Baba
Surrender: essential stage of sadhana
Namaskar,
After practicing sincere sadhana for some time, one starts feeling that the Supreme Entity, who has created this universe, is controlling this entire cosmos. The sadhaka feels that He is everywhere.
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How faith develops
According to their surroundings and own reactive momenta, people develop faith in one or more of the following ways:
- (a) Some develop strong faith by their sadhana.
- (b) Some develop strong faith in their dreams.
- (c) Some develop strong faith by a particular incident(s).
- (d) Some develop strong faith by hearing or reading Baba stories.
- (e) Some develop strong faith by hearing about the realisation of other sadhakas.
- (f)
Some develop strong faith by their own life incidents where something
happens and they feel that “Baba cares for me” or “Baba saved me.”
So some develop strong faith by auto-suggestion such as in sadhana, while others deepen their faith through various types of outer-suggestion like reading spiritual books and hearing stories from bhaktas etc. It varies from person to person, but not every point is needed for every aspirant.
One key point to note is that the various aspects of outer suggestion (stories, satsaunga, books etc) help to some degree. But they are not a very solid base. Because at the time of listening to stories, one may have the feeling that Baba is God, but when that same person is alone and in trouble and they do not feel that they are being helped, then their faith may waver. So the degree of faith one develops from outer suggestion is limited.
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Faith developed by sadhana is unshakable
Faith cultivated by the strong foundation of spirituality is rock solid. In spite of all kinds of storms and cyclones, it never fades. What is that spiritual base? When one learns sadhana and practices with great sincerity and zeal one gains the feeling that, “I should follow what Guru has taught with reverence and ask His grace. When one is committed to sadhana in this way then in a very short period inside the heart the feeling comes that my Guru is not just a guru but He is Parama Purusa. That feeling will be most powerful and regardless of any negative circumstances it will never leave you
This feeling is not dependent on outer-suggestion, such as reading from books, hearing from others, or listening to stories etc. One's own understanding through sadhana remains forever. This is the ideal way to achieve full faith in ista and surrender to ista. This is the reason Baba emphasizes teaching people sadhana and propagating Ananda Marga philosophy, and Baba did not allow people to propagate His personality. Because if you tell all kinds of Baba stories and people do not do sadhana then they will only develop a little bit of faith. There will not be any fundamental change in their personality. Because it happened in the intellectual realm which is not very deep. In that case the mind will not be satiated and one will remain hollow inside. Achieving faith through sadhana is the best way.
At the time of listening to stories, one may have the feeling that Baba is God, but when that same person is alone and in trouble and they do not feel that they are being helped, then their faith may waver. So the degree of faith one develops from outer suggestion is limited.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Definition of true surrender
Here is an English summary of the Hindi teaching from Dharma aor Pragati, NP, DMC 1 January 1963 Patna:
When human beings feel that, “Parama Purusa is my everything”, then that is called as sharan (shelter). No entity can come under the sharan (shelter) of two different things. Then what is the meaning of sharanagati (surrender)? When living beings give up their “I-feeling” by withdrawing the mind from any other object and feel that Parama Purusa alone is my everything. Up to the time when living beings are thinking that they are working with their own strength, then you should understand that the feeling of sharanagati has not yet come in them. And when human beings think that, “I am doing the work only with His strength”, it means the feeling of sharanagati has come in their mind. So when living beings start thinking that, “Whatever work I am doing, I am doing with His strength”, then they have the feeling of sharanagati. (English summary)
1. Sometimes people get confused and think that if the house is burning then there is no need to do anything - just raise your hands to the sky. They wrongly think that is surrender.
2. Some hypocrites do not have the feeling of surrender within, but when others need their help then they tell them there is no need to do anything - just surrender. By this way they shirk their responsibility of helping others. For instance if Mr. X came to Mr. Y saying that, “My child is sick so please help me.” But Mr. Y is a hypocrite and he does not want to help Mr. X. So Y suggests to X, “Don’t do anything - just surrender to God everything will be alright.” By this way Y escapes his moral duty and keeps his prestige safe through hypocrisy.
