== HAPPENING LESS ==
Namaskar,
Although this is happening less in our Marga, still on and off again one or
another person jumps onto the web etc in order to boast about their own
cause or greatness. Sometimes someone is trying to nominate themselves for
a post or a position and other times one is reporting about a particularly
"good speech" they themselves delivered. So in places and with persons
where these things are still happening, feel free to share this letter so
we can get everyone moving in coordinated fashion according to AM ideals
and values.
NOT LIKE A CLUB
Accepting 'AM ideology as a way of life' is unlike becoming the member of
certain clubs or political organisations. To follow the path of
spirituality one has to color one's own mind with the color of HIS thoughts
and HIS teachings. The teachings of Parama Purusa should reflect in each
and every expression of one's existence. That is why Baba says, the cult of
spirituality is the cult of pinnacled order.
SOME PREVALENT SOCIAL DOGMAS
But in this materialistic era people have become so habituated to following
certain dogmatic things which do not have any sense. Some innocent persons
unknowingly do those things and some knowingly do them and get habituated.
There are many such dogmas which have sprouted up like weeds due to the
negative and pervasive influence of materialism. And these dogmas are
disturbing spiritual life-- among them a few are listed as a reminder:
(a) Saying 'Sorry' when one is not feeling any sort of repentance inside.
Just one is mechanically repeating the word 'sorry'.
(b) Replying 'not so bad' when someone asks 'how are you doing?'.
(c) Engaging in the practice of shaking hands.
(d) Style of kiirtan: Unspiritual way of dancing kiirtan, by mixing
brothers and sisters or by keeping hand by the sides etc.
(e) Not fulfilling one's own family obligations and instead breaking their
unit family and leading libertine life due to infatuation with members of
the opposite sex.
(f) Acceptance of the so-called open-minded ways of lesbian, homosexual, and gay.
(g) Moving around the globe and giving neo-humanistic classes but
simultaneously indulging in a debauched life, or preaching the gospel of unity
yet all the while keeping one's own group affiliation. Means hypocritically teaching
something high and doing the exact opposite in one's own life.
(h) And also 'self-praise'.
These are some examples of dogmas which are the crude outcome due to the
negative effect and onslaughts of materialism. So a huge number of the
population is suffering from these dogmas-- some are aware and some not.
Step by step all such dogmas need to be addressed and relieved, here
following are Baba's guidelines about those indulging in self-praise. Again
while this is not the rampant problem that it used to be in our AM society,
still it flashes its shiny teeth every so often. And of course amongst the
general populace it is an every day event. People even get praised for
indulging in self-praise.
IT LEADS TO SELF-DESTRUCTION
Here in this following teaching Baba is warning sadhakas that praising
oneself and falsely projecting one's own self as something great, doing
this causes the destruction of one's own personality.
BABA says, "It often happens that whatever one assimilates, one considers
to be one's own achievement, and the ego becomes inflated like a croaking
frog. Just as a frog considers itself to be bigger than others -- just as
the frog, in its vanity, to demonstrate its size, tries to inflate itself
more and more until it bursts -- so those who have assimilated only a
little of the psychic world become puffed up with vanity and thereby invite
their own ruin." (NSS p.157)
MOSTLY A PROBLEM WITH THE INTELLIGENCIA
Generally speaking, self praise is something that only intellectuals suffer
from, sometimes in their simplicity it happen to other people also. That
is what seems to have happened in this case. In either case though such an
approach of self-praise severely hinders the development of that person.
Baba says, "Intellectual develops a lust for some external words of praise
- words to the effect that he has attained victory. So the first is that
the mind gets puffed up with vanity, and thus grows weaker and weaker, and
the second is that the person develops a lustful attachment for some
external words of praise, and thus becomes a slave to those words and can
never be a truly great person." (AVM-5, p.57)
Clearly then getting stuck in the poor and degenerating custom of praising
oneself is very harmful. No good can result from this. Just it destroys
one's own character and also it irritates others.
SOLUTION: REMEMBER PARAMA PURUSA
So to avoid falling into the negative habit or problem of self-praise,
people should instead remember that Parama Purusa is the real force behind
all good works, not themselves.
Baba says, "The duty of human beings is only to continue their efforts to
please Parama Purusa. Thus when any work is done, the concerning sadhaka is
not to be given any credit; the credit should be given to Parama Purus'a."
(SS-18, p. 7)
So by diverting our minds towards Parama Purusa and remembering HIS
greatness, that is the spiritual approach.
TRUE KIIRTAN
As a final reminder, here again we should be perfectly clear that as
sadhakas we should never praise ourselves. Rather we are to sing only His
glory. Unfortunately though some people indulge in the self-centered
practice of praising themselves to such an extent that other people feel
utterly disgusted by their presence.
Baba says, "'Kiirtaniiya' sada'harih'. Kiirtana should be done on Hari
(Parama Purusa) and on no other entity. One should not praise oneself or
any other person. There are many people who are very fond of praising
themselves by telling everyone what wonderful things they have done, but as
mentioned in this sloka, kiirtana is not for one's own self but for Hari.
Even though people are taught to do kiirtan for Hari, they still make the
mistake of praising themselves too much. Sometimes their self-praise is so
intense that others are obliged to say, 'Please stop praising yourself so
much'. They forget that their self-applause is rather boring for others.
Human beings should realise that no one likes to hear the self-praise of
others." (AVM-8, p. 15)
Waiting to hear the opinions of others.
Namaskar,
Priiti
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- The Solution -
Baba says, "Whenever there is a conflict between the brain and the heart,
intelligent people should respond to the call of the heart. The books in
A'nanda Ma'rga philosophy are all absolute knowledge. The proper mark of
identity of absolute knowledge is that it must be universal, rational and
psychological. Certain instances of absolute knowledge are as follows-- the
goal of human life is the attainment of Brahma; human beings are the
progeny of Parama Purus'a...by dint of sa'dhana' or spiritual practices
human beings gradually become divine." (PNS-18, p.10)
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