Baba
Namaskar,
One
cause of sin is due to a lack of proper ideological education - i.e.
not knowing right from wrong, suffering from a shortage of proper
knowledge etc. Because of this deficit, people commit sins. Here, in
this letter, we explore how a dearth of psychic pabula leads to sin.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Examples of shortage of psychic pabula
What
is meant by a shortage of psychic pabulum, i.e. mental food? In a
phrase, we can say a shortage in this arena means a person suffers from a
lack of ideological understanding and neo-humanistic education. Their
thoughts and ideas are not consistent with logic and reasoning and are
not based on the cause of universal welfare. Instead, such persons give
way to narrow-mindedness in the form of bias towards caste, race,
colour, creed, gender etc. And this manifests in the form of hate
crimes, religious fights etc.
Ananda
Marga philosophy states, "If there is a dearth of intellectual pabulum
and the intellectual standard of the people is not high, they can take
“dos” to be “don’ts” and vice versa. Take for example, a communal riot
where a little innocent boy is killed, and when the person who
encourages the riot becomes the people’s leader. Where the intellectual
standard of the people is low, people commit blunders – prompted by such
leaders they become beasts." (1)
Pervasive problem around the globe
Ananda
Marga philosophy states, "Those backward countries which have less
socio-politico-economic consciousness in the people tend to have more
immorality. In such countries the leaders misguide the people in order
to collect votes. I call such leaders “political satans” or “political
pigs.” Such pigs become leaders only when the intellectual standard of
the common people is low. In a country with shortages of physical and
intellectual pabula, people ultimately become beasts and commit sins and
crimes. To murder a person during a riot is both a crime and a sin. In
political clashes innocent people are killed. This is also a crime as
well as a sin." (2)
This
type of sin happens all over the globe. In the world, citizens
systematically raise and slaughter animals and indulge in all kinds of
violence. Many inhabitants are prone to racial fights and hatred. Verily
such scenes are prevalent everywhere nowadays - all because of a
shortage of psychic pabula, i.e. lack of ideological awareness.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
These
negative outcomes happen when people do not have a proper ideological
and neo-humanistic education. They do not understand that fundamentally
humanity is one - created by Parama Purusa. That central idea is
missing. Due to a basic lack of awareness in the psychic, intellectual,
and psycho-spiritual realms, people cannot think beyond their own little
cocoon. So they senselessly destroy and sacrifice animals, and form
narrow groups and factions and attack one another. All of this is due to
a lack of proper neo-humanistic education.
The
overall cause is not due to a wrong philosophy but due to a lack of
proper knowledge. To remove this, Baba has given the system of svadhyaya
and the rational teachings of Ananda Marga ideology - thousands of
discourses. If all are educated and follow those guidelines and
principles, then there will not be any problem. It is only because they
don’t truly know about neo-humanism that groupism exists. Here are more
examples.
How public commonly commit sin
For
instance, suppose someone is not aware of the dharmic edict - live and
let live. Then in their free time they may go out and kill an animal for
sport. There are many who hunt in this way. Because they are not
psychically conscious enough to understand the situation, they indulge
in sport hunting and callously and brutally kill other living beings.
This is all due to a shortage of proper psychic food, i.e. lack of
ideological understanding. That is the cause behind their murdering of
innocent animals in cold blood.
Likewise,
a person may yell a derogatory, racial slur towards someone of another
ethnic background. Due to a distinct shortage of dharmic understanding,
because he is not aware that all are the loving children of Parama
Purusa, this person committed a sin and harmed an innocent person. As
soon as one understands that human society is one and all are part of
our universal human family, then one cannot even think of abusing and
tormenting someone by hurling racial epithets.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
This
deficit is what is known as shortage of proper ideological thinking.
And that is the root cause of this sin. And there is no shortage of
examples whereby people kill, lynch, and randomly shoot innocent
citizens. These types of events are on the rise around the globe. Nearly
every country and region can look back over the past six months and
identify a string of such tragic incidents.
This
is also the era where so many simple, yet ill-informed people get
indoctrinated into various dogmatic groups. Because people lack the
fundamental ability to differentiate between moral and destructive
approaches, they are swept into sinful activities, often lured by the
flowery or fiery speeches of the leader. Due to a shortage of psychic
pabula they are drawn into sinful agendas.
The above are just a few of the very many ways that mentally deficient persons are led onto the path of sin.
