Baba
Bad: pleasing others
Namaskar,
It happens. Sometimes we find ourselves in such a predicament that we feel we should do things just to please certain worldly relations. For example, someone may say, “Aw c'mon, let's go catch a movie tonight - a new film just came out! What's wrong, why not join us.” Then, under the pressure of their demand and not wanting to ruin the relation, we may say, “Alright, I’ll join you.” In that case, sadhana gets minimized or skipped entirely and evening asanas may also be left by the wayside. The point being we miss out on our dharmic duties.
And verily, missing one’s sadhana is only half of the wrongdoing. The second part is that we exposed our mental arena to the degrading elements and pseudo-culture values of that film. And the memories and images of that movie will sit in the mind for weeks, months, maybe even years. Verily, it is an insult to the mind that is not easily washed away.
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Or in another scenario, some old acquaintances or laokik family members may say, “Come over during the holidays and let's talk about old times etc.” Or, someone might say, “I never see you anymore, how about a trip to my beach house this weekend, or a pop music concert this Friday night, or what about getting a bite to eat at the deli.”
All these things can happen, and in so doing we lose the opportunity to adhere to our spiritual path. And this costs us dearly. Not just because we missed our sadhana, but also because we replaced our sadhana with something completely materialistic and negative - like a pop concert or taking food in a tamsik establishment. It is not like we skipped sadhana and did something relatively harmless like drinking water in the secluded forest etc. Rather, we missed sadhana, and instead indulged in all kinds of degenerating activities like going to a pop concert where the music excites the lower vrttis and people are smoking and drinking alcohol. That makes it a double or triple loss. First because the opportunity was missed to do dharma sadhana, and then that is compounded by the fact that sadhana was replaced by very crude and harmful things that stain the mind.
These are examples of how avidya maya tries to bind us in her noose. These real-life situations we may encounter; and, in wanting to please such persons we may acquiesce. We may say, “Yes.” In which case, the result is always the same: We skip out on doing or shorten our spiritual practices and overlook our social responsibilities etc. By this way we commit pratyavaya - "not to do what should be done.” (1) And side by side we are committing a sin of commission by supporting and engaging in degrading entertainment.
Pratya'va'ya: worse than sin itself
Here, in crystal-clear language, Baba warns us that pratyavaya, i.e. not doing those noble deeds that should be done, is worse than sin.
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Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Pa'taka also means sin against . . . God. Pa'taka is divided into two categories. One category is papa or sin. If something is done which should not be done it is called papa. That which is not done but should be done is called pratyava'ya. Papa and pratyava'ya are both undesirable things. But according to the ancient saints and sages, pratyava'ya was more abominable than papa." (2)
Committing pratyavaya by not doing sadhana, or failing to help in a service project, or skipping our designated duties and responsibilities, is a veritable offense that severely hinders our growth as we lose momentum on the spiritual path. And this happens quite often due to wanting to please this or that worldly relation. I am sure in our own lives we can think of an example or two when this has occurred. And if we are not careful, saying “yes” to such worldly relations and failing to adhere to our dharmic duties can hinder, obstruct, or even ruin one's life. Remember, we are not just failing to do what should be done, what makes things so much worse is that we are swapping out our dharmic duties by wholly embracing the very crude dealings of pseudo-culture and materialism.
Purpose of life
The problem is that most of the globe has no idea what dharma is nor are they interested in following it. But as Ananda Margiis, we have a Dharma Guru in which case our entire life is just meant to revolve around the cosmic wheel of dharma. That is the purpose of life.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "I should do something. I have a human structure. I am a human being. I should do something. I should act like a human being. I should try to goad myself to the realm of divinity, it is my dharma. I should follow dharma, I should strictly adhere to the code of dharma." (3)
Baba guides us that we are to follow dharma always. That is why we have come on this earth. In that case, to maintain any friendship we should convince those persons to come onto the path of dharma. Then only will that friendship last through the ages, otherwise not. And then also can we keep ourselves on the path. That is the best solution: Bring them onto the path of dharma rather than letting ourselves get pulled off it. We should not fall prey to the mentality of “doing to please others'” when that very action will not allow us to fulfill our dharma. On this point we should be adamant.
