Baba
Why bad reactions
Namaskar,
When a person is young and feeling strong and healthy, they generally reap their good samskaras of the past, while their bad samskaras wait for the opportune moment. A man in his youth may derive tremendous psychic pleasure from receiving so many accolades only to experience so much heartache and pain in his later years. So many things can happen. It just depends on when the ground is fertile for a particular samskara to take expression.
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Humans come into this world with so much baggage. Just having good samskaras alone does not ensure that one's movement will be proper. It is often those who are enjoying the fruits of their past good actions that inflict the most harm on others. Due to the expression of our good samskaras - wealth, power, prestige etc - that one creates bad samskaras. The real culprit is our false sense of vanity.
How samskara gets created
The entire theory of samskaras rests upon how much pleasure or pain you create upon others in the mental realm. If you do something - such as help a person in distress - that makes someone else feel better mentally, then you have incurred a good samskara which will one day take expression and reflect in your own mind. And if you do something that inflicts pain and harm upon others, then that is to incur a negative samskara.
However, on some occasions, the ego grows and grows. One may begin to think that they have the world in the palm of their hand, or feel that they are invincible etc. In that seemingly unbeatable - yet precarious and vulnerable position - they may commit so many wrongs that will put them on the path of degradation.
They may drop a bomb on an entire city or nation, or they may suppress millions, or they may declare an entire people to be slaves. So many things one may do under that false sense of vanity and unleash so much harm unto others. In their blindness, such persons think that no harm can come their way, but in the due course they will undergo that same degree of suffering plus interest.
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Conducive environment
How many times have we witnessed some fall to the depths of hell. One may tumble at any moment if one is not careful. The only way is to goad all one's psychic longings unto the Supreme. We never know when, nor the rate at which, a good or bad samskara may take expression. There is no fixed time frame - it may be this life or the next. And we do not know if we will undergo the reaction all at once or slowly over time. All that can be said is that that samskara is waiting for a conducive environment.
Good samskaras not a boon
Certainly, one's good samskaras can lead one further along the path of righteousness.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "Vaedikii diiks'a' is to request God, request the Lord, to show one the right path. And after a long time, when the Lord is satisfied, He arranges for Ta'ntrikii diiks'a'. Ananda Marga diiks'a' is Ta'ntrikii diiks'a'." (1)
By Baba's grace, many have come onto the path of Ananda Marga due to some type of proper effort in the past, combined with cultivating the right desire and His divine blessing. Once on the path then one must make the right effort to keep marching ahead. The moment we think that we ourselves are great or the moment we look to material satisfaction for our happiness, we may fall from the path. And certainly the moment we inflict pain and suffering on others then we are sure to have to undergo that reaction.
Here the point is that good samskaras are not just a liability because the ego has gotten puffed up. With Baba's grace and the propulsion of one's past samskaras, one can become a great sadhaka. There are so many examples of this.
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Always experienced in the mind
Samskara theory is quite complex. It may bring fame and fortune, or it may remain hidden for decades and then crop up one day, dramatically changing one's course of life. One other important point is that samskaras are always expressed in the mind. One will mentally undergo that degree of pain or pleasure in the psychic realm. At this point in the advanced societies where one's physical needs are generally met, most undergo mental torment and torture in the form of anxiety, stress, depression, or so many other psychic ailments. Whereas in the financially poorer countries, people's psychic suffering may be accompanied by more physical duress. But whatever may be, the degree of suffering is always measured in the mind.
Goad all longing
By contemplating this entire theory, one may fall prey to the notion that it is impossible to extricate oneself from this cycle of cause and effect. It may seem like, "Always, I am either creating or undergoing a samskara." However there is an escape.
Baba has given us the perfect formula and remedy. So long as we follow the code of brahmacarya or madhuvidya, and always take second lesson and think of Him, then we are able to goad all desires unto Parama Purusa and perform many works in this world without ever creating any new samskaras. That is how every sadhaka should live. Then, by His grace, mukti is certain.
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In this very life
Baba has blessed us by bringing us on the path. We understand that this world is not our eternal abode, and it cannot offer us endless bliss. Rather we are to become one with Parama Purus'a - in this very life itself. That is our aim; that is our destiny. Yet we have accumulated so many samskaras from previous lives.
So in sadhaka life, our samskaras ripen very quickly for they must get expressed in this life itself - as there will not be future lives, per His guarantee in the Supreme Command. Baba has verily promised that those performing sadhana 2x daily will achieve liberation (mukti); that is the guarantee in The Supreme Command.
So we must undergo a huge number of reactions in this very life itself. Even then, they cannot all take expression. There just is not enough time.
Good or bad: both bind
For some, their good samskaras can be a gateway to liberation, while for others their good samskaras can ricochet them onto the path to hell, if they abuse the fruits of their pious past actions.
