Baba
Solution to looming doom
Namaskar,
We live in an era in which humans, despite having made progress by leaps and bounds in the areas of science and technology, are grappling with problems of environmental degradation, climate change, and global warming - all of which are a direct result of excessive human consumption of resources of the planet. With their excessive consumption, humans have wreaked havoc on the earth's environment and climate.
In recent years, every summer has set a new record high temperature. Every year more forests are destroyed due to forest fires triggered by extremely hot temperatures. The cycle of storms and hurricanes are more devastating than those seen previously. Depletion of natural resources like forests and water bodies, the contamination of soil due to excessive mining, and industrialization have led to drought and famine in many parts of the world. These are man-made disasters triggered by humanity's disregard for the environment and the indiscriminate consumption of natural resources.
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Our planet earth is on the brink of an environmental crisis. To make this message loud and clear, there is an observation called Earth Overshoot Day. This day marks the point in a year where humanity's consumption of resources has far exceeded the earth's ability to replenish the same in any given year. It has been observed that Earth Overshoot Day, which fell on 02 Aug (2023), has been moving forward in the calendar every year.
A few years ago, this day was observed later in the year. This indicates that humans are devouring the planet's finite resources at an alarming rate. (See Ref A). This is a matter of grave concern, and we must be expedient in finding a solution. The solution lies in propagating "Ananda Marga way of life" all over the world. There is a dire urgency to implement this solution.
Subjective approach with objective adjustment
Every Ananda Margii is familiar with an important teaching Sadguru Baba has given to guide humanity on the path of attainment of supreme bliss. Baba guides us that our lives should be based on the tenet, "subjective approach with objective adjustment". Parama Purus'a is the Supreme Subject. He is the All-Witnessing Entity to whom all unit beings, their actions, and thoughts are objects. When one's mind is ensconced in the ideation of this Supreme Subject, then life becomes a subjective approach. One's movement is towards the Supreme. But while following this subjective approach, one has to come in contact with the quinquelemental objects of the world and interact with all other aspects of creation like the society, animals, and plants.
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The objective adjustment in human life involves performing one's duties in the mundane sphere of existence, while attributing Brahma-hood to the objects of the world one interacts with. These objects may be both physical and psychic objects. One has to serve them with the ideation that everything in the created universe is a manifestation of Brahma or the Supreme Entity. Proper adjustment in the objective sphere will ensure the all-round welfare of not only humans but that of all created beings in the universe.
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "In case of enjoyment of any material object, the control over the subjectivity is called Brahmacarya while the control over objectivity is aparigraha." (1)
Yama & niyama + sa'dhana
One's utilization of the material objects of the world should be preceded by the attribution of Brahma-hood to those material objects. This indeed is brahmacarya, an important tenet of yama sa'dhana. The natural resources of our planet, forests, rivers, and mountains are all an expression of Brahma. This should be the underlying ideation in all of a human being's dealings with the external world. With this spiritual outlook, no one can misuse or abuse the natural resources of the planet, let alone degrade or destroy them.
While maintaining this subjective approach, one should make objective adjustments by following aparigraha, another important tenet of yama sa'dhana. By strictly being established in aparigraha in one's life, one will be averse to consuming resources which are not needed or unnecessary to one's existence. Only those external resources required for maintenance of a healthy mind and body which ensures humanity's welfare in physical, mental and spiritual spheres of existence need to be accepted. This is the underlying spirit of aparigraha. Aparigraha aided by santos'a, a tenet of niyama sa'dhana, which is the principle of contentment or mental ease, will ensure humans lead a simple life where accumulation and consumption of external objects of enjoyment will naturally wane in humans' lives. Only when humanity is firmly established in these tenets of yama and niyama will it abstain from mindless over-consumption of finite resources.
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Ananda Marga philosophy says, "The meaning of practising Brahmacarya Sádhaná is to treat the object with which one comes in contact as different expressions of Brahma and not as crude forms." (2)
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Non-indulgence in the enjoyment of such amenities and comforts of life as are superfluous for the preservation of life is aparigraha." (3)
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Santośa, therefore, means a state of proper ease. Contentment is not at all possible if the individual is running after carnal pleasures like a beast." (4)
The case study presented here not only throws light on excessive consumption patterns humans are accustomed to, but also talks about population growth, mismanagement of earth's finite resources to satisfy the needs of a growing population, and faulty metrics of progress like rampant urbanization and industrialization, propagated by the capitalists of the world to satisfy their selfish motives. (See Ref A).
