Baba
Debate on giving initiation
Namaskar,
I was in the room when a few dadas were talking about giving initiation. At first they were just expressing their philosophies and approaches. One started saying that he initiates people as soon as possible, i.e. he will initiate anyone, anywhere. This dada felt that giving diiksa and assigning the mantra should be done speedily to one and all.
Then another dada looked up and said that this was not proper. Ananda Marga initiation is very special and one should show deep commitment before getting initiated. This dada began telling that he will only initiate a person if they (a) only eat sentient food, (b) have given up all kinds of intoxicants, and (c) refrain from all degrading, animalistic propensities for a given time period. Then and only then will he initiate them, otherwise not.
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A few others agreed with this perspective, while others thought this was too severe and by this way our Ananda Marga would not grow. Then one dada chimed in that giving initiation is a lot of work and time-taking: "I am so busy with my work that I do not have time to do initiations. So I request other acaryas to attend to this duty."
Then again someone said there should be strict limitations and restrictions on who could be initiated. Some nodded in agreement but others were not pleased by this method and insisted that as acaryas their role was to deliver spirituality to the masses - "bring all to the path of bliss". Finally, a few others countered that it was essential to be selective in giving diiksa otherwise the sanctity of Ananda Marga will be affected.
Keeping the aforementioned perspectives in mind, we now turn our attention to two dadas who share real life experiences on this topic of imparting diiksa.
How two Dadas failed to initiate
One Wt recounted a very moving situation wherein a person came to him for initiation and dada thought about it and told the person to come back the next week. In that short span of time the person died; he never got the chance to recite a siddha mantra in this life. Dada felt that ultimately he had wronged that person and committed a sin of omission (pratyavaya) by not initiating that person right away.
Not only that but Dada understood that if he had initiated the brother then that person would have done sadhana for a few days before dying, in which case he would have gotten liberation (mukti) at the time of death - as per The Supreme Command. Instead, that person died without ever having done sadhana because he was never initiated; so he has to face all past samskaras. And it was uncovered that this person was a sinner so he might not even get human life again, rather animal life or worse. So it is a double or triple loss. Because (a) Dada did not initiate that brother, the person could not get mukti, (b) instead that person had to undergo terrible degeneration because of his samskaras. And finally, (c) Dada committed a sin of omission.
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Hearing the above account, another dada said that he too had told an aspirant to come back in the next few days for initiation. In that period, dada was deported from the country and the person did not receive initiation as no other workers were in that area. This worker too felt remorse for not acting on the opportunity to give initiation. So this raised the query: How quickly should one get initiated?
More Wts join the debate
In response, two more dadas got involved in the debate. One dada was stating that he waits till a person is perfectly ready for receiving initiation - and that there is no other way. Then a second dada countered, "Oh I see, so every person you have initiated has become a Wt." The first dada kept mum as he understood the inner meaning. On this point he had to admit defeat since so many of those whom he had initiated had left Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha and left sadhana. No matter how hard one tries, not all initiated persons are going to stay. That second dada furthermore added that he prefers to initiate all kinds of people relatively quickly, so long as they express some basic interest in learning sadhana. Even then, he said it is surprising. Some who seem serious leave, while others surprise him by becoming strong sadhakas.
Conclusion
The culminating consensus from the debate amongst those Wts is that people should get initiated as soon as possible, especially if the candidate shows even a little interest in yoga or spirituality. Once diiksa is given, then the person truly has the opportunity to progress on the path. And that is the quintessence of human life. Verily Sadguru Baba guides us of the importance of getting all the lessons of sadhana in a timely way. And that is impossible if one does not at least get initiated.
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Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, "Human life is short. It is wise to get all the instructions regarding sádhaná as soon as possible." (1)
So our acaryas should aim to initiate a maximum amount of people, bringing all unto the path of bliss.
Namaskar,
In Him,
Anand Sagar
All told those Dadas who withhold and refrain from giving diiksa to interested parties are no different from the negative pseudo-guru Marpa who refused to teach sadhana to Milarepa because the dogmatic tradition was to withhold the teachings from the disciple for as long as possible. Those days the "gurus" were more concerned with preserving their own prestige so they preferred not to share their teachings and instead assigned arduous physical tasks to keep their disciples busy and test their loyalty. In a similar manner, acaryas should not have a long list of requirements that a person must meet before getting initiation. Rather, one should be keen to give people initiation so they can come under the shelter of Guru at the earliest.
~ In-depth study ~
Here are a few teachings from Sadguru Baba.
(A) First Baba guides us that liberation is a sure guarantee, but one cannot get mukti if they are not initiated and ultimately practicing sadhana. In service to others, we should be vigilant to initiate one and all.
