Baba
Traveling food
Namaskar,
Over the years in Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha, I have had innumerable opportunities to travel around with our various Dadas. And while that was usually quite inspiring for me, I also did get a first-hand view how some of our Dadas have taken to "following" 16 Points.
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Dadaji’s tamasik habit while traveling
In particular, on one occasion I traveled with a dada across Uttar Pradesh and I saw that he has one very special type of practice. On his longer train and bus journeys he fails to bring sufficient food with him so he often purchases food along the way. But fruit alone does not satisfy him so he often buys cooked vegetable dishes while traveling. I saw him - and many others told they also saw him do this when traveling. Always he purchases cooked vegetables (subjii) and flat bread (roti) to satisfy his hunger.
And while I certainly do not like to see any Dada go hungry, it also has to be noted that all these cooked vegetable items from the various stalls are laced and filled with onion and garlic. That onion and garlic has been fried and boiled into the dish such that all the food is completely saturated with those ta'masik spices - and then there are also some whole pieces of onion and garlic still floating around the dish. But those are mostly "lifeless" as already all their ta'masik essence has been squeezed out of them and spread throughout the dish.
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Bogus remedy
Dadaji would eat this type of cooked vegetable with onion and garlic on train bus journeys. And Dadaji's "special" way of treating the matter was to pick up one of those lifeless pieces of onion or garlic, toss it aside, then say Guru mantra, and then eat those vegetables - those very same vegetables that had been cooked and saturated in those onions and garlic. And I heard that some other wts would eat cooked vegetable dishes with onion and garlic on train and bus journeys.
Unfortunately, such are the eating habits of certain Dadas during their lengthy train and bus journeys. In particular this Dadaji thinks that he is escaping all the ta'masik effects of the onion and garlic by taking Guru mantra. But, if we use our rational mind, we know that this is not the case. This is not the system: i.e. eating ta'masik items like onion and garlic and then saying Guru mantra as if everything is all perfect. This is not how Baba wants us to "follow" sentient food rules.
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Conclusion
Here Baba warns us of the harmful effects of eating ta'masik food. So Dada and others should give up their negative ways because Baba does not even approve of eating the residue of onions or garlic and then befooling oneself by saying that they used Guru mantra or ate myrobolan to purify everything. Here is Baba's warning about the ingesting ta'masik foods:
Wt conduct rule: "Avadhuta shall take strictly sattvika diet." (32 Rules for Avadhuta, Pt # 27) (1)
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, "Take only sáttvika (sentient) food.” (2)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Cells generally grow out of light, air, water and the food we eat. The nature of food and drink has its effect upon the cells, and consequently also influences the human mind. Obviously each and every sa'dhaka, or spiritual aspirant, should be very cautious in selecting food. Suppose a person takes ta'masika, or static, food. The result will be that after a certain period, static cells will grow and exercise a static influence on the aspirant’s mind. Human beings must select sa'ttvika, or sentient...This will lead to the birth of sentient cells, which in turn will produce a love for spiritual practice and help in attaining psychic equilibrium and equipoise, leading to immense spiritual elevation." (3)
Namaskar,
in Him,
Nagendra
Sadly, there are a few Wts who have no respect for the rules and regulations and forget that our beloved Baba has given these guidelines for our spiritual growth. That's why they act in this way. Such Wts they have gone away from Baba’s teaching. Our so-called central purodha Dadas are also corrupt: they only want money, no matter what you do just give them money and you will be free from all the rules and regulations and you can live your life “as you like.” This is the horrendous situation in our organisation nowadays. The only solution is to be strict in Sadguru Baba’s teachings and point out those bad apple Wts who veer off the path. That is how we may right our ship, by Baba’s grace.
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~ In-depth study ~
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "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." (4)
"For the avadhútas and avadhútikás of Ananda Marga there is only one kind of food, sáttvika food." (5)
Ananda Marga ideology states, "“Cakśuńá Samvaro Sádhu” O spiritual aspirant! O Bhikśu! O monk! O devotee!...“Sádhu Jibháya Saḿvaro.” You should have control over your taste...If you want emancipation, if you want liberation from worldly fetters, you must have all-round restraint." (6)
Ananda Marga ideology states, "Pramitáhárah: to maintain the physical body, you require physical food, air, water, light. But 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." (7)
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Human beings should be sentient in food habits, mind and intellect." (8)
References
1. 32 Rules for Avadhuta, Pt # 27
2. Caryacarya - 2, Sixteen points, pt #7
3. Yoga Psychology, 'Food, Cells, & Mental Development'
4. Yoga Psychology, 'Food, Cells, & Mental Development'
5. Caryacarya - 3, Procedure for Eating
6. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 7, An Exemplary Life
7. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 14, Seven Secrets
8. Yoga Psychology, Bio-Psychology
* * *
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section 2: Important Teaching ==
Very tricky type of exploitation
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “And the tragedy is that the exploited mass do not try to understand – they cannot understand, and they even refuse to understand – that they are victims of exploitation. So this is more dangerous. When the exploitation takes place in economic sphere directly, the people easily understand it, but when the exploitation is perpetrated in the socio-economic sphere or the psycho-economic sphere, the situation becomes complicated. In the case of exploitation is the socio-economic sphere, the people raise a little murmur against the social exploitation, but they fail to take note of the economic exploitation.” (1)
Reference
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 18, Various Forms of Exploitation
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “And the tragedy is that the exploited mass do not try to understand – they cannot understand, and they even refuse to understand – that they are victims of exploitation. So this is more dangerous. When the exploitation takes place in economic sphere directly, the people easily understand it, but when the exploitation is perpetrated in the socio-economic sphere or the psycho-economic sphere, the situation becomes complicated. In the case of exploitation is the socio-economic sphere, the people raise a little murmur against the social exploitation, but they fail to take note of the economic exploitation.” (1)
Reference
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 18, Various Forms of Exploitation
== Section 3: Links ==
Recent postings
Other topics of interest
Other topics of interest
