Baba
Guiding our youths
Namaskar,
Getting stuck in harmful habits is a common problem these days, but especially so with teenagers because they are more impressionable. They are more prone and susceptible to falling prey to the negative aspects of their surroundings. Especially nowadays when our youths are hounded 24/7 by savvy business marketing teams. Those advertising professionals are constantly trying to allure and tempt our youths.
When we think about what most affects a person's development, generally speaking, the formula is, "If one's company is good then people are involved in good works; but, if one's company is bad then the tendency is to get caught up in bad habits." Since the present social environment is filled with so many degenerative behaviors, many get adversely affected. And it is especially the youths who get allured.
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When many houses are infested all get affected
In this circumstance, parents, family members, and friends may not know exactly how to solve the problem. When the problem is not checked, it mushrooms into a veritable crisis. And the root cause is exposure to negative vices, degrading tendencies, and harmful addictions etc. For instance, petty thievery, if not checked, may escalate into large-scale robberies and larceny; and, without any intervention, watching degraded films might also lead to more debased dealings.
That is why Baba's direction is that at the earliest possible moment a proper human society should be formed. Because if only a single house is clean, and all the surrounding houses are dirty and filled with flies, then the foul smell from those flea-infested houses will certainly envelop the clean house also. Given the current climate of degrading materialism, it is our duty to help our youths, and one and all. We should guide them and goad their minds in the proper direction.
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Solution: goad mind towards sentient engagements
To solve this problem of negative habits and addictive behaviours, Baba's teaching is to channelise and engage the mind in positive activities. Trying to solve the problem by inviting the patient to watch pseudo-culture movies or adopting "less negative habits" like cigarette smoking in the place of narcotics will not suffice. That will only create more temptation and further depravity. The best approach is to engage people in positive, sentient endeavours like music, art, discussion forums, sports, and healthy competitions in social service. These types of activities will help youths, and all people, break the downward spiral of depravity, and lead them in a healthy, more refined direction.
Baba also guides us that if a person does sadhana then a positive result will arrive more quickly. Even inborn criminals can be wholly transformed with the help of sadhana and asanas. By following Baba's guidelines, everyone will get the opportunity to progress rapidly and steer clear from negative habits and other weaknesses.
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In this following teaching from the discourse 'Vya'tireka-1', Baba is guiding us that the best way to cure addicts from their negative behaviors is not to remind them directly of their addiction but to engage their mind in healthier and higher pursuits.
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "The best psychological cure for addicts is to put them in an environment where they will be unable to think of their object of addiction for any length of time. To proclaim, "Don't do this, it's bad," is futile, for it is a negative approach. If you say, "Don't drink wine", you are still injecting the concept of wine into the alcoholic's mind, thus making it impossible for him to forget it and kick (quit) his bad habits. You are giving alcohol negative publicity, and it again becomes his mental object. Thus whenever he gets the opportunity he will certainly drink it again. And it may be that this negative approach encourages the alcoholic to become even more addicted. It is a defective approach."
"These days the sign "No smoking please" is placed in many public places, but it will not reduce the amount of smoking. If society wants people to stop smoking, its approach should be to divert the smoker's mind to other objects. A chain smoker should be encouraged to get involved in various pursuits such as music, dance, songs, culture of fine arts, etc., for if the mind remains engaged in these things it will forget its object of addiction. But the person who thinks, "I'll stop drinking wine the day after tomorrow-- no, let me see, why not tomorrow", can never kick the habit, for wine remains the mental object. The mind will try to materialise whatever it thinks about in the external world - this is its nature." (1)
Conclusion
Negative habits and tendencies should be replaced by positive ones. A person should not try to simply decrease the bad habit. Rather that degrading tendency should be wholly exchanged for a sentient engagement. And the way to achieve this is by goading the mind towards uplifting pursuits that refine the mind. By this way we will be able to help many who have gotten stuck in a rut of degrading materialistic tendencies, especially our youths.
in Him,
Tattvika Dinesh Deva
~ In-depth study ~
Step by step: animal to human
Animal tendencies are still dominant in many people as all have come from animal life. That is why most human beings easily get attracted to negative allurements. It does not need any special training or practice to plunge into degrading behaviours. You will not find many educational institutions that teach people how to rob, or cheat, or deceive, or how to drink wine, and use illicit drugs etc. People need not be taught those things as it is a natural tendency to lean towards degeneration. So in this condition it is the duty of those who have a more developed mind to help others progress.
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Here below Baba shows how we may overcome various social ills and guide people along the path of welfare.