Good then does not always signify future greatness or liberation, and bad does not mean terrible things. A man suffering from bad samskaras may reflect more deeply and vow to lead a virtuous life.
All that can be said is that all samskaras - whether they be good ones or bad ones - are binding, keeping one forever tied to the cycle of life and death.
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How some degenerate
This is when vanity, ego, lust, and all kinds of degenerative properties take shape in the mind. Because that outlook is devoid of any service mentality.
Then one asserts their free will in a negative direction. Unfortunately, so many fall in this category and due to ego they end up tumbling far, far below. What they utterly fail to realise is that getting human life again is not an easy task.
Conclusion
The cycle is unending: birth to death and then rebirth. So you are not free. When one is blessed to enter the path of sadhana, in the fire of sadhana every day one burns their samskaras. By doing sadhana and with His divine grace, one achieves liberation.
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In Him
Para’vidya’
Anand Marga ideology guides us, “Of course, the requital of the reactive momenta may possibly be pleasurable instead of painful; it all depends upon the nature of one’s actions. In either case, the more one surrenders one’s actions to Brahma, the shorter will be the period of requital caused by the reactions. In this case the intensity of the requital will be greater than normal; but this is a good sign, because intense requital means the exhaustion of the requital within a short period.” (2)
~ In-depth study ~
Ananda Marga ideology states, "So Parama Purus'a says to His devotees, “Just see how difficult it is for you to carry such a heavy load of sam'skaras. You are small children. The load weighs more than you. How long will you be able to carry such a burden? You have accumulated so many sam'skaras that you will have to carry the load for many lives, for thousands of years. One life will certainly be insufficient. So I have a proposition. Give me the entire load of your accumulated sam'skaras. I will carry it for you”.
"The devotees reply, “How can we possibly give our heavy burden to You? No, we must carry the load ourselves. We will sing songs and dance for you, but we will never give you such a heavy load of sins”."
"But Parama Purus'a knows that His dear devotees cannot carry such a heavy load of sins. If they do not give away the load it will be a constant strain for them. So what does Parama Purus'a do in such circumstances? He takes their sins without their permission. If someone takes things from others without their permission, what is it called? It is called theft. Thus, as Parama Purus'a takes the load of sins from the devotees without their permission, He is certainly a thief “Harati pa'pah yah sah Harih.” One who steals others sins is called Hari. So, one of His names is Hari." (3)
One may then may bounce back and forth between various grades of human and animal life, between pratisaincara, negative pratisaincara, and saincara. It all depends upon how one exercises their free will when in human form.
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How samskaras mature
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "The bundle of saḿskaras gets lighter due to non-original actions. After death this bundle loses its connection with the sensory organs, motor organs, práńendriya and mind. It becomes compact after imbibing a new set of saḿskáras of pain and pleasure. During a prolonged period of unconsciousness or at the time of death, the bundle of saḿskáras becomes even more compact. It can be created in one life or in many lives. Disease, grief and other deep sorrows are merely the reactions of self-created saḿskáras. After reaping such tremendous reactions as a result of the temporary disconnection of the sensory organs, motor organs, práńendriya and mind, a new bundle of saḿskáras is created which brings tremendous change to the fortunes of human beings." (4)
Ananda Marga ideology states, "According to one’s desires, original or non-original actions produce pleasurable or painful experiences, or both, or neither. Pleasure occurs when one’s actional vibrations create a congenial sensation which relaxes the nerve fibres, and pain occurs when one’s actional vibrations create tension in the nerve fibres." (5)
Fate is nothing but
Ananda Marga ideology states, "Pratiipam vipariitam aiṋcati vijánáti iti Pratyak. As a rule, the bundle of saḿskáras that is continually formed until the moment of one’s death in this life, is exhausted through saḿskaramulaka karma (non-original actions) in one’s next life. Generally, the bundle of saḿskáras does not fully ripen during a person’s life unless there is a disconnection of the sensory organs, motor organs, práńendriya and mind. Thus the actions performed in one life are not experienced as reactions in the same life." (6)
Saḿskáras ripens
Ananda Marga ideology states, "Generally, reactions start expressing themselves at the end of an actional flow. The moment a football loses its power to rise up in the air, it starts falling down to earth. Similarly the actional flow loses its momentum when it comes, in contact with the vásanábhánd́a (the pot of desires), and from that moment takes the form of reactions. Because of this, one is unable to discern the actions of a previous life which cause the reactions in the present life." (7)
Ordinarily, one’s accumulated reactive momenta ripen at the time of death as a result of the disassociation of the sensory organs, motor organs, práńendriya and mind. These reactive momenta then take the form of reactions in the next life. Human beings fail to realize that it is quite natural for the reactions of past actions to be expressed in this life. Since they cannot see the original actions, they blame God for their fate.
