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Story for the Birds?

From: "Mirabai" To: am-global@earthlink.net Subject: Story for the Birds? Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:47:29 Baba "Tumi esechile maner nikhile, manke bhariya' royecho..." (PS 1514) Purport: Baba, by Your grace You have come in my mind, in my mental abode, in my mental horizon. Baba, You have come in my Guru cakra, in my dhyana. O' my Dearmost, You have filled my mind again and again with Your divine bliss, by showering Your grace. Baba, You are filling my mind with Your sweet touch. Each and every cell of my existence is ensconced in You. I am immersed in Your ideation. Baba, with Your infinite compassion, You have coloured my mental plate with Your divine colour. Baba, I am completely captivated by Your infinite glory and charm. O' my Dearmost, You have stolen my mind. Baba, all my thoughts reside in You. It is Your grace. O' Parama Purusa, O' Jewel of my mind, You are in my mind-- You are in my heart. Baba, You are in my sadhana and in my dhyana: Watching me and keeping me under Your shelter. Baba, from the outside You cannot be seen; externally, You are invisible. You always remain hidden from the senses. Baba, You are hiding from all; nobody can see You. Only the mind can see You. Baba, You can only be seen from within. O' my Dearmost, in the effulgence of the jewel, in my mind, You are emanating Your Divine Self. It is Your causeless grace. Baba, by Your grace I love You so much. You are Cosmic and I am unit. You are vast and I am meagre. You are infinite and I am tiny. You are Parama Purusa and I am a human being. Baba, You are the Ocean and I am but a tiny drop of water. There is no comparison between You and me. Even then, without any fear I come closer and closer to You. This is not due to my effort; it is due to Your divine attraction. Because of Your causeless grace, I have fallen in love with You. Baba, my life is filled countless ups and downs. So many of my hopes, aspirations, and desires have been shattered. Facing all these difficulties-- amidst hundreds of sorrows-- by Your grace I smile. Because You are in my heart. O' the Gopal who is Love Personified-- O' the Gopal of Love-- in the world of songs, and in the colour of ideation, You have blessed me and allowed me to hold You. Baba, You are Love Personified, You have brought me under Your shelter. This is Your causeless grace. Baba, I love You...
== STORY FOR THE BIRDS? ==
Namaskar, One Buddhist type of story about a crow has been printed in a book written by one of our wts. In so doing, the wt was attempting to use that crow story to explain Baba's teachings. And really, the whole endeavour is quite interesting. Kindly read the following and decide for yourself if the crow story aptly represents the teachings of AM-- the teachings of Ananda Sutram about bliss.
BABA'S DIVINE TEACHING ABOUT BLISS
First, let us go to the source-- Baba's original guideline. And then we can see how far that crow story is applicable. In His Ananda Sutram, Baba neatly defines what is bliss:
2-3 Sukhamanantama'nandam Meaning: Infinite Happiness is Bliss
So Baba's teaching is quite clear: Infinite happiness is bliss. 'Sukham' means happiness; 'anantam' means 'infinite'; and 'anandam' means 'bliss. And in the very next sutra Baba explains that that infinite happiness or bliss is gotten by attaining Him-- by goading the mind towards Brahma, towards that limitless Divine Entity, Parama Purusa. And, verily, this point every Ananda Margii is aware about: To get bliss one must channelise the mind towards Him. That is how our kiirtan and sadhana systems work. And that is what we all try and do: Elevate the mind to the Supreme and immerse ourselves in His bliss. We do not follow any Buddhist approach as they do not goad the mind towards Parama Purusa by using a mantra as we do. Instead they try to empty the mind by not thinking anything. That is their blind approach. Whereas in AM we sit in sadhana and focus the mind towards Parama Purusa using our mantra. But Buddhist practitioners sit and just try not to think anything. But according to Baba, that type of sadhana is ludicrous because there is no Goal. In Buddhist meditation, their so-called goal is a 'vacuum'-- a state of nothingness, which they feel comes from thoughtlessness. So that is not our way. That is not AM sadhana. Rather, in the Marga we channelise our desires and longing unto Him. This is our approach. And that is the spirit of sutra 2-3: Sukhamanantama'nandam, meaning 'Infinite Happiness is Bliss'.
