New Fad in the West

From: George Kourakos  
Subject: New Fad in the West 
Date: Thu 07 Jan 2010 07:53:02 -0000 

Baba 

 "A'lor pathe je eseche a'ndha're se hoy na' ha'ra'..." (P.S. 996) 

 Purport: 

Baba, those who are treading the divine path never get lost in the oblivion of darkness and staticity. Those who are smiling sweetly, their life can never be like hell-- surrounded by the agony of suffering and crying. Baba, here along with me, You are and I am. And Your love has bound me. In result I have lost everything else. Those who have ascended onto the path of hope and optimism never get lost in hopelessness and pessimism. Baba, by Your grace You have come with Your sweet smile riding Your chariot of panoramic colors. By getting You, the whole universe is purified; everyone's existence has become successful... 

== NEW FAD IN THE WEST =

Namaskar,
Watch out! A new fad is lighting up in the west: Marijuana is now being legalised in parts of the the USA in the name of health reasons. In states like Oregon, new marijuana bars and cafes are opening where patients can enter, purchase marijuana and hashish, and smoke as much as they wish. Medical doctors are prescribing and certifying their patients marijuana for pain relief and mental anxiety etc.

This is the new and growing phenomenon. The tricky part is that any new fad that starts in the west then spreads all over the globe. So this is the latest trend - everyone should be careful. Of course as Proutists, our dharmic stand is to oppose as Baba is against the use of such intoxicants (Ref: Prout Nutshell part 21).

BABA'S PERSONAL ACCOUNT

Before further examining the medical marijuana trend going on in the USA, all Ananda Margiis will find Baba's below first-hand account very interesting. In this below reflection, Baba talks how as a young boy he opposed those so-called sadhus who smoked marijuana.

Baba saya, "This story took place very long ago. I was extremely young then, about four or five years old. I had a Shiva linga...In those days ordinary people had a rather excessive amount of devotion towards sannya'siis and holy men. A group of sannya'siis would light a fire and sit around it in one of the neighbourhood’s slightly elevated vacant areas. Countless devotees would encircle them singing devotional songs and kiirtana. I used to see this scene all the time. Stories of Lord Shiva’s white radiance, his magnanimity and detachment had attracted my mind a good deal. But I did not at all like these sannya'siis’ greed for all kinds of delicacies, nor their marijuana pipes and tweezers. And so I would harass them by throwing stones from afar or stealing their sumptuous food and fleeing." (Strange Experiences, Chap 2)

So Baba's dharmic stance against marijuana took expression very early in life

LONG HISTORY OF MARIJUANA IN INDI

Actually there is a long history of marijuana use in India. But mostly it was rejected by the people as being harmful to both mind and body. Only certain dogmatic sadhus with ashen bodies would resort to marijuana smoking. Their fake justification was that they were following the cult of Shiva - but that is wrong.

Baba says, "The developed sa'dhaka [spiritual aspirant] remains submerged in this beatific condition of intoxication. It is said that Shiva remains overwhelmed under the spell of this very type of intoxication, with His eyes fixed upwards. This is not the intoxication produced by bhang [Indian hemp] or ganja [marijuana], or that of opium, nor that of wine, but is a sort of beatific intoxication brought about by sudha'rasa." (YP)

 As Baba points out, it is known in India that the marijuana drug does not lead to an enlightened mind. Every true sadhaka and everyday citizens understand this, either practically or theoretically. But that does not mean that the latest medical marijuana trend in the US will not soon hit the streets in Mumbai and elsewhere. After all, India rejected materialism centuries ago yet now the youth of India are plunged in all kinds of pseudo-culture fashion and materialistic lifestyles - religiously copying the trends in the west. So it may not, nay will not, be long before patients & innocent citizens in India and other countries are also smoking marijuana

MORE ABOUT "MEDICAL MARIJUANA"

A former US Surgeon General has issued the following statement:

"The evidence is overwhelming that marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS -- or by the harsh drugs sometimes used to treat them. And it can do so with remarkable safety. Indeed, marijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe every day." 

And indeed there are many medical professionals in the west who advocate the use of marijuana for a wide-range of patients. And now there are at least 13 states in the US where patients can legally purchase and smoke marijuana and hashish in cafes. 400,000 patients in Canada smoke marijuana and in the US the number are exponentially growing into the millions. This trend is spreading fast - it has all happened in the last few months.