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "There are certain common and natural tendencies in human life. Those tendencies are of either a degenerating or an exalting nature, that is, they are either of a depraving or an elevating nature. We should encourage the elevating tendencies and discourage the depraving tendencies. In certain portions of this world, depraving tendencies such as … exist. Protesting will not stop or check it unless we also do something positive to check it. If we do something positive, it will create a new stir in the human mind. … and other depraving tendencies will be completely discouraged and checked. That will be our course of action. We have to create new literature, new books, new music, new songs...we have to create a cultural stir. These are our immediate duties. We have to chalk out a programme and act accordingly." (2)
Why eyes are in front
One other important point to be aware of is that Baba tells us not to think about past misdeeds. One should forget about them. That is why He has designed human beings to have both eyes in the front: so every aspirant may look forward and march towards the Goal. Thinking about past negative events will cause those miseries and bad habits to come again and again in the mind.
Ananda Vanii says, "...No human being should ever belittle or slight themselves, rather they should make rigorous efforts to become worthy mediums (media). The wise and intelligent ideate less on their defects and demerits and more on the Supreme desideratum." (3)
To think over and over that, "I am a sinner - I am a sinner" is not good. This is the wrong psychology. Rather, one should entirely avoid thinking of that bad habit and directly engage the mind in higher pursuits. That is why in dharma samiiksa if anyone had committed some misdeed, Baba always first gave atonement. And then He guided their mind toward different social service activities. Only if He found that after this still people continued thinking and engaging in those same negative things, then He would feign anger and lovingly punish them for their welfare.
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According to Ananda Marga philosophy, the human mind has tremendous quality: What way the mind thinks, the whole personality can metamorphose in that direction. If a drunkard thinks only about poetry or feeding the homeless then he will become good; whereas even if an honest person thinks about his past misdeeds like stealing then that negative habit will again appear. That is why Baba has given the system of pratyaha'ra, 'offering of one's mental colors'. And this is exactly what we do in Guru Puja, so this is also one of the important practices.
AM teachings are the answer
All along, in His teaching in countless places, Baba has guided the entire society on this very point because in certain religions like Christianity they give a lot of preference to reminding people about their past sins. And most of the time that sin is unknown - what they did they do not know. This is present, in small or big form, in most of the religions. Because of this, Ananda Marga has given completely new ideas.
Baba has given the solutions to all the problems, so if ever anyone wants to solve any problem they should refer to Ananda Marga teachings.
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Sadguru Baba says, “A correct spiritual ideology is the only solution to the problems confronting the world. From this perspective we can call Ananda Marga ideology the philosophers’ stone. Just as the philosophers’ stone is meant to transform everything into gold, Ananda Marga ideology can, most definitely, find a just and rational solution whenever it is applied to any problem.” (4)
References
1. Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell - 6, Vyatireka – 1
2. Prout in a Nutshell - 12, 'Rule of Rationality'
3. Ananda Vanii #66
4. Problems of the Day, Point #36
* * *
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 ==
Tactic of religious cheats
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “The vipras [religious leaders] have invented and are still inventing new ways of exploiting different communities of people in different parts of the world. In some places they have lured people with the prospect of eternal heaven, injecting into them at the same time the fear of eternal hell. By claiming the doctrine of some particular vipras [religious] leader to be the word of God, they have blocked the natural expression of the human intellect and made people intellectually bankrupt. With the intention of permanently securing for themselves an exalted position in the eyes of the ordinary people, some vipras [religious] leaders have declared themselves to be the incarnation or the appointed prophet of God. Through their own so-called scriptures, they have indirectly let the common people know that no one can achieve the same proximity to God as they – so that an inferiority complex will remain forever in the minds of the masses, and due to this inferiority complex the masses will always follow their teachings, either out of fear or out of devotion. That is why even intellectual people have fallen into their trap and have been compelled to say, Vishváse miláy vastu, tarke vahu dúr [“The goal is achieved not by reason but by faith”] or Majhab men ákl ká dakhl nahii haen [“There is no room for reason in religion”]. (1)
Reference
1. Human Society - 2, The Vipra Age
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Entitlement: descendant of family acarya
Namaskar,
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “With the noise of a bustling wind, people reminisce, “Oh, my grandfather accomplished this great feat… my aunt performed that marvellous work… our surname is Roychoudhury. For we were once great landlords…” Thus people always ruminate over their past and gloat over their ancestors, because they have no glorious present at all – everything is an empty void. When a community thus loses its inner wealth, then it tenaciously clings to the skeleton of its past and says, “I was this, I was that.” But they are unable to say, “I am this, I am that.” ... One must say, “Do not bother about what your ancestors have done. Why can’t you do...”” (1)
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, “Táttvika, ácárya, purodhá and such terms represent one’s individual ability and are not hereditary.” (2)
Note: In His above teachings, Sadguru Baba is guiding us that in our AM way of life there is no scope to stand on the coattails of one’s ancestors. Doing nothing in the present moment and gloating about past glories is not our way. Moreover, in AMPS we do not hand the post from one generation to the next on a hereditary basis. So if one’s father was a family acarya, that same title, post, glory, and respect is not automatically bestowed upon the son or daughter. In our Ananda Marga, everything is earned based on one’s conduct, not one’s birth.
