"Oh my gosh"
Namaskar,
According to Ananda Marga philosophy, atheistic meditation is dangerous. Here is the underlying logic.
Manaeva manuśyáńáḿ kárańaḿ bandhamokśayoh;
Bandhastu viśayásaungii mukto nirviśayaḿ tathá.
Ananda Marga ideology states, "This human mind is a peculiar entity. It is the cause of all our sorrows and predicaments, and it is the cause of our supreme bliss. It is the cause of bondage, and it is the cause of liberation." (1)
So the mind is the determining factor of movement in life - either towards liberation or bondage. Here is another way of thinking about it.
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Characteristic of the human mind to become as it thinks
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “One whose mind is very narrow is a mean-minded person, whereas one whose mind is broad is a great person. Sádhaná broadens and enlarges the mind. How? It is the innate characteristic of the human mind to become as it thinks – Yádrshii bhávaná yasya siddhirbhavati tádrshii [“As you think, so you become.”] To associate oneself with Parama Puruśa, the Supreme Entity, is the actual sádhaná. There is no one greater than Parama Puruśa, and so, when the mind ideates on Him, it expands.” (2)
Ya'drshii bha'vana' yasya' siddhirbhavati ta'drshii
“As you think, so you become.” (3)
According to the above shloka, every person is the product of the thoughts they cultivate in the mind.
Sadhana of emptiness is deadly
Now let’s apply these tenets to Buddhist philosophy which preaches the concept of nothingness. Since Buddhist meditation focuses on "nothingness" or "emptiness" then the practitioner will become one with nothingness. Or in a phrase, they will get turned into microvita like vidhealiina.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "A spiritual aspirant attains the state of videhaliina as a result of shunya dhya'na or ideation on nothingness. Through such ideation a sa'dhaka develops a psychic pabulum of nothingness. Yet even in this state there remains the possibility of rebirth. Those who embrace nothingness as their absolute goal develop a void in their citta in the absence of Cognitive Faculty. As a result they are unable to establish themselves in the Supreme Cognitive Stance and attain salvation. The spiritual cult which encourages this practice is certainly defective." (4)
So the approach of Buddhist meditation is a defective path; by ideating on nothingness, the practitioner is marching straight toward the unfavourable destiny of becoming videhaliina - an unbearable condition.
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Ananda Marga philosophy says, "People with this type of psychology attain the state of videhaliina after their demise – an unbearable condition." (5)
The outcome of Buddhist meditation is not good, rather quite harmful.
Spiritual sadhana vs atheistic sadhana
In Ananda Marga, our approach is to positively goad the mind toward Parama Purusa and the main technique is the use of mantra.
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "You cannot call all the sounds of the world mantras. Why? Because they do not possess the capacity to liberate a person from bondage. There are so many sounds, so many syllables and so many words in this universe...but only that sound whose acoustic expressions or acoustic waves have the stamina to goad the subtlest portion of the human mind unto the supreme stance can be a mantra." (6)
The system of Ananda Marga sadhana rejects the theory of nothingness, rather the aim is to fill the mind with a divine thought of Supreme Entity. It is a God-centered approach. In contrast, in Buddhistic sadhana, there is no Supreme Entity. Their approach is atheistic. That is what clearly separates Ananda Marga sadhana from Buddhist meditation.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Ananda Marga ideology says, "You are all spiritual aspirants. You are yogiis and you should know that the only interpretation of yoga is “Samyoga yoga Ityukto Jiiva'tma' Parama'tmanah”. All other interpretations are baseless." (7)
Sadguru Baba has graciously given the correct approach in meditation and He has also directed that "it is the bounden duty of every Ananda Margii to bring all onto the path of bliss." In turn our duty is to help the general public so they do not fall prey to the nothingness of Buddhist meditation. Our duty is to guide and teach them to move towards the Supreme, lest they become microvita.
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "As a yogic practice, pratya'ha'ra means “withdrawal of the mind from external objectivity and goading the withdrawn mind toward Parama Purus'a”." (8)
How Buddhists become crucified
Think of it in this way. If your goal is to go to the movie theater then you will reach there - not the flower garden. What people think about becomes their destination. The goal of every Ananda Margii is Parama Purusa. The entire practice of Ananda Marga moves in that direction - every moment. In contrast, the goal of the materialist is matter; every moment they think like that and become one with matter. Their mind and existence becomes converted into matter.
