Baba Story on Debt

To: am-global@earthlink.net Date: Mon, 08 Sep 2009 09:31:44 +0000 From: "Hank & Rita Tomasson" Subject: Baba Story on Debt Baba "Bandhu a'ma'r eso go pra'n'e..." (PS 275) Purport: O' my dearmost Baba, please come into my heart. The whole universe is ensconced in Your divine flow. Now the sky is full of beautiful poems; and, the moon cannot control its smile. Indeed the moon's smile brings blissful dreams. Baba, this entire universe is radiating with Your divine love. Baba, how unique and exquisite Your love is. It awakens ever-new rhythms in my heart. O my dearmost Baba, when You have already been caught then why do You continue to hide. Why are You playing this liila with me. O Baba, please look towards me in Your sweet and loving way. Baba, by Your grace I will always move ahead on Your path. I will entertain Your mind in all kinds of ways. Baba, due to Your blissful presence, my mind is divinely intoxicated and it has lost all its fear-- those fears are entirely gone, vanished. Only Your sweet love remains. Baba, with full surrender I will go on marching ahead singing Your love songs. Baba, I love You; please come into my heart in still a more intimate and charming way...

== BABA STORY ON DEBT ==

Namaskar, With the recent economic meltdown, this below story is so relevant to living in today's world. Capitalist exploitation has reached such a height that they not only dictate what is sold but also how people purchase. Their concept of consumerism has reached deep into the human psyche. This entire letter contains real life scenarios, personal experiences, and one grand Baba story for how to escape the captitalist trick of pushing everyone into debt.

IN MY UNIT

A while back, one sincere margii family was short of the needed amount in order to purchase a new car. Unsure what to do, the margii consulted with one Acarya as to how to proceed. As he was sincere and hoping to become tattvika in the near future so the margii did not want to disobey-- rather he abided by Baba's guideline to seek the permission of an acarya before taking loan or going into debt. And when he asked, then straight away Acaryaji turned down the margii's request-- stating that it is not good to take loan unnecessarily on this point because this is not Baba's system. Because in Prout Baba gives open permission for people to go into debt only on the point of constructive industrial production. In contrast, on superficial business affairs or on personal luxury items, best is to avoid taking a loan. That is Baba's teaching. In response the margii replied with a second proposal: I will not borrow money from any bank or outside institution but perhaps one of our jagritis or cooperatives has the needed capital in which case they can transfer some money to me, temporarily. But this too was denied. Like this the discussion was going on back and forth in a gentile manner and it culminated with Acaryaji recounting his own personal experiences watching Baba and by telling the ensuing Baba story on this very point of taking loan. And by hearing these experiences and stories everyone got the pathway as to how to solve the problem.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCES WITH BABA

Acaryaji began: 'According to my understanding and Baba's teaching that I received in so many reporting sessions which I attended from 1975 to 1990. Taking loan is completely prohibited, against the rule. Baba is very strict that if anybody is found guilty of taking loan, then the consequences are serious punishment'. He continued, 'I do not know any occasion when Baba has appreciated someone going into debt. Or taking loan for any work: Relief, or building construction or jagrti, anything. And, if anybody took loan then they were scared and they did not reveal anything about their loan / debt because of fear of punishment by Baba.'

BABA STORY ABOUT COURT CASE AND TAKING LOAN

Then he told that this following BABA story will shed more light on this matter. And he read to us the following as recounted by one Dada. "I received a lesson I will never forget. We were in Ranchi in 1969. It was then our camp headquarters. I was general secretary and attending a never -ending sessions trial in Midnapur, West Bengal, on the horrific murder of five of our monks (at Anandanagar, 5 March 1967) and a huge amount of money was being drained out of our treasury to pay the ongoing legal costs. Much would depend on the verdict of the court; we were fighting the case heart and soul. Our funds were almost exhausted, but we were only halfway through the case. I was at my wit's end when an idea occurred to me. One of the mission's departments had deposited about ten thousand rupees in the central treasury. They had planned to buy a car to use for social service. Left with no other way out, I sent a special messenger to Ranchi and fetched that money. We heaved a sigh of relief as we escaped the crisis for the time being. The case came to a finish at last. The court sentenced eight of the culprits to life imprisonment and others to rigorous imprisonment for different terms. There was no denying it: the verdict vindicated dharma and demoralized those who had masterminded the heart-rending massacre at Anandanagar. A few days later the workers from that department began to urge me to repay their money. I was on the lookout for resources, but my efforts were taking a long time. Eventually Baba heard of the entire affair. When He came to know of it, He took exception to it. He came to the office that day and called all the central workers of the different departments. He demanded an explanation from me. Baba asked, 'Don't you know the policy of our mission about lending and borrowing?'. 'Yes, Baba,' I said. 'If that is so', Baba continued, 'why didn't you get permission from the president (that is, Baba Himself) before siphoning the money from one department to another?'. 'We were in extreme need at the time. I felt we had no other option than taking this loan. It was an emergency'. 'You ought to have informed the president of that emergency. Moreover, you could have taken the permission of the departmental head before spending the money.' Baba's displeasure was extreme, and He scolded me severely for breaking the rules of financial propriety of the organization. My discomfiture was writ large on my face. I admitted my guilt and promised not to do it again in the future. Decades have passed and much water has passed under the bridge since then, yet even now I can visualize the unrelenting image of that strict administrator-- our loving Baba. That scolding is burnt into my memory. That lesson has made me stand firmly on my feet and I have never thought again of borrowing money though the mission has scraped through countless difficulties over the years. Want of money was-- and is, and always will be-- there, but the virtual ban on borrowing has never stalled my work. For that matter I have never had to compromise on principles. His grace has helped me through every time." (My Days with Baba)

