Baba
How MPD ruins spiritual life
Namaskar,
Memory plays a huge role in the life of any sadhaka - in the life of any human being. People want to remember certain things, but often are unable to remember all that they wish to recall.
Memory is not just about recalling facts and figures, passwords and PIN's, but serves as a key aspect of our overall happiness. We should remember those dharmic points that keep us moving in the right direction, and we should forget those painful moments that weigh us down. In this way, memory plays a crucial role in the proper growth of every human being.
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Wallowing in painful memories is very bad
Unfortunately, the power of memory is often misused as people dwell on things that haunt them from the past and forget to recall those spiritual treasures that bring divine love and effulgence into their life. Our sadhana and spiritual practices reinforce sentient ideals and keep the psyche buoyant and free - not depressed and bogged down.
A person should not harbour painful memories in the mind - again and again - as that is quite harmful. A distraught person might repeatedly think about the death of their grandfather, while others think over and over again about losses from long ago - far back in the past.
In short, people commonly think about the sadder or more shocking moments of their life. Certainly, they cannot do anything to change those events, yet for months and years they bring those sorrowful memories into their mental plate on a daily basis. This in turn invites much anguish and agony in their life.
If one really cannot rid oneself of a negative or horrifying memory - if they are unable to free oneself of that terrible thought mentally - then changing one's environment or taking away external reminders of that occasion can help remedy the situation. Otherwise, that reminder will immediately trigger that painful memory in the mind. For instance, there is a place that reminds you of some horrific event etc, be sure not to revisit that place as it will only reinforce those painful memories in the mind.
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Remember loved ones with positive memories; MPD is negative memory
Every sadhaka knows that memories and ideation of our most loving Entity Baba should be blissful. Because this is how people remember their loved ones. For example: If one mother has a child that passed away in a car accident, that mother will not hang a picture on her wall depicting her child's crushed body in a pool of blood. Rather the mother will hang a beautiful picture of that child from when the child was looking charming and sweet.
Similarly, as sadhakas, we remember our Beloved Guru in a blissful manner. To choose so-called mahaprayan as the way to remember dearmost Baba is a poor approach. It is one negative way of remembrance. That is why all true bhaktas refrain from participating in MPD so they can remember Baba in a positive and blissful way.
Caryacarya condemns & forbids negative observances like MPD
In Caryacarya Baba forbids us from participating in inherently negative programs like so-called mahaprayan.
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, “You may participate in all sorts of festivals which are blissful and free from defect." (1)
For all these reasons, good sadhakas do not indulge in MPD dogma, and instead recall in their heart and mind the sweet presence of Parama Purusa.
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Ananda Marga ideology states, “Parama Puruśa is with you. He will remain with you. To remain with you is His dharma. He cannot go against His dharma." (2)
in Him,
Giitika’ Banerjee
How Mahaprayan destroys spiritual outlook of sadhaka
It is quite evident that the dogma of mahaprayan enforces the negative and defective idea that Parama Purusa Baba is no more. The term itself (maha meaning great or final, and prayan meaning departure) pushes Baba far by labeling Him as being gone and no longer with me. And that is the unfortunate and dreadful message of mahaprayan.
Regardless of what those MPD organisers say, and no matter how they may try to gloss over their Tiljala programme, their invention of mahaprayan pushes Parama Purusa far, far away where He is no longer accessible to the sadhaka. Mahaprayan means He is gone forever. The proof that mahaprayan works in this anti-spiritual way is that they do kiirtan around a tomb during the dogmatic MPD observance. That tomb signifies that “Baba is no more.” And this defective notion stands as the spiritual death of any sadhaka. Because when He is no more then it is not possible to believe that Baba is with you every moment and helps you in all the 24hrs.
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So anyone who observes the dogma of MPD succumbs to this very harmful outcome - i.e. the annihilation of their spiritual outlook. Because the most fundamental aspect of the spiritual life of any sadhaka is: Parama Purusa is always with me.” Yet the dogma of MPD undermines this spiritual ideal.
How hypocritical & sinful
"Parama Purusa is always with you." Bhaktas get this realisation in various ways - when awake, in dream, in sleep, in sadhana, in day to day life - all the time. Throughout Ananda Marga scripture, it is stated again and again that, "Parama Purusa is always with you."
And true bhaktas also know that in reality there is no such thing as mahaprayan for Sadguru Baba. As the Sadguru He never dies. So those who think that Sadguru is dead and impose the dogma of mahaprayan are hypocrites. When those same acaryas give initiation, or revise anyone’s lesson, or give further lessons of sadhana, they say, “I am just a medium - Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji is teaching you and He is ever-present." So in one breath they say that Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji is guiding you and in the next breath they say He is dead - mahaprayan. That is hypocritical and sinful.