3. Some think that whatever strength you have you should use to solve the crisis, and go on thinking. “It is His strength and that He is supplying the energy - and without His energy, I cannot do anything. If He wishes then only will I be rescued - it is fully depending on Him.” Whatever strength God has given must be utilised remembering that He is the final doer.
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Of the three above examples, the third one is the best. And the other two are bogus.
Conclusion
When one does sincere sadhana for some time, one starts feeling that the Supreme Entity, who has created this universe, is controlling this entire cosmos, and that Supreme Entity has come in the form of Baba. The sadhaka feels that He is everywhere.
Namaskar,
In Him,
Prabhu
~ In-depth study ~
Sastaunga pranam: done before & after meditation
Next Baba guides us about one of the special practices of pran'ipa'ta or surrender.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "Pran'ipa'ta means surrendering oneself before one's Goal. The attitude of self-surrender is represented by sa's't'aunga-pran'a'ma, which means to lie flat in a straight line like a rod." (1)
So when we do our sastaunga pranam mudra that invariably propels us towards Parama Purusa, by His grace. This mudra helps us cultivate that special feeling of surrender. By sincerely doing sastaunga pranam then a bhakta develops that strong desire to surrender everything at His lotus feet. It is His grace.
When surrender is such an important component of spiritual life and when sastaunga pranam is the mudra of surrendering, then we should be sure to do sastaunga pranama before and after our meditation. Lying in full prostration to Baba helps develop the desire to serve and please Him in all the realms of life. And it helps generate a good flow of bhakti.
To be an effective tool or medium of spiritual life, sastaunga pranam should be practiced with sincerity and heartfelt feeling. That is essential and stands as one boon for one’s spiritual existence. Unfortunately sometimes we see that people are just in a rush to conclude their puja etc, and by this way they just end up doing sastaunga pranam in a quick, superficial manner. They just mechanically lie down for a few seconds and then get up without feeling any sense of bhava or inner feeling. That is not ideal. When doing sastaunga pranam one should feel some longing and an inner pull of bhakti. The practitioner should get the yearning and desire to dedicate everything at His feet. So long as this feeling of surrender does not come, then one should remain in that position and ask Baba for His grace. The sincere practice of sastaunga pranam is very helpful. Because surrender is the first and last step on the path of sadhana and realisation. By His grace, when one surrenders fully then that bhakta becomes one with Parama Purusa.
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What some do in our AMPS
Often we hear stories from people where they recount how they were traveling and got into so much trouble or difficulty at the border etc. Or they might describe another time when they lost all their luggage & baggage. Or we might hear about various types of circumstances where it looked like the situation was completely miserable. Then in that circumstance - when there was no other recourse - they call out to Baba to come and save them. In this way they surrendered unto Him, and He responded by showering His grace and solving the problem. But when normalcy returns they return to their old habits etc. Whereas higher level bhaktas do not just surrender in difficult periods when the odds are against them. True bhaktas surrender unto Him out of sincere love and bhakti for Him, always, during good times and bad etc. By this approach that loving feeling and flow of surrender becomes a palpable aspect of their lives. One of the characteristics of extreme love for Parama Purusa is the feeling of surrender. In that deep state, the sadhaka wants to give and do everything for Parama Purusa, Shrii Shrii A'nandamurti ji. Those who realise and experience this are truly blessed.
~ Addendum ~
When one does sincere sadhana, one's mental plate gets cleaner and still more refined. According to the degree of cleanliness - i.e. degree of purification - the Cosmic Consciousness is reflected in the unit mind. If it is above the normal reflection of the Supreme Entity, then one feels affection and love toward Parama Purusa. Gradually, the degree of clarity goes on increasing, as does one’s love for the Supreme. When the mind is completely pure, one cannot remain separate and that jiiva becomes one with Parama Purusa.
Even if there is just a bit above average clarity, one feels prema towards Parama Purusa, and feels in their inner heart more and more faith. Then, in that case, one likes to give everything. The sadhaka does not like to ask anything from Parama Purusa. Rather, one just depends upon Him fully. That is the true surrender. In contrast, various types of imposed surrender fall by the wayside when a serious problem arises.