Conclusion
Due
to a lack of ideological education, people adopt a narrow outlook based
on (caste, creed, race, color, ethnicity, gender etc) and plunge into
sinful acts and rile others to do the same: Shootings, lynchings,
suicide bombs, etc.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
By
identifying and addressing this problem - shortage in the psychic
arena, i.e. a component of the first cause of sin - so many sinful acts
can be eliminated from society. The greater solution is advancing the
ideals of neo-humanism. As people gain a greater understanding and
respect for the true purpose of their own life as well as their inherent
relationship with the rest of creation, they will gain a proper mental
outlook and no longer suffer from a shortage of psychic wealth.
Namaskar,
in Him,
Deveshvara
References
1. A Few Problems Solved - 6, The Three Causes of Sin
2. A Few Problems Solved - 6, The Three Causes of Sin
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
Remembering You
"Tumi eso, tumi eso a'ma'r ghare..." (Prabhat Samgiita #3190)
Purport:
O’ Parama Purusa, please come in my abode, my heart and mind. I am waiting ceaselessly for You; the lamp of hope is burning non-stop for You in the core of my being.
O’ Divine Entity, Baba, You are always so gracious. You come to me in my dreams. Even when awake, I continue thinking about You. You are my everything, Your love is engraved and carved in every pore of my existence - in all my thoughts and works.
Baba, O' Parama Purusa, I always remember You; even by mistake I cannot forget You. You reside deep within, in a very intimate way. You saturate and fill my whole universe with the sweetness of Your love.
Baba, please shower Your causeless grace on everyone and come in my mental abode; You are my everything...
Note for Prabhat Samgiita #3190:
[1] "You come to me in my dreams. Even when awake, I continue thinking about You": Regarding mundane dreams, what one thinks about during the day comes in their dreams at night. Spiritual dreams are different. When an aspirant's mind becomes involved in crude mundane things, then Parama Purusa graces that sadhaka. He appears in his dream; it is His special blessing to bring the aspirant back onto the spiritual path. During such dreams, Parama Purusa infuses the sadhaka's mind with spiritual bliss. Then, even after rising, that spiritual vibration continues to resonate in the mind of the sadhaka, by His grace. That is what is described in this song.
How women lost & will regain their rights
Ananda
Marga philosophy states, “The status of women in prehistoric human
society was the same as that of independent females of any living
species. The women, just like the men, spent their days in the lap of
nature singing, dancing, laughing and playing. These conditions
continued throughout the period when there was no human society as such
and continued into the matriarchal age. But when the patriarchal social
system came into being, the rights of women began gradually to be
curtailed.” (1)
History
bears testimony that decades ago - around the globe - females did not
have any rights. They were subservient to males in all respects. Females
were viewed as not having the same potentialities of men - as if they
were far inferior. Because of this repression and suppression, their
service to society was also limited in scope. In many regions, females
have since gained freedom, and people now recognise that females are not
less in any way. They are comparable to men in all types of fields.
Earlier they were subservient and their potential was suppressed. The
key point is that freedom is important.
So
when working with others one must not suppress them, otherwise society
will not benefit from their full potential. It is equally true in unit
families as in the larger society.
Reference
1. Shabda Cayanika - 9, From Matriarchy to Patriarchy – Excerpt A
Religions & blind faith
Ananda
Marga ideology guides us, "Most religions demand blind faith rather
than rationality from their followers. “Don't argue,” they proclaim.
“Accept the teachings of the scriptures for they are the direct word of
God.” The cunning intellectuals of the past imposed the importance of
blind faith on the minds of their gullible followers. They told them to
obey the teachings, rational or irrational, otherwise there would be no
respite from the endless suffering of human life, no other path to take
them to the eternal bliss of heaven.”
“In
most cases religions took advantage of human weaknesses, crippled the
people's rationality, and sapped their strength, thus facilitating their
exploitation by the religious traders. When the vitality and strength
of the masses remains unexpressed, the exploiters will be able to
exploit them in the economic and other spheres of life for a long time
with relative ease. In the annals of human history it can be seen in all
ages that the various exploiters were the patrons and the preachers of
religion.”
