Baba
Tenderness of bhakti: example
Namaskar,
The following Baba story contains three key aspects:
a) It beautifully describes how the relation between Sadguru and disciple relation is very sweet and loving.
b) It offers a good explanation as to why dogmatic organisations and people vehemently oppose Ananda Marga.
c) It demonstrates how in the life of a sadhaka there is a constant struggle against avidya maya.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Here begins that Baba story
This is an excerpt from the book, "Travels With the Mystic Master":
While waiting for the cars, I stood next to Baba, offering what little security I could provide.
Ignoring my intention, He said, “Sit down, Dharmavedananda.”
Like a small boy, I happily put my stick down and sat next to Him. As He turned to speak to me, He accidentally brushed His hand against my shoulder and said, “Oh, pardon me.”
I laughed and said, “You’re welcome to do it again, Baba.”
He smiled. I was happy, together with my Baba, oblivious of whatever complications we were undergoing.
“Tell me, Dharmavedananda, what is the great good which will come out of this deportation.”
I was surprised at his question. I thought for a moment and then replied, “I don’t really know, Baba. But I suppose the hundreds of devotees who were waiting for You in the Milano airport are now frustrated and disappointed. They’ll surely feel very bitter toward their own government, and they will better understand how corrupt their system is. As a result, they’ll be much more encouraged to work hard for the establishment of Sadvipra Samaj.
He said, “Yes, you understand a little something.”
.....
The cars arrived. Baba entered one car and I entered another.
For the first time in several hours I was separated from Him. For the first time, I started to think in a normal way.
As we drove down the highway toward the jagriti, I turned gloomy. My mind sank deep within itself, and in that moment I remembered the thought I’d had in the morning while lying on the floor: How can I continue another three days? Would that this were the last day. Oh, why did I think such a stupid thing? Now here it was happening according to my idiotic wish. His flight to Bombay was already fixed for the evening.
I was so sad that I started to weep softly. I thought, Baba, I miss you already. Then I thought, Please, You have to give me one last chance to be alone with You again. Please, when You call someone to massage You, let it be me. This thought ran on uncontrollably until we arrived at the jagriti.
As we entered, the place seemed deserted compared with how it had been when we left that morning. Already most of the decorations had been taken down, and in every corner lay the remains of a yet uncompleted clean in effort.
Baba entered His room. I sat on the floor alone, alone with my sorrow. After a few minutes He came out and went for His bath.
When He returned to His room, I continued to sit alone, sure that He would soon summon me.
Ramanandaji came out, saying, “Karunanandaji, Baba is calling you for massage.”
What was this? I was so much into my own world that I never considered He might call another worker. I became distraught and dismayed.
A moment later though, Karunanandaji opened the door and rushed out saying, “Dharmavedanandaji, Baba is calling for you to come also. The electric fan is not working for some strange reason, so you should fan Him with, with …” He didn’t know what to use as a fan.
I grabbed a newspaper, ran into His room, and started fanning Him with it. Meanwhile, Karunanandaii also came back to do the massage. Baba was in a blissful state. I was now as high as I had been down a few moments before.
At first Baba was in a quiet mood. He began speaking about the suffering He and His mission had undergone from the very time of His childhood. But His voice carried no resentment. It had all been necessary and ultimately good.
Then He returned to the present. “What is the cause of this deportation?”
“I believe the Indian government fed bad information about Ananda Marga to the Italian government,” Karunanandaji said.
“Well, it may be, it may be,” Baba said with eyes half-closed. Then He opened His eyes and said, “But it may be a religious institution.” He told the exact name of that institution.
We were both surprised. Though He said “it may be a religious institution,” we understood Him to mean that it definitely was that institution.
“You see those priests,” He said, “they teach the people to think, ‘I am a sinner, I am a sinner. Lord, save me, I am a sinner.’ Thus they infuse inferiority complex. Even if one is not a sinner, praying like this, identifying with sin, he or she will become a sinner. Today’s young people don’t like this approach.
“Whereas Ananda Marga gives a revolutionary call to the youth. We say that everyone should think, ‘I am the son or I am the daughter of the Supreme Father. Lord, no matter what I’ve done, You have to take me on Your lap.’”
He was silent for a few moments. Then He sat up, looking serious and said, ‘Why do they fear us?”
By His word they, we understood He was no longer talking of any single religious institution, but rather of all the people and groups that fear Ananda Marga. The question was rhetorical, so we didn’t try to answer.
.....
In the evening some of the local Margiis came. As usual, a large procession formed, accompanying Baba to the airport. But this time He was not traveling on another leg of the journey. He was leaving us.