The Supreme Command states, "Those who perform sadhana twice a day regularly, the thought of Parama Purusa will certainly arise in their mind at the time of death; their liberation is a sure guarantee..." (2)
(B) Here below Baba graciously declares that "dharma is the property of the masses." Therefore all should have access to the lessons of sadhana.
Ananda Marga ideology states, "Today, you should remember that Ananda Marga is not limited to a handful of honest and intellectual people. Rather, it is trying to rally thousands of people under the banner of one sublime ideology. I dedicate Ananda Marga in this DMC [Dharma Mahácakra: a spiritual gathering during which the Guru delivers several discourses] to all sections of society. Prior to this DMC, I would only discuss intellectual topics, but from this DMC onwards I have become a man of the people because I believe that dharma is the property of the masses, not the exclusive monopoly of a handful of so-called educated middle class elite. Dharma belongs to one and all. From this DMC, I recognize it as the property of the common people." (3)
References
1. Caryacarya - 2, Sadhana, Point #8
2. Supreme Command
3. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 7, Spiritual Truth Surpasses Everything, 3 January 1979, Patna
* * *
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section: Important Teaching ==
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Spa care
Ananda Marga Caryacarya says, "The practices given below are prescribed only for specific diseases. Therefore, they are to be performed only after consultation with an a'ca'rya."
"Vistrta sna'na or vya'paka sna'na: A bathtub is most convenient, but if this is not available, an earthen trough will suffice. If this is not available either, a wet towel can be used, soaking it repeatedly in water. Fill the bathtub with cold water, and sit in it undressed so that the area from the navel down remains submerged. Keep your feet dry and out of the tub. The area from the neck to the navel should be kept covered with a shirt or dry cloth. The crown of the head and the back of the head should be kept covered with a wet towel."
Ananda Marga Caryacarya says, "Now take another towel and rub the area from the right side of the abdomen to the groin seven or eight times. Do likewise on the left-hand side and horizontally from right to left and left to right. You should make sure that the towel on the head remains wet."
"After this, wipe the abdomen, hands and thighs and take a full bath. If this is not possible, then leave the tub wearing a shirt."
Ananda Marga Caryacarya says, "This should be practised behind closed doors. In the absence of a bathtub or an earthen trough, a wet towel may be wrapped around the areas to be bathed, but in order to compensate, cold water must be poured constantly over the towel, and the towel which is to be used for the massage must be kept wet. After vya'paka sna'na, the thighs, pubic area and abdomen should be warmed with a dry towel."
"Before and after this bath one should not eat, in order to allow the stomach to rest." (1)
Reference
1. Caryacarya - 3, Different Yoga Practices
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Why victims of exploitation
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “The exploited people are not even aware that they are being exploited. This is why it is easy to exploit them in the social sphere, then create inferiority complexes in their minds to keep them under prolonged administrative domination and perpetuate the exploitation. This is easily done by the cunning exploiters. And the tragedy is that the exploited mass do not try to understand – they cannot understand, and they even refuse to understand – that they are victims of exploitation. So this is more dangerous.” (1)
Reference
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 18, Various Forms of Exploitation
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "Self-awareness develops through clash. The awareness that develops through physical clash is termed jadábuddhi [crude physical intellect] because it is associated with jadá [matter]. The consciousness of animals and undeveloped human beings is matter-oriented. But even in developed human society, if someone is an atheist or a materialist, we can only term their intellect as jadábuddhi. Such people deny the existence of spirituality in order to hide their intellectual deficiencies. Their denial betrays their moral and intellectual bankruptcy. It does not speak of their glory, nor does it diminish the value of spirituality." (1)