Sadguru Baba offers His unique perspectives and solutions to all these problems. Ananda Margiis all across the globe, should develop a strong will to study, understand and propagate this perspective, and practically implement solutions for the sake of universal welfare of all created beings.
Aparigraha: Antidote to over-consumption
Aparigraha teaches a sa'dhaka to lead a simple life. In the spirit of aparigraha, one must not acquire or accept objects of the world more than what is necessary to satisfy the basic requirements of food, clothing, shelter, education, and healthcare. These are essential for the preservation of life. Though the minimum essentials of life changes according to time, place and person, when a person starts consuming more resources than the amount needed to satisfy minimum essentials at a given time and place, this action goes against the spirit of aparigraha. When such a person consumes more than his or her fair share of resources, then other members of the society are left with little or no resources to satisfy their basic needs. Hence, humanity should be vigilant in following the spirit of aparigraha.
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Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Aparigraha is an endless fight to reduce one’s own objects of comforts out of sympathy for the common people, after ensuring that individuals are able to maintain solidarity in their physical, mental and spiritual lives for themselves and their families." (5)
Santos'a: Antidote to over-consumption
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Tośa means the state of mental ease. Santośa, therefore, means a state of proper ease. Contentment is not at all possible if the individual is running after carnal pleasures like a beast." (6)
Santos'a is the principle of contentment. When one is not content with what one earns or what one possesses in life, there is a constant hankering for wealth and materialistic pleasures. As a result of this, there is a large-scale exploitation of finite resources nature has to offer. By looking externally for pleasure, humans end up destroying resources of nature like forests, mountains, and rivers to generate more and more materials for carnal pleasures. Capitalists abet this process by encouraging industries to generate these objects of consumption and maximize their personal profits. In this process, both the spirit of aparigraha and santos'a are overlooked, ultimately leading to all the problems in the world we see today due to overconsumption of natural resources which has ill-effects on all life on the planet.
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When humanity internalizes the spirit of aparigraha and santos'a, there will be significant progress in solving environmental issues arising out of depletion of natural resources due to over-consumption.
Food choices: Let ahimsa be guiding factor
Food is a basic necessity for life and all of humanity eats food. Humanity's choice of food has a big impact on earth and its resources. How the food is produced, how sustainable production of a certain type of food is, how much water, fuel, land and other resources does it take to produce food, all these factors have an impact on the planet and life inhabiting it. There is enough and more research-based evidence over the last few decades to show us that by avoiding both meat and dairy and switching to a vegan diet, humanity can reduce its impact on earth and reduce the stress on natural resources. (See Ref B)
Besides this, the meat and dairy industries have been involved in the inhumane treatment of animals. It is our duty to raise our voice against this heinous act and follow a vegan diet, in the spirit of ahimsa. Best of all is to eat only sentient food.
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Ananda Marga philosophy says, "First, as far as possible, articles of food must be selected from among those items in which development of consciousness is comparatively little; i.e., if vegetables are available, animals should not be slaughtered. Secondly, under all circumstances before killing any animal having developed or under-developed consciousness, it must be considered whether it is possible to live in a healthy body without taking such lives." (7)
Population: unique Ananda Marga perspective
The case study presented, talks about a growing population being one of the primary reasons for the overconsumption of resources. However, Ananda Marga teachings provide a very unique perspective on the issue of population. Growing population is commonly misunderstood to be a big problem; as a matter of fact, it is not. A robust and healthy population is needed to steer the society forward on the path of universal welfare. It becomes a problem when due to mismanagement of resources like food, land, and water, some sections of the population undergo hardships or impose undue stress on the natural resources of a particular region. It is not a natural problem.
Baba condemns vested interests for spreading the myth that a burgeoning population of the world is the root cause of all the problems and warns against the use of artificial means of birth control as they impair the normal functioning of glands of the human body. Capitalists with their ulterior motives create a false alarm about a growing population becoming a huge problem in today's world.
