THE STORY OF OCCULT POWERS:
ANOTHER NAME FOR STUPIDITY
Namaskar,
Sometimes in AM and certainly on other paths a few are using or desire to
use tactics to promote their own grandeur. And by this way directly or
indirectly they attempt to arouse in others a fascination to acquire occult
powers. So it is important and helpful for us to remember how off-track it
is to pursue the attainment of such powers.
The strange liila here is that those who aim for such powers may or may not
get them but worst thing is that they will not get BABA. And those who aim
only for BABA will certainly have HIM because of HIS loving grace and those
Margiis often have those siddhis in a subtle ego-less blissful way.
Anyone can recognise this by seeing those Margiis and WTs who are really
doing deep sadhana. Because of the loving closeness such devotees have
with HIM, so many insights come into their mind. I have seen in the case
of such Margiis, that their intuition is so developed. No occult power is
cultivated by them, it is rather BABA's grace.
It was in one Ananda Vacanamrtam discourse where BABA bestows a secret that
when mind is brought to one point then all knowledge comes and if you need
to know anything then mind will retrieve that very knowledge. This is the
case of devotion.
So BABA was inspiring to make us to our minds one pointed and surrendered.
He makes the devotee HIS special medium and by HIS grace it seems that
other so-called siddhis also happen spontaneously in subtler ways such as
how exactly things happen in an amazing flow as though everything is in
synchronicity. But actually it is not because of cultivated siddhis that
such occurrences are taking place, it is just being in Baba's flow.
Through our devotional lives and satsaunga we understand that while
surrendering to BABA and being in HIS flow, life is blissful, joyful and in
a relaxed way everything is taking place better than ever. Sometimes
intuition starts working by HIS grace. And whenever anyone's ego starts
interfering then dilemmas and worries and question marks and vrttis and
complexes again rise up.
That is why this method of inspiring people towards the glamour of psycho
spiritual powers is really troubling. If any Margiis or Wts is running
after that and by making siddhis their goal, they will not have BABA. Nor
will they get the blissful, natural understanding /intuitive knowledge
about life. What is more their goal of attaining psychic powers may or may
not happen. And if by chance happen, then danger of degeneration arises.
Even if one does attain them, like intellectuals, such people with occult
powers seem always to be suspicious and jealous of other occultists and
start disagreeing with them. So how can anybody take the words of an
occultist as gospel truth because another equally developed occultist will
give a totally different opinion out of jealously etc.
Those devotees who don't care for such negative things like occult powers
get something far, far better-- something sweeter, finer, and more subtle:
Being in HIS flow and receiving His intuition. And best of all they don't
have the heavy burden of ego about it. How important it is that genuine
spiritual aspirants realise this.
Maybe simple sadhakas easily get sidetracked and confused about such the
crude powers of siddhis because somewhere in their hearts they know that it
is good to decide things based on intuition. But being misguided they think
that this means they should cultivate the siddhi of reading the minds of
others or controlling nature. When in fact that sweet deeper intuition is
simply the result of applying one's rational mind when that mind has
surrendered to BABA and is focused only on pleasing Him. Through more and
more genuine surrender and desire for HIS bliss, then surely one's mind can
receive His sweet flow. And this has nothing to do with the crude ways of
seeking occult powers.
Baba says, "In spiritual life as well as in ordinary life, if one retains
simplicity it is helpful for the attainment of God; through this one's life
and mind become filled with the effulgence of Parama Purusa. This is the
supreme attainment. Spying out every nook and cranny of the eight occult
powers is another name for stupidity." (SC-2, p.149)
Namaskar,
Vidyasagar
Note 1: Occult Powers are Just like the Mud on the Side of the Road
Baba says, "While practising spiritual cult, it should be remembered that
spiritual aspirants must not practise in order to acquire these occult
powers. The goal of spiritual practise is to realise the Supreme Entity. To
search for any other thing is wrong. Occult powers are just like the dust
on the roadside. The attraction for Parama Purus'a is the most valuable
object-- all else is only the dust of the earth." (MVNS, p. 151)
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Relations with Others
Baba says, "Bear in mind that you have a duty towards-- indeed, you owe a
debt to-- every creature of this Universe, but towards you, no one has any
duty; from others, nothing is due." (CC-II, 'Sadhana Section, pt #3)
Note: In the dogmatic religions this idea is taught God has created this
whole universe solely for the enjoyment of human beings. That is why they
kill animals and exploit downtrodden people up to the bone without any
qualms.
Motivated by this dogmatic teaching, selfish people's mind works in that
way. Such lowly people think that, 'Others have the duty to take care of my
situation and their own situation as well. And they should not bother me
about their own problems'. This is the way such selfish persons think.
And if due to some reason that same lowly person helps others then that
selfish person thinks that in the near future they want full return plus
interest of their so-called service. Thus there is no question of duty and
service; these ideals have no place in their mind.
Because of all this present day society's condition is unfavourable--
bleak. All around the west these things are quite common as well as in the
big metropolitan cities of the east. The same problem is there also.
But Baba's teaching leads in a different direction. In His above mandate
from Caryacarya, Baba is very beautifully guiding that our duty is to serve
everybody-- without any expectation from anyone in return.
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