Baba
Mental cleanliness in digital era
Note: This letter is only for those who have reverence for Sadguru Baba Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji and try to follow His Ananda Marga ideology.
Namaskar,
Most ads pollute the mind - booming their message again and again. Those advertisements are powerful and often achieve their desired effect. The stark proof of the efficacy of ads is that big corporations spend huge money on advertising. They buy all the best strategists, artists, singers, and performers to create the most alluring ads.
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Dirty advertisements excite baser propensities
This is the modus operandi in this culminating aspect of the vaeshyan era. Big companies put talented professionals on their payroll to help design and create tempting ads that appeal to one's baser propensities in order to sell their products. Baba's following teaching characterizes the overall effect of these debased advertising campaigns.
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Knowledge which creates numerous obstacles and problems for the human society is not at all wisdom, but merely the expression of mean propensities of mind. When nothing great is created, then cheap sentiments emerge for low-grade art, literature, architecture, sculpture, etc.; and when the sentient principle is overpowered by the mutative principle, and the mutative principle by the static principle, the cumulative effect is complete chaos." (1)
Verily, this is what we see going on in the world of advertising. Degrading and degenerating messages are put forth to captivate an audience, to influence and favour decisions to purchase their products. The result is not good for the general society as it goads the common people toward degenerating propensities, and entices people to spend (i.e. waste) money on things they do not need.
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If those ads did not achieve their desired result - i.e. increased sales, such companies would not have big advertising budgets. But they see the results. The more they spend on effective yet degrading advertising, the greater their financial return. Perhaps nowhere do ads play as grand a role as on the internet. Ad revenues spell big dollars for companies. One search engine behemoth rakes in a whopping 60 - 70 billion dollars annually in ad revenue alone. So this is big business.
Desire begotten out of association
Now some large corporations in the west have more money than many small countries combined. Consumers become the blind servants of those companies and contribute to their large profits. This is proof they are affected by these ads. Businesses and companies want to sell something to you. Whether a consumer wants that product or not, they want them to purchase it. To achieve this, they resort to all kinds of techniques. This is a serious problem. First and foremost we should understand Guru’s teachings. Then we should develop a comprehensive understanding as to why exploitative advertisers do like this, and we should know the science behind their approach.
Ananda Marga ideology states, “Abhoga Samsargat Praptiresana”. You must remember it. When near an object of enjoyment (abhoga) another object reaches, a desire is begotten to get that object. For instance a man when in town has dress, living as per the dress and living of the urban people and when in a village he has as per the villagers. This is effected because of his desire begotten out of his association with people in town and villages respectively. When some persons take tea, there you also get the desire to take the same.” (2)
Nowadays we are surrounded by ads. Yet many naive adults remain in a state of denial, thinking: "I do not get affected by ads", or "I do not let the ads sway my decisions or self-image", or "I have my own independent opinion so it does not matter whether I view those ads or not." They think, "These ads are not so harmful and I am impervious to them." Such is their naiveté.
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May remember the words and theme
Unfortunately, the reality is that those ads get set within the depths of the human psyche, become deeply embedded in one's memory, and form a lasting impression in the mind. Just ask someone to look back on their own childhood. They probably can recall countless advertisements from those days, either from the billboards in their local town or village along the roadside, magazine ads, radio advertisements, and television etc. They may remember the words and theme songs of so many commercials. That means they are still keeping that stuff in the mind.
FACT: People are bombarded all day long by corporate and company advertisements.
MYTH: Naive people think these ads are not so harmful.
The reality, however, is that the overt and subliminal message of those ads remain in the mind and alter one's thinking. As sadhakas we must gain a deeper understanding of this problem, protect ourselves, and educate and guide others. Please read the following and determine how these ads are adversely affecting people you know; plus find out the way to overcome this hurdle.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
The only way to protect the mind from such advertisements is to never view them at all. Because invariably the crude message of those ads will creep into and eventually affect and dominate the psyche. Baba's undisputed teaching for all sadhakas is to keep the mind pure by exercising control over the motor and sensory organs.
