Baba
Human culture: singular
Namaskar,
Commonly people think there are so many cultures: African, European, Native American, Chinese, Russian, Indian etc. Indeed, various terms like multi-cultural, plurality of cultures, bicultural, cultural pluralism etc are very commonly used. People think humans differ according to their own "separate culture". It is often thought that there are many different cultures on this planet.
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In that case, people look upon others as being different. They aim to tolerate differences, yet ultimately feel that "such persons are not like me - they are foreign - we can live together by tolerating differences - but their culture is different from my culture."
According to Baba's teachings, this is neither correct nor should this be our outlook. We must embrace one and all as our own and cultivate feelings of love and cordiality - not tolerance. Human culture is one - not many. As Ananda Margiis, we must fully understand Baba's sublime teachings on culture, and gain clarity on how human culture is one.
What is culture
First and foremost, according to Baba Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji, culture is the collective name of various human expressions: approach to education, eating and food, way of salutation and greetings, types of songs, ways to dance, raising children, social interactions, responsibility toward others, values and social norms, style of dress, friendships etc. Every human group has these kinds of expressions. Some of which have been addressed below. The sum total of all these expressions is known as culture.
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Baba says, "Culture…is the collective name of different expressions of human life." (1)
Human culture is one: greetings
Let's examine a few practical examples to better understand what is culture.
As we know, when people meet, they greet each other. This practice of humans greeting each other when they meet is pervasive. It happens everywhere. A person in the hills of North Korea greets their friend; and, a person from a valley in California greets their friend. In both cases, in some way, they greet their relations. This is a common practice. This is culture. And because it is everywhere, culture is one.
Certainly, people from different lands may express their greetings differently, but those different ways of greeting do not stand as different cultures, but rather as cultural expressions.
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For instance, in Ananda Marga we do namaskar or pranam; in some lands, people bow to one another; in other countries people wave their hand and say hello; in some places people say shalom; in other lands people embrace one another or kiss; and many resort to handshaking also. Thus there are many ways that people greet each other. But these various types of greetings do not represent different cultures. The act of greeting is itself human culture and singular; and, the various ways that greetings are done are various cultural expressions.
Human culture is singular
So culture is the act of greeting, irrespective of how it is done. On this point, all human beings share a common thread; they all greet one another. The practice of greeting a friend or neighbor etc is shared by all peoples in all lands. The very act of greeting another person is itself our human culture. Thus, human culture is singular - not many.
Some may try and bifurcate the society by dividing people into this culture or that culture. But, in truth, there is a common thread that is shared among all. The act of greeting a fellow human being is one such common point. Again, there may be various ways of greeting a friend, but, in reality, people from all various places are all doing the same thing, i.e. performing greetings.
It should be very clear that the greeting itself is culture, while the way people greet one another is a cultural expression, which may be innumerable but culture itself is one. That is how human culture is one - not many.
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Here we have to remember that internally humans are one, and human culture is singular in number; only externally there are a multitude of cultural expressions and variations.
Human culture is one: expressing one's happiness
Let's take another example: All over the world people express their joy or happiness. This expression of happiness is common to all. This is culture. If someone is happy in Thailand then they express their happiness, and if someone is happy in Alaska or Siberia then they too express their happiness. Expressing happiness is the culture of human beings: When they are happy then they express themselves in some way.
It may be through art, dance, laughter, drama, music and so many ways. But human happiness itself is a common point everywhere. So human beings are one, irrespective of their geographical area. Because their culture is one, i.e. when they are happy they express their joy.
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And they may do this in various ways: some may laugh loudly; others might just smile; some might dance half naked in the street; while still others might decorate their dress with flowers. Around the globe, people express their happiness differently.
Cultural expression is different in various lands
People of Thailand may dance in a way different from residents of Alaska or Siberia. But that difference in style is the cultural expression of that area. Human culture is one: To express happiness.