WHAT OUR WT DID
In their own way, however, in their "Commentary" on Ananda Sutram, one Wt tried to explain sutra 2-3 by using that story about one crow. And that story we are going to review. Please remember that the whole intent of this wt's "Commentary" book is to elucidate Baba's teachings of Ananda Sutram. That is the only and sole aim. Hence any story appearing in this "Commenary" book, must serve that end: Explaining and clarifying Baba's teachings from Ananda Sutram. And any story that veers from that path obviously has no place in a "Commentary" type of book as it will be misleading and fallacious. Because the wt's aim in the "Commentary" book is to explain Baba's sutram-- not just share one unrelated story which is misleading. So when our wt has placed that crow story in their "Commentary" book in order to explain sutra 2-3 about bliss, then we should all see if it is working or not.
THE CROW STORY
Here then is that crow story that one wt has published in their "Commentary" book. And remember this story is supposed to represent Baba's sutra about bliss and how human beings get infinite happiness or bliss by goading their mind towards Parama Purusa. That is what this crow story must indicate-- otherwise it will not properly represent Baba's guideline. Now comes the 'crow story' as it appears in the "Commentary" book: "A crow found a thick piece of bread and was flying off to its nest with it, when a flock of crows started pursuing it, hungry for the bread. The crow flew as fast as it could until, dead tired, it dropped the bread and landed on the branch of a tree, finally attaining perfect rest and tranquility. So human beings, too, will only attain peace when they give up desires for the perishable things of the world." That concludes the 'crow story' written by one WT in their "Commentary" book.
UNRAVELING THE CROW TALE
Unfortunately, the above crow story, which is supposed to be about attaining bliss, moves in the totally opposite direction. Because anybody can see that in the story the crow became scared and fearful and thus dropped the bread. And then that crow was just depressed and frustrated as it sat on its own branch, hoping and waiting to get another opportunity. So this type of story about the frustrated crow has nothing to do with the attainment of bliss. It has nothing to do with 'sukham' or 'anandam'. Because that crow did not get bliss-- just it sunk in frustration, tension, and disappointment. In their own misguided way, that wt is trying to say that because that crow left its desire for bread therefore it got bliss. But even if that crow really did leave its desire for bread, that state is not bliss. Because without ideating on Parama Purusa & attaining Him, bliss does not come.
2-4 Anandam Braham ityahuh Meaning: This ananda is called Brahma
Hence Brahma is bliss and without attaining Brahma one cannot get bliss. So by emptying the mind one cannot get bliss. Only in that case one will enter into a vacuum, or state of thoughtlessness, and suffer as one type of negative microvita-- videhaliina. That is why by giving up its bread that crow did not get bliss-- not even close. Just it became frustrated and upset. Hence that crow story strays far off the mark. The main point being that human beings do not get bliss by giving up their desires. This is not our way. In AM, our daily practice is to goad the mind towards Parama Purusa. That is the real essence of Baba's teaching from Ananda Sutram about the attainment of bliss.
FAILURE OF THAT "COMMENTARY" BOOK
So the whole use of that crow story in that "Commentary" book is a complete flop. It goes nowhere-- rather it leads in a negative direction. Because instead of depicting Baba's true formula for attaining bliss, the crow story offers one outlandish teaching that will only lead one towards frustration, misery, and regret. Hence the wt who wrote the crow story and placed it in their "Commentary" book drifted far, far from the goal. Because the whole purpose of that so-called Commentary book is to clarify Baba's divine teachings, yet that very crow story fails miserably in this regard. And this crow story is not an isolated incident. The so-called Commentary book is littered with false stories-- page after page-- that have nothing to do the dharma of AM. Just as that crow story has nothing to do with attaining bliss.