I was so involved in the arrangements that it again slipped my mind that the final moment was approaching. I remained busy until Baba began the passport check. Though I was not flying, I somehow managed to enter the passengers-only area.
I walked next to Baba in silence. As each moment passed, I became more heavy-hearted. Finally, He and the others entered the gate to board the plane. I forced myself to smile at Him. He smiled back and gave a slight wave of His hand. Then He turned the corner and was out of sight.
I walked some distance to where I could be alone and cried.
(Courtesy of: "Travels With the Mystic Master", p. 222-225)
What is needed to write a proper Baba story
- #1: It is important for us to consider what is needed to write a proper Baba story. First and foremost, one must ensure that the Baba story is itself true. After carefully making this assessment, these following criteria are needed: (a) deep bhakti for Baba, (b) pointed understanding of Ananda Marga philosophy, and (c) literary skill.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
- #2: Bhakti allows a person to write with proper flow and prana. Ideology brings the right direction and philosophical consistency. Literary skill brings artistic value and beauty.
- #3: Of these three characteristics, if one has only bhakti and lacks philosophical understanding and lacks writing skills, then sometimes their story will not have philosophical support. And in some cases the story may even be dogmatic. And, certainly without literary skill, the story will be rough and jagged and will lack proper expression. If one has only philosophical understanding and lacks bhakti and is shy on writing skills, then their Baba story will be dry and poorly expressed.
- #4: So if there is a proper degree of bhakti along with ideological understanding, then one's literary skill will help make that story shine. While if one uses all their literary talent on a story that lacks the inner feeling of bhakti and philosophical understanding, then that story will be a mess - i.e. useless and poisonous.
- #5: Unfortunately, nowadays there are some who fall in this last category. They may or may not have the writing skills, yet utterly lack proper spiritual, heartfelt feeling and ideological understanding. In that case, the intimate component of the story is ruined or left out entirely, or one will write something contrary to the ideological fundamentals of Ananda Marga teachings. If one has bhakti then that literary skill gives a proper spiritual flow to the story, but if one does not have bhakti then that literary skill is meaningless. So when those lacking both bhakti and philosophical understanding write a story, then the outcome will be like applying cosmetic make-up to a dead person - there will not be any charm. It will be useless and dogmatic.
- #6: Best is to cultivate or have all the qualities: (a) requisite bhakti, (b) understanding of Ananda Marga philosophy, and (c) literary skill. Then one can write a beautiful and loving account that will inspire so many readers across the ages. And again, the first and foremost point is to ensure that the original material - i.e. the Baba story itself - is true and accurate.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Namaskar,
In Him,
Cakreshwar
* * *
The below section is an entirely different topic, unrelated to the above material.
It stands on its own merit as a point of interest and ideological awareness.
* * *
== Section 2: Important Teaching ==
Cleaning upper respiratory passage
Ananda Marga Caryacarya says, "Dhaotii: Immediately after Nasapana, at a time when your stomach is empty and you are washing your face, the throat should be cleaned with the middle finger of the right hand, inserting it as far as possible." (1)
Since the practice of nasapana is required in order to practice dhaotii, here following is a reminder about that:
Ananda Marga Caryacarya says, "Nasapana: Draw in clean water through the nostrils and pass it out through the mouth. This water may be swallowed, but it is better to spit it out." (2)
References
1. Caryacarya - 3, Different Yoga Practices, Point #5
2. Caryacarya - 3, Different Yoga Practices, Point #4
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "You should be careful not to hurt the religious sentiments of others, even if in the future most people become A'nanda Ma'rgiis. Deities should be preserved in museums, and temples should be restored to maintain the cultural and historical heritage of the country." (1)
Note: With the coming rise of our Ananda Marga way of life we should not suppress or eliminate the various legacies and traditions of any people or community etc. All should be honoured and respected and taught the ways of neo-humanism.
Reference
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 16, Three Cardinal Socio-Political Principles
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Do you know this aspect of AM teachings
Instructions: Kindly read the below quote from Baba's teachings. At the end of the quote a question has been posed. If your answer to the question is correct then it means you read Baba's books carefully; and, if your answer is wrong or you do not know the answer, then it signifies that you need to pay more attention when reading Guru's teachings. After all, if sadhakas are not diligent in studying Baba's books then who is going to read them - non-margiis?
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Cunning vipras [religious priests], whom I call intellectual satans, tried to turn the minds of the people from practical reality towards an imaginary void by preaching contrived philosophies. The essence of their voluminous treatises and verbose annotations to lengthy aphorisms was: the world is an illusion; therefore renounce the world and do not be attracted to its illusions. Become desireless, detached and self-abnegating by offering all your wealth at the feet of the vipras [religious priests]. Of course such philosophies did not preach that the world was also illusory for the vipras [religious priests] who received the offerings – clearly because it was through such ploys that they were able to achieve their objectives.” (1)
Question: Who is Baba referring to in the above quote?