The Buddhist thinks of a vacuum (shunya or nothingness), and by their meditation their mind gets pointed in that way until ultimately they become unfit for human life. All because of their defective meditation practice. Sadly, they become microvita and undergo untold sufferings. Certainly they do not get Parama Purusa because He was not their goal.
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Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Q. 21 – If the annihilation of saḿskáras results in Nirváńa, then is it possible for atheists to attain “mukti” or “mokśa”?"
"Ans.: – When the saḿskáras are fully annihilated, the mind also gets annihilated. Mukti means to be free from all bondages, and mokśa means to be free even from the witness-ship of the object. If an atheist is annihilated there is no question of him/her attaining mukti or moksa because he/she doesn’t believe in the Cosmic Mind or in Cosmic Consciousness." (9)
Why Buddha did not openly talk about God
Lord Buddha himself was meditating on Supreme Consciousness - i.e. the Divine Entity - and that is why he got supreme realisation. But those days, in the name of God, there was a lot of exploitation going on; the common people were cheated and manipulated by greedy priests. So people were reacted by the mere mention of the term God. In turn, Buddha did not openly talk about God. But this approach of not referencing the existence of God has created a huge chasm in his preachings and verily turned Buddha's teachings into an atheistic philosophy / religion. It has become an atheistic "religion" for materialists. In this modern era, some have latched onto Buddhism because in Buddhism they have found a home where there is no God.
Fed-up with with church so say "oh my gosh"
It is just like how nowadays a similar scene is in vogue. Many people are fed-up with the misdealings, dogma, and narrow-mindedness of the church. And they express their exasperation by renouncing the existence of God and adopting a completely materialistic and self-centered outlook. They even transformed the phrase "oh my God" to "oh my gosh."
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
What is the origin of this phrase? "Oh my gosh" comes from oh my god and many say people used to use "oh my god" as praying for help when something happens.
Conclusion
Every human being has the freedom to do what they will on this earth. All have the power to choose. Most live life in an ordinary way and are subject to inchworm-like progress along the path of pratisaincara, staying far from the Cosmic Hub. Those who pointedly goad the mind in a particular direction, move in one of two ways: Toward the Supreme or toward degradation.
Practitioners of Ananda Marga sadhana are speeding toward Parama Purusa, whereas those doing Buddhist meditation are heading in an entirely different direction. With their practiced and pointed mind, they are moving toward nothingness, nihilism, and degradation. They will become microvita videhaliina.
In this regard, free will becomes a liability if one acutely guides the mind in the wrong direction. People fail to understand that Buddhist meditation will lead one towards gross degeneration. Yet right now, hoards of people are innocently embarking on this dark pathway thinking it will bring them into the light.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Sadguru Baba wants us to help and serve the general populace - and not watch idly as they transform themselves into videhaliina microvita, an unbearable condition, as they will suffer endlessly in that way.
In Him,
Prabhu Deva
~ In-depth study ~
Ignorant people blindly running
The question then is why raise the point here and now. In Ananda Marga sadhana, the mind is channelised towards the Supreme. So there is no question of falling into the trappings of Buddhist meditation or becoming microvita. However, the point holds great relevance as a growing phenomenon is on the move these days. The world over people are resorting to yoga asanas and Buddhist meditation.
In the popular culture, many ignorant participants do not equate yoga with meditation - they see it only as a form of exercise and then turn to Buddhist and pseudo-Buddhist principles for their psychic thirst. Indeed, all over the popular yoga trend or fake yoga movement, that is attracting millions and millions of people around the world, there is a fascination toward Buddhist meditation and its related themes like watching the breath and "mindfulness" etc. As harmful as it is, Buddhist meditation has become the fashion these days, sadly so.
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As Ananda Margiis, we should be aware of this trend - have our logic firmly in mind - and be ready to steer this hungry mass toward Ananda Marga sadhana.
Warning to fake yoga teachers
Here is one other point to keep in mind. Nowadays, so many margiis are teaching yoga and meditation in the general society. This manifests in all kinds of ways. Some do it openly under the banner of Ananda Marga, some not. And some may be teaching other techniques of meditation and relaxation etc. Some in Ananda Marga, knowingly or unknowingly, may be using the principles of Buddhist meditation in their yoga classes with the general public.
Some margiis may be saying, 'Become one with your breath', or 'Empty the mind of all thoughts', or 'Still the mind', or 'Be mindful' etc. These are all related with the defective approach of Buddhist meditation. Yet this is what is popular these days, and some margiis might be doing this as well in order to skirt the issue of mantra, or Parama Purusa, or God. Here then is just a reminder that no one in our Marga should resort to the misguided ways of Buddhist meditation in their yoga preachings or classes with the general public.