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Ananda Marga ideology states, "Some people who spend their whole lives engaged in virtuous deeds suffer tremendously as a result of previous original actions. For the same reason, some people who performed wicked actions in a past life enjoy abundant pleasure in this life. When people experience reactions without understanding the nature of their original actions in previous lives it is called adrastavedaniiyakarma, or in short, adrsta (fate)."
"The mind may become temporarily detached from the sensory organs, motor organs and práńendriya when one suffers from a serious disease, a bereavement, or a fainting fit, etc., or when one’s kulakúńdalinii is awakened due to one’s association with a great person. When this detachment occurs, the bundle of saḿskáras ripens and the reactions of one’s present life start to express themselves. This kind of karma is known as drśt́a vedaniiya karma – good or bad reactions are experienced in the same life as their original actions were performed." (8)
When requital of samskaras occurs in this life
Ananda Marga ideology states, "If a liar, a fraud, a bribe-taker, or a corrupt politician happen to reap the consequences of their bad actions in this life, whether they admit it or not, they will realize in their minds that they are being punished for their falsehood, fraudulence and political hypocrisy. These reactions are drśt́a vedaniiya karma. Likewise, people can also enjoy the fruits of their actions in this life. Generally we reap the fruits of actions we performed in the past life. To reap the consequences of actions of the present life is not quite natural, though it is also not unnatural."
Ananda Marga ideology states, "Generally one does not reap the consequences of the actions performed in this life itself. If the accumulated saḿskáras of this life are almost similar to the bundle of saḿskáras of past life, that is, if the actional vibrations of both lives are the same, then the reactions of both lives occur concurrently [successively]. But if the vibrations of the accumulated saḿskáras of this life are totally different from those of the past life, the two lives’ reactions will not occur concurrently. In the latter case, one will reap the consequences of the actions of the previous life. The actions performed in this life will form a new bundle of saḿskáras. When this bundle is mixed with the bundle created in the previous life, an altogether new bundle of saḿskáras is formed. Hence the bundle of saḿskáras varies from person to person." (9)
Internal conflict
Ananda Marga ideology teaches us, "The bundle of saḿskáras of a saint is not the same as the bundle of saḿskáras of a sinner. If a saintly person does something bad, there will be a clash between the vibration created by the evil deed and the vibration of the original bundle of saḿskáras. This will cause a severe disturbance in the nerve fibres. The hand of a person accepting a bribe for the first time trembles. A man who commits armed-robbery for the first time becomes so mentally agitated that he cannot resist returning to the scene of the crime, and is thus caught by the police. However, when a confirmed criminal commits such an offense, the vibration of the evil deed is in perfect harmony with the vibration of the bundle of saḿskáras, causing no disturbance at all in his mind or body. For this reason, wicked people continue committing crimes without being caught by the police. If a good person persists in following a bad path, in that case, in the absence of internal conflict, the possibility of a violent tension in his or her nerves gradually decreases."
"There is yet another circumstance in which people may reap the consequences of their actions in the same life. If people continue to perform actions without interruption their karma becomes drsta vedaniiya. With the help of Vidyá a link is formed between the self and the mind. When the mind is influenced by the sentient principle, the self (soul or atman) reflects on the mind; when the mind is influenced by the static principle it gets embroiled in the mundane world; and when it is influenced by the mutative principle it reaps the consequences of its actions. When people are goaded by the propensity of mundane enjoyment they become desperate for uninterrupted pleasure, and end up drifting in the flow of the static force. As this unrestrained flow is not resisted by any opposing force, it directly hits the vásaná bhándá (pot of desires) causing a mutative reaction." (10)
If someone harms a sick person, a saint...
Ananda Marga ideology says, "Human beings undergo reactions according to the nature of their original actions. If someone harms a sick person, a saint, a person who has taken shelter with someone, or a honest person, he or she will immediately undergo a reaction of the same intensity. This is because sick, infirm and saintly people never obstruct the original actions of wrongdoers. Whatever the original actions of a person may be, good or bad, reactive momenta are bound to be created. Until all these potential reactions are expressed, liberation or salvation is impossible." (11)
Without creating new samskaras
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "Until all the reactions of actions, good or bad, are exhausted a person cannot attain salvation in hundreds of lives. Just as people bound by golden or iron chains feel the pains of bondage, similarly people undergoing good or bad reactions will have to accept them."
