== INVITING NEGATIVE SAMSKARAS ==
Namaskar,
The world is changing fast and one of the main transformations taking place
is that materialism is spreading like wildfire. This is especially true in
the so-called developing nations where the people naively try to aspire to
become like materialistic, "first-world" citizens. This is the rage that is
haunting humanity in this present moment.
Even this is happening in India where for ages and ages western
materialistic values were rejected. But now the floodgates have opened and
materialism is swarming through each and every pore of human life.
Starbuck's, Wal-Mart, McDonald's are fast making their mark and crude
shopping malls are popping up "everywhere".
Through it all the inhabitants of India and many other "developing nations"
are hurriedly joining the ranks of materialism. Because they innocently
think that this is the road to glory.
However, they should think again and again-- or, better yet, we Ananda
Margiis should warn them about the harmful consequences. Because once one's
mind gets painted in the colour of materialism, then the result is
disastrous. Once one starts madly chasing after and satisfying their crude
desires, they are bound to undergo the karmic reaction of those deeds. And
let them be warned that the fruit of those actions, i.e. karmaphala, is
absolutely poisonous and brings one's total degeneration.
SAD TO SEE
In any direction, it is sad to see how various peoples and communities are
giving up their native cultures and tossing aside their local customs,
songs, and morals and instead taking the big plunge into materialism.
Just to clarify, here the word 'materialism' refers to (a) accepting money
as the main goal of life, (b) chasing after carnal pleasures, (c) leading a
sexually promiscuous existence, (d) drowning oneself in pseudo-culture (i.e.
Hollywood movies, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Disco Dancing, etc). All these
things and more go hand-in-hand with a materialistic way of living.
And in that case, people lose sight of the real sweetness of life and
instead get caught in degenerated values. This then blocks their psychic
development as they get sucked into the depths of crude attraction. And
that is exactly what Baba is warning about.
Baba says, "Materialism is most dangerous when it tries to suppress mental
expansion, when it creates obstacles in the transformation of mind from
crude to subtle - when it blocks the passageway of human development from
the graceful beauty of the mind to the spiritual sweetness of the soul." (6
August 1982, Patna)
Thus in the so-called developing world where people are giving up their
local sentient ways of living and adopting the mass movement toward
materialism, then their finer sensibilities get lost entirely.
THE REACTION IS NOT A JOKE-- IT IS HELLISH
Even then, the common people see the glitz and glamour of materialism and
they think what is wrong. They see the rosy lipstick, they see the
care-free way of living, they see the chic clothing and they think-- 'I
must get that'. This happens to so many innocent people day-in & day-out,
especially in the "third world" nations.
Already most of the "first-world" population is so plunged in materialism
that they cannot even begin to find their own heart. They have lost their
mind and souls and they will have to undergo the karmic reaction. And then
there are a few who were fortunate enough to more or less escape the
tangled web of materialism.
But now the whole mass of "third-world" nations is taking that treacherous
journey down in the dungeons of materialism thinking it to be heaven. When
in fact nothing could be further from the truth since that very materialism
will lead them into the shackles of animals life or worse. That is Baba's
warning.
Baba says, "If someone even after attaining a human form forgets Parama
Purus'a and keeps moving with eyes closed in that case...such a person will
be degraded and gradually reborn as an animal, plant, etc." (SS-11)
Hence Baba warns us that if one closes their eyes-- i.e. adopts the pathway
of materialism-- then they will degenerate and suffer on that path of
negative pratisaincara, being reborn as a lowly animal or worse.
ACCORDING TO THE MIND, ONE WILL GET REBIRTH
Here the key point to remember is that one will get a new body based on
their standard of mind. So if one passes their entire human life involved
in crude pleasures and degenerative activities, then naturally the mind
will become one with that debased way of life. In that case they are sure
to degenerate drastically and be reborn in the sub-human or even inanminate
world.
Baba says, "In human society there are many people whose mentality is
somewhere between that of forest primates and that of humans. Some have
just evolved from animal life to that point, in the process of
pratisaincara; while others have reverted to that point from a more
developed human level, due to their mean thoughts. If they continue to
allow mean thoughts to dominate their minds, they will degenerate to the
even cruder stage of inert matter, becoming bricks, stone or wood." (AMIWL-8)
So being reborn as a piece of stone etc, is not just part of the Hindu
dogma of reincarnation. Rather, it is part of our AM spiritual philosophy
and is deeply related with the science of mind. Because Baba guides us that
according to the nature of one's thinking-- according to one's standard of
mind-- one will get rebirth. And in the case of a materialistic bent of
mind that is wrought with sexual lust and crude desires, then that rebirth
will be lowly. See here Baba's warning.
