== BURDEN OF PAINFUL MEMORY OF THE PAST ==
Namaskar,
An invitation was recently sent out for Mahaprayan and the value of
that invitation has been addressed in Note 2 at the bottom of this
letter.
Our Marga is the path of bliss and as per Baba we are to move on and
on-- living from one blissful moment to the next. This is our way--
never looking back.
That is why when certain factional heads justify their dogmatic
Mahaprayan (MPD) program then they are overtly opposing Baba's maxim.
Because Baba says, 'Go on living life knowing that He is always with
you', and the dogmatic agents of Mahaprayan say, 'Baba is gone and this
sad day should be remembered again and again'.
So the two approaches are diametrically opposed to one another. Baba's
vision is supremely optimistic and practical; whereas the dogmatic
agents of Mahaprayan are sunk in pessimism and drowned their own
narrow-minded agenda.
Of course, in total there are so many logical replies that prove why
Mahaprayan is just one dogma. Here below is the fuller explanation of
the aforementioned logical foundation for why MPD is nothing but a
dogmatic and harmful enterprise by a few groupists, and therefore it
should be discarded entirely from our Marga.
MAHAPRAYAN: JUST A GROUPIST DOGMA
The response that follows is all in reply to certain groupists who say
that there is 'no harm in remembering the day of Mahaprayan'. Of course
they say this just because they want more people to come to their
groupist headquarters and give them money on their fake MPD day. Proof
being, that if the main occasion of the dogmatic Mahaprayan program was
hosted elsewhere, then these same groupists would not have the slightest
inclination to attend such a program-- rather they would oppose it. But
since the dogmatic Mahaprayan program is held in their backyard, they
champion the occasion and say it does 'no harm'. This is their silly
justification.
But the reality is that the dogmatic Mahaprayan program does huge harm.
And here is how.
So this is not a letter about groupism per se - as we all know that
the impending split or Rudrananda-Nigamananda is just further proof
that theirs was just a black pact. Same with the case of EC.
This letter then is an evaluation of a program that is truly against
our devotional sentiment - our spiritual livelihood.
THE HARMFUL WAYS OF MPD DOGMA
In each and every sphere of life people suffer terribly when they
remember and relive any negative memory.
For instance, a mother in Bengal will never like to relive the exact
moment when her little girl got mauled and killed by a speeding train.
That maa will not like to think of that bloody scene with her daughter's
disjointed body parts strewn all over the place.
Similarly, a clerk in NY will not like to think again and again about
911 when all his friends and colleagues were killed in the twin towers
attack. That clerk will not like to recall how his frantic and terrified
friends jumped out of that burning building from a window 643 feet above
the ground.
Likewise, no army veteran will like to again and again remember how his
platoon was ambushed in some foreign land like Iraq or Afghanistan,
whereby he saw with his own eyes how his fellow soldiers were brutally
tortured and killed and he himself lost both his legs.
These types of horrific memories create a negative and devastating
imprint in the mind. No one can live with these things spinning in their
mental plate. It is like trying to walk with a huge boulder tied to
one's leg. It is impossible to move ahead. So if one recounts such
horrific scenes again and again they will just wake up in the middle of
the night in a cold sweat-- totally frozen and incapacitated by such
horrible memories and unable to walk into the new dawn. Such persons
become like the living dead and suffer their whole life of such psychic
ailments etc. That is the terrible harm of this defective approach of
recalling painful memories of the past.
In the same way, those who get caught up in the dogmatic ceremony of
Mahaprayan will also suffer from the negative ideation that Baba is gone
and that He is no longer with me. That is the real effect of remembering
again and again the crude message of Mahaprayan.
That is why those who wish to live the ideal of AM and feel that Baba is
always with them, they will never involve themselves in the dogmatic and
harmful program of Mahaprayan.
BABA'S IDEAL
Baba's teachings are all complete and His ideal is that we should move
ahead not thinking about the past.
Baba says, "You are to look ahead, you are to look forward. If you look
back, if you look behind, you are wasting your valuable time. Fools, not
wise people, do like this." (Spiritual Discourses)
By thinking about the past, one will get caught up in those painful
woes. That is why Baba is adamant that we must not do like this. Rather
He says that we are to move ahead keeping Him in mind. That is our
blissful way.
Baba says, "Such sa'dhakas who move towards the Supreme Goal with
undaunted speed will never recognize any obstacles on the way. Their
only goal is to realize that 'Parama Purus'a is mine. He is my personal
treasure. I will live with Him, and I will never give Him up'." (SS-10)
Our aim in life is to remember Baba always and go closer and closer to
Him-- knowing that He is always with us. That is our devotional way of
life and that is why our Marga is the path of bliss.