One should not confuse culture and cultural expression. Culture is the trunk of the tree and the cultural expression refers to all those branches, and limbs that stem off of the main tree trunk. So human culture is one, i.e. expressing happiness when they are happy.
In other words, in different lands, people express their joy or happiness in various ways. Some sing, some dance, some clap, some whistle, some smile, some laugh, some slap hands, and others hug. There are so many ways people express their happiness. These variations are not culture, but rather local cultural expressions which are different in various lands. The main theme is that when they are happy, they express their happiness. That is common everywhere. That is culture and that is one.
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All human beings are one and human culture is one: (a) everyone greets, (b) everyone expresses happiness, and (c) many practices can be included in this list such as feeding their loved ones, working, bathing and more.
Irrespective of their so-called caste, language, so-called race or geographical areas, literate or educated, all are part of the same human culture. Everyone greets, everyone expresses happiness, and everyone feeds their loved ones etc. Thus, inherently, human culture is one. By superficial review, it may seem like people live in different cultures and express themselves according to different cultural tenets, but these are just local variations of our singular human culture. And we call these local variations as cultural expressions.
Conclusion
The conclusion is that fundamentally human culture is one and there are various local differences and those differences are not cultural distinctions but rather cultural expressions. Internally human culture is one, and on the external plane we see a range of cultural expressions. But all those expressions are rooted in one human culture.
Namaskar,
In Him,
Harahar vyomvyom
~ In-depth study ~
Unfortunately, nowadays, some people attempt to divide humanity by highlighting differences in expressions and using those differences as proof that people are intrinsically different and that human culture is many. They think others are alien and "not like me." But this is not the right approach. We must adhere to Baba's below guideline and eradicate such feelings of difference and encourage feelings of unity through social mixing and revolutionary marriages.
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Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Culture is an ambiguous term. It is a collective expression of social life and is of composite structure. The Sanskrit words for culture are samskrti and krśt́i. Samskrti is used in a good sense and krśt́i in a general sense. There are certain prima facie local variations, but there is no difference in the subterranean cultural flow of the human society. The difference is external and not internal. Culture is one for the entire world. Common factors for the entire humanity (that is, culture in the true sense of the term) should always be encouraged, but prima facie differences should never be encouraged. Those who encourage these differences help the fissiparous tendencies which endanger human progress. To establish a cosmopolitan cultural outlook, we have to wipe out prima facie differences through matrimony and other socio-economic blendings." (2)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Although according to perfect logic the culture of all humanity is one and indivisible, the exponents of isms do not understand this. They prefer to assert that the different sets of script and language, behaviour and habit, and local variations in expression, are actually the constituents of human culture.” (3)
Ananda Marga propagates culture as one
Ananda Marga wants to unite all and form one human society. This is one of our main themes: to unite all human beings.
Human culture is, by definition, one. It is singular. As Ananda Margiis, we propagate this truth - i.e. that human culture is one - to bring about one human society. Side by side we are to introduce people to more refined and sentient cultural expressions.
When people start thinking human culture to be one it will be very easy to unite all humans. Then peace can be brought on this earth. Disunity invites violence. People divide humanity on the basis of various platforms including culture. By that way so many problems surface. Propagating the truth that human culture is one is how we can unite humanity and bring peace.
Human society is one and culture is one: If we forget this fact and instead think, "I am different, or that person is different" etc, then we will never be able to live together. We should always remember that human culture is one.
Ananda Marga ideology states, "The more human beings live in unity, shoulder to shoulder, the greater the welfare of the human race will be." (4)
One should not confuse culture and cultural expressions. Culture is the trunk of the tree and the cultural expressions refer to all those branches, and limbs that stem off of the main tree trunk. Internally human culture is one, and on the external plane we see a range of cultural expressions. But all those expressions are rooted in one human culture.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
References
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 15, Talks on Prout
2. Prout in a Nutshell - 5, Discourses on Prout
3. Prout in a Nutshell - 4, Ism and Human Progress
4. A Few Problems Solved Part 3 - Human Society Is One and Indivisible – 3
== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==
Streams of divine refulgence
"Tumi ele cári dik raunge bhare ut́halo, taruń tapan miśt́i hási hásalo..." (Prabhat Samgiita #0316)
Purport:
Parama Purusa, with Your arrival and advent, everything - all the directions - became inundated with resplendent colours of bhagavata dharma. The morning sun smiled sweetly; due to its beaming joy the world forgot all its agony. Because of Your coming as Mahasambhuti the whole universe is charged with spiritual vibrations.