Baba says, "Suppose a person does something wrong physically or mentally,
and imbibes a set of sam'ska'ras. According to the previous sam'ska'ras he
was a human being, but according to the newly acquired sam'ska'ras he is
reborn as a dog. The progress or degradation of the human mind has a direct
effect." (AMIWL-11)
Thus one will get a body according to their mental outlook. So lowly
thinking practically means being reborn in a crude form like that of a pig,
mule, or even as ashtray or spittoon.
So the karmic reaction (karmaphala)-- ie the fruits of one's deeds-- from
living a materialistic life thrusts one on the path of destruction and
demise. One will become totally degenerated. And unfortunately that is what
will be the consequence to all those in "third-world" nations who get duped
into the ways of materialism. Just like it has happened and is happening to
the "first-world" populations. Such is the terrible tragedy that they will
encounter. And we too should also be careful because in this cycle of
action & reaction no one is spared.
MATERIALISM IS A LOST CAUSE
So from top to bottom it has to be recognised that materialism leads to the
demise of one's entire existence and brings about one's complete
degeneration. People utterly forget their internal divinity and just accept
lustful ways as the theme of life.
Baba says, "Materialism tends to forget that the crude physical body and
its vital energy are not the whole of human existence-- that the most
priceless assets of human beings are their psychic wealth, their spiritual
treasures, and their most beloved entity, Parama Purus'a, the Lord of their
life." (NSS: Disc 18)
Thus we should never allow ourselves or anyone else to fall into the
clutches of materialism, rather through spiritual talk, kiirtan, and
sadhana we are to goad their mind into the more subtle realms so they can
make a link with Parama Purusa.
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's divine grace He has bestowed upon us the perfect pathway and the
only answer to today's troubled world. Coming onto the path of AM and
reaching His lotus feet is the way of humanity. May we help everyone
realise this at the earliest.
Baba says, "There should be a happy blend of spiritualism and materialism.
Matter is nothing but the crude manifestation of spirit. Spirit is the
essence of matter. When the struggle between the so-called spiritualism and
materialism will reach its climax, it will pave the path for "Ananda
Marga". Thus Ananda Marga is a historical necessity." (A General Guidebook
for Ta'ttvikas)
Namakar,
Divyajyoti
Note: AN IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION
In our Ananda Marga we certainly subscribe to the theory of karmic law,
action-reaction, & reincarnation. But we do not follow it to the dogmatic
end of Hinduism. Because although we understand that good actions bring
positive reactions and bad actions beget negative reactions, we do not
adopt the Hindu theory that the goal is to get good reactions by doing good
actions. This is nothing to gloat over and this type of cheap approach is
not our way.
Rather in Ananda Marga, we follow the devotional ideal that fruits of each
and every actions is to be offered at the alter of the Supreme. So we do
everything for Baba, never wanting anything for ourselves, neither bad nor
good.
On a related note, even if one does good actions and gets the good
reactions, then even then one is enraptured with their unit 'I. And one may
egotistically think that, 'I did many good things and am therefore great
because I will get many good reactions'. In that case one's downfall can
occur anytime. In which case they will undergo the negative karmic reaction.
So the only way out is the path of AM, where we do everything with the sole
and only desire of pleasing Parama Purusa and we offer the fruits of our
deeds unto Him.
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Ancient History
Baba says, "In ancient times, with the beginning of civilization, the sages
used to look upon the various manifestations of nature as the play of one
God and they composed hymns for that god. When they used to sing in the
name of U's'a, Indra, Parjanya, Ma'tarishva', Varun'a, that singing was
called sa'ma. At that time script had not yet been invented, so the
disciples used to learn by listening to the verbal teachings of the guru.
These were all words of truth, words of knowledge and since they were words
of knowledge, since they elevated the uncultured human beings towards the
light of culture, they were called veda, or knowledge." (SC-2, p. 93)
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