Control of sensory organs
Ananda Marga ideology says, "Cakśuńá Saḿvaro Sádhu” O spiritual aspirant! O Bhikśu! O monk! O devotee! You should have proper control over your eyes; whatever will have bad effect on your mind, you must not see it. “Sádhu Sotena saḿvaro”. Whatever will have bad effect on your mind, O good man, you must not hear it. “Ghánena Saḿvaro Sádhu.” You should have control over your nose, “Sádhu Jibháya Saḿvaro.” You should have control over your taste. “Káyena Saḿvaro Sádhu.” You should have control over your body. “Sádhu Vácáya Saḿvaro.” You should have control over your language also; and “Savvatha Saḿvaro Bhikśu.” If you want emancipation, if you want liberation from worldly fetters, you must have all-round restraint." (3)
In His above teaching, Baba guides us that the only way to advance along the path of spirituality and overcome all worldly obstacles is to keep the mind free of impurities. The sadhaka achieves this in part by not exposing one's sensory organs to degrading images etc. When the mind comes in contact with those advertising messages via the sensory organs (eyes, ears etc), that message gets embedded in memory. At any moment that crude image or thought or slogan can come across one's mental plate. There is no way to stop that once that message gets sent to the mind. That means, as soon as one sees, hears, or reads an advertisement, then that message becomes part of their psyche. There is no escape.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
The only solution is to cut off all interaction with these degrading advertisements. Essentially that requires cutting any connection with pseudo-culture activities and pop-art. No junk tv or movie watching; and being careful when watching and listening to a worthwhile, educational program. But the only immediate or short-term solution is to avoid them entirely.
Namaskar,
In Him,
Bhaktidha’ra’
Advertisements dramatically affect the general public with regards to their dress, self-image, and purchases etc. People feel they should look a certain way, act a certain way, and be a certain way. Such ads pollute the mind - booming their message again and again. Those ads are powerful and often achieve their desired effect.
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “A person of any age between seven and seventy is invariably influenced by the company he or she keeps. In other words, where goodness is predominant, bad people will slowly but surely become good, and where the opposite is the case, good people will become bad. Even a saintly person will go astray after a few days of close association with bad people.” (4)
~ In-depth study ~
Unknowingly repeating advertisements
As sadhakas, anything and everything is possible. With proper determination we can move ahead in the right manner. Failing that, one's mental plate will become riddled by all kinds of negative advertisements and slogans. They will even pop into the mind when trying to do sadhana. That is why Baba has issued the aforementioned warning:
Baba says, "O spiritual aspirant! O Bhikśu! O monk! O devotee! You should have proper control over your eyes; whatever will have bad effect on your mind, you must not see it." (5)
The only permanent memory we should have is our mantra japa and we should eliminate all those distracting thoughts like advertisements.
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "The goal of one’s life should always be fixed before one’s eyes; it should never be lost sight of. When one remembers one’s goal twenty-four hours a day one develops the actual memory. In the scriptures, this sort of memory is called “dhruvásmrti”." (6)
Desire due to association
Here again is a reminder of this important teaching. “Abhoga Samsargat Praptiresana”
Ananda Marga ideology states, “You must remember it. When near an object of enjoyment (Abhoga) another object reaches, a desire is begotten to get that object. For instance a man when in town has dress, living as per the dress and living of the urban people and when in a village he has as per the villagers. This is effected because of his desire begotten out of his association with people in town and villages respectively. When some persons take tea, there you also get the desire to take the same.” (7)
Cleansing the mind
Here below Baba guides us that cleansing the mind is not an easy job; better to keep it clean in the first place by not viewing negative images on the web, than to see such images and then have to wipe them away.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Baba says, "Cleansing the mind is a far more laborious job than cleansing the body, clothes, house, etc. Intelligent people should not, therefore, allow their mental purity to be stained. You must always guard against the tempest of passion. You must not yield to such storms." (8)
Baba says, "It is natural for human beings to become soiled with dust in the course of their journey in the physical world. But this is not to continue forever. They should make their minds completely unblemished by offering all their mental colours to the Supreme. Forgetting the external aspect of the play of colours, they should accept the internal colour-play as the ultimate in human life – and thus establish themselves in the true Vrindavana, the Supreme Desideratum of human life." (9)
Baba says, "In no circumstances should cynicism or nihilism be encouraged; rather when the righteous and virtuous people of this world sit together and decide what should and should not be done, they will certainly find the proper path." (10)
Not waste time in harmful ads
Baba says, "You should remember that in most cases human intellect and intuition are wasted in extravaganza, in useless pursuits; they are not at all utilized for constructive or worthwhile endeavours. And human intuitional power is also wasted in trying to exhibit occult powers. Such persons never get the opportunity to move towards Parama Puruśa." (11)
Ananda Marga ideology states, "Instead of wasting their time in idle gossip [and listening to advertisements], people should do kiirtana whenever they have time. Even if they have a few spare minutes, they should do kiirtana. It is foolish to waste time in useless pursuits." (12)
Psycho-economy needed
One key aspect of Prout is public education - where people learn about economic exploitation and avoid the pitfalls introduced by capitalist advertisers who want to sell things people do not need or subject the mind to degrading images. Making citizens and consumers more alert in this regard is known as psycho-economy.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Prout philosophy states, "Psycho-economy...endeavours to eradicate exploitative and unjust economic practices, behaviours and structures. It will counter all economic and psycho-economic exploitation and make people aware of how capitalists, in their singular or collective roles, exploit society and create unhealthy, artificial demands which not only poison the mind but encourage dangerous habits detrimental to psychic sanctity and expansion. The first and foremost duty of psycho-economics is to wage a tireless fight against all degenerating and dehumanizing economic trends in society." (13)
Few solutions
(A) You may select “disable images” in the “view” mode of your browser and that will remove the various photos associated with ads.
