Baba
Traveling food
Namaskar,
Over
the years in Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha, I have had innumerable
opportunities to travel around with our various Dadas. And while that
was usually quite inspiring for me, I also did get a first-hand view how
some of our Dadas have taken to "following" 16 Points.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Dadaji’s tamasik habit while traveling
In
particular, on one occasion I traveled with a dada across Uttar Pradesh
and I saw that he has one very special type of practice. On his longer
train and bus journeys he fails to bring sufficient food with him so he
often purchases food along the way. But fruit alone does not satisfy him
so he often buys cooked vegetable dishes while traveling. I saw him -
and many others told they also saw him do this when traveling. Always he
purchases cooked vegetables (subjii) and flat bread (roti) to satisfy
his hunger.
And
while I certainly do not like to see any Dada go hungry, it also has to
be noted that all these cooked vegetable items from the various stalls
are laced and filled with onion and garlic. That onion and garlic has
been fried and boiled into the dish such that all the food is completely
saturated with those ta'masik spices - and then there are also some
whole pieces of onion and garlic still floating around the dish. But
those are mostly "lifeless" as already all their ta'masik essence has
been squeezed out of them and spread throughout the dish.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Bogus remedy
Dadaji
would eat this type of cooked vegetable with onion and garlic on train
bus journeys. And Dadaji's "special" way of treating the matter was to
pick up one of those lifeless pieces of onion or garlic, toss it aside,
then say Guru mantra, and then eat those vegetables - those very same
vegetables that had been cooked and saturated in those onions and
garlic. And I heard that some other wts would eat cooked vegetable
dishes with onion and garlic on train and bus journeys.
Unfortunately,
such are the eating habits of certain Dadas during their lengthy train
and bus journeys. In particular this Dadaji thinks that he is escaping
all the ta'masik effects of the onion and garlic by taking Guru mantra.
But, if we use our rational mind, we know that this is not the case.
This is not the system: i.e. eating ta'masik items like onion and garlic
and then saying Guru mantra as if everything is all perfect. This is
not how Baba wants us to "follow" sentient food rules.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Conclusion
Here
Baba warns us of the harmful effects of eating ta'masik food. So Dada
and others should give up their negative ways because Baba does not even
approve of eating the residue of onions or garlic and then befooling
oneself by saying that they used Guru mantra or ate myrobolan to purify
everything. Here is Baba's warning about the ingesting ta'masik foods:
Wt conduct rule: "Avadhuta shall take strictly sattvika diet." (32 Rules for Avadhuta, Pt # 27) (1)
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, "Take only sáttvika (sentient) food.” (2)
Ananda
Marga philosophy states, "Cells generally grow out of light, air, water
and the food we eat. The nature of food and drink has its effect upon
the cells, and consequently also influences the human mind. Obviously
each and every sa'dhaka, or spiritual aspirant, should be very cautious
in selecting food. Suppose a person takes ta'masika, or static, food.
The result will be that after a certain period, static cells will grow
and exercise a static influence on the aspirant’s mind. Human beings
must select sa'ttvika, or sentient...This will lead to the birth of
sentient cells, which in turn will produce a love for spiritual practice
and help in attaining psychic equilibrium and equipoise, leading to
immense spiritual elevation." (3)
Namaskar,
in Him,
Nagendra
Sadly,
there are a few Wts who have no respect for the rules and regulations
and forget that our beloved Baba has given these guidelines for our
spiritual growth. That's why they act in this way. Such Wts they have
gone away from Baba’s teaching. Our so-called central purodha Dadas are
also corrupt: they only want money, no matter what you do just give them
money and you will be free from all the rules and regulations and you
can live your life “as you like.” This is the horrendous situation in
our organisation nowadays. The only solution is to be strict in Sadguru
Baba’s teachings and point out those bad apple Wts who veer off the
path. That is how we may right our ship, by Baba’s grace.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
~ In-depth study ~
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Sentient food: Food which produces
sentient cells and is thus conducive to physical and mental well-being
is sentient. Examples of sentient food are rice, wheat, barley, all
kinds of pulses, fruit, milk and milk products.
"Mutative food: Food which is good for the body and may or may not be
good for the mind, but certainly not harmful for the mind, is mutative."
"Static food: Food which is harmful for the mind and may or may not be
good for the body is static. Onion, garlic, wine, stale and rotten food,
meat of large animals such as cows and buffaloes, fish, eggs, etc., are
static." (4)
"For the avadhútas and avadhútikás of Ananda Marga there is only one kind of food, sáttvika food." (5)
Ananda
Marga ideology states, "“Cakśuńá Samvaro Sádhu” O spiritual aspirant! O
Bhikśu! O monk! O devotee!...“Sádhu Jibháya Saḿvaro.” You should have
control over your taste...If you want emancipation, if you want
liberation from worldly fetters, you must have all-round restraint." (6)
Ananda
Marga ideology states, "Pramitáhárah: to maintain the physical body,
you require physical food, air, water, light. But physical food is not
simply for the physical body. It has got its effect on the spiritual
body. The cells of your physical body are created from the cells that
you receive from your physical food, and your psychic body is also
influenced by these cells. So while taking food, you should be very
careful. You should always try to take sentient food." (7)
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Human beings should be sentient in food habits, mind and intellect." (8)
References
1. 32 Rules for Avadhuta, Pt # 27
2. Caryacarya - 2, Sixteen points, pt #7
3. Yoga Psychology, 'Food, Cells, & Mental Development'
4. Yoga Psychology, 'Food, Cells, & Mental Development'
5. Caryacarya - 3, Procedure for Eating
6. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 7, An Exemplary Life
7. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 14, Seven Secrets
8. Yoga Psychology, Bio-Psychology
* * *
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section 2: Important Teaching ==
Very tricky type of exploitation
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “And the tragedy is that the exploited mass do not try to understand – they cannot understand, and they even refuse to understand – that they are victims of exploitation. So this is more dangerous. When the exploitation takes place in economic sphere directly, the people easily understand it, but when the exploitation is perpetrated in the socio-economic sphere or the psycho-economic sphere, the situation becomes complicated. In the case of exploitation is the socio-economic sphere, the people raise a little murmur against the social exploitation, but they fail to take note of the economic exploitation.” (1)
Reference
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 18, Various Forms of Exploitation
== Section 3: Links ==
Recent postings
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