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Prout philosophy says, "Vested interests do not favour population growth because this will mean sharing mundane property at the cost of their hoarding. Capitalism would like the extinction of the intellectual class as this would give it free scope for exploitation. The intellectual class usually belongs to the middle income group. Capitalists encourage family planning and birth control to check the growth of this middle class, thus these measures are a creation of the capitalist order. " (8)
Population growth: Proutistic solution
Although the population is growing and resources of the planet are finite, with advancement in science and technology, humanity is capable of providing for the basic needs of a growing population with the finite resources available by finding techniques to maximize food production and optimize land usage to manage the problem of space. Baba, through His many discourses, assures humanity that overpopulation is not a big problem, nor will it ever be in the future. It is only the lack of coordinated cooperation, rational distribution, collective efforts, and proper ideology that makes a growing population appear as a problem.
Prout philosophy says, "It is a law of nature that a mother is provided with sufficient breast milk to feed her newly born baby. In the same way, nature has generously provided sufficient resources to meet the food and other essential requirements of all human beings. People need to utilize these natural resources in a proper way. Shortages of food or space cannot be blamed on nature. These problems are essentially the results of the mistakes made by human beings." (9)
Natural balance in population: Proutistic solution
Prout philosophy says, "Under the present socio-economic conditions, PROUT advocates a comprehensive, clear-cut policy to tackle the population problem. According to PROUT, population growth will automatically find a natural level if the following four factors exist in society.
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First, there should be economic liberty in society so that people may get a nutritious diet. In Scandinavia, for example, the purchasing capacity of the people is high and they enjoy a good standard of living. Because of this, they do not face the problem of overpopulation.
Secondly, everybody should have the right to enjoy sound health. If people have a healthy body and mind their glandular system will remain balanced, and they can easily transform their physical energy into psychic energy and their psychic energy into spiritual energy. Through this effort of channelizing the mind in a spiritual direction, the baser mental propensities are easily controlled.
Thirdly, people should be free from unnecessary mental worries and anxieties. When one suffers from mental agonies continually, the mind naturally indulges in baser physical enjoyment to get rid of that unwanted condition. When mental agonies disappear, human beings will enjoy peace of mind and be able to assimilate subtle ideas.
Fourthly, the intellectual standard of humanity will have to be elevated. With intellectual advancement, human beings will develop their all-round psychic potentiality and can easily evolve their psycho-spiritual potentiality. Through continuous effort human beings will be able to attain the supreme stance, merging their individual unit existence into Cosmic existence." (10)
Conclusion
By imbibing these teachings of being rooted in the tenets of yama and niyama as well as dharma sa'dhana, humanity's mental flow will become an introversial one. Gradually the urge to seek pleasure extroversially by devouring external objects of the world will diminish. Humanity will realize no matter how much one seeks happiness through external means, one ultimately needs to look internally to be one with that Supreme source of infinite bliss to be truly content in life. This alone can ensure that humans do not misuse the finite resources of the planet indiscriminately in an effort to seek pleasure.
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In Him,
Prakas'a
~ In-depth study ~
Another problem which is a direct consequence of man's abuse of land and water resources is degradation of soil and depletion of water bodies. Baba, in his numerous discourses on the subjects of both water conservation and farming, has given us guidelines about best practices to be employed in both these areas to ensure optimal usage and conservation of land and water resources.
