Baba
Food science vs ritualistic beliefs
Namaskar,
A human mind can store information obtained from the present life as well as earlier lives in a layer-by-layer fashion. Animals, on the other hand, can hardly remember anything from their present life, let alone from their past lives. Baba has given many demonstrations in which He would enable people to access their past life information for a limited period. A child is ever curious to learn things at a very high rate and collect a lot of information.
Those who come to Ananda Marga at a more matured stage of their lives, inevitably, bring many things they learned in their childhood. Many such childhood learnings and memories may be helpful in one’s spiritual life, but then there are many childhood lessons that can present obstacles.
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For example, if one is indoctrinated into idol-worship, casteism, apartheid, etc during one’s childhood then they bring that disease along with themselves into Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha. Such diseases have to be treated lest one’s spiritual progress is blocked. It is easy to teach a child new things, but very difficult to teach an aged person. Due to this, Baba says that the spiritual teachings should be imparted at as young an age as possible.
Unlearn harmful religions teachings
Every Ananda Margii is bound to propagate the teachings of Ananda Marga, and it is important to know the wrong teachings that are present in the society, as well as the ways to educate common people to help them unlearn such teachings. This is very important particularly in the case of food as in different parts of the world people have a different conception of what is good food.
The mindless beliefs of meat-eaters
For example, Jews consider their food as ‘kosher’ / holy wherein there are elaborate guidelines with respect to slaughtering animals and storing the meat and other food. Muslims consider their ‘halal’ food as holy. It should be known that kosher and halal are defined based on the way the animal is slaughtered. In such a “holy” way of slaughtering, the animal is slowly cut using a serrated knife, while some hymns are uttered. The animal wails in pain and dies a slow and painful death. Sikhs consider “jhatka” as holy in which the animal is slaughtered in a quick and sharp blow. If the animal does not get beheaded in single blow then the meat is considered impure and not eaten. Both methods include the killing of an animal for food, but one considers slow slaughtering as holy while the other considers quick slaughtering as holy. The so-called holiness in the aforementioned cases is contradicting each other and is questionable due to the meat-eating involved. Those who have come from such backgrounds need to be taught what is proper food before coming onto the path of AM, otherwise they may still cling to their old beliefs.
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The illogical beliefs of vegetarians
Jains are vegetarians and prohibit killing even small insects, but their rules were developed around 2500 years ago when science was not developed. They still hold onto those unscientific beliefs. For example, they tie a cloth mask on their nose thinking that it will prevent the killing of microbes while breathing. It is now well known that microbes cannot be filtered by cloth masks as they are very small compared to the mesh on the cloth mask. Those same Jains also sweep their pathway before taking each step to prevent killing any insects. It is well known now that there are many organisms that are not visible via the naked eye. There are many other unscientific beliefs like not eating roots such as potatoes because while harvesting them insects die. They prohibit eating red-coloured vegetables like tomato and beetroot as their colour resembles blood.
Universal guideline of Ananda Marga: food
Ananda Marga presents a scientific way to discern between the edible and inedible food. Ananda Marga defines food as sentient that helps in the nourishment of body and mind both. The food that is not good for the body or the mind is prohibited. A Jaini is permitted to eat white eggplant as it is not blood-coloured and is vegetarian, but for an Ananda Margii, white eggplant is not permitted as it has a negative effect on one’s mind. There are other vegetables that are not permitted in Ananda Marga due to their negative effect on the mind like snake gourd and mustard greens etc. The vegetables should be eaten only when they have a positive effect both on the body and the mind. Milk is sattvik, but the milk obtained from a newly calved cow is tamasik. For one week after the child-birth, the milk of a cow is tamasik. The Hindu religion outrightly rejects all fermented food as rotten. However, fermented food can be sattvik and extremely good for the body and the mind. For example, lime pickles are fermented yet sattvik. In contrast, alcohol is bad for body and mind and hence tamasik, not just because it is fermented.
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Conclusion
Food should be selected based on its short-term, as well as its long-term, effect on the body and the mind. That food that causes the mind to be guided by animal vrittis like hunger, fear, sleep, procreation is tamasik and should be avoided. Unscientific dogmatic ideas, such as selecting food based on its colour, should not be the determining factor. Read meat should not be eaten because it is not good for the body as well as the mind. However, one can eat red-coloured tomatoes because they have a good effect on the body and the mind. In the future, the Earth may not remain habitable and people may have to explore other planets wherein the vegetation can be entirely different. Even then, the universal technique of food selection in Ananda Marga is based on their effect on the body and the mind, and that will apply to new vegetation or even chemically synthesized foods. Ananda Marga provides a list of sattvik food for the present conditions, and also provides a fundamental and universally applicable rule to select new items based on their suitability on the body and mind.