Ananda
Marga ideology guides us, “Dharma is altogether different from religion
for it teaches human beings to advance while mercilessly smashing all
obstacles that thwart human progress. Its inherent qualities are subtle
analysis, ideological strength and the brilliance of valour. That's why
the vested interests cannot tolerate it and use all their strength and
machinery to oppose it. They claim they are protecting religion. The
greater the conflict between person and person, between community and
community, between state and state, the greater is their advantage. But
when many people form a collective mind through sincere sacrifice and
ardent practice while advancing towards the realization of oneness with
the Supreme, it will be difficult to continue exploiting people on any
pretext." (1)
Reference
1. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life - 7, Form and Formless
Amount of sleep
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "The first bad habit is nidra or sleep. Sleep is a state that creates a feeling of vacuity after it is over. That is, immediately after waking up people forget where they were or what they were doing before sleeping. They lose the sense of time. “What’s the time now?” they ask, forgetting whether it is day or night. If people sleep too much for days on end, this mental disorientation persists for a long time. “Is it day or night? What time is it?” they ask, confused. If this continues, their receptive and retentive powers decrease resulting in an almost total loss of mental power. They become dull, and lack courage to face life’s problems. They may have physical strength, but they lack courage. The ancient people believed that excessive sleep is good for health, but this is not the case. Rather, too much sleep not only impairs the health, but has an adverse effect on the mind." (1)
In materialistic societies, it is taught that 8 hours of sleep is essential. But that is not correct. If one sleeps deeply, then four hours of sleep is sufficient. One will awaken feeling revived and refreshed. In contrast, if one does not sleep deeply then the body will not be properly repaired nor restored. So the amount of time is not the operative factor. Rather, the depth of sleep is the key point. True sleep means a dreamless sleep - then both mind and body are quickly restored. In deep sleep, there is a complete vacuum, and one is not aware about the passage of time. In that state, only a few hours of sleep are needed.
Reference
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 8, Bad Habits Which Should Be Given Up
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Liberation from bondage is a must - in all realms
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "The effort to attain liberation from economic bondage, political slavery and all sorts of social dependence in the physical world, is the liberation from staticity in the crude world. In order to attain liberation from worldly bondages of this sort, human beings will have to make conscious efforts.” (1)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “If a certain country is held in bondage to another country, then that subjugated country will have to wage war in order to attain liberation from the chains of slavery. That is why liberation from worldly bondages is essential for human beings. We have noticed that wherever there is worldly subservience – whether economic, political or social – the proper development of the innate qualities, or the genius of human beings, remains remote. That is why in every sphere of life liberation is necessary; liberation from the bondage of staticity is a must.” (1)
Reference
1. A Few Problems Solved - 4, Liberation From Staticity
Why some humans are reborn as cats
Ananda Marga ideology states, "Whether one be a philanthropist or a star athlete, one desires to see what is written about them in the newspaper. This means that in trying to do some good work, what are they really doing? They are falling under the sway of one propensity, the propensity of greed. Now if this act is encouraged by the society, that is, if the newspapers dedicate a lot of attention to such news, or if people in general say, “Sir, whatever you are doing is unparalleled in history. Sir, we are not eulogizing you. We are simply telling the truth” – if they praise such a person in this way and then try to extract some money from them (there are such intelligent people around) – then what does it amount to indirectly? The propensity of greed increases. Which animal is the greediest among the animals with which we are all very familiar? It does not like to give up greed in spite of ill treatment and humiliations. It is the cat. Yes, after moving a few steps ahead, the cat forgets that it was beaten. So, that particular person is reborn as a cat after death, because that body affords an opportunity for the satiation of their greed. When the housewife looks around inattentively, the cat sneaks into the kitchen through the small opening in order to reach the milk or fish in the kitchen. So in order to exhaust the samskáras one needs an appropriate body. Some people obtain a new body immediately after death and others obtain it later. But one has to obtain it somehow."
"One who is doing philanthropic work today, tries to find out tomorrow whether or not their name appeared in the newspaper. They have no desire to read the other news. They read the news that relates to themselves twenty times but do not go through the other news with much enthusiasm. If someone asks they might say that today there was only one important piece of news, nothing else. That is how a person comes under the sway of a propensity and remains subject to the cycle of birth and rebirth." (1)
Reference
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam – 10, 22 April ’79
== Section 4: Links ==
Postings to Read
How to prevent AM teachings from disappearing
Unique story about dhyana
About Prout leadership
Raising dharmikas
Power of kiirtana
Importance of pranayama
How we should live 120 years