A FEW CONCLUSIONS

After reading this dramatic story Acaryaji shared some further points. 'Under no conditions then is it justified to take a loan. In this above story one worker was facing an extraordinary situation those days in Ananda Nagar regarding the lawsuit against the communists about those murder charges. And the court case was going on-- money was needed to save the situation. So much urgency. Even then Baba strongly objected the action of taking loan and Baba scolded Dadaji.' 'Given the circumstances what can be more a critical situation for taking loan than this murder case? Yet you see how Baba disapproved. So I think that there should not be any doubt or confusion about Baba's teaching on this policy of incurring debt or taking loan etc.' 'If Baba would have allowed or appreciated taking loans then it would have created the biggest problem or hazard all around. Many Wt's who left would have gotten loans and then the major portion of that money they would have taken with them when they left the organisation. Then the new Dada who was posted to that place would have faced the serious problem of paying back the debt which was incurred by his predecessor Dada who left. So in AM Baba did not allow any WT to take loan. This is not limited with Wt's alone. This the rule is for all.' Hearing all this the margii got convinced in the core of his heart that he should never unnecessarily incur any loan or debt. And he understood that to make such purchases he should either increase his income or consciously live within his present financial means. Baba says, "Not to consult anybody at the time of spending money but to ask for help from all when in debt, is not a good practice. Such a mentality cannot be encouraged. To purchase, by incurring debt...is surely against the principle of aparigraha." (GHC, p.29)

BABA'S SPECIAL GUIDELINE FOR A SWEET AND BLISSFUL LIFE

Indeed if Baba's teaching will be followed on this very point then life will be very sweet and blissful. Because in Shabda Cayanika it is told:

"Divasasya's't'ame bha'ge..." (SC-1, Disc 1)

Namely that that one of the qualities of those who are really happy is that they are not in debt. Namaskar, Ramakrishna

Note 1: NOW HAPPENING ALL OVER

Unfortunately now some selfish people are not following this and they are in the grip of materialism. Especially here in the west, and not more and more in the east it is like this. People live being in debt as they do not like to live according to what financial means they have. Rather they feel enticed to borrow on credit with a huge interest rate etc. Even with the latest mortgage crisis and economic collapse, many continue to borrow beyond their means while others are just living out their horrors of having gone into deep, deep debt in the past. Today they are losing their house, property, automobiles etc.

Note 2: CAPITALIST'S WAY OF CHEATING

The capitalists created one very easy system to get a loan. So if one does not have money or one feels the greedy attraction to purchase more than they can afford, then a credit can easily be arranged. And most westerners live in such a condition. Just working to pay off their debt. But that just breeds more and more turmoil. Because paying by credit card is so easy. One need not touch any money just one uses this piece of plastic and by that way they can purchase what they want as all the stores happily accept credit cards-- as they know that by one way or another they will get their money. So people get tempted and get caught up in the whirlpool of that cycles and one can rarely emerge from the debt. Rather they sink further and further into to it. And ultimately all this is the crafty planning of those capitalist exploiters who brainwash & befool the common public and cash in on their weaknesses.

Note 3: "I OWE, I OWE SO OFF TO WORK I GO"

Instead of doing dharmic dhyana and japa they do the dhyan and japa of money and they work harder and longer in order to pay their debt and in that way their whol life gets ruined. Indeed on the rear end of their automobiles some people place 'bumper stickers' and one infamous bumper sticker is: "I owe, I owe so off to work I go". So by this way it is clear how people have gotten swallowed up by the defective mentality of capitalist consumerism.

Note 4: POOR ADVICE GIVEN BY A COUPLE PROUT DADAS OR SO

Various simple margiis and Proutists got misled by certain Dadas decades ago and even more recently and their financial status became disastrous-- and in many cases still it is like that. Because Dadas advised them that in the very near future terrible economic crisis will come and the banks will shut down. So borrow heavily now from the banks and there will not be any need to pay it back since those banks will close. Then with that "free" money those Proutists made all kinds of useless purchases even spending money on fancy sports cars, superficial beauty surgery like 'nose-jobs', and various lavish and ridiculous things. So what to speak of spending their money wisely, they were frivolously spending. And a few Dadas also jumped in to that same negative rhythm of senseless spending money-- as if without that it would just burn a whole in their pocket. And in that way the lives of those margiis fell into turmoil and they rain into huge problems and were suffering a lot.

******************************************** AM in Comparison to the West

Baba says, "A'nanda Ma'rga metaphysics is really unique and revolutionary. Metaphysics as explained in the West is not supported by modern physics. Modern science, while attempting to trace the prime cause of creation, has been upgraded to idealism above materialism. But facts of metaphysics as presented by modern philosophers are supported by materialism or extreme idealism. Both views are equally one-sided and unscientific." (APH-4)

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