Baba
Blind emotion vs rationality
Namaskar,
Emotion plays a huge part in our human life. Without emotion, human beings do not take action, no matter how much knowledge they have. For instance, some mothers may have all the facts and figures about the dangers of war, but will not actively protest against it until their own son is drafted into the army. Propelled by that emotional feeling, they will engage in all kinds of activities in order to stop the war.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Likewise, some people may be fully aware of the harmful effects of a meat-based diet, but will not give up meat until their doctor warns them about their high cholesterol levels and risk of a heart attack. Motivated by that emotional link that is their own life is at stake, then they quickly give up eating meat. And if you take a moment to think, I am sure you can come up with many examples where you have seen how people had adequate knowledge but did not act until they developed an emotional link with a particular issue or practice.
So emotion has a huge impact in our human activity. And that emotion can drive us in diametrically opposite directions also. Blind emotion will hasten one into all kinds of degrading vices and harmful dogmas; whereas, emotion supported by rationality will thrust one forward onto the path of dharma. There are so many present-day examples of how emotion shapes human activity: everything from environmental disasters to taking tantric initiation, and in numerous other instances. In all such circumstances, emotion plays a critical role.
Emotion & its role in atrocities against humanity
In real life events, people are swayed or apathetic due to their emotional attachment to a particular topic. And that emotional attachment covers up their sense of rationality.
For example, some people have knowledge about so many atrocities on this earth. Years ago in the Vietnam war, American forces used "agent orange" or dioxin as a means of chemical warfare. Some reports estimate 19 million gallons was airdropped. Decades later still innocent Vietnamese families are suffering the effects of those past misdeeds, and the land became barren and devastated - some of it restricted. See the images for yourself on-line: Babies are born with two heads and no legs, the landscape has been permanently damaged - indeed thousands and thousands of gruesome tales can be told about the ill-effects of agent orange.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Yet, the American public is mostly unmoved. Some or more have the knowledge that this was going on, but they are not emotionally attached with those events. Hence, those tragedies remain mostly ignored. Those sufferers needed medical attention but the US government did not even consider that any injustice was done. So there was no question of compensation - neither in the form of medical care nor money.
How emotion is misused in society
Below are more examples of how emotion gets misused in society. Sadly it becomes a blind force that allows people to both unleash terror and overlook horror.
1. At present, terrorists groups rely on blind emotion to recruit youths and sympathetic supporters to commit all sorts of crimes like car bombings, machine gun attacks, and other heinous crimes. Those youths lose their rationality and are stirred up into an emotional fervor wherein they will do anything, fully blinded by their emotions.
2. In the west, bound by their blind emotion, some people spend huge money on their pets and will even kiss their cat or dog; they talk and share their feelings with their dog. They are extremely emotionally attached. Yet they will overlook the cries of starving humanity. Devoid of any rational approach, some can overlook the pain of a suffering child or fallen man, but they will give their wholehearted love and attention to their cat.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
3. Similarly, some people will watch after their pets with extreme care yet when it comes time to sit down for dinner, they will cut into a steak (slaughtered cow) without any hesitation. Their lack of rationality and emotional attachment allows them to indulge in such duplicitous behaviour.
4. In our Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha, there are various ways in which emotion blinds people, especially in the case of our present group clashes. A few get attached with a particular group or leader and then justify all the misdeeds of that group.
By all these examples, it is clear that emotion by itself is a blind force and is bound to lead humanity down the wrong road. When emotion is moving in haphazard way - i.e. devoid of rationality - then so many degrading and dogmatic things will occur.
Ananda Marga philosophy states, '"When it [the mind] moves haphazardly, swept away by whim, it is called “emotion”." (1)
Whereas when emotion is supported by rationality then great works can be done.
Emotion as a positive force
Emotion can also be used in a positive manner when in coordination with rationality. When a person thinks, "I should do something - I should follow dharma", and when this is done with their emotional force, then good things happen.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
For instance, many have entered Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha and taken diiksa based on this emotional propulsion guided by rationality. In the same way, others have served as LFT's, WT's, etc. Without that emotional-cum-rational feeling they would not have been moved into action. They may have had knowledge of Ananda Marga ideology and dharma, but without that close emotional and rational link they would not have done anything. In these positive cases, one's emotional flow is not haphazard, rather it is guided by rationality.