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Conclusion
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, “One must not adopt the psychology, "I'm practising spirituality because my a'ca'rya (spiritual teacher) told me to." Rather one should think, "I want to attain spiritual realization. My a'ca'rya is merely guiding me along the path." Only when one takes full responsibility for one's own spiritual life can one attain the peak of spiritual progress and become fully established on the solid ground of spirituality." (4)
Skipping sadhana is a veritable offense that severely hinders our growth as we lose momentum on the spiritual path. And verily this is the case with all of Sixteen Points. That is why strict vigilance is needed. Unfortunately, some are remiss due to wanting to please this or that worldly relation. But that is not good.
Ananda Vanii states, “Life represents Ideology. Life should be sacrificed for Ideology.” (5)
In Him,
Cinmay
~ In-depth study ~
Perhaps no one in the course of history suffered more due to this defective mentality of 'doing to please others' than Karna. During the Mahabharat era, Karna was the epitome of this defective approach.
Because in order to please the evil-minded Duryodhana, the well-intentioned Karna passed up his dharmic responsibilities countless times: Karna had the opportunity to join Krsna and the Pandavas; Karna had the opportunity to oppose injustice; Karna had the chance to become a real ksatriya; Karna had the chance to bring peace to the entire Kuru kingdom. But none of those things did Karna do.
All because the kind-hearted Karna did not want to displease his friend - the evil-minded Duryodhana. Rather he wanted to do anything and everything to please his friend Duryodhana. And because of this, Karna suffered a lot until finally it cost him his very life. This entire chapter is quite well-known; and indeed it is a tragedy.
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Slip away from our dharma
Yet, in this capitalist, materialistic era, when we are surrounded by so many co-workers, neighbors, laokik family members, in-laws, friends, etc-- all of whom do not follow dharma, then naturally the whole scene becomes a little sticky. And in our desire to be nice, friendly, and hospitable, the danger always is there that in order to please others we may fall or slip away from our dharma. And side by side we slip into the mud puddle of materialism by sinking the mind in those degenerating fancies etc.
We all know how various invitations come our way, and in our desire to maintain friendship with those people, we say 'Yes, I will be glad to'. But unless that 'yes' is going to help those people in a dharmic way, then that 'yes' is going to pull us off our dharma. That is the point. That is the dangerous part.
And the ironic thing is that we do these things and satisfy our friend's desires to 'maintain our friendship' with them. Yet that very friendship is destined to break due to its worldly nature. The friend may move away, or get a new job, or marry in a far distant land, or die, or they may decide that they just do not like you anymore. So many things can happen. And in the process, in order to safeguard that worldly friendship which is temporary in nature, we ourselves fall from dharma by committing pratyavaya (sin of omission) as well as papa (sin of commission) by indulging in that filthy entertainment etc. That is the outrageous irony. This is how avidya maya works and tries to keep us in her clutch.
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Baba's related teachings
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Hindrances are created by Avidyámáyá, which is one's own evil force. Merely leaving the human world and living in a jungle will not set one free. Avidyámáyá will go with you to the jungles and mountains and create obstacles in sádhaná by substituting the howling of animals for the bustling sounds of human society." (6)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Intuitional practice, as taught by a great preceptor, is the healing balm; it is with this that one can drive away Avidyámáyá and gain emancipation. As the influence of Avidyámáyá decreases, the temptations and troubles of the world cease to be an obstacle to intuitional practice. As this is the only way to overcome Avidyámáyá, it can easily be practised within worldly life. Avidyámáyá will disturb a person in the beginning, but once defeated, it will not be able to create any hindrance to the pursuit of intuitional practice." (7)
Tremendous reputation, acute financial distress, or extreme humiliation
Ananda Marga ideology says, "In the embryonic form, in the starting phase, it is the inborn instincts that may stand in the way, that may create hindrance in your march. One must keep these inborn instincts under control. The reins must not be loosened; in behaviour, in different types of psychic expression, there must be some kind of restraint. Human beings by dint of their own ordinary power very often cannot do this. I already told you that human beings at the most can make efforts, and if Parama Puruśa is pleased with their efforts, He will help them with positive microvita; Parama Puruśa will get the work done with the help of positive microvita. The duty of human beings is only to continue their efforts to please Parama Puruśa. Thus when any work is done, the concerning sádhaka is not to be given any credit; the credit should be given to Parama Puruśa." (8)
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "In the stage of vyatireka the obstacles appear more from within than from without. These obstacles are psychic in nature. For example, when in the course of sadhana one attains the state of yatamána, then obstacles appear from all sides. Family members create obstructions. The environment creates obstructions." (9)
Ananda Marga ideology says, "It is a fact that the force of Avidyá disturbs a spiritualist more than it disturbs an ordinary person. Various situations arise in life such as material difficulties, family unrest, abundant wealth, tremendous reputation, acute financial distress, or extreme humiliation. Sádhakas will have to bravely confront these mundane situations as a test. They must never think in terms of retreat – it would be fatal, for the Avidyá force would stab them as soon as their backs were turned. In all circumstances one must continue the process of sádhaná to gradually enhance one's latent psychic and spiritual power.”
