Baba
Harmful jobs
Namaskar,
According to Sadguru Baba, our means of livelihood should be samyak ajiiva - right occupation. Engaging in jobs that go against this code of samjak ajiiva hinders one’s spiritual progress by encumbering one with negative samskaras. Plus such jobs have a grossly detrimental effect on society. Unfortunately, in this early 21st century, there are many occupations that come under this category of sinful earning. Once aware about these jobs, keep distance from them and alert others.
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The initial group of sinful jobs
Here is Baba's guideline about those types of harmful occupations.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "People’s means of livelihood should not depend on the quarrel of individuals, as in the case of lawyers. Lawyers usually set one person against another and in this way they serve their personal interests. Similarly no one should be a trader in religion, because in the name of religion, many people are exploited. Nor should one earn one’s livelihood by dealing with dead bodies because such people want more and more people to die, so that they may thereby increase their income. People should also not earn their livelihood by lending money and taking interest. Such persons want to lend more and more money to gain more and more interest, and they do not want the borrowers to refund the capital. The scriptures stipulate that people should not accept food from such people, because their occupations are despicable." (1)
In the above teaching, Baba distinctly names the following professions as "despicable": (a) lawyers who profit from inciting quarrels, (b) religious traders, (c) private undertakers (i.e. those doing business with dead bodies), and (d) loan shark money lenders. Then Sadguru Baba enlists other occupations that are unacceptable.
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Another group of sinful jobs
Next Baba identifies more jobs that should be avoided.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "So one must have a clean occupation, that is, one must not do anything antisocial, one must not encourage anything antisocial, anything that goes against collective interest. That is samyak a'jiiva in physical sphere. One may earn money by selling wine. One may earn money by stealing. These are not samyak a'jiiva. Your occupation should be neat and clean – not going against the interest of the society." (2)
So this second group of sinful professions includes anti-social behavior such as (a) selling intoxicants and (b) cheating / thievery, i.e. selling adulterated goods and cheating people.
In the above category, we can also include those involved in imposing pseudo-culture on society. Just as wine-sellers degrade and degenerate society, similar is the case of those who make erotic movies, i.e. most of Hollywood, exploit women in advertisements, make junk food / fast food, and so many other things that bring society down.
List of despicable and sinful occupations
Here is an expanded list of occupations / means of livelihood that are viewed as despicable and sinful.
- (a) lawyers involved in inciting disputes
- (b) loan shark money-lenders
- (c) dealers and growers of intoxicants: alcohol, tobacco, legalised and illegal marijuana, illicit drugs, opium, heroin
- (d) crooked businessmen who cheat customers or adulterate their products
- (e) erotic movie / entertainment industry
- (f) junk food manufacturers like McDonald’s
- (g) gambling, casino, and lotteries
- (h) animal hunting / butchering house
- (i) avidya tantrikas & corrupt priests who prey on innocent people
- (j) abusers of animals for lab testing
- (k) weapons dealers / hired arms dealers
- (l) pharmaceutical company directors who want to increase profits, not decrease disease
- (m) pickpocketers / suitcase lifters
- (n) human trafficking / sex trade industry / pimps
- (o) slave dealers / traders
- (p) hitmen / goondhas
- (q) killing of squads in oppressive government departments
- (r) fashion models, designers, & advertisers who introduce degrading styles
- (s) nuclear lobbyists
- (t) party politics professionals / lobbyists
- (u) lewd call centers
- (v) internet scammers and cheats
- (w) scientists who create chemicals and weapons to harm humanity
- (x) chemists who made synthetic intoxicating drugs
- (y) hiring agencies
- (z) begging mafia and manipulation of children
- (aa) hourly firefighters who start fires to increase their pay
- (bb) perverted robots companies
- (cc) any business which degenerates mind like debased website & magazines
The above stands as part of a growing list of occupations that profits by harming or degrading society. We shall all be keen to uncover other professions that go against the collective interest and add them to this list.
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About lawyers, lenders, & undertakers
Here are some qualifications about some of the aforementioned professions:
Lawyers: Those lawyers earning by encouraging others to quarrel are not good. And those lawyers who take money from anti-social elements are not proper. However, there are many good lawyers who stand for just causes. They expose corrupt politicians and harmful business practices and work for the public good. So we cannot say that all lawyers are, by definition, sinful. Rather the mass of lawyers involved in petty interests are involved in a sinful profession.
