== HOW YOU CAN SAVE MONEY ==
Namaskar,
In this day and age, people waste a lot of time trying to earn more and
more money - laboring anywhere from 8 - 10 hours daily, or even 18 hours
in a single day.
Plus most people are totally worried about money - so they think about
earning money even when they are not working. They eat, sleep, and dream
about it.
In this way their entire psyche and days are consumed.
The general psychology is to earn more and spend more. That becomes
their entire life - that is the unfortunate truth. The tragedy is that
this human life is about so much more than just collecting money. Human
life is far larger than this.
To resolve this critical issue, Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji has given
a beautiful way of living that is very easy for everyone to do. And by
following His guidelines, you are sure to save huge amounts of money.
So if you are suffering from any sort of financial worry or fiscal need,
then read this following letter.
THIS LETTER IS FOR EVERYONE
The guidelines in this letter are for everyone. If you are already an
Ananda Margii or a sympathizer of the Marga, you will readily see how
much you are saving by following AM practices. Plus you may get some new
tips as well.
And if you are not yet an Ananda Margii, then by reading the below you
will get a clear-cut vision how following our AM way of life will
benefit you financially.
Hence this letter is for absolutely anyone and everyone who wishes to
save money and live a financially secure life.
NO INTOXICANTS (Part 1)
In Ananda Marga, as we all know, or as new people will soon learn, we do
not use any intoxicants - none. This is the first great way of saving
money by leading life as an Ananda Margii.
Cigarettes, beer, wine, and hard alcohol are all getting taxed verily
heavily by the city, state, provincial and federal government. So the
prices of these substances is skyrocketing.
Indeed just this past month the tax on cigarettes in NY state went up
$1.60 to a total of $4.35 on taxes alone, so a pack of cigarettes now
costs $9.20 (on average) in NY. Smoking a pack a day over the course of
a year would add up to more than $3,650.00. And this type of increase is
happening everywhere. The same thing is going on with regards to alcohol.
Since in Ananda Marga we have no interest in or use for cigarettes, or
any of these other legal intoxicants like alcohol etc, we are saving a
huge amount of money. Just ask any ex-smoker or ex-drinker and they will
most assuredly tell you about all the money they are saving by quitting
their dirty habit.
NO INTOXICANTS (Part 2)
Then of course there are the illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine,
heroine etc. These all cost a huge amount of money - it is big business
- but for Ananda Margiis this is a non-issue entirely. Hence big $aving$.
Included in this topic are other health costs and legal fees. If one is
using intoxicants of any kind they will certainly have to spend more
money on doctors fees, health concerns, insurance premiums, hospital
care and other medications etc, since those intoxicants will ruin their
health.
In addition, drinking and driving is illegal so if one gets caught by
the police they will incur big legal fees in order to clear their name
and stay out of jail, if possible. Same is the case if they are caught
using illegal drugs. Not only are the drugs expensive and addicting, but
one have to spend huge money on attorney fees to clear their name in a
court of law.
So from multiple angles, our clean way of living that is free of any and
all intoxicants saves us a lot of money. That is the first great savings
for being an Ananda Margii.
FOOD
Our style of eating, i.e. our vegetarian diet, is also a big money
saver. In most places, fresh fruit and vegetables are far less costly
than meat - both on our wallet and our health. Our daily or weekly
shopping is less expensive plus we will not face all the health issues
that hinders meat-eaters. So we will not have to pay those big medical
bills either.
Various studies show how eating home-prepared vegetarian meals foods is
cheaper (and healthier!) than a meat-based diet. Also always look into
buying foods in bulk - one can save huge money this way.
There is much more involved in this point of food, but I think most of
us are aware about them. And already there is a lot of information out
there about the extreme financial and health costs of a meat-based diet.
