Baba
Feasting on dead body
Namaskar,
1. According to Ananda Marga teachings, the financial responsibility of cremating the dead body falls on the unit / bhukti, not the grieving family.
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2. On the one side the mourning family lost its earning member or loved one; and, at the same time, relatives and guests come and the family has to feed them. This is both unphysiological and inhumane.
3. Those crying and suffering do not want to eat; their mindset is different. Yet those who go there to console them are eating in the house of the grieving family; that is abhorrent.
4. Those who went to console the grieving family should eat at a restaurant or at another site arranged by the bhukti etc. The family should not pay. No undue burden or headache should be placed on the family of the deceased.
5. But this is not followed in some Ananda Marga units, unfortunately. Rather the family of the deceased often has to incur loans to offer a feast.
6. Baba has wiped out this exploitative last rites dogma. The standard in Ananda Marga is that even the cost of the cremation should be managed by the bhukti. The grieving family must not be burdened by or allowed to spend one penny on these rites.
7. Here also the bhukti is not responsible for making a feast during the time of shraddha. This is bad for various reasons including competing over the size of the feast for various bhukti members when they pass. So there should not be any type of feast at all as part of the shraddha.
8. The overall spirit is not to give financial burden or problem to the suffering family.
9. But in many instances where hypocrisy is done then food is not taken in their house but the deceased family must pay the food arrangement in a restaurant or in neighbors house. That happens in some places but that is sinful. It is a very deceptive practice.
10. In so many places there are wts involved in hypocrisy. They pressure the grieving family and ask for donations. This is their vulture’s habit; they survive off of the dead.
Conclusion
11. Remember, depending on the food of the deceased family is dirty and sinful.
12. Every unit should have a last rites fund. To ensure fair treatment regardless of whether one is financially rich or poor, an independent board will manage those funds and donors cannot dictate how funds are spent - such as a financially wealthy person who is on his deathbed cannot donate funds for a feast at his own death ceremony. The independent board will adhere to all dharmic guidelines and will not be swayed by single donors etc.
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in Him,
Sudama
Question from margii
Question: You know, there are other communities (a.k.a. outside of Ananda Marga) that offer food as a way of showing hospitality to those people who came to a wake or funeral to offer condolences to the bereaved person. The food has nothing to do with the deceased. Do you think Baba is saying that this is bad, too?
Just wondering how to deal with other cultures in light of our own. In my country, and in my extended family, this practice is done to show hospitality only. Nothing to do with ostentatiousness; nothing to do with the priest class receiving food. It is purely for the guests who might have come from many hours away to pay their respects and to offer their condolence.
Answer: If there was no death would those family members and relatives from afar still have come during that time. If the answer is no, then this shows that they came for the death ceremony and should not be fed by the grieving family - but rather fed by the bhukti. There are many wrongs going in the various religions and to remove all such dogmas Ananda Marga has been created.
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* * *
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
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 ==
I was lost in a sea of materialism & sleeping alone in the pitch dark room
"Ghor timire ruddha ghare ghumucchilum eka' eka'..." (Prabhat Samgiita #1723)
Purport:
O' Supreme Entity, I was lost in a sea of materialism. I was sleeping alone in the pitch dark room with the doors and windows closed. Seeing my sorrowful condition, You suddenly came to this isolated place, broke my slumber of ignorance, and gave me Your darshan, showed the path of enlightenment. Who are You who is most charming and prema personified.
O' Effulgence-Personified, that slumber of atheistic way of life kept me in a prolonged state of depression and sadness. By Your auspicious arrival, You have illumined everything by opening the doors and windows of satya loka. O’ Parama Purusa, with Your infinite compassion, in a flash, You removed my sorrows by showering me in Your godly grace. For ages and ages I was forlorn; my whole existence was in a drowsy and sleepy state. My life was dominated by staticity. Now, instead of being submerged in that Cimmerian darkness, I am immersed and surrounded by Your infinite divine love. I can see that You are mine; now there is no question of any frustration in my life.
