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About One's Liking...

Date: Fri, 14 May 2010 22:59:03 +0530 To: am-global@earthlink.net Subject: About One's Liking... From: Manomohan Sanyal Baba "He Prabhu, toma'r liila', bolo ke bujhibe..." (PS 1524) Purport: O' Prabhu, O' Baba, please tell me who can understand Your divine liila. It is beyond human conception and perception. Baba, You are ava'unmanasogocara*-- You are beyond the scope of the sensory organs, words, and mind. Baba in trying to understand You, one's intellect will be defeated each and every step. With their own mind no one can explain this divine liila of Yours. Baba, in this world so many things happen: The great cosmos swirls through space; meteors shoot across the sky; stars form into constellations; animate and inanimate entities come into existence; and days and nights come and go. Baba, I do not know the answer why*. And why the earth and sun exist, that also I do not know. To get all these answers, to know "why", who can tell. Baba, the more I know the more I realise that I am ignorant-- that I do not know. The more I know the more I realise that there are entire worlds of things that I do not know*. And not only that but what little I do know, that will one day disappear. Baba, why do living beings come and why do living beings go. That also I cannot answer. Baba, by Your divine grace, this entire world is full of magnificent beauty and charming flow. But which direction it goes, that also I do not know. Baba this liila is beyond human understanding. Baba, if You do not shower Your grace by telling the answer then who will tell. Baba, only You are the home of all knowledge and truth. Baba, please be gracious and do not remain beyond my conception and perception. Please reside eternally in my heart... ASTERISK NOTES (*): * Ava'unmanasogocara: Here Baba gives a very clear explanation of this Sanskrit phrase. Baba says, "Parama Purus'a is beyond the scope of word and thought--ava'unmanasogocara." (SS-9) By this we can understand that Parama Purusa lies beyond the realm of the 10 indriyas and above the unit mind. Indeed one cannot get Him with their sensory organs. Nor can one get Him with their intellect, nor by thinking; in trying to get Him that way the mind gets suspended. Only by His grace when the mind is fully concentrated can it reach up to Him and in that case the mind has left its home and gone beyond its boundaries and reached to the abode of Parama Purusa. * Ta'ha' kichu na' ja'ni: This phrase from the second stanza of the song indicates that the devotee does not know the answer to all these things. The sadhaka cannot explain the whys of this vast universe. * Yato ja'ni, tato na'-ja'ni: 'The more I know the more I realise that I do not know'. This circumstance is just like the frog living in the well. And while in the well they figured out all the facts and figures of the universe-- they thought they knew everything. Because they considered that small well to be the entire universe. And then one day they jumped out of that well and they realised that there were so many things that they did not know. Similarly, that is the state of the sadhaka in the above song. The more they learn the more they realise how ignorant they are. Because this universe is vast and most of the things they cannot explain.
== ABOUT ONE'S LIKING AND ATTAINING HIM ==
Namaskar, This whole letter is deeply linked with doing sadhana and attaining Him. As we all know He is the abode of Bliss, He is that most subtle Entity, and He is the Divine One. In that case we should best understand how we can all march towards Him and get Him. And to do that one should be familiar with the inherent tendencies and status of their own mind. These below points were given to me by my family acarya and they may be helpful for others as well. Kindly write in with your thoughts and suggestions.
PEOPLE HAVE VARIOUS INTERESTS
In this trifarious world there are so many different activities and various engagements. And about all those activities and engagements, people make so many proclamations and declarations. Some say they feel good doing this or they tell that they feel bad doing that. Some say that doing sadhana is boring and that it makes them feel sleepy whereas some say that their mind gets concentrated when they go to the movies or when they sit at the computer and do email. Some tell they feel energised when they play football and when they go hiking; and side by side they express that they get tired when they study biology or read philosophy. Some say they are at their best when they sing kiirtan and others say they like going to the market and gossiping with the people all day long etc. In this way people have so many interests and disinterests-- so many likings and dislikings. So the question is, how does it all work; why does a person like one type of activity and not another. Why is one activity exhilarating for one person and why is it boring for another.
FROM ANIMALITY TO DIVINITY
In our Ananda Marga scriptures it is well described in countless places how human existence is the movement from animality to divinity. This everyone knows and in our practical experiences we can see this happening-- both with ourselves and with others. Baba says, "As a created being, everybody in the universe by birth is a pashu, an animal. But the standard of beings is to be exalted towards divinity, towards godliness. A pashu, that is, an animal, becomes man, man becomes god. This process, the process of exaltation, the process of upliftment, from animality to godliness, is your sa'dhana'." (AV-1, 'From Animality to Divinity') So to one degree or another, all are on the march from animality to divinity. This Baba describes above. Some may be moving quickly some slowly-- but all are moving. And the key point behind it all is that each and every human being is at their own psychic stature. Some are closer towards animality and some are closer to divinity. It all depends on the quality or standard of their mind. So there are various stages of mind and not only that but this mind is ever-changing. It is not static. So there are two points: The first is that everyone has their own radius to the Cosmic Nucleus-- that means that everyone has their one unique mental make-up. Just as no two snowflakes are exactly alike, similarly no two human beings are perfectly identical. All have their own mental characteristics and quality. And the second point is that one's mental standard is ever-changing. Each and every breath one is moving either closer towards divinity-- closer to the Cosmic Nucleus, or one is moving towards animality-- away from the Supreme Hub. So everyone's mind is unique and everyone's mind is constantly undergoing change. This situation everyone in AM understands.