“Just as all-round physical exercise makes the body fit, similarly appropriate psychic and spiritual exercise (as a struggle against Avidyá) leads to one's psychic evolution and spiritual elevation. If one is keen to advance, if one wants to attain expansion as well as bliss in life, one must continue to struggle. Brahma sádhaná is an all-round struggle leading to all-round progress and the ultimate goal of merging in the Supreme Source." (10)
Committing pratya'va'ya
Here again we should be strict with ourselves and not fall prey to the defective approach of trying to please everyone. In that case we are sure to neglect our dharmic duties - committing pratyavaya. And, side by side, we are directly placing sticky, black tar on the mind by giving into and indulging in those materialistic pleasures.
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Baba says, "Throughout life people should...move along the path of righteousness. If people do not do the things which they should do by thought or deed, and engage in activities opposite to this, they are committing pratya'va'ya." (11)
By following His guidelines, every Ananda Margii is advancing steadily ahead in their spiritual progress. And, verily, this is the greatest achievement in life - coming close to Him. Invariably, however, we encounter various obstacles and hindrances along the way. Some avoidable and some seemingly not. Admittedly, there are many aspects of our life over which we have complete control - but even then we may slide in the opposite direction. The point being: We clearly have the opportunity to do something good and noble, yet we do something else.
Most often, this comes when worldly friends or various acquaintances invite or pressurise us to join in their mundane activities etc, and, not wanting to let them down, we may partake in those things - at the expense of our spiritual values and Ananda Marga ideals, and also making our minds filthy in the process by partaking in those pseudo-culture enjoyments. This is the very real problem that confronts many of us. And this entire letter is aimed towards resolving this matter.
While living in this world, we should do anything and everything to please Parama Purusa. Practicing sadhana, following yama and niyama, doing pracar, serving the needy, singing kiirtan, adhering to 16 Points, engaging in satsaunga etc. All these dharmic duties and responsibilities fuel our movement forward.
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What is vaera'gya
Here are some of the special secrets to leading a successful spiritual life.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "A spiritual aspirant who wants to attain sama'dhi needs to develop vaera'gya (spirit of renunciation) and abhya'sa (continued practice). Remember, sama'dhi is neither pavrtti mu'laka nor nivrtti mu´laka. Vaera'gya is the absence of attachment, not repulsion. In order to deal with objects properly one should never become subservient to them, but should ascribe Brahmahood to them by cultivating the repeated practice of cosmic ideation or Brahma Bha'vana."
"What is abhya'sa? Tatra sthitao yatno'bhya'sah. Abhya'sa is the creation of a particular continuous psychic vibration. It is the most essential factor in the spiritual sphere. The continuous endeavour to maintain the state of equilibrium of citta leads to the attainment of sama´dhi. When one is attracted by an object one runs after it, and when one feels repulsion for an object, one runs away from it. A person who is fond of wine often thinks of wine, whereas a person who detests wine prevents his mind from thinking about wine. Unless attraction and repulsion are both transcended, the mind can never attain a state of equilibrium or sama´dhi. Mental equilibrium only becomes possible when one makes a constant endeavour to attain psychic balance."
"Sama'dhi becomes a natural phenomenon as a result of continuous spiritual practice. Procrastination is something undesirable on the spiritual path. If ever spiritual practice is discontinued endless desirable and undesirable waves of thoughts occupy the mind. Spiritual practice should be continued uninterruptedly and with proper sincerity and veneration, otherwise sama´dhi will forever remain a theoretical subject of philosophy, never entering the periphery of practical realization.” (12)
References
1. Namami Krsnasundaram, Disc: 18
2. Prout in a Nutshell - 12, 'Sin, Crime, & Law'
3. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 23, Rádhiká Shakti
4. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 9, Psychic Assimilation in Psycho-Spiritual Practice