(B) Finally, for those using a Mac and the Safari web browser, there is an option for “Reader” when opening news articles. You may access it from the View menu or at the right side of the status bar. That will remove the various photos associated with ads.
(C) Eliminate all the advertisements. And for sadhakas surfing the web, we should take every advantage we can get. The benefit of this is two-fold: Firstly the mind will remain pure and untainted by negative images; secondly, one will experience enhanced concentration as the mind is not distracted by moving graphics etc.
(D) The following Apps on Google Chrome monitor and block degrading websites:
- “Block images”: An App that removes unwanted images.
- “Stay Focused”: An App that monitors your web use.
- “Web nanny”: An App that screens for degrading language & images.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
(E) The only solution is to cut off interaction with these degrading advertisements. Essentially that requires cutting any connection with pseudo-culture activities and pop-art. No junk tv or movie watching; and being careful when watching and listening to a worthwhile, educational program. When you know the advertisements are coming on then turn off the machine - do japa or kiirtan etc - and then turn it back on in 2 - 3 minutes. It is better to miss some of the program than to see even 15 seconds of an advertisement.
(F) Every web browser - whether it be Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari or Chrome - offers a way to increase (i.e. zoom in) the font & image size. Generally speaking, this zoom feature is listed under the "View" menu. The shortcut key is often: ctrl ++; that means press the control key and the plus [+] sign and zoom in on whatever webpage is on the screen; press ctrl +- to zoom out.
(G) For sadhakas, the beauty of this feature is that when you are surfing the web or viewing a particular site, you can zoom in such that all the ads get pushed off the screen. Because the ads generally appear along the sides, top and bottom of the page. So if the image and font size is increased (using ctrl ++) then naturally those ads will be out of view. Then to read the aspects of the page that are of value to you, simply use the corresponding scroll bars.
(H) In addition there are other techniques that one may use to rid your web browser from advertisements. You may choose “safe search” as this is an option in every web browser using internet search. There are various options in “lock” which will select to keep this option. That will remove the various photos associated with ads
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
(I) Tell your technique.
References
1. A Few Problems Solved - 5, Heterogeneity in Aesthetics
2. Subhasita Samgraha - 20, Astitva and Shivatva
3. Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 14, The Fundamental Principles of Life
4. Human Society, Justice
5. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 14, The Fundamental Principles of Life
6. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 4, The Ten Characteristics of a Dhármika
7. Subhasita Samgraha - 20, Astitva and Shivatva
8. Guide to Human Conduct, "Shaoca"
9. The Liberation of Intellect: Neohumanism
10. A Few Problems Solved - 5, Heterogeneity in Aesthetics
11. Yoga Psychology, The Cult of Spirituality – the Cult of Pinnacled Order
12. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 22, Kiirtana – the Panacea for All Afflictions
13. A Few Problems Solved - 7, Quadri-Dimensional Economy
* * *
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==
"Mor, din cale já y áshá nirásháy, tomár tarei priya..." (Prabhat Samgiita #3507)
Purport:
O' Parama Purusa, my days and nights are passing in the hope and hopelessness of longing for You. When I see that You are not coming then my life falls in misery. But when I contemplate Your cosmic grace then with deep hope I feel that I will get You. In this way all my time passes. O' my most Supremely Benevolent Majestic One, when I think about You sometimes I weep in the agony of not getting You, and other times I smile in optimism, dreaming of Your blissful arrival.
O' Unparalleled Entity, I always keep my eyes fixed toward the blue sky of my mind - Guru cakra. There I look for You in Your eternal abode. I am calling You with tears in my eyes; please give a response to my call.