The only further point that is worth raising on the point of food is
that as Ananda Margiis we do not dine in restaurants or hotels. Of
course the reason we do not do this is because those places are not
sentient: The dishes themselves are dirty, the ingredients are unknown,
and the cooks are non-sadhakas. So that is why we do not dine in such
establishments. But, on the top, eating in these restaurants is an
expensive habit. By not frequenting such restaurants we save a lot of
money. What average people spend on a single meal in a restaurant is
enough funds for wise, vegetarian shoppers to eat for 1 or 2 weeks at home.
GAMBLING
So much of the world indulges in gambling - either in casinos, or
on-line, or at sporting events, or in lotteries, etc. The tragedy with
gambling is the the "house" always wins. People waste their time and
hard-earned money and come home empty handed. Not only do they lose
their money, but they lose their mental balance as well as gambling is
an addition. People go so far as to sell their most valued possessions
in order to support their gambling habit. Indeed, even the great King
Yudhisthira lost his entire wealth and property in a game of dice. Such
are the ill effects of gaming and gambling.
Our Ananda Marga does not allow for this at all.
Baba says, "The habit of making wagers is extremely undesirable. You
must avoid lotteries and gambling." (CC-2, Society, pt#38)
When there is no gambling then there is no question of losing money or
wasting away one's time. This is an absolute money-saver.
LOANS
In our present era, this is a big, big point. So many people around the
world, especially in the materialistic western nations, make it a hobby
or even career in life to spend money which they do not have.
People incur debt by taking big loans to pay for things that they cannot
afford: clothes, fancy meals, i-Phones, sports cars, gadgets, and so
much more. By this way they lose money in two ways: Firstly by
purchasing a costly item which they do not really need; secondly by
having to pay the interest on the loan for that item. Hence it is a
double loss.
Yet all "modern economies" around the globe are based on this faulty
precept. Not only do individuals and families indulge in this, but
entire cities, counties, states and even whole nations embark on this
defective manner of taking loans to pay for things they cannot afford.
From beginning to end this is a totally costly and mentally taxing
affair. People stay awake at night wondering and worrying about how they
are going to pay back their loan. And countries like Greece go totally
bankrupt.
In Ananda Marga, Baba is entirely against the idea of taking a loan or
incurring debt for superfluous items.
Baba says, "To purchase, by incurring debt, serge where tweed will do,
or gaberdine where serge will do, is surely against the principle of
aparigraha." (GHC)
Indeed the entire spirit of aparigraha is to live in a simple manner,
within one's means. This is only possible if one can to cultivate the
requisite santosa (mental ease), such that a person will not senselessly
run after material goods. As Baba points out in many discourses, the
practices of aparigraha and santosa are closely linked.
Baba says, "Human desire knows no end. Millionaires want to become
multimillionaires, because they are not satisfied with their million.
Ask the millionaires if they are happy with their money. They will say,
“Where is the money? I am somehow pulling on.” This answer indicates
their ignorance of aparigraha. But such feelings have another adverse
effect on body and mind."
Here Baba continues His discourse.
Baba says, "Out of excessive fondness for physical or mental pleasures
people become mad to earn money and amass wealth. As money becomes the
be-all and end-all of life, the mind gets crudified. Constant hankering
after money results in negligence of one’s health, and this makes the
body unfit. Therefore, santos'a sa'dhana' lies in being contented with
the earnings of normal labour, without any undue pressure on the body
and mind. To remain contented, one has to make a special type of mental
effort to keep aloof from external allurements." (GHC)
Hence by following yama and niyama and doing sadhana, one can easily
become adept at the points of aparigraha and santosa. And this will lead
to saving so much money - huge amounts.
Because without aparigraha and santosa, one will become a prisoner to
the consumer mentality of "buy this" & "buy that" which is so infested
within capitalism.
Hence this topic of loans in highly linked without our mental state and
yama and niyama. When the mind is balanced one will steer clear of all
kinds of unneeded purchases as well as unnecessary loans, thereby saving
tremendous amounts of money.