Similarly, with their emotional and rational attachment to Baba, i.e. bhakti to Baba, many have given their lives for the great cause and others have stood up to fight dogma and oppose injustice. Even they have given up all their friends and faced all kinds of opposition due to their emotional-cum-rational attachment to Baba's teachings. So emotion need not always be a liability. When linked with rationality it can lift one onto the field of dharma.
Emotion with imaginary characters
People share their heartfelt feelings due to their emotional link with a fictitious character - this is but an example of how blind the human personae can become when goaded haphazardly by emotion. Why does this happen? Currently in the west, although much of the population is literate and educated in the worldly sense, many, many fall into various dogmas due to their emotional attachment. For instance, romance is a huge aspect of life in materialistic nations. With crude romance comes heartbreak - for any number of reasons.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
In the west, there is a fascination with so many characters like Harry Potter, Slender Man, Luke Skywalker, Rocky Balboa and all kinds of fictional heroes from the world of pop pseudo-culture. People are enthralled by such characters and aim to emulate them in all kinds of ways. They dress, talk, act, and behave like them; they idolize them. They think that such characters will grant them strength, or fortune, or love, or whatever it is that they desire. They even name their children after such fictional characters.
It is just like the phenomenon in India surrounding Laela'. Such are the ways of emotional attachment. The people have the knowledge that such characters are purely fictional, but out of emotion they are drawn to them in such a poignant manner.
Conclusion
So long as one's emotions are not guided by rationality, regardless of how well educated a person may be, there are bound to be problems - problems of epic proportions. This is one aspect.
Second, even if people have knowledge, they will not do anything until they have an emotional link to the situation at hand. If that emotional link is blind they will fall prey to dogma, and if combined with rationality that person can do great things for humanity.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Third, emotion should always be guided by a mind open in 360 degrees, and not be linked with any selfishness or group agenda.
Fourth, because of emotion, people often do not do what they should do, or do what they should not do. So it is a tricky force. Even educated people commonly fall into this trap. Here is an example to make this clear.
Suppose someone goes to the shopping mall or market to buy some food. Yet while they are there they see a pair of shoes. They had no plan or real need to buy shoes. Yet they are enticed by the shine of the shoes and without considering their financial position or whether they really need another pair of shoes, that person purchases the shoes. There is no rational thought process behind the purchase per se - just it was done on a whim. This type of impulsive shopping is a classic case of emotion or blind emotion - devoid of rationality. In contrast, if one goes to the shopping mall and buys or does not buy shoes based strictly on if there is a need or not, then that is rationality.
Fifth, the only answer is neo-humanistic education and Ananda Marga spiritual practices. Buoyed by these rational and spiritual forces, one's emotional feeling will be used solely for positive endeavours.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Finally, when standing alone the emotional mind moves towards dogma and when guided by rationality that mind becomes a strong and dharmic force.
Namaskar,
Surrender to Lord,
Tarakanath
~ In-depth study ~
Baba
has graciously blessed us with all the proper teachings to succeed in
life and not be blinded by the haphazard flow of emotion. We should all
take proper care to ensure we are always moving along the methodical
path of emotion known as bhakti. Then great works can and will be done
on this earth and the sadhaka will attain the Supreme stance.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Now, even those who are advocates of devotional or emotional faculties say that people get propensive propulsion from devotion or emotion. When the mind moves along a particular track or follows a particular discipline in a methodical way, this is called “devotion” or bhakti; but when it does not follow a particular method, when it moves haphazardly, swept away by whim, it is called “emotion”. This is the fundamental difference between devotion and emotion. You must know this clear-cut silver line of demarcation between devotion and emotion." (2)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Those who adhere to this cult of pinnacled order know that there must be a happy blending amongst intellectual-cum-intuitional faculty, actional faculty and devotional-cum-emotional faculty. None of these is unimportant, all are of equal importance, but the finality comes in devotion. That is, the final outcome or resultant of intellectual-cum-intuitional faculty and actional faculty is devotion, not emotion." (3)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "If one wants to realize an entity, does one realize it only through knowledge? No, certainly not. To realize an entity, one must possess a loving heart, a sweet intellect, and a free flow of emotion (attached with spirituality)...I said a little earlier that by merging one’s individual sweetness into the sweetest entity, the realization, “You exist, only You exist,” becomes firmly established. One becomes finally ensconced in that Supreme Entity. There is no other way. And this self-knowledge is the sweetest essence of the devotional feeling of one’s heart." (4)