Most probably, as an Ananda Margii, you know what the answer is. But if not, or if you want confirmation, read on below for the answer for the answer
Answer: In His above teaching, Baba is talking about the dogmatic, exploitative priests from the Buddhist and Hindu traditions. Those Buddhist priests (a) preach the doctrine of nihilism and (b) misguide people to empty the mind and meditate on nothingness. In a similar vein, Hindu priests imposed their faulty view that this entire world is an illusion, mayavada. Thus people were indoctrinated into the idea that they should not protest against exploitation, but rather focus only on the afterlife etc.
References
1. Human Society - 2, The Vipra Age
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Ongoing fight in this cosmos
Prout philosophy states, “Fight is the essence of life. Biologically, life is an expression of inner stamina, and externally or physically, it is a ceaseless fight to restore an unstable equilibrium. Anywhere and everywhere in the universe there is conflict. Why? If one looks at the process of creation, one will observe that creation originated from the nucleus. In the first phase of creation, that is, the phase of expansion, it is Avidyá or material force which supplied stamina to the Cosmic Mind, which is the cause of the process of creation. However, it cannot be denied that Vidyá or spiritual force is totally absent in this phase. In fact, in the struggle between Vidyá and Avidyá the former is suppressed by the latter and the resultant is expansion from the original nucleus. In the second phase, namely the phase of withdrawal, it is Vidyá which supplies the life juice for an interial move to the nucleus. Here also Avidyá is fighting a losing battle. In essence, in every sphere there is fight between Vidyá and Avidyá, and the resultant is interial or exterial progress. When Avidyá wins the process of crudification goes on; when Vidyá wins the process of introversion goes on.” (1)
Reference
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 15, Talks on Prout
== Section: Bangla Quote ==
করৰ না
“আর তৃতীয় জিনিসটা হচ্ছে কি ? না, সেবা | মনকে নির্মল করতে গেল, নিস্বার্থ ভাবে, সেবা করতেই হৰে | যারা মনে করেন যে---“মানুষের বিপদে, মানুষকে সেবা করৰ না | আরও ৰেশী বিপদের মুখে তাকে ঠেলে দেৰ | বিপদের মধ্যে ঠেলে দিলে, সে মরিয়া হয়ে, আমার ঝণ্ডা হাতে নিয়ে, আমার পিছনে-পিছনে ছুটৰে |” তারা মানুষের শত্রু | কারণ ? তাদের আচরণ সেবা ধর্ম বিরোধী | মানুষকে কেন মরিয়া করে তুলৰ ? মানুষকে কেন বিপদে ফেলে তাকে মরিয়া করে তুলৰ, আমার ঝণ্ডা বহন করৰে জন্য ? কিছুতেই এটা করৰ না | তার সামান্যতম দুঃখ দেখলেও, ওটাকে সেবা করে, তার দুঃখ দূর অরে দৰ | এইটাই মানবধর্ম সম্মত জিনিস |” (1)
Reference
1. [অপ্রকাশিত, 28-Nov-1970
== Section: Special Teaching ==
Who will do what
Prout philosophy says, “The method of utilization should vary in accordance with the changes in time, space and person, and the utilization should be of a progressive nature. Take a particular example. Suppose a physically strong person serves the society as a rickshaw puller or a market porter. As the rickshaw may become out dated some day, the method of utilizing their physical strength should vary. If a person is intellectually developed but has the same physical strength as others, their intellectual potentiality should be utilized. Thus the process of utilization will not be the same for all people. Better methods of utilization should be continually developed, but the process of utilization should be progressive in nature.” (1)
Reference
1. Talks on Prout
== Section: Ananda Vanii ==
Spread the ideals of dharma
“The purport of Dharma Sádhaná is to look upon every person, every object of this universe as one integral entity. To jeopardize the unity of the human race by creating factions is not the purpose of Dharma. Those who encourage vested interests survive on the mental weaknesses of people and their dissensions, and that is why they are scared of the spread of the ideals of Dharma and exhibit their intolerance towards it in all sorts of immoral ways, such as abuse, false propaganda and lies. People must not be cowed by this, they have got to march ahead. It is to be borne in mind that hindrances are beneficial to human beings on the path of righteousness and to continue to fight against them is what is sádhaná.” (Ananda Vanii #4)
Note 1: True Ananda Vaniis have a number whereas Fake Ananda Vaniis do not - just as a fake car license plate has no number. By this way, you can easily recognise a Fake Ananda Vanii.
== Section 3: Links ==
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