HEAVEN AND HELL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
SELF-CENTERED CAPITALISM AND GOD-CENTERED AM
Namaskar,
'I am happy to be here', 'It is my pleasure to do that', 'thanks for
inviting me'...
The above are all common sayings in today's western, capitalistic
society and such expressions are quickly being converted and translated
into languages all around the globe. Such is the spread of capitalism.
FOUR CATEGORIES OF PHILOSOPHY
However, Baba clearly guides us that there is a tremendous difference
between the four basic types of philosophies: Dogma-centered,
matter-centered, self-centered, and God-centered. And in particular the
self-centered philosophy of capitalism is based purely on individual
egoistic desires or selfishness whereas the God-centered philosophy of
Ananda Marga is based totally on service psychology-- serving all as
expressions of Brahma.
Baba says, "The followers of self-centred philosophy do everything only
for self-interest, self-pleasure...In self-centred philosophies,
individual selfishness is the motive, as in capitalism...Those who
follow God-centred philosophy serve humanity and the entire living world
with equal love and affection according to Neohumanism." (PNS-18)
SELFISHNESS OF CAPITALISM vs SERVICE PSYCHOLOGY OF AM
So there is a heaven and hell difference between the selfishness of
capitalism and the service oriented mentality of Ananda Marga. The first
aims towards ego satisfaction and the fulfilling of one's petty desires;
whereas the latter aims at helping and service others for the cause of
universal welfare.
Unfortunately, at present, it is this selfish psychology of capitalism
that is spreading like wildfire around the globe today. Because already
it is saturated in the west and now the so-called third world nations
want to step up into the 'greatness of modernity' so they emulate each
and every aspect of western, materialistic life-- including their manner
of speaking. Those very crude phrases get translated into one's own
local tongue-- or people merely adopt the English expression in their
hometown of Bali, Cape Town, or San Juan. That is how this selfishness
is manifesting itself around the globe in all aspects of life: In how
one thinks, lives, walks, and talks.
Here then is a further look at the situation at hand.
COMMON SELFISH EXPRESSIONS OF THE DAY
Today on the radio, on the internet, at governmental summits, on TV
interviews, in business meetings, at family gatherings, on the street,
and in each and every nook and cranny of modernity there are a whole
slew of expressions which reveal the utter selfishness of the prevailing
philosophy of the day.
If one listens to any talk, interview, or speech etc, phrases such as
the following abound: 'Thanks for giving me opportunity', 'it is my
pleasure', 'I felt good doing that', 'I enjoyed being part of the relief
project', 'I am delighted to be here', 'It is my privilege', 'I will be
happy to do that', 'I am honoured to receive this', and on and on the
list goes.
These are totally I-centered, egoistic ways of speaking-- that reflect a
self-centered and narrow way of thinking. In each and every case the 'I'
is dominating-- i.e. one's own petty happiness, not any welfare or
service motive. They all revolve around selfish, unit pleasures. And
this is the pervasive mentality of capitalism, where #1 is not God,
others, but rather oneself.
So it is not just a linguistic phenomenon, because as we look around it
is quite apparent that nations, peoples, businesses, consumers, and
citizens are acting in a totally selfish manner.
So the poison of selfishness is deeply rooted and prevalent all around.
WHY THEY MAY BE HARD TO DETECT
That is why when hearing expressions like, 'It gives me great pleasure'
or 'Thank you for inviting me to participate', one may wonder: What is
the problem-- those are fine expressions.
Because these are so commonly spoken and so commonly heard, people
accept such selfish ways of speaking as being totally normal, fine, and
well. Verily, the selfishness of capitalism has seeped so deep into the
human psyche that selfishness itself becomes hard for some to recognise.
It is just like if one works in a barn all day and has cow dung all over
their shoes, pants, hands, nose then it may be hard for that person to
recognise the very smell of that animal feces as it has become part of
their very being. Not only are they surrounded by that cow dung but they
themselves are immersed in it. In that case that offensive smell is
totally unrecognisable to them.
Same is the case with the selfishness of capitalism in today's present
day world. Capitalism preaches selfish pleasure and that is what
everybody chases after all day long: In their business life, in their
personal life, in their family life etc.