O' the Supreme Entity, the black fog permeates each and every pore of my mind. Come in a most sweet, charming, and attractive way and wipe away all the Cimmerian darkness from my mental temple. Kindly make me pure and blemishless.
Baba, my life is passing in Your exquisite attraction. Please shower Your infinite krpa on me and make me Yours...
== Section 3: Important Teaching ==
Crux of the issue
Ananda Marga ideology states, “Parama Puruśa is omnipotent, but...He cannot hate anybody. Whoever comes near Him becomes one with Him. So Parama Puruśa remains a singular entity. Secondly, Parama Puruśa creates everybody in His mind; He cannot hate his own mental creation.” (1)
Ananda Marga ideology states, “You see, everybody in this universe is within Parama Puruśa. He sees everybody within His mind, and because everybody is within His mind, He cannot hate a mental figure of His.” (2)
Note: In His above teaching, Baba guides us that Parama Purusa cannot hate anything or anyone. The reason is that this entire creation is set within His own mind. All the expressions are His. And no one can hate themselves. That is the logic and reason why Parama Purusa cannot hate anyone in spite of His omnipotence.
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 12, Two Hundred Mirrors
2. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 12, The Birthright of All
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Lowly aspirants defined
False aspirants think about themselves, whereas true bhaktas think about God and want to serve Him. By this approach life becomes meaningful and they reach the Goal; otherwise, they are just fake bhaktas who take birth and die again and again, suffering in this transitory world.
Ananda Marga ideology states, "True devotees can think only of Parama Puruśa – their every action is to please Parama Puruśa. For them, there is only sádhaná and selfless service to the universe – and because selfless service is to please the Lord, that also helps sádhaná. Tapah [selfless service] is part of sádhaná. True devotees are unable to think of right and wrong, but because they wish only to please Parama Puruśa, they can only do good, all their actions will be benevolent. So you are not just to worry about right and wrong, about dos and don'ts – you are to develop that true devotion for Parama Puruśa...But of course, until you develop such devotion, you must distinguish what to do from what not." (1)
Reference
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 30, The True Devotee
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Courts back AM teachings
Namaskar,
In our AM way of life, we do not serve or eat food at a shráddha (death) ceremony - nor at any dogmatic annual death day ceremony like mahaprayan.
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, “Shráddhánna: Shráddhánna (food offered at a memorial service) is neither priityanna nor ápadanna, hence it is not to be taken.” (1)
See how Baba’s dharmic ideals are coming into form the general society as well. Baba has infused the vibration, and in the below article the government has made it illegal to do a mass feeding as part of a death ceremony. The punishment is 1 year in jail. A court order has banned death day food distribution etc.
In the above article, the government has made it illegal to do a mass feeding as part of a death ceremony. The punishment is 1 year in jail. Verily, a court order has banned death day food distribution etc. This upholds Baba’s dharmic ideal and shows how Baba has infused the spiritual vibration to inculcate AM ideals to all corners of the earth - and beyond.
In Him,
Natavar Singh
Reference
1. Caryacarya, Part 2, Society, Point #37
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Death, birth, new body, organ donation
Ananda Marga ideology states, “मनुष्य का जब देहान्त होता है, तब होता है क्या ? मन suspended है, शरीर से विच्युत है, nerve cells काम नहीं कर रहा है | मनुष्य की मृत्यु भी कई प्रकार की हैं | एक मृत्यु है कि nerve cells काम बन्द कर दिया है, heart, lungs काम बन्द कर दिया है---तो, पूरी मृत्यु हो गई | उस दशा में क्या होगा ? उनका मन, शरीर को छोड़ देगा | संस्कार को साथ लेकर घूमता रहेगा, [नए] शरीर की खोज में |.... जहाँ nerve cell भी काम करना बन्द कर दिया, उसके बाद मन तो उसका निकल गया खोज में | हो सकता है तुरन्त नया शरीर भी मिल जाए |” (1)
Here is the English summary of the above Hindi teaching.
When a human being dies, the nerve cells can still function for a few hours, or, in some cases, even days. In that condition the body could come back to life. During some demonstrations, Baba brought people back to life. Ultimately though, when the nerve cells stop functioning entirely, the person undergoes physical death, and the mind leaves the body immediately in search of a new body. The bodyless mind, along with its samskaras, leaves the old body and starts wandering in search of a new body. According to the nature of their samskaras, they get a new body with the help of the cosmic operative principle. It may happen almost instantaneously, while for others it could take years.Comment #1: According to this discourse, when the nerve cells die then immediately the (bodyless) mind leaves the body with its samskaras in search of a new body. So it could happen that the old body is still not decayed and it is in the tomb, and the person got new suitable body and reached in the mother’s womb immediately with the help of rajaguna of cosmic operative principle.
