Baba
Fake yoga: common warts
Namaskar,
Nowadays, fake yoga has become quite popular. This has given rise to so many unqualified persons preaching and teaching bogus things in the name of yoga. In that way, the general populace is being indoctrinated into negative teachings. Here are a few common misconceptions wherein so-called yoga teachers drag dogmatic, religious edicts into the field of yoga. So we should be aware of this ongoing trend and ready to guide the public in the proper direction.
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Part I: Defects of Buddhism
It is said in certain dogmatic Taoist and Buddhist teachings that to reach the goal "we should rid ourselves of desires". And some fake yoga teachers also preach this as they think that the atheistic teachings of Taoism / Buddhism are the same as yoga, and that “emptying of the mind” is the way to do meditation. But all margiis know that our God-centered philosophy of Ananda Marga rejects such an approach because it has long been proven that the path of negation or nihilism (Buddhism) does not bring one closer to the goal. Rather one will have to adopt a positive path of movement because ultimately the desires of the mind cannot be destroyed or gotten rid of.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "Human beings will have to move forward towards the Supreme Entity in the multipropensive plexus along the path of introversal propensities...they cannot be entirely crushed." (1)
Hence, Baba's practical guideline is that all the tendencies of the mind are to be goaded or channelised towards Parama Purusa.
Ananda Marga ideology states, "Dhyana is withdrawing the mental propensities from all extroversive entities, and then collecting those withdrawn mental forces, mental propensities, and urging them towards the Supreme Entity." (2)
Thus, Sadguru Baba guides us that the method of sadhana is to goad the mind toward Parama Purusa and become one with Him; thoughtlessness or negation will not lead to Parama Purusa. So the dogmatic Taoist / Buddhist approach to “rid ourselves of desires" is suppressive and inherently defective, and in no way reflects the teachings of tantra yoga.
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Part II: Two dogmatic edicts
Some fake yoga teachers also resort to the following dogmatic edicts. When one person asks how to follow the path of truth, the answer is given that:
(1) you will have to do things which you do not want to do.
(2) you will not be permitted to do things which you desire to do.
But just see what a backward and contradictory approach this is because all sorts of people are brought onto the path of yoga. And those two stipulations cannot be applied universally to all persons. For example, suppose a robber hears kiirtan and becomes inspired to do spiritual practices and lead the life of a dharmika. But, if that robber has to abide by the aforementioned dogmatic Sufi guideline, then a negative result will be the outcome.
First, the dogmatic guideline says: "You will have to do things which you do not want to do". By adhering to this negative tenet, the rectified robber will have to continue looting since that is "something that he does not want to do."
Second, the dogmatic guideline says, "You will not be permitted to do things which you desire to do." That means the rectified robber will not be permitted to sing kiirtan or
lead a life of spiritual awakening. So this whole negative teaching of some fake yoga teachers is completely against the practice and spirit of yoga.
Rectification is the way
Here we have to remember that rectification is a part and parcel of human life. People get introduced to new ideas and feel inspired to move on the path of welfare. So this saying - "you will not be permitted to do things which you desire to do" - is inherently negative because it imposes the belief that all are, by nature, bad or sinners. This imposes a sinner’s psychology. Whereas in AM we adopt a positive outlook that recognizes that each and every person has an innate longing for supreme fulfillment.
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Part III: Fake yoga preaching
Here is a quasi-Sufi saying that can be heard in fake yoga studios:
"When you feel least interested in doing something, this may be the time when it is most appropriate for you."
This is nonsensical because in this debauched era of materialistic capitalism when so many unfortunate persons are mired in negative activities and looking for a way to escape, this dogmatic guideline pushes them back into that negativity. For example, if a drunkard has been an alcoholic for years and years but now he wants to give up drinking and adopt the path of morality, then, according to the Sufi saying, that drunkard should go on being involved in his degraded, drunkard ways. This clearly goes against the pather of progress. Sadly, in the name of yoga, fake instructors are preaching dogmatic religious sayings to the general society.
