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.
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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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