== TO THOSE ANANDA MARGIIS WHO CAME FROM SEMITIC RELIGION ==
{Note: This letter is based on one of Baba's special teachings from
the Senior Acarya Diary.}
Namaskar,
It is not at all uncommon for people to drag habits, customs, and formalities from their own religious & cultural background into Ananda Marga. It happens regularly.
Priest-class superiority. Caste differences. Female suppression. This or that holy day. Serving & eating food at shraddha (death) ceremonies. All these things & more got dragged into our AMPS society by our own family members due to their own religious & cultural background.
Yet Baba is adamant that such things should not occur. That is why He has logically and systematically disproved and kicked out all such dogmas.
As we know, Baba made it a rule that no one could get initiated into AM without cutting their sacred hair (shikha) and removing their sacred thread (upavita). Plus eating meat & idol worship were forbidden, so many gods and goddesses were eliminated, and heaven and hell were proven to be totally illogical & archaic.
In that way, Baba has eliminated all the dogmas. Those illogical and baseless ideas from the various religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, & Christianity have no place in our Ananda Marga. Indeed the teachings of AM are 100% dogma-free.
Even then, various people, intentionally or not, drag their dogmas into AM, including things like circumcision. Believe it or not, still this is happening to margii children whose parents come from those lands where the Semitic religions (Islam, Judaism & Christianity) are dominant.
So we should clarify this matter and dispel any myths from people's minds.
POINT FROM SENIOR ACARYA DIARY:
NO CIRCUMCISION IN AM
While there are innumerable reasons why circumcision does not belong in AM, perhaps the clearest wording has been given by Baba in Senior Acarya Diary. In that very Diary, Baba has denoted a special heading or chapter to 'circumcision'.
And in that section, Baba states that health and hygiene is the key point. The male urinary organ must remain clean as well as disease & infection-free, and that the best way to achieve this is to simply pull back the foreskin, upon reaching puberty. That is the main practice in AM as given by Baba.
Then Baba further stipulates that in those rare cases where the foreskin is too tight and unable to be pulled back, then a very slight incision may be made to enable the foreskin to be pulled back. Yet, Baba clearly states that this type of incision is "not circumcision".
That is Baba's clear-cut directive from Senior Acarya Diary. My Dada has been kind enough to have explained this to me on multiple occasions.
In that same chapter, Baba goes on to explain that if that male area gets dirty then (a) diseases arise or (b) the organ becomes irritated, causing the mind to become preoccupied with sexual thoughts etc. That is why it is so important to pull back the foreskin and keep that area clean.
For reasons best known to them, the semitic people started their practice of circumcision, but that this is not our way.
Thus, in Senior Acarya Diary, Baba pointedly clarifies that circumcision is merely one dogmatic, Semitic tradition that is not meant to be practiced in AM.
MARGIIS FROM THOSE LANDS SHOULD KNOW
Unfortunately, various Ananda Margiis (family margiis & acaryas) around the globe are still living under the Semitic gospel about circumcision. In those regions where Judaism, Islam, and Christianity are dominant, then the whole society has been saturated in the notion that circumcision is the 'modern' or 'upstanding' thing to do. There is very little discussion about it. Hence a few or certain margiis from those areas fall into that trap. In my own unit this has also been happening, and most probably in so many other units also.
Thus a concerted effort should be made to clarify the matter. Ananda Margiis everywhere should be made aware that circumcision is not condoned by Baba. Our approach is to simply pull back the foreskin upon reaching puberty, or to make a tiny incision so that the foreskin may be pulled back. There is no third approach.
UNIVERSAL APPROACH OF AM
Baba has graciously given the rational teachings of AM for all to practice-- they are beneficial in all regions. It is not that kiirtan need only be done in some areas, or that half-bath is only appropriate for other regions. The whole of AM should be practiced universally in all countries.
Hence Baba's teaching on male hygiene should be followed by all. In that way, there is no need for any Ananda Margii to be circumcised. Rather by doing so one is going against the dictates of Ananda Marga.
BABA'S BLESSING
By His grace, Baba has given everything for the health and welfare of all. By following His teachings-- such as pulling back the foreskin and not being circumcised-- then all in our Marga, nay the whole world, will be firmly seated on the path of welfare.
Baba says, "If people have a healthy body and mind their glandular system will remain balanced and they can easily channelise their physical energy into psychic and spiritual activities. This process of channelisation is the only way to check the mental flow towards crude propensities." (AFPS-9, p.35)
Namaskar,
Cinmay
Note 1: FURTHER PROOF THAT CIRCUMCISION IS AN ARCHAIC DOGMA
In these following quotes, Baba clearly expresses how circumcision is merely a dogmatic idea from long ago that has been held onto by certain religious groups. There is no rational or scientific reason for it.
Baba says, "Human beings readily accept traditions without seeking the reasons behind them. Since ancient days the semitic people have been observing the practice of circumcision. Moses and Mohammed accepted this system which today has become tradition." (AFPS-2)
Baba says, "Certain practices were not originally religious rituals, but traditions or customs. Long ago the Jews started practising circumcision. When Moses converted some of his contemporaries to Judaism, and later when Mohammed converted some local people to Islam, neither prophet dared to instruct their new followers to discard the old customs they followed, consequently the old customs continued after their conversion...These are expressions of traditional beliefs which have been passed down from one generation to another." (PNS-21)
Note 2: CIRCUMCISION GOES AGAINST GOD'S PERFECTION
Everything in this universe has its inherent dharma and natural way. Every being and every object has been made in a perfect and particular way to fulfill its dharma. Birds have wings so they can fly through the sky, and fish have gills so they can breathe under the sea. Every being has been given exactly what they need. Nothing has been created by God in a faulty or imperfect manner. Nature's order is quite proper. It is not that adjustments need to be made on some beings. It is not that at the time of birth, an operation needs to be performed on male babies in order to make them fit for this world. It is not that they have been wrongly or poorly designed. Parama Purusa has made everything perfectly. Thus, by this reasoning also, the entire premise of circumcision does not make sense as it means that God's creation is inherently flawed.
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Fake Devotion
Baba says, "Oh Lord, I am your devotee, help me to pass my examination; Oh Lord, my daughter has attained marriageable age--- help me to find a worthy suitor; Let the bridegroom be ideal, let me not spend much on the wedding. This type of showy devotion that simply asks for mundane objects, is no devotion at all. Because such persons always say, "I want this, I want that."
"What news can you report to a person who already knows all the intimate details of your life? Is it not ludicrous to retell the stories of your grandfather's house to your mother, for certainly she knows them better than you!"
"Parama Purus'a knows more than you whether you are a sinner or not, so what is the necessity of telling Him?" (AMIWL p.820 & 824)
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