Comment #2: If you donated the body at the time of death and you immediately got a new body, then it could happen still your old limbs are used by someone and you are moving round as a child with a new body.
Reference
1. As-Is: AV-3, chapter 15, Superstition About Death
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Who can or cannot establish Prout
English Summary of original Bangla:
A new theory [Prout] cannot originate or be brought into practice by a mind of limited dimensions, but only from a person who looks at this universe from an evolved, enlightened mind. There is no other alternative. (1)Faulty English version by Tiljala Publications
Here below is the printed English version by Tiljala Publications. Unfortunately, they missed the key point that Prout cannot be established by non-sadhakas.
Ananda Marga ideology states, “A new theory [Prout] cannot originate from a mind of limited dimensions, but only from a person who looks at this universe from an evolved, enlightened mind. And for this, Paramártha is a very important factor indeed.” (2)Here below is the as-is Bangla version.
Ananda Marga ideology states, “এখনও কথা হচ্ছে, এই অর্থের ব্যাপারে তো ৰলেই দিলাম, এই জন্যে একটা নোতুন theory-র দরকার | সেটাকে কার্যরূপ দিতে হৰে | আর সেই নোতুন theory-ও ক্ষুদ্র মন নিয়ে তৈরী করা যায় না | ৰৃহৎ মন নিয়ে যে জগতের সামনে দাঁড়িয়ে আছে, কেবল সেই এই ধরণের theory দিতে পারে, বা একে কার্যরূপ দিতে পারে | অন্য কোনও উপায় নেই |” (3)Note: Sadly, some misguided Dadas are very keen to implement Prout with socialist / communist leaders. Those Dadas fail to understand that non-sadhakas can never establish Prout. To implement Prout in the society, one must be a sadhaka with an expanded mental outlook. That is what Baba is teaching us in the above guideline. But those in Tiljala Publications could not convey this idea in the English version. The yellow highlighted section in the Bangla version was not included in TP’s English translation.
References
1. English summary of original, as-is Bangla version
2. Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 4, Artha and Paramártha
3. “As-Is” Artha and Paramártha AV04-10(E)
== Section: Prabhat Samgiita ==
मुझे हर समय, अपनी सेवा करने का अवसर दो।
प्रभात संगीत 4557 सबार सेवाय तारी करुणाय, सबकार तरे आमि एलुम..
बाबा! तुम्हारी कृपा से मेरा जीवन प्रत्येक की सेवा के लिये है, न केवल मनुष्यों के लिये बल्कि पेड़ पौधों जानवरों और प्रत्येक वनस्पति और प्राणी के लिये। मैं इस धरती पर सबके लिये, सब की आशाअों को पूरा करने के लिये आया हॅूं। परम पुरुष की कृपा से मैंने दूसरों का बोझ अपने कंधों पर ले लिया है।
क्या मनुष्य केवल लम्बी चौड़ी बातें ही करता है? नहीं, जो आदर्श मानव हैं उनके हृदय सभी के सुख और दुख अनुभूत होते हैं। सही अर्थों में जो मानव हैं वे डरपोक या स्वार्थी नहीं होते, वे तो सब के लिये होते हैं।
उन पुरुषोत्तम की कृपा से मैं नव्य मानवतावाद के गीत और कहानियाॅं सब को सुनाऊंगा। मैं सभी प्राणियों, पक्षियों पौधों, जीव-जंतुओं के दुःख सुख की बातें सभी को सुनाऊंगा। बाबा की कृपा से मैंने सभी सुख और सुविधाओं को छोड़कर सबकी सेवा के लिये, अपने आपको समर्पित कर दिया है।
हे संसार के निवासियों, मेरे बुद्धिमान भाईयो और बहिनो! मेरे मित्रो! मेरे अपनो! सब मेरी प्रतिज्ञा सुनो। मैं सब के लिए हूँ, यही मेरा व्रत है । ‘‘कृपा कर मुझे हर समय, हर क्षण, अपनी सेवा करने का अवसर दो। इसके उत्तर में मैं प्रेम ममता और अनुराग सहित प्रस्तुत हॅूं।”
== Section 4: Links ==