PEOPLE DO ACCORDING TO THEIR MENTAL STANDARD
Now to apply this theory to the practical world, we can say this: That people like activities according to their mental standard. Here Baba gives us one clear cut example. Baba says, "Let's say an alcoholic and a sa'dhu go from Patna to Benares. The sa'dhu will join the company of other sa'dhus on some riverbank, while the alcoholic will locate some pub." (AV-3) So according to their mental standard people engage in the world. That is, those things which are on par with the state of their mind are the activities they like. As Baba explains above, an alcoholic prefers to go to the pub as that matches up with his mental tendency. That is why when he arrives at a new place he will seek out a drinking pub. Hand in hand, that same alcoholic will not like to go to the riverbank and do sadhana with the sadhus because that activity is far above his psychic standard. Doing sadhana will not be of any interest to him-- rather the alcoholic may feel bored or even frustrated by it. Why? Because it is more subtle than his crude mental framework. Similarly, the sadhu will always prefer to go to the riverbank to have the satsaunga of other sadhakas etc-- as that is on par with his psychic standard. That sadhu will not like going to the pub and being surrounded by all those alcoholics. The sadhu will find that entire scene at the pub to be quite suffocating and abhorrent. Because his mind is subtle and accustomed to refined activities like contemplation etc, whereas drinking alcohol and engaging in lewd behaviour is quite tamasik. For that reason the sadhu will not be attracted to going to the pub. Why? Because that environment is much cruder than his mental make-up. So according to their own mental status people like a particular activity or not. They neither like things that are above their standard nor below their standard. People like those engagements most which are directly on par with their psychic state-- and doing those things gives them energy and enjoyment. Those activities are suited to their psychic level; therefore they like those things. So the whole equation hinges upon one's own mental standard-- not the activity per se.
PEOPLE'S MISUNDERSTANDING: BLAME THE ACTIVITY
Some people operate under the misconception that such and such activity is no good because it makes them frustrated or sleepy. There are some who say this about sadhana. And then they arrive at the faulty conclusion that sadhana is not good because it make them tired etc. So they blame the activity-- they blame sadhana. But this is not correct. Because for other people-- for those who are more developed-- sadhana is quite a blissful and enchanting experience. It is full of love and His divine grace. Here the whole point is that the activity itself that is not the problem. The activity is what it is-- whether it be reading, kayaking, running, studying, or doing meditation. The activity in and of itself is not the root cause of one's boredom, interest, or frustration etc. Rather the degree of interest and level of engagement one has with that activity depends upon one's own psychic standard. Therefore it is not that sadhana makes someone sleepy. Rather it is that one's mind is not adequately advanced to properly engage in sadhana. In that case they feel bored or tired. That is the way it works. So it is not the activity that is at fault-- rather it is all dependent on one's psychic standard. That is what makes an activity blissful-- or not.
EVERYONE SHOULD INCREASE THEIR STANDARD-- BECOME MORE SUBTLE
At the same time, as we have concluded above, one's mind is always moving and always changing. It is always going up or down. Therefore, no one should feel that they are stuck in the same place forever and ever. Since the human mind is always changing and evolving, human life itself is mobile. Therefore an activity one likes today one may not like tomorrow-- simply because their mind has changed. In the general society, people's mental standard does not shift all that much. It changes no doubt-- but not very much. Because they are constantly thinking upon the same static ideas, in which case there is little room for the mind to grow. Rather it may even get more crudified. Whereas those on the path of AM can undergo a huge transformation. Because invariably throughout the day one will attempt to engage in subtle pursuits like kiirtan and sadhana and that will help the mind to grow. And not only that but the more the mind does those spiritual activities the more the mind becomes adjusted to them. That is why we see that at the beginning sometimes new sadhakas struggle a lot with sadhana but then as they practice more and more their minds dive deeper and deeper into that sublime practice. Because their mental structure has changed-- it has become more subtle. So none should lose hope that sadhana is forever out of their reach. Rather through on going practice and sincere effort one will certainly become more involved in their meditation. In that case two things will happen: One will derive more bliss from their sadhana and secondly one will lose interest in those old mundane pursuits. Certainly this is something we have all seen and experienced since coming into Ananda Marga-- since moving on the path of bliss.
PARAMA PURUSA IS THE HIGHEST ONE
Again let us say that Parama Purusa is that highest and most subtle one. He is the abode of ecstatic bliss and eternal life. Theoretically every Ananda Margii accepts this truth. But in the practical sphere sadhana may not always be so easy or interesting etc. That is why from top to bottom we have to prepare ourselves for doing sadhana by taking sentient food; doing half-bath and asanas regularly; following yama and niyama; having satsaunga; doing manan (thinking of Him), shravan (singing and hearing His name), niddhidhyasana (ideating on Him). All these revolutionary practices transform the mind into a more subtle sphere. And then by His grace and by directing and channelising our minds towards Him, little by little-- or even very quickly-- the mind will get transformed such that it will be more highly attracted towards Him and have a deep desire to engage in that subtle pursuit known as sadhana.
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's divine grace by following the path of AM and sadhana the mind will get more refined and subtle-- thereby allowing our existence to blossom. Baba says, "If the mind is narrow, Brahma sa'dhana' is futile....The narrowness of a unit mind in bondage is removed by the sustained effort to perform sa'dhana' at home and in the society at large. Through the all-embracing practice of sa'dhana' one will achieve the fullest expression of one's potentialities." (SS-6, 'All Shine with His effulgence') Here below is Baba's divine guarantee that we will attain Him. Baba says, "All are moving towards the nucleus of bha'gavata dharma. Everyone's individual journey ultimately terminates in Parama Purus'a. Just as the earth is moving around the sun, and the moon around the earth, similarly every individual human being is moving around Parama Purus'a. Your sa'dhana' is nothing but an attempt to reduce the distance between yourself and Parama Purus'a...Establish yourself in that dharma and your victory is assured." (AMIWL-10, 'Bhagavad Dharma') Namaskar, Manomohan

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