So the negative approach of observing the burdensome, painful, and
dogmatic Mahaprayan program year after year goes 100% counter to our
ideal. That is why wise sadhakas pay heed to Baba's guideline and let go
of the past and instead embrace the grand reality and spiritual ideal
that always He is with us-- in our heart. Thinking thus, there is not an
iota of scope for any dogmatic Mahaprayan program in our Marga.
BABA'S BLESSING
Baba says, "He is with you, always He is with you to help you. You are
never alone." (AV-34)
Namaskar,
Motilal
Note 1: DEVOTION SHOULD BE PROTECTED
In His neo-humanism discourses, Baba guides us that we are to protect
the devotional sentiment very carefully. And what is devotion? The
feeling that Baba is with me. Yet we are living in a crudely
materialistic world that tries to step on this devotion. And then on the
top, there are certain elements in our Marga who try to proclaim that
Baba is gone by creating a dogmatic Mahaprayan program. So we must not
tolerate such things. They may say, 'what is the harm', they may say,
'it is part of the history', for their selfish interest they may say so
many things. But our aim is to cultivate the devotional ideal that 'Baba
is always with me'. That is what Baba wants us to do. And the best way
to achieve this is through regular spiritual practice and keeping Him in
mind always-- and not succumbing to any materialistic outlook or the
dogma of Mahaprayan.
By Baba's grace we will all be successful in this endeavour-- forever
drifting in His bliss.
Note 2: THEIR RECENT MPD INVITATION
In their recent Mahaprayan invitation, the hosts sent a quote
from AV-12 wherein Baba says that Taraka Brahma is physically
born and physically dies.
Baba says, "Ta'raka Brahma comes here on a particular date, leaves
this earth also on a particular date, takes the birth of His
quinquelemental body, the death of His quinquelemental body."
So the hosts totally misunderstand and poorly extrapolate
from this quote. In no place does Baba say that the physical death
should be "mourned" or "celebrated" "or remembered" again and again, year
after year. Baba does not say like that, yet this is
what the hosts of MPD are doing. And they act as though
the above quote justifies their misguided ways.
Those with a wee-bit of vivek know that Baba's message is entirely
different. Baba is talking very beautifully about the reason
behind the advent, not that Oct 21 should become one ongoing
day of remembrance.
Baba says, "The human heart wants something closer, something more
sentimental, something more pleasing. And that’s why just to satisfy,
just to give pleasure to His progeny, He comes within the scope of these
relative factors. Parama Purus'a becomes Ta'raka Brahma."
So the entire value of the quote lies in His comes close to us and our
heart embracing His presence. The physical advent is a stepping stone
for making that link with Him within. That is what Baba's directive
is in this discourse, not that we should go on remember that He is
gone, gone, gone.
It is a pity that some have not the devotional value to understand
this fairly simple idea.
Baba resides in our heart always. His advent is about revealing
this divine truth. Sincere sadhakas understand.
******************************************
Sadhana Point: Steps For Better Sadhana
Baba says, "Moksa karanasamagryam bhaktireva gariyasii."
Meaning: "Bhakti is the best way to moksa or salvation, the approach of
bhakti is the best." (AV, part 6)
Following is the sequence for better sadhana practice:
(a) Half bath or full bath
(b) Left nostril open
(c) Shasha'unga'sana (hare pose): a few rounds
(d) Shavasana (corpse posture): briefly
(e) Sing Prabhat Samgiita
(f) Sing Kiirtan loudly and dance Lalita Marmika
(g) Sastaunga Pranam
(h) Bhutashuddhi
(i) Asanashuddhi
(j) Cittashuddhi
(k) Generate longing or devotion for Parama Purusa / Baba;
(Note: this is the last phase of cittashuddhi.)
(l) Repetition of mantra with meaning, longing & devotion to become one
with Parama Purusa / Baba. (Note: This point is applied in first and 6th
lesson equally.)
(m) Other various lessons
(n) Guru Puja
(o) Final sastaunga pranam
Note 1: Regarding points (e) and (f), only listening to Prabhat Samgiita
or kiirtan is not sufficient as that will not bring about the desired
result. Rather one should sing Kiirtan & Prabhat Samgiita with their
full heart. Because by singing the mind gets more involved in comparison
to just listening.
Note 2: Generating devotional longing is a highly significant aspect. It
is the most important step of our sadhana. If one does everything but
this point is lacking then sadhana will be futile or dry. And if the
arousal of devotion is done successfully then one can reach one's goal
without any delay. I came to know from various acaryas that this point
is in acarya diary.
******************************************