Baba's dharmic guidelines
The true path of yoga is pristine and pure - free from misconception. All Baba's dharmic guidelines are clear, conclusive, straight-forward, and pointed like an arrow. They are 100% positive and unambiguously lead all aspirants and seekers unto the path of supreme welfare. His each and every mandate is perfect and seamless. And by following those guidelines, adherents are sure to be crowned with success.
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Ananda Vanii guides us, "In order to march ahead on the road of human welfare, we will have to strengthen ourselves in all the arenas of life. The complete seeds of welfare in all the spheres – physical, mental, moral, social and spiritual – are embedded in the sixteen points. Hence be firm on the sixteen points." (3)
Naturally then, it is our bounden duty as Ananda Margiis to propagate Baba's dharmic teachings and inspire others to follow His guidelines and move along the path of bliss.
Ananda Vanii guides us “Itʼs your duty to accelerate the speed of human progress.Your endless efforts to broaden and smoothen the path of human movement will render your present existence, and your future history inestimable.” (4)
Conclusion
As Ananda Margiis, it is important for us to know how these fake yoga teachers are misguiding the public by their dogmatic teachings. Then we can divert them away from that negative approach and guide them towards the divine teachings of Sadguru Baba. Then they will quickly be able to embrace a life of true spirituality. By Baba’s grace, they will realise that Ananda Marga is the right path to follow.
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Prout philosophy guides us, "I advise each human being that as long as you are alive, you should try to build yourself in a nice way, in a complete way. But you should not only build yourselves, you should also build human society in the same way." (5)
At His lotus feet,
Karma Deva
~ In-depth study ~
Every margii knows that AM yoga is the path of bliss that leads one to salvation. Yet dogmatic Buddhists and Taoists say that, to reach the Truth, we have to "rid the mind of all desires". However, in the following shlokas, Baba rejects such propositions as it goes contrary to the true spirit of yoga, or unification with the Supreme.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "Sarvacinta'paritya'go nishcinto yoga ucyate. 'When there is thoughtlessness, that stage is yoga.' But when the mind becomes free from all thoughts, that is also a stage of vacuum. That cannot be yoga, because the word yoga means "unification", and thoughtlessness is a negative stage." (6)
Ananda Marga ideology states, "As per Patanjali, the explanation is 'Yogashcittavrttinirodha'-- that is, controlling or suspending all these 1000 propensities. You may have controlled all these 1000 propensities, but this doesn't mean any addition or any unification, so this interpretation is also meaningless. It can't be accepted by the wise people, because this interpretation has got nothing to do with the proper import of the term Yoga." (7)
So those who follow the negative idea of "rid the mind of all desires" are far removed from the path of yogic spirituality.
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No such thing as emptying the mind - II
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.
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." (8)
No such thing as emptying the mind - III
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.
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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." (9)
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.
References
1. Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 18, Propensities and Pramá
2. Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 1, Who Is Gopa?
3. Ananda Vanii #45
4. Ánanda Váńii #55
5. Prout in a Nutshell Part 17, Minimum Requirements and Maximum Amenities
6. Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 21, Human Life and Its Goal
7. Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 14, The Three Species of Human Being
8. Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell - 3, Some Questions and Answers on Ananda Marga Philosophy – Excerpt B
9. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life - 9, Psychic Assimilation in Psycho-Spiritual Practice
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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 2: Important Teaching ==
Why be speedy on spiritual path
Ananda Marga ideology states, “Suppose you have incurred a loan of a thousand rupees. If you repay the loan in monthly instalments of one rupee it will take you a thousand months to clear the loan. One rupee being such a small amount, this will hardly cause any suffering at all. But if you want to free yourself from the debt quickly, you will have to pay a larger amount every month, which will obviously cause more suffering. Likewise, if one does not feel the need to be freed of one’s reactive momenta quickly, one can undergo less affliction, but then one may have to wait ten or twenty lives to exhaust all the reactive momenta. Moreover, within those ten or twenty lives one will probably undergo psychic degeneration, and due to one’s mean actions imbibe new reactive momenta.” (1)
Reference
1. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 8, Sádhaná
== Section 3: Links ==