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 30, The Subtlest Propensity
2. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 4, Tantra Is Sádhaná, Sádhaná Is Tantra
3. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 4, Tantra Is Sádhaná, Sádhaná Is Tantra
4. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life - 9
5. Microvita in a Nutshell, Disembodied Souls and Microvita – Excerpt B
6. Subhasita Samgraha - 24, Incantation and Human Progress
7. Subhasita Samgraha - 12, The Spirit of Yoga
8. Yoga Psychology, Questions and Answers on Meditation
9. Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell - 3, Some Questions and Answers on Ananda Marga Philosophy – Excerpt B
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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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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 3: Important Teaching ==
Pet owners be wary
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "A monkey is a more developed animal than a dog or a cow, but as it does not live with humans, its development - the speed of its development - is less. Dogs and cows, who live with humans have a speedier evolution. A monkey which lives in the proximity of humans also has a speedier development." (1)
Note: But the reverse effect happens in the case of humans. Those people who keep such animals as their pets and live around those animals become that animal in their future life. This happens due to deep attachment with that animal and overall lack of Brahmabhava. Baba has given countless demonstrations about this.
Reference
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 5, Don't Be Misguided
== Section: Bangla Quote ==
“সৎ ব্যষ্টি কি করৰে ? তার কাছে যে সু, তার সঙ্গে ৰেশি মেলামেশা করৰে | সেই ৰেশি মেলামেশা করাটাকে ৰলা হয় "সত্সঙ্গ" | তাতে নিজের লাভ হৰে | আর নিজের লাভের ফলে নিজে যখন ৰেশ এগিয়ে যাৰে, তখন তো সমাজসেবা পিছনে তোমার duty হৰে---অন্যকে ভাল করা | এবং সেই সময় তুমি চেষ্টা করৰে কি ? না, যে মানুষের মধ্যে যতটুকু প্রসুপ্ত শুভ-ভাব আছে, সেটাকে আরও জাগিয়ে দাও | আর তার ব্যক্ত বা প্রসুপ্ত অশুভ ভাবকে শেষ করে দেওয়ার চেষ্টা করো | এ ব্যাপারে psychological pressure দেৰে না | Persuasion করতে হয় | ৰুঝলেন না ? Force নয়, persuasion | ইংরেজিতে দুটো শব্দ আছে, কাছা-কাছি | যেমন একজন doctor, একজন রোগীকে প্রথমে কি করৰেন ? Persuasion করৰেন | তাতে কাজ না হলে, তখন force | Persuasion-টা হল, সমাজে, একটা ৰড় দুষ্ট, সমাজের ক্ষতি করছে | প্রথমে কি করৰে ? Persuasion | তাতে কাজ না হলে, force | Persuasion-এর ৰাংলা হল ৰুঝিয়ে-সুঝিয়ে সত্পথে আনা | তাতে কাজ না হল, তখন force apply করৰে | কেন apply করৰে ? না, তুমি যদি force apply না কর, তার দ্বারা সমাজের অনেক ক্ষতি হয়ে যাৰে, যে | সমাজকে ৰাঁচাৰার জন্যে এইটা তুমি করছ | কিন্তু তাকে force apply করে, সাময়িক ভাবে ভাল রাখা যায়; স্থায়ী ভাবে রাখা যায় না | তাই সাময়িক ভাবে force apply করে তাকে ভাল রাখৰে ৰটে, কিন্তু ৰোঝানোর কাজ চলতেই থাকৰে, চলতে থাকৰে | কারণ, তার ফলটা স্থায়ী হয় |” (1)
Reference
1. অপ্রকাশিত, ৯ মার্চ ১৯৮০, কোলকাতা
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Due to sadhana - brain and intellect increases
Ananda Marga ideology states, "When a man, a devotee, a spiritual aspirant moves towards the Supreme Self, his body, that is his brain and intellect increases. And when he moves further, close to the Supreme Being, his spirit, that is his a’tman is also developed. His a’tman becomes more reflecting and more soothing to other existential vibrations because it comes closer to the emanating point of the Supreme Spirit." (1)
Reference
1. Importance of Sa'dhana' and its Goal,V21-02, 30 Dec, 1980, Ananda Nagar
== Section 4: Links ==