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Sincere sadhana is the key
Think of it in this way: When one does sadhana sincerely then some small, minute part of the mind becomes fully purified and charged with the vibration of the Supreme Consciousness. And because that part of mind is still within the sphere of the unit mind, the spiritual quality of the entire unit mind increases. And in every sitting of sincere sadhana, that unit mind gets more and more charged, by His grace.
For this reason, the sadhaka’s mind becomes more attracted towards Parama Purusa. And this happens in every session of sadhana. By this way, gradually, the quality of mind gets more and more imbibed with Cosmic ideation. Verily, the attraction towards Him grows and mounts. In the culmination, the sadhaka achieves a certain state where he wants to give everything to Him. That is called spiritual surrender.
Works in opposite direction also
Here is a crude, mundane example to make the matter clear. When anyone is allured with the opposite sex, they want to give everything to that person who is the object of their infatuation. The main difference being that worldly attractions are momentary, whereas spiritual attainments are eternal.
And the same mechanism is at play with regards to degeneration in the face of bad company. The first day of some degrading talk / thinking, or doing negative deeds, the whole mind degenerates to a small degree. By adding a small amount of contaminated water, the entire container of clean water becomes contaminated. Ultimately over repeated exposure to such thinking, that very unit mind becomes fully degenerated into the mind of a hardened criminal. So the mind is very malleable - like water. You can make it cleaner and more pure, or you can make it dirty and more filthy until it becomes like mud.
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The formula - as you think so you shall become - works in either of the two directions: elevation and degeneration.
Confusion in the west
Unfortunately in the western philosophy the concept of pran'ipa'ta does not exist. So for lack of a better term the word 'surrender' has been selected - adopted. But that is not proper because the common meaning of surrender in the materialistic west is when one thief gets caught by the police authorities etc. In that desperate moment, the thief "surrenders". So the use of the 'surrender' as a highly spiritual and subtle term is not understood by the general western society.
References
1. Subhasita Samgraha - 18, Physical Propulsion, Psychic Propensities and Spiritual Attainment
* * *
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: Prabhat Samgiita ==
I can’t do sadhana properly
"Ámár e kat́hin hiyáy, ásabe tumi ki ná jáni ná..." (Prabhat Samgiita #3378)
Purport:
O’ my Parama Purusa, will You ever come in my dry heart, I do not know. You are mine. By Your blessing, I am calling Your divine Self again and again - day and night. I want Your close proximity. Whether or not You will come to my parched, aspiritual mind, I do not know. But if, by mistake, or by any means You come in my soul, then You will not lose anything; Your prestige will not be ruined. Now due to my low bhakti, I can't do sadhana properly.
O’ Cosmic Entity, Baba by Your mercy I have decorated Your supreme seat with countless lamps and a display of light. By Your krpa’, with all my feeling, I go on singing Your song non-stop, continuously. I have composed those melodies in Your ideation, in Your tune, in Your language. Whether You come and take Your seat in the core of my being I have no idea.
O’ Parama Purusa Baba, in my mind, I have so many hopes and aspirations - several desires and so much love. Among these many wants, I have no idea if You will satisfy some of them; I do not know. Only I request You to please come and sit on my Guru cakra forever...