5. Ananda Vanii #15
6. Ananda Marga Elementary Philosophy, Why Are People Afraid of Intuitional Practice?
7. Ananda Marga Elementary Philosophy, Why Are People Afraid of Intuitional Practice?
8. Subhasita Samgraha - 18, The Path unto the Abode of Beatitude
9. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 10, Vyatireka – the Stage of Control
10. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life - 8, The Supreme Question – 1
11. Prout in a Nutshell - 12, 'Sin, Crime, & Law'
12. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 9, Psychic Assimilation in Psycho-Spiritual Practice
== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==
Flower pollen of my heart
"Ka'lo jalidhar, belate base, pal gun'e ja'i prabhu..." (PS #3204)
Purport:
O’ Prabhu, by Your grace, I am only thinking about You, ideating on You; by Your divine krpa I am sitting on the shore of this vast, dark ocean, counting the moments go by - remembering only You. It is Your kindness. My Lord, all these opportune and inopportune moments of my life are vanishing into oblivion, one by one. Even then by Your mercy I fill my heart only with Your sweetness. Only for You, only for You I fill my core with nectar.
O’ Parama Purusa, in Your longing the flower pollen of my heart, the inner feeling of my being, flies far across the vast, distant, unknown blue sky - towards that divine land. My soul knows no bounds; it crosses tirelessly over all difficulties and obstacles, without feeling any fatigue, or frustration. By Your sweet will, it goes on and on in search of You.
O’ Baba, Parama Purusa, I do not know why and when have You sent me into this mortal world; I do not know anything. Whose love and happiness has pulled me here - that also I do not know. My Prabhu, please tell me what You want; gently whisper in my ear.
Baba, my only request is that You please make me Yours...
"Ka'lo jalidhar, belate base, pal gun'e ja'i prabhu..." (PS #3204)
Purport:
O’ Prabhu, by Your grace, I am only thinking about You, ideating on You; by Your divine krpa I am sitting on the shore of this vast, dark ocean, counting the moments go by - remembering only You. It is Your kindness. My Lord, all these opportune and inopportune moments of my life are vanishing into oblivion, one by one. Even then by Your mercy I fill my heart only with Your sweetness. Only for You, only for You I fill my core with nectar.
O’ Parama Purusa, in Your longing the flower pollen of my heart, the inner feeling of my being, flies far across the vast, distant, unknown blue sky - towards that divine land. My soul knows no bounds; it crosses tirelessly over all difficulties and obstacles, without feeling any fatigue, or frustration. By Your sweet will, it goes on and on in search of You.
O’ Baba, Parama Purusa, I do not know why and when have You sent me into this mortal world; I do not know anything. Whose love and happiness has pulled me here - that also I do not know. My Prabhu, please tell me what You want; gently whisper in my ear.
Baba, my only request is that You please make me Yours...
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states:
"(1) Immediately upon reaching adolescence (in India, one reaches adolescence in between the ages of twelve and fourteen), males should start using Kaopiina (laungot́á) and should pull back the foreskin of the penis.
(2) The foreskin should be pulled back and the area washed and kept clean.
(3) Never indulge in bad practices, such as masturbation, etc." (1)
Reference
1. Caryacarya - 3, General Health Rules, For Males
== Section: Important Teaching ==
How to overcome feeling meagre
Commonly people think of themselves as weak and isolated. That is because in that moment they do not have a connection with Parama Purusa in their mind. So they cannot draw divine energy from Him. The moment one starts thinking about Parama Purusa and makes a connection with Him then they become very strong. This can be felt and tested when facing tough situations or when confronting someone stronger than yourself - such as when surrounded by a bunch of thugs. Then certainly those negative, anti-social elements will be defeated, and victory will be attained. The connection is very simple - just repeated your ista mantra and you will be linked with Parama Purusa.
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "However little one's capacity might be, if one constantly remembers that Parama Purus'a is always with him, that they are in the closest contact with Parama Purus'a, they will be able to do everything. They are not as small as they think themselves to be. And as long as they remember this closest association with Him, they can do much more than ordinary human beings. When this idea becomes permanently established in their minds, they become great. This is why no one should be disappointed or depressed in any circumstances; let everyone constantly perform great deeds, remembering that the flow of their capacity is coming from Parama Purus'a, and thus they can do everything." (1)
Reference
1. A Few Problems Solved - 3, Genius and Technician
== Section 3: Links ==
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