If their business swallows up another one only to cause massive
unemployment, those top executives does not care so long as it is good
for their own business agenda; likewise if any individual gets their
personal goal met of buying a huge, fancy house, it is of no concern to
them that there are millions who are homeless-- because they got their
own selfish desire met; likewise if a husband no longer likes to live a
family way of life, then in a split-second he will leave his wife and
kids and run off with a sensual honey who is 30 years younger. That is
the way society is moving these days. And it is accepted-- even people
are praised and admired for doing such crude things.
That is why it is difficult-- if not impossible-- for many people to
detect selfishness in today's world, let alone in their speech patterns.
Because for them, selfishness is as totally normal as the air they breathe.
AS MARGIIS WE SHOULD BE VIGILANT
As Ananda Margiis however, our eyes should be open to such selfish ways
of speaking and we should awaken others to it as well. Because the root
cause of such expressions is one's own mental colour. And possessing a
selfish mentality is ultravarious to our AM ideology, and indeed harmful
to the humanity and to one's own spiritual growth. For these reasons, it
is important to be vigilant to detect and toss out all kinds of
selfishness-- including in one's manner of speaking.
WHAT SHOULD BE SAID INSTEAD
Thus instead of saying things like, 'It give me great pleasure', 'I am
happy to be here', or 'Thank you for the opportunity', which all reflect
one's own personal satisfaction, we should speak in a manner that
reflects the service psychology of Ananda Marga.
What should we say then?
How about, 'I feel blessed to be able to come here and serve you', or
'It is Baba's grace I could participate and help others', or any other
style of expression that places emphasis on serving others and not on
one's own happiness.
The English language is constructed in such a way that it may be
impossible to make the statement without using the 'I' term. So what
needs to happen then is to direct the importance of the sentence towards
helping and serving other rather than one's own unit satisfaction.
For that reason it is important that we express ourselves in the follow
manner, 'I feel blessed to be able to serve you today'-- because in AM
our whole outlook is to live a life in service to others.
Baba says, "All human beings are to be served...Remember that your
service does not oblige the Supreme, rather you are obliged because you
have such a chance to serve the Supreme in the form of living beings."
(Ananda Vanii #28)
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-2)
Thus our whole way of life in the Marga is based on serving God both in
sadhana as well as in the form of living beings-- we have not come here
just to satisfy our own petty unit desires.
That is why there is a heaven and hell difference between the crude
captialistic outlook and all its negative expressions and the glorified
vision of Ananda Marga and our service oriented way of life.
So none should get caught up in the smog of capitalism where life is
merely about satisfying one's own egoistic inclinations-- nor should our
talk reflect such things either.
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace He has showered the humanity with the sweetness and
charm of a God-centered way of living that will bring peace and welfare
to one and all.
Baba says, "As long as you exist, you have got to perform yajina
(service). The moment you cease from discharging duties, either due to
incapacity or wrong choice you will fall into an abyss. You should not
let this happen. It is your dharma to move from narrowness to vastness,
from greatness to divinity. To allow yourself to fall into an abyss is
against the characteristic of your existence. You long for eternal bliss
and endeavour for eternal life. You are associated with that unending
vitality in the blood circulation of your arteries and veins and in the
rhythmic throbbing of your heart. You have been listening day and night
the voice of eternal youth. Can you ever imagine remaining inert matter
in an inactive state where there is no yajina (service)? Even in the
state of supreme realization you will be infused with boundless
knowledge. O human beings! be established in the radiance of divinity
and the splendour of valour and chivalry, because yours is the path of
revolution. Your path is not the path of extra caution and scheduled
movement. You are the traveller of a rugged path. You are travellers of
an impregnable path. You have to march ahead proudly with the flag of
Marga upright. You have no time to stagger or to look behind."
Namaskar,
Harideva
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Real Wealth
"Ya'jinavalkya asked, 'What would you like?'"
"Maetreyii replied: 'Yena'ham' na'mrtasya'm' tena'ham' kim kurya'm'"
"'What will I do with things which will not remain with me permanently?
Of what use are the objects which will not establish me in
immortality?...'Please give me that thing which will remain with me
permanently, which I'll be able to preserve forever, which will
establish me in immortality. I don't want anything else.'"
"Then Ya'jinavalkya gave her a number of instructions, upon which a
major part of Raja Yoga is based'." (AV-7, p.44)
Note: As described in the above quote: Really, worldly things cannot
remain with us very long. That is why ideal people run towards Parama
Purusa. Being Parama Purusa and Guru, Baba Himself has guided us how to
reach Him. On this point, we are extremely fortunate to at least have
gotten the path. Now our main duty is to follow it.
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