SHOULD DOCTORS BE TRUSTED

This all begs the question: Should doctors and the US medical industry be trusted. There are many strong lobby groups in the US that have direct influence of medical policies in the US. From dietary recommendations to prescription drug use, billions and billions of dollars are laid down by special interest groups to get their agenda approved by doctors.

Indeed the tobacco industry got away with this for years, and in the last couple decades it is the the prescription drug industry that has most doctors in the pockets. And now today, we see that the marijuana lobby has made its way into the wallets of physicians and the medical establishment. So we have to think a thousand times - and educate the common people about this - how far should doctors be trusted.

Time and again physicians make recommendations that are basically ludicrous: In the 50's and 60's they were advocating that pregnant women smoke cigarettes in order to relax. And more recently medical professionals have advocated the regular consumption of red wine (alcohol) and chocolate for overall health and happiness. So there is no shortage of ridiculous recommendations by the US medical establishment. And now we see that the use of marijuana for patients is just one more scar on this growing list.

PROUT'S STAND

As Ananda Margiis and Proutists, we should quickly come forward on this issue and state our position. It may seem like an obvious point to us, but not so for others. Tragically, the common public and patients all over have been duped into thinking that marijuana is be some kind of magic herb for healing etc. Not only do they think it will help with pain relief etc, but some have even begun advocating that marijuana will enhance one's memory. When in fact, marijuana is quite harmful in many respects - ruining both one's physical and mental constitution. We should strictly pay heed to Baba's below mandates about marijuana.

 Baba says, "It is desirable that people keep themselves free from intoxicants and stimulants and move steadily towards the higher realms of physical, mental and spiritual development through all possible ways." (PNS-21) Baba says, 'Taking hashish, marijuana, opium or wine causes a peculiar change in the mind." (HS-1)

Baba says, "Intoxicated by opium, people sit idle and doze off. Hemp [marijuana] destroys general intelligence and the faculty of understanding. None of these intoxicants are good for human beings." (PNS-21)

Thus it is our duty to oppose this latest trend of marijuana cages advocated by medical professionals and the hemp lobby etc. Because sadly, What they are prescribing for patients today they will be recommending to general citizens tomorrow. That is the unfortunate direction things are headed. It needs a strong push to buck this trend.

BABA'S BLESSING

By Baba's grace, He has given us the duty to clean up society in all respects. This recent marijuana campaign is latest issue that we must take to the fore. With proper education, we can prevent it from spreading and set humanity on the proper path.

 Baba says, "For progress in entitative flow, one is to lead a pure life, a moralistic life, a life based on moral principles. Do not do anything bad. What is bad? Bad is that which depraves human existence. Follow a strict code of morality. Live a pure life, a neat and clean life. Be strict in 16 Points. What will happen? Your entitative flow will get purified and will be in parallelism with your psychic wave." (SS-12)

Namaskar,
Gagan

Note: IRONY OF THE HUMAN QUEST FOR PEACE & SATISFACTION
 

Humans have long been on a quest for peace and comfort - and that has led them in all kinds of directions. Check out the irony of this most recent trend. On the one side, wealthy people in the west who have all kinds of luxuries resort to drugs like marijuana in hopes of finding peace and tranquility and all around the globe those in the so-called developing world are chasing after money and wealth thinking that those riches will supply them all the happiness and comfort they need. So those with money are not happy and seeking joy elsewhere, and the rest of the world is thinking that "I need to be like those wealthy people" in order to become happy. Such is the irony unfolding. The marijuana trend just throws one more smoke-screen into the minds of the people.

****************************************** Eternal Source of Energy

Baba says, "Because each and everybody in this universe gets energy from Parama Purusa, He is the Supreme Source of energy." "This earth and all the other planets and satellites of this solar system get their energy from the sun. The sun is the source of their energy. But He is the source of the sun's energy. And that's why He is jvalantam." "And that's why I have said that there won't be any thermal death of this universe. Because He is jvalantam, He is present, and He will be present forever. So there won't be any shortage of energy in this cosmic system, though there may be a shortage of energy in some particular portion of the earth or the cosmos." (AV-3, p. 26-27)

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