OTHER WAYS OF SAVING MONEY
BY FOLLOWING OUR AM WAY OF LIFE
Here is a brief list of other ways any sadhaka of the Marga will
certainly save money. Again, anyone can follow this approach and get the
financial benefits. I invite others to comment and elaborate on these
below points.
- Fasting: By fasting 2 or 4 times monthly, we save 1 - 2 months worth
of food over the course of the entire year. Plus fasting purifies the
body and keeps us disease-free, and away from expensive medical visits.
- Marriage: In some traditions huge money or dowries are paid to get
one's children married. We do not subscribe to such dogmas. Our social
ceremonies are free.
- Tiirtha / Pilgrimage: Traveling to so-called holy lands like Mecca,
Jerusalem or Varanasi each year is an expensive proposition. In AM, we
do not have such destinations - the only tiirtha in AM is Guru cakra.
- Birth & Death: Here again these entail social ceremonies that do not
cost any money in AM, whereas in the dogmatic churches and temples,
moderate to large sums of money need to be paid. Plus without a large
payment, one will not even find a spot in the cemetery or get a good
casket, whereas in AM the body is burned at no expense to the deceased
or their family.
- Hobbies: In AM, our only hobby is social service and helping others
whereas in the so-called first-world nations average citizens spend
enormous amounts of money on hobbies and recreational activities. Thus
we save a lot in this department as well.
- Psychic Disease: Sadhana keeps the mind balanced and without sadhana
people encounter so many mental problems: frustration, depression,
angst, phobias etc. In that case they have to spend huge money on
psychiatrists and psychologists.
- Inferiority Complex: Anyone with an inferiority is bound to be
exploited. Sadhana will free the mind from such complexes.
- Religious Taxes: In most of the religions, the tax for the average
member is 10% or so of their total income. In Ananda Marga it is only
2%. Thus we save 8%.
And there are a multitude of other ways in which we save money. Everyone
should write in with their experience of how they save money by being an
Ananda Margii
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace He has given us the perfect system for living in this
era of economic struggle and strife. By following His life principles we
are bound to save large sums of money and feel relaxed about our
financial picture.
So if anyone is suffering from economic turmoil, just become an Ananda
Margii or redouble one's efforts in following 16 Pts. Then one will be
worry-free and unencumbered by economic problems.
Let us remember that human life is short and it is meant for sadhana,
not getting caught up in financial concerns.
Baba says, "One should not forget that human life is short. From the
moment of birth one slowly and steadily advances towards death with
every passing second. This short period of time from birth to death is
human life. Human beings have come from the world of invisibility and at
the end of this short span of time will return to the world of
invisibility. Those people can be called intelligent who utilize every
moment of their short life engaged in spiritual practice." (APH-4)
Namaskar,
Jagatmitra
Note 1: BABA'S SPECIAL ORDER ABOUT LOANS
Here furthermore is another of Baba's special guideline about taking loans.
Baba says, "I am also giving one more advice in regard to aparigraha. If
any Margis have to spend on anything in addition to the fixed
expenditure (for example, expensive clothing, ornaments, articles of
furniture, marriage, building, etc.), they should, before incurring such
expenditure, obtain a clear order from their a'ca'rya, unit secretary or
district secretary, or any other person of responsible rank. Similarly,
permission is to be obtained before taking loan from any businessman or
money-lender." (GHC)
Note 2: GOOD FOR ONE AND ALL
In this materialistic era, the mass of people weigh most of their
decisions on money. People want to know what is most economical. This
plays into our favour as this entire letter aims to show the innumerable
ways how living life as an Ananda Margii is the best bank for your buck.
So this is a good pracara strategy: Save money by becoming an Ananda
Margii.
In addition, challenging or severe economic times are mounting, so as
Ananda Margiis we need not worry so much since in a multitude of ways
our way of life is the most economical. It is a better deal fiscally.
By the above listing of points, it is easy to see how and why our AM
ways of life is great in all realms of life, including financially.
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