O' Parama Purusa, Baba, now everything is filled with Your spiritual effulgence. Not even an iota of darkness remains. I am wholly immersed in bliss. My life has gotten new pra'n' a - new energy. Please fill my awakened life with nector of Your unfathomable love and affection.
Baba, You are my everything. Please accept my surrender...
"Ghor timire ruddha ghare ghumucchilum eka' eka'..." (Prabhat Samgiita #1723)
Purport:
O' Supreme Entity, I was lost in a sea of materialism. I was sleeping alone in the pitch dark room with the doors and windows closed. Seeing my sorrowful condition, You suddenly came to this isolated place, broke my slumber of ignorance, and gave me Your darshan, showed the path of enlightenment. Who are You who is most charming and prema personified.
O' Effulgence-Personified, that slumber of atheistic way of life kept me in a prolonged state of depression and sadness. By Your auspicious arrival, You have illumined everything by opening the doors and windows of satya loka. O’ Parama Purusa, with Your infinite compassion, in a flash, You removed my sorrows by showering me in Your godly grace. For ages and ages I was forlorn; my whole existence was in a drowsy and sleepy state. My life was dominated by staticity. Now, instead of being submerged in that Cimmerian darkness, I am immersed and surrounded by Your infinite divine love. I can see that You are mine; now there is no question of any frustration in my life.
O' Parama Purusa, Baba, now everything is filled with Your spiritual effulgence. Not even an iota of darkness remains. I am wholly immersed in bliss. My life has gotten new pra'n' a - new energy. Please fill my awakened life with nector of Your unfathomable love and affection.
Baba, You are my everything. Please accept my surrender...
== Section 3: Important Teaching ==
Prout: rise above sentiments like nationalismProut philosophy states, "The more the human mind becomes magnanimous or expanded, the more it rises above the sentiments of tribalism, communalism, provincialism, etc. Often I hear people say that nationalism is an appreciable sentiment and that there is no narrowness in it. But is this true? Nationalism is also relative, just like tribalism, communalism or provincialism. In some places it is more worthwhile than tribalism, communalism or provincialism, while in other places it is less worthwhile."
"Let us consider, for example, the case of a Portuguese nationalist. The mental object of a Muslim communalist is certainly larger than that of a Portuguese nationalist, because the former desires the welfare of a greater number of people than the latter. This is because the number of Muslims in the world is greater than the number of Portuguese. Judged from this perspective, I cannot denounce the sentiments of a Muslim communalist in comparison to a Portuguese nationalist. Similarly, it has to be accepted that the sentiments of a Rajput casteist are broader than those of a Portuguese nationalist, because the former desires the welfare of more people than the latter. Likewise, the feelings of an Andhrite provincialist will have to be considered broader than those of a Portuguese nationalist. If one supports provincialism with seventy-five million Bengalees, it must be accepted that these feelings are more expanded than the nationalism of most of the nations of the world. (The population of most of the nations of the world is less than the population of Bengal.)"
Prout philosophy states, "Hence it is observed that communalism, casteism, provincialism and nationalism are all of the same defective type. Those who are able to capitalize on one of these sentiments advocate it volubly. In fact, every one of these sentiments suffers from the defect of ism, and is completely filled with narrowness, violence, envy, mean mindedness, etc. Those who enter the field of social welfare by creating divisions between “yours” and “mine”, substantially widen the fissures of fissiparous intellect in human society."
"Those who want to promote the welfare of all human beings, remaining above all sorts of parochial sentiments, have no alternative but to embrace universalism with their heart and soul – there is no other way. As universalism is totally devoid of any characteristic of ism, it is not proper to depict universalism as an ism. If everyone is looked upon as one's own, no one remains beyond the periphery of one's kith and kin. Naturally, then, there is no scope for violence, envy, narrowness, etc." (1)
Reference
1. Problems of the Day, Point #18
== Section 4: Links ==
Recent Postings
Other topics of interest
More important letters
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This email contains four sections:
1. PS #1723: I was lost in a sea of materialism & sleeping alone in the pitch dark room
2. Posting: Feasting on dead body
3. IT: Prout: rise above sentiments like nationalism
4. Links