== Section 3: Important Teaching ==
Grand unfolding
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "As life becomes increasingly easy, there will be greater opportunities for intellectual pursuits. A day will come when there will be hardly any need for human beings to work. This may sound strange today and perhaps we might not like to hear such a thing, but that day will surely come. Physicality will be transformed into more and more intellectuality, and intellectuality will be transformed into the culminating point of spirituality." (1)
Reference
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 17, Minimum Requirements and Maximum Amenities
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Solution to immigration problem
Prout philosophy states, "Economic decentralization means production for consumption, not production for profit. Economic decentralization is not possible under capitalism, because capitalist production always tries to maximize profit. Capitalists invariably produce at the lowest costs and sell at the highest profits. They prefer centralized production, which leads to regional economic disparity and imbalances in the distribution of the population. In the decentralized economy of PROUT, on the other hand, production is for consumption, and the minimum requirements of life will be guaranteed to all. All regions will get ample scope to develop their economic potentiality, so the problems of a floating population or overcrowding in urban centres will not be allowed to arise." (1)
Reference
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 21, Economic Democracy
== Section: Important Teaching ==
For a peaceful society
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “If human beings lack the basic physical necessities of life they will not be able to follow higher pursuits. You will find that a person’s sense of discrimination is disturbed if he or she is confronted with only a little physical hardship. If an intellectual becomes angry, he or she may utter insentient words. Hence, the shortage of physical wealth results in restlessness and causes the loss of people’s sense of discrimination, and then people naturally tend towards brutality. It is because of this that communism has tended towards brutality. This is the underlying psychic reason.” (1)
Note: Here we apply Guru’s above teaching in two fundamental arenas: (a) the general society, and (b) one’s familial environment.
First, in order to keep peace and tranquility in society, Baba has explained that everyone’s basic living requirements must be met. If this is not achieved, there will be anger, fury, and unrest on the streets. For instance, if there is a shortage of grain and people do not have enough to eat, then riots often erupt. And at the time of an economic depression, crime increases. Verily if the people are hungry, homeless, lacking medical care, or any other type of shortage for their existential survival, then there is going to be trouble. The people will not remain calm, rather there will be an outbreak of violence, and even a rash of criminal activity - or both. Whenever there is a shortage of physical necessities, people quickly resort to sin or crime. To build up a healthy society, the minimum requirements must be met - otherwise there will not be harmony in the social sphere.
Second, if those whom you are living or working with do not have their physical needs met, then the overall atmosphere and relations will be ruined. So when with your close people or colleagues, it is important to ensure their existential needs are met. If they have not slept or eaten, then that is not the time to engage them in dialog and debate. They will be irritable, easily angered, and at their worst. So one should ensure that those around you are fed, rested, and have their basic needs met. If that is done, then one can engage in other realms with them. Sadly, due to a basic lack of awareness, so many simple interactions lead to horrible incidents of domestic violence and workplace feuds etc - all due to a lack of physical support etc. When in reality, this can be easily avoided.
In Him
Diipti
Reference
1. A Few Problems Solved - 6, The Three Causes of Sin
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Reduce gap: minimum requirements & special amenities
Prout philosophy states, “Diversity is the law of nature. So there cannot be any hard and fast rule about guaranteed minimum requirements. They will vary according to time, space and person. A few persons with extraordinary physical, metaphysical or intellectual ability may demand something more than ordinary people. Special amenities have to be provided for them. Certain items like food, housing, education, clothing and medical facilities are minimum requirements.”
“Nothing is stationary; everything is moving. So the minimum requirements and special amenities will also undergo changes with the changes in time, space and person. What should be the approach of Proutists? There should be a never-ending endeavour to minimize the gap between minimum requirements and special amenities. Minimum requirements will take the place of special amenities and extraordinary persons will get more items as special amenities.”
“The third Five Year Plan prepared by the planning commission of India presents an unwholesome picture – it presents unsystematic and unplanned government activities and the planned exploitation by vested interests. Though there has been inordinately high investment, the purchasing power of labourers has not been sufficient for them to meet the minimum requirements. Hence, while on the one hand labourers received less consumable goods due to less purchasing power, on the other hand entrepreneurs have captured excessive purchasing power and consumable goods causing excessive disparities in wealth. Economic balance has been upset. The major part of the capital investment went to the entrepreneurs and a microscopic fraction went to the labourers. There is therefore no middle class people in India of the type that existed in pre-independence days. Today well-dressed labourers have become the so-called middle class.” (1)
Reference
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 15, Talks on Prout
== Section 4: Links ==
How to live, work, & die
Mother's Day: why dogmatic
Story: Baba corrects my kiirtana
Distinction: pápa vs sin
Right pose for meditation
We only salute Parama Purusa
Identificar el dogma