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MPD means that Baba is far - gone
Ananda Marga ideology states, “If people think that Parama Puruśa is far from them, then he is very, very far. Dúra means “far” and sudúra means “so far that the human mind cannot even imagine it”. Tadihántike ca: antike means “near”, and ihantike means “so near, so close that the human mind cannot conceive it”. Those who have the ability, see that Paramátmá is hidden in their very “I” feeling.” (3)
He is lying hidden in the innermost cavity of their minds
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, “Dúrát sudúre: If someone continually thinks, “Parama Puruśa is far from me”, then He will seem to be truly far from him. What is the fundamental difference between dúre and sudúre? When the distance between two objects can be measured, it is called dúre, but when the distance cannot be measured, it is called sudúre. If in their ignorance people think that Parama Puruśa is far from them, then He may indeed remain for from them – so far that in future, even if one cries oneself hoarse, one’s cries will never reach Him.”
“Tadihántike ca: some people think, “No, Parama Puruśa is not far from me. He is quite near. He is everywhere.” In Saḿskrta, iha means “here.” But even if you say iha or “near,” there remains a slight gap. To those who perpetually think that Parama Puruśa is very, very near to them, He becomes so close that nothing closer can even be imagined. In such a circumstance, people realize that pashyatsvihaeva nihitaḿ guháyám: those who have the vision to see, realize that He is not in the east or the west, in the north or the south, but He is lying hidden in the innermost cavity of their minds, in their own existential “I” feelings. Hence no one should wander about searching for Him in the external world.” (4)
References
1. Caryacarya - 2, Society chapter, point #35
2. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 5, Devotion and the Realm of Intellectuality
3. Subhasita Samgraha - 11, What Is the Way?
4. Subhasita Samgraha - 12, The Secret of Dharma Lies Hidden in the Mind
* * *
The below section is an entirely different topic, unrelated to the above material.
It stands on its own merit as a point of interest and ideological awareness.
* * *
== Section 2: Important Teaching ==
Ramifications of poor leadership
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "The behaviour of the respected and elder persons in society is an example and ideal for others; it is followed and imitated by the succeeding generations as well. Today there is catastrophe and misery in human society and there is one reason: the defective leadership of society. People blindly follow even unintelligent leaders. The leaders hypnotize and attract thousands with their tall talks, gestures and other dramatics. Understand that the poverty and misery of any people in any country are the sins of the leaders. True leaders should always be vigilant and think how to work best for human society: they must be ever-cautious that under their guidance the people are not led to darkness, death and immorality." (1)
Reference
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 31, The Conduct of an Ácárya
== Section: Important Teaching ==
How to accelerate progress
Ananda Marga ideology states, "Those who want to avoid the cultivation of knowledge hardly get any opportunity for psychic clash, and hence the higher kośas of his mind do not get any scope for development. It is through psychic clash that the psychic field gets properly tilled, thereby increasing its fertility. All living beings evolving in the phase of Pratisaiṋcara benefit from this psychic clash."
"Both physical clash and psychic clash accelerate psychic progress. The rat which escapes from the trap never makes the mistake of getting caught again; the fish which frees itself from the fishermans hook never bites the bait again. Physical clash develops the kámamaya kośa and, as a consequence, the instinct to survive. A city ox walks confidently along a busy street in Calcutta, but if a village ox were made to walk along the same road, it would become crazy." (1)
Note: The general rule is: Physical clash is the impetus for physical development; psychic clash brings about psychic development; and, the attraction for the Great leads to spiritual development.
Reference
1. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 8, Struggle and Progress
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Significance of padma’sana
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Padma'sana [lotus posture] is just like a lotus in full bloom. Just as the roots and stem of the lotus remain under the water and only the leaves and flowers float about it-- and although it is born in the mind it sustains its love for the stars-- in the same way people sitting in this lotus posture and remaining in the world, can keep their minds above their mundane environment. That is why on the path of sa'dhana' this posture has tremendous importance." (1)
Reference
1. Namah Shivaya Shantaya, Shiva in the Dhyána Mantra (Discourse 20)
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Demons not rsis
Every margii chants the bath mantra on a daily basis after bathing. One of the terms in that mantra is r'si. Following is the definition:
Ananda Marga ideology says, "A rśi is one who cultivates wisdom, who enriches the intellectual field through deep research and innovative discoveries and harvests the fruits of wisdom. Those who invent deadly weapons such as the hydrogen bomb, which caused the frightening holocaust, do not help the human intellect attain the height of human perfection, but rather direct their intellect towards crudeness. These types of inventors and their patrons do not deserve to be called rśis, rather, they are worse than demons, far worse than internal creatures, having forfeited their right to human identity." (1)
Reference
1. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 6, The Expansion of the Microcosm
== Section 3: Links ==