BABA'S WARNING ABOUT INTERPRETING SCRIPTURE
That is why Baba warns us that only those whose minds are pointed on AM ideology should engage in explaining His teachings like those in Ananda Sutram. Otherwise one will make a mess and turn the whole thing in the wrong direction. Baba says, "The scriptures should always be interpreted by qualified scholars, competent philosophers, and penetrating thinkers. If one tries to interpret a profound scripture with superficial knowledge, the interpreter appears ridiculous and the audience is confused." "There are some people who are neither scholars, nor philosophers, nor penetrating thinkers, but merely wander about interpreting scriptures as a means of livelihood. They utterly fail to present the proper matter in the correct perspective before the audience...[and] do more harm than good to the society." "[They] interpret the scriptures just to exhibit their intellect-- to procure for themselves a certificate of erudition. They remain far from the living spirit of the scriptures." (NSS) Hence in His above guideline Baba adamantly warns us of the messy scene that occurs when an unqualified person attempts to explain His divine teachings. And that tragedy is exactly what has happened when one wt used that crow story to "explain" Baba's teaching about bliss. As Baba says, "the [wt] interpreter appears ridiculous and the audience [general public] is confused." Just it is His grace that those doing AM sadhana did not get swayed or misguided by that silly crow story. Rather, every Ananda Margii understands the reality about how to attain bliss: Goad the mind towards Him.
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace He has shown us the real pathway towards bliss-- and this every Ananda Margii is experiencing in their life. Baba says, "You will have to channelize all your physical, psychic and spiritual faculties, all your hopes and aspirations, longings and desires, towards that Supreme Entity." (AMIWL-11) Baba says, "When sa'dhakas...channelize all their propensities towards Purus'ottama, they become united with Him and attain His greatness [bliss]." (AMIWL-6) Namaskar, Mirabai
Note 1: FOOLISHNES OF UNRELATED STORIES
Telling unrelated stories about the subject at hand does not bring any clarification-- just confusion. Telling that 'crow story' to explain about bliss is no different than one geography professor telling about the importance of going north but then going south. Or it is like someone proposing to talk about the space shuttle mission but then in their lecture they only talk about one mouse hole. Such is the foolishness of using that 'crow story' to describe the attainment of bliss.
Note 2: LIKE TRYING TO MAKE A JAGRTI IN A FISH FACTORY
It commonly happens that those reading books from other philosophies stray far from the path when they try to explain Baba's teachings. Because their mind gets filled with all that other junk and it oozes out whenever they try and speak about AM. It is just like trying to make an AM jagrti in a fish factory. Irregardless, the foul stench of fish will permeate each and every corner of that jagrti. There is no way to escape it. Same then is a mind that is filled with other misguided philosophies. Whenever they speak those dogmatic ideas will permeate their each and every sentence and syllable, just like how one wt used that crow story to tell about bliss. That is why it is Baba's strict guideline from acarya diary that before reading other books one should first sincerely study and understand the teachings of AM. Then they will not get swayed by the misguided rantings of other teachings like Buddhism etc. Hence one must not pollute then mind by filling it with fallicious philosophies. Unfortunately that is what happened to the confused wt who used that ludicrous crow story to explain Baba's divine teachings about bliss. In that case their mind is no different from one fish factory.
Note 3: WHO IS BEHIND THIS LUDICROUS CROW STORY
The wt who wrote that crow story and put it in her so-called Commentary book on Ananda Sutram is Didi Ananda Mitra. The crow story is there in her "explanation" of sutra 2-3. That is why many are calling for this book to be tossed aside once and for all. Because instead of guiding others about the veracity of Baba's teachings, her so-called Commentary of Ananda Sutram drifts into the abyss of ignorance by using ridiculous philosophies and tales like the crow story. This mess happens throughout Didiji's entire "Commentary" book.
Note 4: THE GLORY OF OUR AM TEACHINGS
Our AM ideology is the panacea for all the world's problems so any attempt to explain His teachings should reflect this grandeur. Baba says, "A correct spiritual ideology is the only solution to the problems confronting the world. From this perspective we can call Ananda Marga ideology the philosophers' stone. Just as the philosophers' stone is meant to transform everything into gold, Ananda Marga ideology can, most definitely, find a just and rational solution whenever it is applied to any problem." (POD #36)
************************************** Only Remedy
Baba says, "It is the duty of all human beings and especially those who are devotees, it is their mandatory duty to always think that, 'I am a machine and the controller is Parama Purusa. He is the machine man and I have to work according to His desire. I have to fulfill His desire. This body of mine is a machine and it belongs to Him. This is His machine and this machine has to do His work.' If one constantly thinks in this way then the vanity of action will never sprout. This is the only path to save oneself from vanity. One has to think 'I am just one machine; I am a tool and according to His desire I have to work'."
(SS-16 (H), p. 81, DMC Agra 19 Feb 84) **************************************

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