Money Lenders: Those who want to entrench others in debt whereby a loan is made with the hope that the borrower will never be able to pay the principal and will get stuck paying the interest are involved in a despicable profession. Giving loans to businesses and institutions that are preparing to expand is ok. But aiming to bury the common people in debt through high-interest lending can never be supported.
Funeral Directors / Undertakers: Such businesses should not be run privately; they should be run by the county or municipality for a no profit - no loss margin, where the family of the deceased is not responsible for paying for the arrangements. Rather public monies will be used. By this way, selfish business owners will not hope for others to die. Those workers will instead be governed by service psychology, not profit-motive.
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Religious: rabbis, priests, mullahs etc
Religious Traders: All religious traders are bad as they are dealing with dogmatic edicts and exploiting the naive people. Religious traders are those religious professionals (rabbis, priests, mullahs etc) who cheat the common people in the name of God. Religious traders does not refer to selling clothes, flowers, and other articles for worship etc. True Ananda Margiis are dharmic guides - not religious traders - aimed at the overall upliftment of society. But some WTs may come in that negative category as their aim is to introduce dogma and exploit the society.
One clarification: we are not against banks
Here it should be clarified that our Marga is not against the banking industry. But it should run as a cooperative, not individual ownership.
Banks must work to help people manage their finances and enable them to make purchases - not just encumber them with loans. Sadly, a group of professional money-lenders aim to keep people permanently in debt. We should all be aware about this distinction between community-oriented banking and hardball money lending.
Conclusion
Those occupations where both the intention and execution is harmful to society are negative occupations. Such professions hinder the progress of society. And, they profit by keeping society downtrodden. Yet at present there are millions of people holding such jobs. Yet just because a job is "acceptable" by society's standard does not mean it is accepted in our Ananda Marga way of life. We should all take notice and be careful. Tragically, a small pocket of wholetimers are involved in money-lending. And there are others involved in various other sinful earnings. We should help them escape from this unworthy line of work. As Ananda Margiis we should follow Baba's code of samyak ajiiva and not get caught in the negative and sinful ways of capitalism.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Ananda Marga ideology says, "Your occupation should be neat and clean – not going against the interest of the society." (3)
Namaskar,
in Him,
Pradiip
~ In-depth study ~
Here are more conditions that occur under capitalism whereby occupations are against the code of samyak ajiiva. Where there is an overpopulation of doctors, medical professionals often want people to become sick so they can make more money. In that circumstance it is a dirty profession. The whole financial scene of Wall Street - i.e. investors, speculators, and stock brokers - is also a sinful way of earning and falls outside the bounds of samyak ajiiva (right livelihood).
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Social parasites
In capitalism, the number of worthless and sinful jobs is at an all-time high. Verily, there are so many jobs where people literally do not contribute anything to society; just they exist to make a profit. For instance, many products go through a long chain of middlemen before reaching the buyer. Such middlemen are not doing anything except grabbing money. Same is the case with Wall Street.
References
1. Subhasita Samgraha - 11, The Supreme Desideratum of the Microcosms
2. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 30, Ideological Flow and the Eight-fold Path
3. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 30, Ideological Flow and the Eight-fold Path
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Ananda Marga ideology says, “Human life is a mission; life itself is a mission; one’s very existence is a mission. A’tmamoks’a'rtham’ jagaddhita’ya ca: ‘Whatever one is to do, one is to do for a’tmamoks’a– for their own liberation– and for the elevation of the entire world, elevation of the entire human society’. One is to do both of these things; that is, these two things are one’s mission.” (1)
Note: By Baba’s above teaching it is clear that the AMPS organisation is not the mission. But for certain reasons, some try to misguide or take advantage of the margiis by making them think that AMPS is the mission. But that is not correct. In His above guideline, Sadguru Baba explicitly tells us what is the mission.
Reference
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam – 30, The Four Kinds of Service
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Why individual salvation
Why individual salvation
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “To continue the flow of His divine play, it is not desirable that all entities of the vast universe should attain the Supreme stance at one time; neither is it the natural process. Thus human beings must strive to attain individual salvation. If Parama Puruśa is pleased, they will surely succeed in their efforts.” (1)
Note: Many things can be done collectively like bhajans, sadhana, meal, bath, and kiirtan etc. All these can be collective endeavours. But not everything can be done collectively. For instance, collective salvation is not possible. Why? Because then creation will cease to exist and Parama Purusa does not want creation to end. Those who are fortunate will use their free will to do sadhana. Unit beings will get salvation on an individual, case by case basis, not collectively.
Reference
1. Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell - 5, Equalization of Saḿskáras
== Section 2: Links ==
Other topics of interest