Baba, in jubilation and delight, all became very close as everyone pulled together. It is Your grace. Today, after forgetting all sorrows, now in an exalted state bhaktas no longer feel suffering as suffering, or problems as a problem. Everything has become blissful due to Your august presence. In one tempo of spirituality, in a singular pull of the Cosmic Entity, in one song of His glory, the entire cosmos is ecstatically dancing in exultation.
My Cosmic Boatman, with a smile, receive the mind which is floating in the streams of divine refulgence; please bring that to the shore. With the attraction of the golden flash, today all are dancing rhythmically with exuberance, in euphoric ecstasy, in Your cadence & divine tempo.
Baba, in the past, people were drowned in misery - now with Your auspicious arrival everything has changed - only there is bliss...
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Prout philosophy states, "Those who shudder at the sight of various social vices and lament, “Everything is lost; righteousness is gone; morality has vanished…” should realize that among all the causes behind this so-called all-round degeneration, social injustice is the principal one."
"Because of injustices against women with respect to their social rights and because women are economically crippled, a section of women is compelled to take to prostitution. Although there are many causes of this profession, these are the main two."
"Ananda Marga recognizes that women are as dignified human beings as men. Ananda Marga, in addition, wants to encourage women to be economically independent of men. The system in which characterless men swagger about in society while fallen women are denied proper opportunities despite their sincere desire to lead an honest life, can never be supported by justice. Women who desire to lead an honest life must be given a respectable place in society." (1)
Reference
1. Problems of the Day, Point #13
== Section: News (Feb 21, 2019) ==
News: Rudrananda is ready to devour AM / Sweden property
Namaskar,
Rudrananda needs money so he has put the AMPS bakery business in Sweden up for sale. in the next phase, he will sell the entire Wt Training Centre in Sweden. Watch for more news reports about this.
in Him,
Jiivesh
(Johann Svenson)
== Section: News (July 25, 2018)==
Re: For better care: Shyamananda wants to shift to Durg
Namaskar,
Due to neglect and deficient care, Shyamananda ji is interested in changing his residence at Ananda Nagar and instead staying with Mantracetanananda. At the same time Shyamananda harbours some concerns of facing backlash by H group. But by Shyamananda ji's statement it is clear he wants to leave Ananda Nagar. He has spoken with Manatracetanananda and expressed his desire to seek care in Durg. This demonstrates that Shyamananda is not fully satisfied with present situation at the SDM building at AN. That is why he is strongly considering leaving. Kindly wait for more info on this developing story.
in Him,
Keshava
Note: Here is a link to the news posted in Hindi - click & scroll down to section three.
- Here is link to the original report in English - Murder case history & Shyamananda health status
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Root query of spirituality
Ananda Marga ideology guides, "Those who have fallen today may become evolved people, great personalities in the future – mahápuruśas. This is why no one should ever be disappointed in life. Parama Puruśa is calling everyone and He will continue to call everyone: all shall find a safe shelter on His loving lap. He does not hate or neglect anyone. Hence the only answer to the question, “kasya tvam” – “Whom do you belong to?” – is: “I belong to Parama Puruśa, to Him and Him alone, because I have come from Him and I am in Him, and finally I will return to Him.” And the only answer to the question, “Kuta áyátah” – “From where have you come?” – is: “I have come from Parama Puruśa and I will go back to Him. He is my permanent abode.”" (1)
Reference
1. Subhasita Samgraha - 12, To Whom Do You Belong? Where Do You Come From?
== Section 4: Links ==