Afforestation
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "The banks of all water systems should be covered by dense forests. The science behind this is that the roots of the trees retain water. When the water-table subsides, the roots of the trees slowly release water. Hence, a pond surrounded by trees will never run dry. The foliage of the trees also minimizes evaporation. Besides this, the leaves of the trees have very small pores which attract clouds, so the trees help to increase the rainfall." (11)
Irrigation techniques
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "The best method of irrigation is the conservation of surface water through a system of ponds, canals, dams, lakes and reservoirs.... In a system of small-scale ponds and dams, any surplus water in the canals leading to the fields can be rechannelled back to a main water source to avoid wastage. Water will only be carried a little distance in a small-scale canal system, so most of the time the surrounding fields will be properly irrigated." (12)
Integrated farming
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Self-reliance is the main objective of our farming projects, hence they should be oriented towards production. They should not be dependent on outside resources. An integrated approach to farming should include such areas as agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, sericulture, lac culture, apiculture, dairy farming, animal husbandry, irrigation, pisciculture, pest control, the proper use of fertilizers, cottage industries, energy production, research centres and water conservation. This approach will help make farming projects self-reliant, and should be adopted." (13)
Way forward
Prout philosophy says, "No problem is greater than the human capacity to solve it." (14)
By strength of faith in Sadguru Baba's above assurance, humanity has to move ahead and diligently implement these various solutions to the problems of the day. First, a sadvipra society strengthened by the practices of yama and niyama as well as dharma sa'dhana, based on a proper ideology, needs to be created. Such a society will then have to collectively, with coordinated efforts, implement Baba's solutions to ensure humanity’s all-round welfare. This alone will help humanity reach its highest potential and finally get ensconced in supreme blessedness.
Reference A:
“Earth Overshoot Day – which marks the point at which consumption exceeds the capacity of nature to regenerate – falls on 2 August, nearly three weeks earlier than last year, when Covid19 lockdowns and restrictions slowed down global economies and thus consumption. Overall, however, Earth Overshoot Day has been getting earlier since the 1970s. Experts estimate that at the current rate of consumption, it would take 1.7 Earths to produce and regenerate all the resources we use today.” ~ Earth Org
Reference B:
"“A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet earth, not just greenhouse gases, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water use,” said Joseph Poore, at the University of Oxford, UK, who led the research. “It is far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car,” he said, as these only cut greenhouse gas emissions." ~ Courtesy of The Guardian.
Best of all is to eat only sentient food.
References
(1) Aparigraha, A Guide to Human Conduct
(2) Brahmacarya, A Guide to Human Conduct
(3) Aparigraha, A Guide to Human Conduct
(4) Santos'a, A Guide to Human Conduct
(5) Aparigraha, A Guide to Human Conduct
(6) Santos'a, A Guide to Human Conduct
(7) Ahimsa, A Guide to Human Conduct
(8) Talks on Prout, Prout in a Nutshell, Volume 3 Part 15
(9) Population Growth and Control, Prout in a Nutshell, Volume 3 Part 13
(10) Population Growth and Control, Prout in a Nutshell, Volume 3 Part 13
(11) Water Conservation, Ideal Farming part 2
(12) Water Conservation, Ideal Farming part 2
(13) Integrated Farming, Ideal Farming part 2
(14) Population Growth and Control, Prout in a Nutshell, Volume 3 Part 13
== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==
Deep recesses of my mind
“Eso tumi raunge rúpe, ámár maner ańu ańute…” (Prabhat Samgiita #2242)
Purport:
O’ Parama Purusa, please come in the depths of my mind with Your exquisite form and resplendent colour. I long to feel Your closeness in each and every iota and pore of my being. Supreme One, please come to me. My whole life has passed in searching for You from one country to another, from one so-called holy land to another. I have walked this entire earth seeking You.
O’ Prabhu, when I was looking to find You in far distant places, I did not get You anywhere. And when I searched for You locally and nearby, in various temples, mosques, synagogues, churches, and jagrtis, then also I did not get You. Nor did I get You in any so-called holy land like Tiljala, Jamalpur, Puri, Varanasi, Rome, or Jerusalem. I also went to Ananda Nagar, Mecca, but could not find You there, nor in the forests, or at the top of the Himalayan mountain ranges etc. After not locating You anywhere, I cry in loneliness.
O’ Parama Purusa Baba, by Your grace when I look into the deep recesses of my mind then I see that You are there. On the seed vessel of my Guru cakra, You have made the thousand-petaled lotus flower bloom in my mental arena. Sitting on that white lotus, You are smiling - invisible to the crude eye. You are Taraka Brahma, Love-Personified.
Baba, I did not get You anywhere externally. Now, when I look within, then by Your krpa I see that You are with me. Please always keep me under Your shelter…
Awareness about cancer
Ananda Marga Yogic Treatments states, "Causes: Cancer is a disease of the whole body as well as a tridośaja disease [involving disturbances of váyu, pitta and kapha]. This disease is a combined effect of many different factors. It is ordinarily observed that persons who suffer from constipation as a result of violating the health rules, and who likewise are lazy, lack self-restraint, sleep during the day and keep late nights, are most likely to be attacked by cancer."
