== IS OUR FUTURE IN THE CARDS ==
Namaskar,
In general, people have a strong fascination for knowing their future
problems so they can counteract or avert those upcoming difficulties.
For that reason many have tremendous interest about palmistry, tarot
cards, and astrology. Thus when they see that any person has a little
knowledge about these things, they get quite attracted.
Means except for those few who have a little self-control, the common
people start hovering around anyone who claims to have a little
knowledge about "how to read the future" using tarot cards etc. So that
is one side.
And regarding those who refrain from hovering around or who keeping
distance from such things, among them there are two types of people:
(1) Those who mentally think that in a quiet moment they will personally
communicate and get their future read then;
(2) Those who philosophically do not believe in this fake magic and they
think that it is useless.
And according to Baba's teachings, this second type of people-- those
who are not befooled by this sort of magic-- they alone are proper in
their approach.
ASKING AROUND TO OTHERS
Since a long time this question has sat in my mind, that what is the
veracity behind all these things. And whether margiis should include
themselves in these things, or not. Is it worth doing such
fortune-telling things, or it is just a waste of time. Many in our Marga
have expressed diverse opinions about his. So in the last, it was
suggested to read various Baba's books, and try to know what Baba says.
On that dharmic suggestion, by His grace a few of Baba's meaningful
teachings have been collected. And here are Baba's explanations for
those interested to know.
WHY PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED TO KNOW THE FUTURE
BABA'S TEACHING ON ACTION AND REACTION
Many people want to know their future by astrology or palm reading so
they can escape from or remove their future sufferings.
Baba says, "There are many who with the intention of escaping this
suffering of reaction (karmaphala) try various methods." (AMEP)
So people's purpose in knowing the future is to escape from future
suffering. But the reality is, this goes against the very law of
Prakrti. Because as we margiis know the future happenings are the result
of one's past actions. And such reactions have to be experienced-- there
is no side-stepping the matter.
Baba says, "Many believe that by neutralizing the influence of the stars
(grahasha'nti) and by rituals of offering sacrifice in repentance
(pra'yashcitta), they will be able to escape the consequences of their
actions. This belief is not correct, because according to the rule of
Prakrti every action has to be followed by its reaction. The mind has to
regain its normality through reactions. This is the law of Prakrti and
no one can set it aside." (AMEP)
Baba says, "...Reactions of actions (karmaphala) have to be experienced.
No one is spared from experiencing them; the reactions of all one's
actions will have to be borne by oneself alone." (AMEP)
OUR FATE= EXPERIENCE THOSE REACTIONS
So there is no way to escape the eventuality of facing the reactions to
one's past actions. And this is what is known as fate. Fate is nothing
but the unmanifest reactions to one's past actions. And as this is the
law of Prakrti, so trying to know those future things because one wants
to escape future suffering, this is a fruitless task.
Through the performance of tantric practices, the way in which one will
experience those future reactions can be moderated. But even then, the
expression of those reactions cannot be altogether removed.
Baba says, "The mode of experiencing the reaction can be changed with
the help of Tantric practices...but the experience of the reaction, or
fate, cannot be evaded. Karmaphala, consequences or reactions of one's
actions, will have to be experienced by a person, and at best only the
intensity of suffering at a time can be reduced or increased by slowing
or accelerating the speed of reactions." (AMEP)
The expression of samskara cannot be removed, but through tantric
practices or sadhana the way these samskaras are experienced can be
changed.
Some may get confused about this and they may start thinking the change
is due to their own efforts to neutralize the "effects of the stars".
And they may mistakenly think that their efforts palmistry have removed
their suffering. But this is not at all the case.
AN EXAMPLE OF HOW IT ALL WORKS
Here below Baba gives the example of a debtor.
Baba says, "It is possible that the condition of returning one hundred
rupees in one installment may be too hard for the debtor and he may have
to suffer great mental agony, but if the same amount is returned in
several small installments the debtor may not feel it at all. The period
of suffering is thus increased with the help of Tantric practices with
the result that one does not feel the intensity of suffering and wrongly
concludes that the experiencing of reactions (karmaphala) has been
evaded or stopped because of grahasha'nti (that is by neutralizing the
influence of stars)." (AMEP)
Here Baba is explaining that many mistakenly believe that changes in
their experience of samskara happened because they changed their fate
through grahasha'nti, or neutralizing the influence of stars. And that
with such a wrongly conceived goal to change their fate, many engage in
the practice of astrology, palmistry or tarot cards. Or they retain
someone to engage in these negative practices on their behalf.
But fate cannot be evaded. Because as Baba tells, that fate is merely
the expression of reactions to one's past actions. True fate is an
inexorable law of prakrti.
PALMISTRY IS SELF-TRICKERY-- NOTHING MORE
So on that ground, the practice of astrology, palmistry, or tarot cards
to affect one's future is in reality nothing but a practice of
self-deception.
Here Baba gives an example of the negativity of such pursuits.
Baba says, "For example, if on reading the future of a person it is
found that he has to bear the mental suffering of fracture of an arm, it
may be possible to stop the fracturing of the arm with the help of
grahasha'nti. But the quantum of mental suffering cannot be changed or
done away with. The suffering could be spread over a longer time due to
a number of minor incidents. For instance, the person's hand might get
scratched, and later on he might fall sick. The person would go
suffering in installments till the quantum of his suffering equaled the
mental suffering he was destined to get from the fracture of the arm."