In Him,
Bhakti
Ananda Marga ideology states, "Suppose a physician says, “As a human, you require animal protein for your health;” but suppose dharma says, “No, a human should not take carnal food;” then in that case you will have to follow dharma and not the physician, because the order of dharma is above all other orders. Dharma is the highest Lord, the highest authority." (1)
~ In-depth study ~
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, “In every object of the universe, one of three attributes – sattva, rajah and tamah – will always be predominant. So food is also divided into three categories according to the dominancy of the attributes.
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(1) Sáttvika Áhára: All the staple food-grains such as rice, wheat, barley, etc.; all the pulses except masúr [an orange-coloured lentil] and khesári; all fruits and roots; all kinds of vegetables except violet-coloured carrots, white brinjals [white eggplants], onions, garlic and mushrooms; milk and milk products; all green and leafy vegetables except red puni and mustard.
All varieties of spices except garam masalá and all kinds of sweets, can be taken.
A sáttvika diet is required for those who practise ásanas. Those who find it difficult to give up the habit of rájasika food all of a sudden may eat a piece of haritakii [myrobalan] after the meal. Those who take sáttvika food should avoid taking a large quantity of mustard or mustard products. Rájasika food-eaters should gradually try to change over to sáttvika food and támasika food-eaters should try to give up such food as early as possible.
For the avadhútas and avadhútikás of Ananda Marga there is only one kind of food, sáttvika food.
All foods that are beneficial to both body and mind are considered sáttvika.
(2) Rájasika ahára: Any food that is beneficial to the body but is neutral to the mind, or vice versa, is called rájasika. Foods that do not fall into the sáttvika or támasika categories are of rájasika nature. In certain countries where there is a heavy snowfall, rájasika food can be treated as sáttvika and támasika food as rájasika.
(3) Támasika áhára: All kinds of foods which are harmful to either the body or mind and may or may not be harmful to the other are called támasika. Stale and rotten food, the flesh of large animals such as cows and buffaloes, and all types of intoxicants, are categorized as támasika. Small amounts of tea, cocoa and similar drinks which do not excite a person to the point of losing his/her senses are in the rájasika category. The milk of a newly-calved cow, white brinjals, khesárii dál, green vegetables of the type of red puni or mustard are támasika. Masúr dál cooked for one meal will become támasika by the next meal.” (2)
Sentient, mutative, & static food
Ananda Marga philosophy guides us, “Every object of the world is dominated by one of the three principles – sentient, mutative, and static. Food is no exception, and according to its intrinsic nature, is divided into the same three categories.
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Sentient food: Food which produces sentient cells and is thus conducive to physical and mental well-being is sentient. Examples of sentient food are rice, wheat, barley, all kinds of pulses, fruit, milk and milk products.
Mutative food: Food which is good for the body and may or may not be good for the mind, but certainly not harmful for the mind, is mutative.
Static food: Food which is harmful for the mind and may or may not be good for the body is static. Onion, garlic, wine, stale and rotten food, meat of large animals such as cows and buffaloes, fish, eggs, etc., are static.
Very often people eat food without knowing its intrinsic qualities. For example, the milk of a cow which has just given birth. Or white eggplant, khesárii pulse [horse gram], red puni [Basella rubra Linn.], or mustard leaves, all of which often grew out of rotten matter.
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.” (3)
Not all fermented food is tamasik
Ananda Marga philosophy says, “When wine ferments it is transformed into vinegar, losing its intoxicating power and developing a few sentient qualities. The sediment from the production of wine is called “yeast” and is particularly useful in the bakery industry.” (4)
References
1. Subhasita Samgraha - 21, Jaeva Dharma and Bhágavata Dharma
2. Ananda Marga Caryácarya Part 3, Áhárya
3. Yoga Psychology, Food, Cells, Physical and Mental Development
4. Prout in a Nutshell Part 21, Intoxicants
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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: Important Teaching ==
Recipe for success - 4
Namaskar,
Every human being wants to be successful. Who does not want to be successful? Whether in the realm of art, law, medicine, schooling, business, literature, science, or architecture - or any other field or endeavor - everyone wants to be successful. Knowing how to be successful then is an important recipe.
