking food, you should be very careful. You should always try to take sentient food." (1)
Namaskar,
in Him
Dayanidhi
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~ In-depth study ~
How companies irradiate your food
In recent years, companies in various countries have begun the practice of food irradiation. With the goal, to prevent food poisoning. By exposing food to high doses of radiation, companies can prevent or delay the growth of bacteria and mold. The doses of irradiation applied to food exceed that in chest x-rays by 10 million to 100 million times. And in many cases, the companies are not required to state on the package even, that the food has been irradiated. This is the under-handedness of capitalism. To protect the moneyed interests of large companies, they are allowed to irradiate the public food -- including fruits and vegetables -- under the table without informing people what they are eating. And irradiating food changes the basic structure of the food. It is completely negative.
Exploitation of cows in factory farms
Please read the following and consider how far this type of treatment is consistent with neo-humanism as well as what effect such products have on our human health.
The Dairy Industry: Cows Used For Their Milk
~ Courtesy of PETA ~
Cows produce milk for the same reason that humans do: to nourish their young. In order to force the animals to continue giving milk, factory farm operators typically impregnate them using artificial insemination every year. Calves are generally taken from their mothers within a day of being born—males are destined for veal crates or barren lots where they will be fattened for beef, and females are sentenced to the same fate as their mothers.
After their calves are taken from them, mother cows are hooked up, several times a day, to milking machines. Using genetic manipulation, powerful hormones, and intensive milking, factory farmers force cows to produce about 10 times as much milk as they would naturally.
Animals are often dosed with bovine growth hormone (BGH), which contributes to a painful inflammation of the udder known as "mastitis." (BGH is used widely in the U.S. but has been banned in Europe and Canada because of concerns over human health and animal welfare.) According to the industry's own figures, between 30 and 50 percent of dairy cows suffer from mastitis, an extremely painful condition.
A cow's natural lifespan is about 25 years, but cows used by the dairy industry are killed after only four or five years. An industry study reports that by the time they are killed, nearly 40 percent of dairy cows are lame because of the intensive confinement, the filth, and the strain of being almost constantly pregnant and giving milk. Dairy cows' bodies are turned into soup, companion animal food, or low-grade hamburger meat because their bodies are too "spent" to be used for anything else. (Courtesy of PETA)
Related teachings
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "In order to have a balanced mind and to progress spiritually, human beings will have to pay attention to the qualities of the food they eat. The idea that “I will just do my sádhaná and eat any food, proper or improper” will not do." (2)
Ananda Marga ideology states, “It will not do to simply eat what you get or do what you desire. When you eat you must consider if it is sentient, mutative or static. While eating you must think carefully as to what influence it will have over your body and your mind. You are not a goat or a camel that you will eat whatever you get. You have to think when you act.” (3)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "As a result of eating sentient food and performing spiritual practices, the cells of the human body become sentient." (4)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "If cells are affected by food and water, and if the nature of the cells affects the nature of the human mind, obviously human beings should eat the correct diet, because food and mind are closely related to each other. Any food item, whether good or bad, must not be taken indiscriminately because it may lead to mental degeneration. Sincere spiritual aspirants must follow the dictum: Áhárashuddhao sattvashudhih [“A sentient diet produces a sentient body”]. Only food which is helpful in keeping the body and mind sentient should be eaten." (5)
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 14, Seven Secrets
2. Yoga Psychology, Food, Cells, Physical and Mental Development
3. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 9, The Primary Causes of Success
4. Yoga Psychology, Food, Cells, Physical and Mental Development
5. Yoga Psychology, Food, Cells, Physical and Mental Development
== Section 3 ==
क्यों यह सेवा नहीं है
“और, मनुष्य में एक अतिरिक्त चीज़ है जिसका नाम है—सेवा | सेवा क्या है ? देंगे; लेंगे नहीं कुछ | Unilateral transaction, one-sided transaction | मनुष्य जो दान करते हैं, मान लो किसी भिखमङ्गे को तुम दान करती हो | तो, exchange में कुछ लेती हो, या लेने की भावना रहती है ? नहीं | जिसको तुम दिए थे, वह भी तुम भूल जाते हो कुछ दिन के बाद | उसी रोज़ भूल जाते हो | सुबह दिए हो, तो सन्ध्या में भूल जाते हो | तब, यह पशु में नहीं है, यह है सेवा, यह मनुष्य की विशेषता में है | किन्तु मान लो कोई आदमी आज दान दिए, एक लाख रुपया | और, रातभर नींद नहीं आई | आज इन्तज़ार में हैं कि कल सुबह अख़बार में देखेंगे कब निकल रहा है कि—सेठ चोट्टामल डाकूराम बटपरिया ने इतना रुपया दान दिया |
[हँसी]
तब तुम्हारा यह, क्या हुआ ? यह सेवा नहीं है, mutual transaction | दान दिए हो, और देखने के इन्तज़ार में बैठे हुए हो | हाँ | तो, ऐसा नहीं करोगे | दान दोगे, भूल जाओगे | दान should be what, unilateral | Unilateral माने one-sided, एकतरफ़ा |”
[यह बाबा के कैसेट से सीधे लिखा गया, बाबा का यह असली प्रवचन, अमृतोपदेश है। आनन्द मार्ग हिन्दी पुस्तकों में छपे प्रवचन तो नक़ली प्रवचन हैं, असली नहीं] [1]
Reference
1. उद्भिदधर्म, पशुधर्म, मानवधर्म, October 1979 EGD Nagpur
== Section 3 ==
যার ইচ্ছা-মৃত্যু হয়েছে
“কিছু মানুষের হয় যে পূর্বজন্মর কথাটা হুৰহু চিত্রটাই মনে থাকে | এবং সাধারণতঃ সেইগুলো হয়, যদি সে খুৰ উন্নত মানুষ হয়, যার ইচ্ছা-মৃত্যু হয়েছে | অথবা দ্বিতীয় হয় যে মানুষটা সজ্ঞানে মরেছে | আচ্ছা, মরৰার সময় জ্ঞান ছিল | আর তৃতীয় জিনিসটা হয়, যদি সে মানুষটা accident-এ মরে থাকে | এই তিন রকম ক্ষেত্রে পর জন্মের কথাটা ভাল ভাবে মনে থাকে |” (1)
Reference
1. MGD 19 December 1978 Calcutta
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