References
1. Yoga Psychology, The Cult of Spirituality – the Cult of Pinnacled Order
2. Yoga Psychology, The Cult of Spirituality – the Cult of Pinnacled Order
3. Yoga Psychology, The Cult of Spirituality – the Cult of Pinnacled Order
4. Namah Shivaya Shantaya, Disc: 12
2. Yoga Psychology, The Cult of Spirituality – the Cult of Pinnacled Order
3. Yoga Psychology, The Cult of Spirituality – the Cult of Pinnacled Order
4. Namah Shivaya Shantaya, Disc: 12
== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==
“Tumi jiivanera dhruvatárá, tomári páne ceye áchi…” (Prabhat Samgiita #2902)
Purport:
O’ Parama Purusa Baba, You are the Polestar and Desideratum of my life. I always look towards You only. By meditating on and thinking about You, the mind gets satiated and I remain forgetful of my sufferings and pains of the three afflictions.
O’ Parama Purusa Baba, You call me from refulgence and pull me towards Your spiritual realm. When I am surrounded by darkness then also You do not leave me. Baba, since eternity You have been present. You were there in the past and exist today. You are dancing with joy in my being. I understand this truth, by Your grace.
O’ Parama Purusa Baba, I realise in my heart that You are not unkind. In spite of this, why don't You come close - I do not know. This unique liila of Yours keeps You away from me. My mind is full to the brim with hope for Your imminent arrival; with that feeling my heart goes on singing the song of prema and gets deeply ensconced in Your thought and bhakti by Your coming…
== Section 3: Image ==
Incident: coffee on photo
== Section 4: Important Teaching ==
Failure of Indian constitution
Ananda Marga philosophy guides us, "There are several fiscal and psychological loopholes in the Indian constitution. The constitution of India proclaims that all are equal in the eye of the law. But in practice, this principle is not followed, and as a result disparity is growing in the arena of law and justice. Such disparity is adversely affecting the different groups of people in the country. For example, there are disparities between the Hindu Code and the Muslim Code. Hindu women and Muslim women, although they are all Indian citizens, do not get equal advantages of law. For instance, according to Hindu law, a man cannot have more than one wife, but a Muslim man is entitled to have more than one wife. A Hindu husband or a Hindu wife is required to approach the court to secure a divorce, while a Muslim man is entitled to divorce his wife without the permission or approval of the court. Moreover, a Muslim husband can divorce his wife but a Muslim wife cannot divorce her husband. Besides, a Muslim husband is not required to show [[any reason for the divorce]].”
“Disparity in the eye of the law is creating all these problems. The root of all these evils lies in the psychological loopholes of the Indian constitution. Why is the constitution allowing the Hindu Code and Muslim Code to stand side by side? Let there be only one code – the Indian Code. This Indian Code should be based on cardinal human values, with a universal approach and Neo-Humanistic spirit. Then only equality before the law can be established in practice, and equal protection of the law for all can be guaranteed. So the constitution should remove the psychological loopholes by eradicating existing disparities in the eye of the law.” (1)
Reference
1. A Few Problems Solved Part 8, “Requirements of an Ideal Constitution”
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Surgery was in practice 3500 years ago
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "There is a very interesting example of surgery. The cousin of Krsna (the son of the sister of Lord Krsna's father) was Jarasandha, the king of Magadha, with his capital at Rajgir. At the time of the birth of Jarasandha, the child bad to be cut out of the womb. People saw this child and threw it in the cremation ground. Then there came a very famous non-Aryan (raksasii) lady doctor known as Jara. She stitched the child in a proper surgical operation and saved it. Since the lady Jara joined (sandhi) the pieces of the child's body, the name of the child became Jarasandha. This proves that the people were well acquainted with surgery." (1)
Reference
1. Discourses of the Mahabharata, The Medical Science of the Age
== Section 5: Links ==
Recent postings
Other topics of interest
