Baba
Walk around new places
Namaskar,
All those who were around those days know that Baba would regularly tell Wts, “If you do not know what to do, just wear your full uniform and go out to the market.” The sense was that by wearing the full Wt uniform in public, people will be curious and ask questions. Naturally, the Wt will be ‘forced’ to talk about Ananda Marga teachings etc. So this was an easy way for doing pracara and leading Wt life.
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How the WT uniform is beneficial
And verily there are numerous benefits to wearing the full Wt uniform in public:
(#1) The Wt is ‘forced’ to act and behave like a yogic monk and abide by the various conduct rules.
(#2) Members of the public will be keen to approach the Wt. This gives the opportunity for pracara.
(#3) When the Wt engages in pracara, his life’s mission will be reinforced in the mind, and he will become a better medium for propagating the ideals of Ananda Marga.
(#4) Common people will receive logical and rational replies to their queries, and they may even get diiksa and enter onto the path of Ananda Marga, by His grace.
(#5) The numbers of sadhakas in Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha will rise.
(#6) Our organisation, AMPS, will be able to render greater service to humanity.
There are so many positive benefits from having Wts go out in public wearing their full uniform. And this is especially true for those Wts who are on the edge. Perhaps they are not feeling inspired, or they are struggling in sadhana, or they are getting besieged by negative thoughts etc. In all these types of cases, the best recipe is simply for them to put on their full uniform and walk around the marketplace.
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Double loss of not wearing WT dress
Unfortunately, nowadays, there are a growing number of Wts who wear their uniform less and less. Some only wear it for dharmacakra and during retreats. Others wear pants instead of their lungi when they are in town. And there are numerous ways people mix and match - giving way to pseudo-culture. Of course, the worst is if one starts walking around with bare skin showing in places where it should be covered. Nowadays, some Dadas go out wearing short pants, just like....
This leads to a double loss:
(A): Knowingly or unknowingly, the Wt who is following the pseudo-culture dress and not wearing their Wt uniform will slowly, slowly identify themselves as being a member of the general public, and not as a Wt of Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha. When this happens, it is only a matter of time until they are gone and their Wt life is over. That is a real tragedy.
(B) The other loss is that by not wearing their uniform, that Wt misses out on the opportunity for doing Ananda Marga pracara. When really that is what their whole life is about: Spreading the ideals of Ananda Marga. And when one does pracara then a whole chain of events is set in motion. A little pracara leads to more pracara which generates greater interactions until finally one’s entire day will be filled with talks, plans, and programs related with Ananda Marga philosophy and social service projects.
Sadly, those who fail to wear their full Wt uniform miss out on this great opportunity of pracara and instead give way to mundane thinking. Otherwise, what is the need to dress in pseudo-culture fashion etc, when one has dedicated their life to Sadguru Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji.
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Disregarding Baba’s rule for Wts
Some Wts skip out on wearing their uniform and simply save it for dharmacakra. That type of approach is remiss as it violates the letter, principle, and spirit of Guru’s guideline regarding Wt dress.
The question remains what is the operative factor in not wearing Wt dress. One key point might be that they feel “shy” or “ashamed” to adhere to dharmic principles when others are around. Unfortunately, that is the gift of materialism and some Wts may be adversely affected in this way.
Ananda Marga ideology states, “Those who are reared in the cradle of materialistic ideologies, feel shy or ashamed at first to sit in meditation in the presence of others.” (1)
Conclusion
Sadguru Baba has given the Wt uniform and it should be worn by all Wts. Wts are wholetimers. That means their each and every breath is for the Ananda Marga. They do not get days off or vacation etc. Always they are to represent Sadguru Baba and that means wearing the uniform which He has specially designated for Wts. By this way, those Wts will be greatly benefited and they will be able to better serve as an acarya.