(AMEP)
And here below Baba relates the same negative practice of attempting to
alter one's future through self-deceiving means, to the experience of a
debtor. The debtor is befooled into thinking they escaped from the debt.
When in reality, the debt is only distributed over time.
Baba says, "...It would mean that the debtor of one hundred rupees would
have to keep on repaying his debt in small installments of a rupee or so
until they had paid off the full hundred. Here the payment of the debt
of one hundred rupees represents the mental suffering from the fracture
of the arm, which was supposed to be completed in one installment; but
through flattery and persuasion of the creditor, that is, by
neutralizing the influence of the stars (grahasha'nti), it is being paid
back in small installments. Hence as the return of the hundred rupees is
not complete, the payment will have to continue." (AMEP)
So actually no one escapes fate. All have to face their samskaras. But
those who try to change their fate through the practice of astrology,
palmistry, or tarot cards, engage in the very same self-deception as
that of the future fractured arm or the debtor of one hundred rupees,
above.
Here below, Baba offers another example of such self cheating-- those
who engage in the wearing of different stones for the purpose of
protecting them from future suffering.
Baba says, "Just as it is possible to increase the period of
experiencing the reactions with the help of grahasha'nti, it is also
possible to decrease this period. For instance, some persons wear
different stones such as blue sapphires which change the mode of their
experiencing the reactions. It is possible that by this one may get a
fortune by winning a prize in a lottery or may get a promotion in one's
employment. This makes people believe that all this has happened due to
grahasha'nti, but it is actually not so. Fate, or the quantum of
experiencing the consequences of one's actions, can neither be changed
nor evaded." (AMEP)
Baba also explains how the distribution of reactions over time can be
not only lengthened, but also shortened by such negative practices. And
that in the time-shortened case as well, the outcome is equally self
deceptive. Here below Baba gives an example of this, with the spending
of a 150 rupee budget. And He likens that to what self-cheating happens
with the use of blue sapphire stones to affect one's future.
Baba says, "Taking again the example of the deposit of 150 rupees, we
see that the money intended to be spent in a month at the rate of five
rupees a day, can be spent in one day by shortening the period of
expenditure and leaving nothing for the remaining twenty-nine days of
the month. The change in fate brought about by grahasha'nti is similar
to this. For instance, the one thousand rupees that one gets as a prize
in a lottery due to the influence of the blue sapphire, is the person's
own money scheduled to be received by him in small installments over a
long period of time. This money is received in one installment, leaving
no balance for the rest of the installments. Yet getting a huge amount
at once makes one believe that grahasha'nti, or the wearing of a blue
sapphire, has changed one's fate." (AMEP)
PALMISTRY CANNOT OVERCOME FATE
So by this way it becomes clear that the use of external
superimpositions like astrology, palmistry, or tarot cards to predict
and thereby change one's future, are futile and have as their only
outcome that of self-cheating. Because the reactions of one's past
action will still express, only in a different way.
SADHANA AND ONE'S REACTIONS
Here below Baba concludes the point beautifully, explaining that fate or
the expression of reactions to one's past actions is inevitable. And
that sadhana is the only way to get these reactions to express as
readily and quickly as possible, and thereby hasten one's emancipation
by Baba's grace.
Baba says, "In fact, fate or the experiencing of reactions (karmaphala)
can never be changed. It is only the duration of reactions that can be
changed. That is why those who carry on intuitional practice (sa'dhana')
with the intention of achieving emancipation, experience pleasure and
pain, happiness and agony quickly, so that they may complete the
experiencing of reactions in as short a period as possible. Those who
desire liberation (mukti) want it in this life itself, and so they
experience everything quickly, according to their potential reactions
(sam'ska'ras), so that nothing is left for the future life and they can
obtain release from the bondage of Prakrti." (AMEP)
Namaskar,
Gautam
Note: Here Baba explains more about the facts regarding "fate".
Baba says, "There are many people who are fatalists. They are
worshippers of fate. A fatalist means a worshipper of fate - a
worshipper of fortune or fate. They are worse than nature-worshippers.
What is fate? There is nothing such as fate in this universe. So far
as the philosophy is concerned there cannot be anything called fate.
What is fate? Everyone has to undergo the reaction of his or her past
actions, the reaction of the original action. Suppose your finger comes
in contact with fire; you will feel pain, you will have to suffer but,
at that moment one will say that because your finger came in contact
with fire, that's why you are suffering. But when the reaction takes
place after a long gap, and when the original action is not known or has
been forgotten, or when the original action took place in another past
life, and you do not know what was the original action - in that case
you say, it is fate, it is fate. But actually there is no fate. What
you call fate is actually the reaction of our past actions. In
sam'skrta, it is called sam'ska'ra, in Latin 'reactive momenta'."
(SS-12, p.8)
Note 2: The quotes from this letter above are from the chapter of AM
Elementary Philosophy, "How Should Human Beings Live in this World?"
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Health Guideline
Baba says, "Dhaotii: Immediately after Nasapana, at a time when your
stomach is empty and you are washing your face, the throat should be
cleaned with the middle finger of the right hand, inserting it as far as
possible." (CC-3, chapter 7, Point #5)
Note: Since the practice of nasapana is required in order to practice
dhaotii, here following is a reminder about that:
"Nasapana: Draw in clean water through the nostrils
and pass it out through the mouth. This water may
be swallowed, but it is better to spit it out." (CC-3)
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