"When due to constipation, the blood and the muscle-fibre become worn out by the contaminated digestive fluids of the body and the contaminated air produced by them, cancer sets in. Parts of the internal organs of people who are extremely self-indulgent become weak. As a result of the attrition of shukra, their body loses its vitality. When such people eat too large a quantity of non-vegetarian food, their blood turns acidic and the disease gradually breaks out in the weaker parts of their bodies."
"With those people who shun physical labour but take acidic food, chillies, or intoxicants and especially tobacco and similar things – there is every possibility that the disease will attack." (1)
Ananda Marga Yogic Treatments states, "Dos and Don'ts: Sleeping during the day, staying awake at night, chillies, non-vegetarian food, and sexual relations are to be strictly avoided. Walking in open places as the strength allows, and, for those who are lazy by nature, doing some physical labour, are also necessary. Eating a piece of myrobalan after a meal is always helpful to clear the bowels. Patients should go to bed every night by 8:30 or 9 p.m so that they may get up very early the next morning." (2)
References
1. Yogic Treatments, Cancer
2. Yogic Treatments, Cancer
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“Eso tumi raunge rúpe, ámár maner ańu ańute…” (Prabhat Samgiita #2242)
Purport:
O’ Parama Purusa, please come in the depths of my mind with Your exquisite form and resplendent colour. I long to feel Your closeness in each and every iota and pore of my being. Supreme One, please come to me. My whole life has passed in searching for You from one country to another, from one so-called holy land to another. I have walked this entire earth seeking You.
O’ Prabhu, when I was looking to find You in far distant places, I did not get You anywhere. And when I searched for You locally and nearby, in various temples, mosques, synagogues, churches, and jagrtis, then also I did not get You. Nor did I get You in any so-called holy land like Tiljala, Jamalpur, Puri, Varanasi, Rome, or Jerusalem. I also went to Ananda Nagar, Mecca, but could not find You there, nor in the forests, or at the top of the Himalayan mountain ranges etc. After not locating You anywhere, I cry in loneliness.
O’ Parama Purusa Baba, by Your grace when I look into the deep recesses of my mind then I see that You are there. On the seed vessel of my Guru cakra, You have made the thousand-petaled lotus flower bloom in my mental arena. Sitting on that white lotus, You are smiling - invisible to the crude eye. You are Taraka Brahma, Love-Personified.
Baba, I did not get You anywhere externally. Now, when I look within, then by Your krpa I see that You are with me. Please always keep me under Your shelter…
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Awareness about cancer
Ananda Marga Yogic Treatments states, "Causes: Cancer is a disease of the whole body as well as a tridośaja disease [involving disturbances of váyu, pitta and kapha]. This disease is a combined effect of many different factors. It is ordinarily observed that persons who suffer from constipation as a result of violating the health rules, and who likewise are lazy, lack self-restraint, sleep during the day and keep late nights, are most likely to be attacked by cancer."
"When due to constipation, the blood and the muscle-fibre become worn out by the contaminated digestive fluids of the body and the contaminated air produced by them, cancer sets in. Parts of the internal organs of people who are extremely self-indulgent become weak. As a result of the attrition of shukra, their body loses its vitality. When such people eat too large a quantity of non-vegetarian food, their blood turns acidic and the disease gradually breaks out in the weaker parts of their bodies."
"With those people who shun physical labour but take acidic food, chillies, or intoxicants and especially tobacco and similar things – there is every possibility that the disease will attack." (1)
Ananda Marga Yogic Treatments states, "Dos and Don'ts: Sleeping during the day, staying awake at night, chillies, non-vegetarian food, and sexual relations are to be strictly avoided. Walking in open places as the strength allows, and, for those who are lazy by nature, doing some physical labour, are also necessary. Eating a piece of myrobalan after a meal is always helpful to clear the bowels. Patients should go to bed every night by 8:30 or 9 p.m so that they may get up very early the next morning." (2)
References
1. Yogic Treatments, Cancer
2. Yogic Treatments, Cancer
== Section 3: Links ==
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