"As long as one has a physical body, one cannot be free from action. Thus spiritual aspirants must be ever-vigilant to ensure that new reactive momenta do not enter their vásanábháńda. Through proper Cosmic ideation (Brahmacarya), sádhakas can keep their vásanábhánd́a filled with the ideation of Consciousness. They may have to undergo their past saḿskáras, but because they constantly ideate on the Supreme, no new bundle of saḿskáras will be created. Moreover their old saḿskáras will be exhausted more quickly." (12)
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 3, Sadguruḿ Taḿ Namámi
2. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 8, Sadhana
3. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 8, He Who Steals Others' Sins Is Called Hari
4. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life in a Nutshell Part 9, The Science of Action
5. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life in a Nutshell Part 9, The Science of Action
6. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life in a Nutshell Part 9, The Science of Action
7. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life in a Nutshell Part 9, The Science of Action
8. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life in a Nutshell Part 9, The Science of Action
9. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life in a Nutshell Part 9, The Science of Action
10. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life in a Nutshell Part 9, The Science of Action
11. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life in a Nutshell Part 9, The Science of Action
12. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life in a Nutshell Part 9, The Science of Action
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Good Health: two practical mudra
These two mudras - uddayan mudra and utksepa mudra - are very important for all-round health as they serve as prevention and treatment for numerous diseases. In the Ananda Marga Yogic Treatments book, these two mudras are pervasively used. So all should know how to practice these mudras - i.e. when to inhale and when to exhale etc. Actually they are so basic, there is no need to ask any acarya etc. The instructions are printed in Caryacarya part 3 for all to see. Everyone has access to this knowledge. People should therefore take it upon themselves to acquire the foundational knowledge of basic Ananda Marga practices, like these two important mudras.
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, “Ud́d́ayana mudrá: Standing, place the hands above the knees and bend forward a little. Gradually breathe out, to a state of complete exhalation. Keeping the breath out, draw the abdomen and lower abdomen inward as hard as possible, to touch the spine. Maintain this position for eight seconds. Then gradually inhale fully. Practise eight times.” (1)
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, “Utkśepa Mudrá: This mudrá should be practised in bed immediately upon waking. While lying on the back, one should flex both the arms and legs, bringing them over the chest, and then return them immediately to the extended position. After doing this three or four times, sit up in bed and drink a glass of cold water without allowing the water to touch the teeth. After this you should expose the navel area to the air, and walk up and down in this way for some time in the open air.” (2)
Some of our Wts do not regularly study Guru's books so they end up teaching margiis the wrong thing, or neglect to teach them the right thing. Best is for every Ananda Margii to study Guru's teachings directly. Not studying and just depending on acaryas for basic elements will not yield a proper result. Suppose you ask an acarya and they do not know and give a false answer instead, then the patient will be harmed.
References
1. Caryacarya - 3, Mudrás and Bandhas
2. Caryacarya - 3, Different Yoga Practices
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Negative approach: states formed on linguistic basis
Prout philosophy states, “In the western corner of India there is a move for Punjabi Suba. This is the outcome of the cry for linguistic states by some respectable all-India leaders. These leaders noted that certain other leaders are sympathetic to Muslims, so they proclaimed Punjabi Suba. Their intention is to create an independent Punjab. In the past they launched a campaign for Sikhistan. However, large numbers of Sikhs only live in the northern and western Punjab. Moreover, there is practically no difference between Hindus and Sikhs as they speak the same language and are guided by the same Hindu Code. Before independence there were 57% Muslims, 30% Hindus and 13% Sikhs in the Punjab. Now there are 70% Hindus and 30% Sikhs. The demand for Punjab Suba, though inwardly communal in character, outwardly appears to be a demand for a linguistic state. Those leaders who once supported the idea of a linguistic state are now afraid of the demands of the Sikhs. This is a funny occurrence indeed! Fissiparous forces always create disunity and exploitation in collective life. To counteract these fissiparous forces, PROUT encourages those common factors amidst divergent views which lead to unity and synthesis.” (1)
Reference
1. Talks on Prout
Prout philosophy states, “In the western corner of India there is a move for Punjabi Suba. This is the outcome of the cry for linguistic states by some respectable all-India leaders. These leaders noted that certain other leaders are sympathetic to Muslims, so they proclaimed Punjabi Suba. Their intention is to create an independent Punjab. In the past they launched a campaign for Sikhistan. However, large numbers of Sikhs only live in the northern and western Punjab. Moreover, there is practically no difference between Hindus and Sikhs as they speak the same language and are guided by the same Hindu Code. Before independence there were 57% Muslims, 30% Hindus and 13% Sikhs in the Punjab. Now there are 70% Hindus and 30% Sikhs. The demand for Punjab Suba, though inwardly communal in character, outwardly appears to be a demand for a linguistic state. Those leaders who once supported the idea of a linguistic state are now afraid of the demands of the Sikhs. This is a funny occurrence indeed! Fissiparous forces always create disunity and exploitation in collective life. To counteract these fissiparous forces, PROUT encourages those common factors amidst divergent views which lead to unity and synthesis.” (1)
Reference
1. Talks on Prout
== Section 2: Links ==
