Baba
Namaskar,
If
someone is using a borrowed car. In that case, one knows that they have
the car for a limited period so they will carefully and efficiently
attend to their duties, whereas if one thinks that the car they have
will be theirs forever, then they will take all sorts of side
excursions, instead of moving directly towards their real destination.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Proper outlook
So
the only approach then is to always remember that Parama Purusa alone
is our eternal Bandhu - none other. Only He remains with us up to
eternity. Everything else is short-lived and transitory.
If
we remember this fact each and every day, it will have a great effect
on our all-round development and spiritual growth. Then our spiritual
duties will be given maximal importance and we will progress quickly
towards the Goal, i.e. Baba.
Most remain unaware & ask for wrong things
Yet
again, though, it is one of life's puzzles that the large majority of
people regularly forget about their own mortality. As sadhakas we must
not fall prey to this foolhardy approach. Here is an English summary of a
unique Hindi passage from AV-29 (H).
One time a devayoni yaksa asked Yudhisthira, 'What is the most surprising thing about human beings?'
And
the wise Yudhisthira correctly replied, 'People think that they have
come to live in this world forever. Even when carrying the corpse of
their dead friend to the cremation ground, they cannot believe then
death will one day come to them as well.'
So even in the face of death itself, people do not acknowledge that they too will one day pass.
Due
to their ignorance then, when they do pray to God - as much of the
world does pray, even atheists - then they invariably ask for the wrong
things. They pray for worldly gifts, foolishly thinking that will give
them lasting happiness. They ask God for new cars, a job promotion,
their daughter's marriage etc.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Again,
all this happens because in the innermost corner of their mind, people
do not realise that this world is fleeting. If they really understood
how this world is transitory, then one would not ask for worldly joys,
but would seek something lasting from Parama Purusa - like He Himself.
Conclusion: waiting room
Baba
has graciously fortified all sadhakas with the right outlook in life.
As Ananda Margiis, we understand that we are here for a short while so
we are vigilant to properly utilise all our time on this earth for
self-realisation and service to humanity. Then we will certainly reach
our Goal and at the same time we will not be worried or scared about
death.
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, “Smara nitya anityatám. You should
remember always that you have come here for a short span. You won’t
remain in this world for a long period. You may remain here, say, for
ninety or a hundred years, or say for 150 years. Some saints like
Traelauṋga Svámii lived here for 350 years. He lived in Varanasi in
India and died in this twentieth century. But you are to live under
certain limitations – limitations of time, space and person.”
“So you should always remember that you have come here for a very short
span. It is just like a waiting room of a railway station. You remain
there for a short period and when the train comes, you leave the waiting
room. This world is just like that waiting room. You are to remain here
for a very short span.”
“You should always remember this fact – “I have come here for a short
span and I won’t remain here for a very long period. My home is
elsewhere. I am just like a tourist.” You should always remember this
fact. And as a universal tourist, you, while leaving for your permanent
home, will not require a passport.” (1)
Namaskar,
Guru Bhakti
Baba story about initiation etc
The
moment we are born we are slowly moving towards the cremation ground.
We are unsure when death is going to happen. But Baba surely knows.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
In
fact, in the early days Baba would often say things like, "I did not
give initiation to that person because he is going to die in the next
year - he will not have time to practice."
Other
times Baba has said, "That gentleman is 40 years old, he will die when
he is 52, hence there is no room in his life to practice sadhana so I
did not give him initiation."
Baba
has also commented, "This person is young, just 18 years old, and I
initiated him because he will be on this earth more than 80 years. So he
has proper time to do sadhana and live a spiritual life."
Indeed
at the beginning Baba would not initiate people who were over 40, and
then as He created more and more acaryas, He became more relaxed on this
rule, allowing most everyone to be initiated.
But
here, for our understanding, we should never forget that He knows when
we are going to leave this earth. From the time we are born, our time of
death is known to Him. And each and every second and minute that goes
by we are moving closer to death.
Due to avidya maya most forget this truth, but we should be aware of it each and every waking and sleeping moment.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 12, Puńya All Twenty-Four Hours
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Mistaken idea of forgiveness
Prout
philosophy states, “"Mahaviira's philosophy of nirgrantha vada never
gained mass support. Secondly, he placed too much emphasis on
forgiveness and mercy. He taught people to forgive their worst enemies,
even if they were as deadly as scorpions and snakes. As a result of this
teaching, people lost the will to fight against the enemies of society.
So, although the teachings of Buddha and Mahaviira Jain were not based
on dogma and did not deliberately mislead people, they failed in the
course of time because they were not sufficiently comprehensive and
well-balanced." (1)
Reference
1. Prout in a Nutshell, Part 16, Religious Dogma – Excerpt B
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