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Wt conduct rule states: “Avadhuta will always keep himself engaged in service of Gurudeva with sincerity and devotion in thought, word and deed, in subtle and crude spheres, in inner and outer expressions of life.” (2)
Namaskar,
In Him,
Ashutosh
~ In-depth study ~
Sadguru says in His discourse entitled Conduct of Acarya: "Those who have the responsibility to show the path to others should be of superlative character with the most refined conduct. They and their followers must move constantly towards all-round development and shreya [ultimate spiritual attainment]. Persons who teach such well-regulated behaviour to others by their own conduct are called ácáryas." (3)
Sadguru says in His discourse entitled Conduct of Acarya: "Bear in mind that people may be harmed or misled by even a small weakness or defect in the conduct of an ácárya. Just as it is the duty of a father to educate his children properly by his good conduct, an ácárya or ácáryá should always instruct by his or her exemplary actions and words." (4)
Every Wt knows that Parama Purusa Baba is very strict that the uniform of a Wt should be clean and spotless, not like those wandering Indian sadhus who might wear ripped, wrinkled, or soiled clothes or just a lungi etc. Baba wants the uniform of a Wt to be pressed, clean, and worn in full, as this creates a very positive impression and enables one to stand out from others. But that is all for naught if a Wt fails to wear his uniform and instead indulges in wearing pseudo-culture dress.
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References
1. Subhasita Samgraha - 3, Supreme Benevolence and Mundane Pleasure
2. 32 Rules for Avadhutas, Point #28
3. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 31, Conduct of an Acarya
4. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 31, Conduct of an Acarya
* * *
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 ==
How to handle religious icons
Ananda Marga philosophy guides us, “Sometimes it so happens that people instead of convincing superstitious people, injure their sentiments by their behaviour. A perusal of history shows that the antagonists of idolatry have, on many occasions, destroyed beautiful temples which were unique examples of architecture. They destroyed the beautiful images which represented the expressions of sculptural art. All these acts are extremely violent, because they cause severe pain to the idolaters, and consequently the idol-worshippers adopt an obstinate attitude towards idols even though they are fully convinced that idol-worship is futile. As a result, not only is the spiritual progress of the idol-worshippers hampered, but the progress of the whole human society is retarded. It is worth noting that even if in any country all the people without exception give up idolatry, the spiritual aspirants, who follow the principles of Brahmacarya, will preserve images carefully in museums out of appreciation for sculpture and aesthetic taste. They will not destroy these beautiful works in any circumstances. Destroying a work of art also results in the destruction of the sense of subtle appreciation, and this is in no way proper.” (1)
Note: In the recent past, and in the Moghul period, Muslims rampantly and senselessly destroyed idols, and still around the world they are pulverizing idols and artistic religious artifacts etc. In our human history, Hindus also disfigured and destroyed Buddhist idols when Buddhism was banished from India. Now those very same idols are showcased and preserved around India in museums and other historical places.
In our Ananda Marga the approach is very different. Margiis will never do such adharmic things. Rather it is our duty to safeguard and preserve the fine arts - from all cultural and religious expressions. In the future when people are educated and follow neo-humanism and rational ideas, they will give up their idol worship and all those idols will be preserved in a museum - for the sake of history and aesthetic value.
A separate but related matter is that those who do not appreciate the fine arts become violent and vile. That is why our Ananda Marga philosophy encourages the fine arts: painting, drawing, sculpture, music, theatre, cartooning, drama, poetry, literature, and dance etc. At the same time, Ananda Marga teachings do not condone art for art’s sake. Instead the aim is art for “service and blessedness.” Lastly, remember, degraded, vulgar, sensual, and crude expressions are not appreciated as fine art, rather they are pseudo-culture.
About Islamic cruelty
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, “Humanity, in its all-out quest for this aesthetic science, attained spirituality. One must acknowledge this. Herein lies the excellence of aesthetic science. For this reason, I have given my whole-hearted and explicit support for nandana vijiṋána. You know that there are certain religions which do not encourage aesthetic pursuits. You will notice that in those religions inertia, inferiority complexes and a sense of violence are predominant.” (2)
References
1. Guide to Human Conduct, Ahimsa
2. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 10, Yatamána – the Stage of Perseverance
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Secrets to longevity
Ananda Marga ideology says, "Spiritual practice makes the mind calm and quiet, and maintains the nerves in a state of equipoise; and thus spiritual practice increases longevity. Those Vaishnavites who are vegetarians, who regularly sing spiritual songs, do meditation, perform virtuous deeds and think pure thoughts, live longer than ninety years." (1)
Note: By following the spiritual cult of Ananda Marga and abiding by general health rules every sadhaka is ensured a long and healthy life. That is Baba's guarantee.
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 33, You Must Live Glorious Lives
== Section 3: Links ==
Recent postings
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