Ananda Marga ideology says, "Devotion plays a positive role in the process of clash. Had there been no factor to maintain the balance among all the objects created within the Macrocosmic Mind, the entire structure of the universe would have fallen apart. For the sake of harmony and balance within the universe, there is a mutual attraction among all the objects; each microcosm attracts the other microcosms. All finite microcosms – the innumerable manifestations of the Supreme Entity – are entitled to that universal love with which It has bound each microcosm to Itself, entitled to the wave of that universal love, in which Its divine ocean of bliss is perennially flowing. Attraction is the innate characteristic of microcosms. When this attraction is for finite objects, it is called káma [“physical longing”], and when it surges towards the Cosmic Entity, it is called prema [“divine love”]. Of course, káma is nothing but a limited form of prema. When microcosms rush towards Parama Puruśa [Supreme Consciousness] attracted by the irresistible force of divine love, it is termed “devotion”. Since clash drives the microcosms towards subtlety, it follows that clash must be the sustainer of devotion." (2)
Reference
1. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 8, Cosmic Attraction and Spiritual Cult
2. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 8, Cosmic Attraction and Spiritual Cult
== Section: Comment ==
Re: Importance of this lesson
প্রাণায়ামের অভাবে ধ্যান হৰে না
নমস্কার,
আনন্দমার্গের সাধনা পদ্ধতিতে সৰ লেসনগুলি সমান গুরুত্বপূর্ণ | সাধনার সময় কোন লেসন উপেক্ষা করা উচিত নয় |
প্রাণায়াম প্রধানত শারীরিক প্রয়াস হলেও মনের ওপর এর প্রভাব অপরিসীম | প্রাণায়ামে শরীরের দশটি প্রাণবায়ু নিয়ন্ত্রিত হয় | ফলে যারা যথাযথভাবে প্রাণায়াম করে, তারা সংয়মের সাথে কাজ করার ক্ষমতা আয়ত্ব করে | কেননা প্রকৃতিগতভাবে শ্বাস-প্রশ্বাসের উপর নিয়ন্ত্রণ করেই প্রাণায়ামে মনকে সংযত করা হয় | শরীর সংযত হলে মনও সংযত হয় |
প্রাণায়াম ছাড়া sixth lesson অর্থহীন | যথাযথভাবে ধ্যান করার জন্য প্রাণায়াম অভ্যাস করা চরমভাবে জরুরী | ৰাৰা এই কথাটি ৰহু ৰার ৰলেছেন | ফলে বিভিন্ন দিক থেকে এটা অত্যন্ত স্পষ্ট যে আমাদের সাধনা পদ্ধতির অপরিহার্য অঙ্গ হচ্ছে প্রাণায়াম | আনন্দমার্গের আদর্শের নির্দেশনায় ৰলা হয়---প্রাণায়াম যথেষ্টভাবে অভ্যাস না করলে ধ্যানের অভ্যাস
অর্থহীন |
প্রাণায়াম করার নিয়ম
প্রাণায়াম সম্পর্কে ৰাৰার সতর্কবাণী হচ্ছে--- প্রত্যেক সাধক যেন নিশ্চিত থাকে প্রাণায়াম শুরু করার আগে তার মনটি সম্পূর্ণভাবে ভূমা ভাবনায় ভাবিত | আনন্দমার্গের সাধনা পদ্ধতিতে প্রাণায়ামের প্রধান শর্ত হচ্ছে ভূমার ভাব গ্রহণ করা | এভাবে পুরো প্রাণায়াম প্রক্রিয়াটি শেষ না করে মাঝখানে প্রাণায়াম ছেড়ে দেওয়া উচিত নয় | তিনি প্রাণায়ামের সুফল থেকে বঞ্চিত হৰেন | প্রত্যেকেই যেন দৃঢ়ভাবে প্রাণায়ামকে সাধনার অন্যতম প্রধান অঙ্গ ৰলে অভ্যাস করে |
প্রাণায়ামের মাধ্যমে মন সুচগ্র হয় | ৰাৰা এর জন্যই প্রত্যেক সাধককে নিয়মিতভাবে ও কঠোরভাবে প্রাণায়াম অভ্যাস করার জন্য উৎসাহিত করেছেন |
নমস্কার,
বিবেকানন্দ
To see the original post, click here: Importance of this lesson
== Section: Ananda Vanii ==
Hasten that auspicious moment
Original Ananda Vanii states: “The fact that the fortune of every individual, not only of this earth but of the entire cosmos, has been wreathed together, will have to be admitted one day by people. The spiritual aspirant has to hasten that auspicious moment by pauseless effort, service and propagation of the great Ideology. This alone is the Supreme task for the present humanity.” (Ananda Vanii #30)
Note: Sadguru Baba has assigned a number to all His original and true Ananda Vaniis. In contrast, Fake Ananda Vaniis do not have any number. By this simple formula, one can easily recognise which is a true Ananda Vanii and which is fake. For the upcoming occasion of January 1st 2017, all Ananda Marga units should use one of Baba’s original and true Ananda Vaniis, not a fake one. By this way, one will surely get His blessing.
== Section: Important Teaching ==
How people are being educated
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "The system of education prevailing today was formulated or evolved long ago, mainly with a view to suit the needs of the capitalist class. For the last three to four thousand years, the same type of education is being imparted. The main purpose behind this sort of educational system is to create persons with a slavish mentality to fulfill need of those capitalist exploiters. This sort of education is fundamentally defective. It is certain that this type of education which serves the capitalists' interests is not at all suitable. This sort of education creates obstacles in the evolution of humanity. We have to thoroughly revamp the entire educational system. A new educational system must evolve to produce sadvipras." (1)
Note: Those who are bragging about the standard of their education should know what type & what category of knowledge they have. In this regard, we should ponder Sadguru Baba's above guideline.
Reference
1. 11/29/70, General Darshan
== Section 3: Links ==