Baba has graciously given us His special guidelines wherein He explains how the 'Seven Secrets of Success' apply not just to spiritual life, but to worldly life as well. Here we examine the fourth secret of success: samatábhávo, which essentially means keeping a balanced mind or psychic equipoise.
Ananda Marga ideology states, “A man must not labour under any sort of complex – that is, a man, a spiritual aspirant, must be free from all complexes; he must have neither superiority complex, nor inferiority complex, nor fear complex, nor defeatist complex. That is, the mind should be completely balanced.” (1)
Samatábhávo: In the spiritual sphere, this means complete mental balance. And this same type of psychic equanimity is needed in worldly life. For instance, if a student or interviewee is very nervous or shy, then they will not be able to perform well. A student may become so nervous that they even get easy questions wrong, because they have lost their mental composure. Likewise, a professional seeking employment or putting on a presentation may be so shy that they are unable to convey their skill-set or knowledge to others in the room. And there are so many other examples. For instance, one's marriage may end in misery, if one constantly gets angry or acts in an erratic manner toward their spouse. So mental balance is highly needed in all aspects of worldly life.
Baba has blessed us all with great teachings which lead us to success, including how to utilize the Seven Secrets of Success in our worldly endeavours. So we should pay heed to this doctrine not just in spiritual life but in all our worldly dealings as well.
Baba says, "You, boys and girls, should remember the points and do accordingly. It will help you in your all-around success." (2)
Here below in this next passage Sadguru Baba outlines some of the various complexes: (a) superiority complex, (b) inferiority complex, (c) fear complex, and (d) defeatist complex.
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, “Now when you are suffering from a superiority complex, you think that you are a better person and others are worse persons; as a result of which you are unable to accept the external waves in proper style. So your thinking gets polluted, gets distorted, as a result of which the refracted portion, that is, the memory, also gets distorted, becomes defective.
"So you must not have any superiority complex. You should remember that you are not superior to anybody else. All are children of the same Supreme Father, all are progeny of the same Supreme Progenitor. Nobody is superior to anybody.
"The second complex: Sometimes you may think that “I am an ordinary man, and that man is so big, so learned, such a big scholar – so rich, and I’m poor” – like this. If you think like this, what will happen? There will not be proper expression of your mind, there will not be proper emanations of your thought-waves; as a result of which the thought will become distorted and the refracted thought, that is, the memory portion, will become defective.
"Similarly, the fear complex: Sometimes people suffer from a fear complex. The psychological side of the fear complex is as follows: Due to the presence of something stronger, or due to the presence of something which is imaginarily stronger, not actually stronger, what happens? Mental flows are blocked, are choked. They cannot find the proper avenue of expression; as a result of which thoughts also get polluted. There cannot be free thinking. A man suffering from a fear complex cannot think properly. And if the thought is defective, the memory will also be defective. So you must never suffer from any sort of fear complex.
"Why should you suffer from a fear complex or an inferiority complex, when the Supreme Father is your father, when you all are the children of the same Father; why should you suffer from any inferiority complex or any fear complex, when the Supreme Father is with you? You are not weak. You are very strong, because the Almighty Father, the omnipotent Supreme Father, is with you to help you – so you must not encourage the psychology of weakness, or an inferiority complex or a fear complex. He is with you, always He is with you to help you. You are never alone.
"And sometimes there is a defeatist complex. “Oh, I am defeated in this world,” “Oh, I am defeated in this struggle for existence.” Such a sentiment, such a psychology, sometimes goads a man to commit suicide even. “I am defeated, I am defeated in the struggle for existence.” You must not encourage this type of psychology. When your father is the Supreme Father, your father is the most powerful entity in the entire universe, why should you think that you have been defeated in the struggle for existence? No, a bright future awaits you. Your future is glorious, your future is luminous, your future is effulgent.
"So you must not suffer from this psychology of helplessness or hopelessness or of despair. This defeatist complex may also be called “sinner’s psychology”.” (3)
Namaskar,
Bhakti Bhusana
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 34, Be Free from All Complexes
2. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 14, Seven Secrets
3. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 34, Be Free from All Complexes
== Section 3: Links ==
Other topics of interest