The various dogmatic religions and racist approaches pass down their titles and supremacy in a very nasty way from one generation to the next. Verily, they use the inherently exploitative tactic of one’s birth to suppress and denigrate others. This occurs with so-called whites exploiting so-called blacks, and so-called brahmins exploiting so-called shudras. Casteism and racism are based on this horrific edict ordained by sub-humans.
Birth of new nasty dogma: AMPS India
Sadly, now this same disease is rearing its ugly head in our AMPS. A few are claiming that, “Since my uncle / great-grandfather / father was a family acarya, then I am of a special birth and fit to rule over AMPS.” And others say, “My family has been in AMPS for generations, and both my grandfather and my father were family acaryas etc, so on that basis I should also be granted a great seat in AMPS.” They think AMPS belongs to them due to their ancestry, and everyone else is a guest. Even though they themselves have not done anything in this life, they feel being the grandson of a family acarya is enough for all of AMPS to fall at their feet. This type of senseless, empty banter is crowding the airwaves on some forums.
Those who are true Ananda Margiis understand well that in our AM way of life, no positions of power are granted on a hereditary basis. All are the sweet children of Parama Purusa, and one is only able to lead our AM society by their sadhana, service, sacrifice and dharmic conduct.
In Him,
Harideva
References
1. A Few Problems Solved - 5, On Festivals
2. Caryacarya Part 1, Táttvika, Ácárya/á, Purodhá and Their Concerned Boards
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Inevitability of world government
Prout philosophy states, "With advances in technology, the mastery of human beings over space and time will continue slowly to increase, so the necessity of a world government, also, will be profoundly felt. Gradually the people in one region of the world will have to interact more with the people in various other regions, and in the course of this interaction they will have to try to understand one another better." (1)
Here Baba is teaching how in a gradual and natural course the world government will be established on this earth. And in a mundane way things are already moving in this direction. For example, there are millions of international and global organisations. Similarly, hundreds of thousands of corporations have a global administration. And in many families, their relations are working and living in multiple continents. And that is growing every moment. On a daily basis, tens of millions of people are crossing borders and traveling across the planet for various reasons. By this way, individuals, corporations, and NGO’s are already global. And this will take place in the political sphere very soon. Not only that, there is hardly any country that is not connected with another country. So there is a need. Already numerous attempts have been made at uniting various countries - in various regions of the globe. And such approaches will only increase with greater and greater success. The formation of a world government will be a natural step in this process.
Reference
1. Problems of the Day, point #20
== Section: Important Teaching ==
How ghosts are fabricated
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “In a dream, due to the dormant state of kámamaya kośa, the thought-vibrations of manomaya kośa appear real (this we call a dream when we wake up). When, due to extreme fear, stupefaction, crudity, or an excessive expression of any ripu or pásha, the kámamaya becomes temporarily suspended in the next higher kośa and the imagined objects appear real. This is also the case when a person sees various gods and goddesses. Psychologically, seeing a ghost, god or goddess is the same thing; none of them actually exist.”
“When hypnotized by someone, a person starts perceiving things as per the commands of the hypnotist. In this state, when the kámamaya is dormant a person feels that his/her imagined objects are real. Often, weak-minded people see ghosts, gods or goddesses of relatives. Such visions are auto- or outer-positive-hallucinations. Conversely, when people declare the absence of things which are actually present, it is called auto- or outer-negative-hallucination.”
“This clarifies that those who emphatically claim that they have seen ghosts are not wrong. It is due to the illusions of the negative or positive hallucinations that they see these things.”
Reference
1. Tattva Kaomudii -1, Questions and Answers on Ananda Marga Philosophy
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Numerous defects of democracy
Prout philosophy states, "As a system of government, democracy cannot be accepted as the highest and best. Among all the systems human beings have been able to devise so far, democracy can be considered to be the best of a bad lot. If human beings can devise a better system in future, it will be proper to accept it wholeheartedly. Many defects in democracy have been discovered by human beings who have already started rectifying them." (1)
Reference
1. Problems of the Day, Point #33
== Section 3: Links ==
