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Stand of Ananda Marga on Burning...

From: George Kourakos Subject: Stand of Ananda Marga on Burning... Date: Sun 12 Sep 2010 16:34:02 -0000 Baba "Sukhe ele na'ko, shoke sa'ntvana' dite ele..." (PS 3091) Purport: Baba, when I was feeling happy and content that time You did not come. Those days I was so enamoured with myself and I was so involved in my own glory that I did not even think to call You. So You did not come. But when I lost all that happiness and when I become drowned in my sorrows of self pity and when I was suffering and overwhelmed by various problems, then by Your grace You immediately came and consoled me. Baba in that desperate moment You graciously relieved me of my grief. Baba, I did not ever feel that You are mine. In this life I was always suffering from the vanity and ego of my own I-feeling. Those days I was thinking that 'I am everything'. Due to my ego I did not accept You as the Supreme One-- as my Goal. I did not take You as that most loving One who can solve all my problems; I did not surrender at Your feet. Baba, even then by Your grace You took Your holy advent deep inside my heart and became mine. And now I understand that You are ever helpful and that You remain with me always. Baba, those days when I was overwhelmed by that severe suffering, I did not outrightly tell You about my problems. I did not openly say anything. I did not express my pain to You. But because You are ever-present in my heart and because You are my eternal shelter, with Your infinite compassion You fully understood the desperate state of my mind-- You understood my sorrow. And by Your grace You instantly poured Your eternal sweetness and love. By Your grace You filled my whole existence with Your divine bliss. Baba, due to my ego and vanity I could not recognise You. You were showering huge grace on me but I could not recognise that. I thought that due to my own qualities everything was happening. In those happy times I could not recognise You. Only did I begin to recognise You in my sorrow. Baba, in my state of terrible suffering, when the mountain of misery started falling on my head, then all my friends left me. I was all alone. When I was happy then they were along with me but when I became sunk in misery and woe all those friends disappeared. Baba, You are the exact opposite. When I was sunk in woe then by Your grace You immediately came and removed all my pains and troubles. Baba You bathed me in Your infinite love. Filling my I-feeling with Your bliss, You surrounded me each and every second. Baba, You showered Your grace and saturated my heart. Baba, You are so gracious. You are love Personified. You have done everything for me. Baba, I surrender at Your alter...
== STAND OF AM ON BURNING KORAN, BIBLE & DESTROYING IDOLS ==
Namaskar, All have heard the news how one Christian pastor threatened to burn the Koran (Quran) on the occasion of the 9th anniversary of 9/11. In the wake of worldwide furor, the pastor withdrew and promised not to burn the Koran. Even then this incident is not over - similar scenes are bound to recur. As in the case of all critical issues, as Ananda Margiis we should be crystal clear about Baba's teaching. We should know our stand - i.e. the stand of Ananda Marga. Specifically, (a) what is our policy with regards to the burning of holy books from the various religions, (b) what are our weapons against such religions, and (c) on what level can we address religious claims. To reach these answers, we must review Baba's, our Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji's, key guidelines about the various religions.
RELIGION IS FADING
In comparison to a 100 years ago, religion on the whole is a much weaker force than it used to be. And further back in the middle ages, millions were killed in the name of religion during the crusades. Today however, religion is no longer the dominating influence in peoples' lives. Mostly it is just a namesake - i.e. something that people passively follow. Most do not ardently adhere to the various religious rituals and mandates. People no longer base their lives on what the scriptures say. With the rise of science, people depend more on their logic and reasoning. They are no longer moved or swayed by irrational religious doctrines. Hence religion is fading away in most parts of the globe. Although some radical fundamentalists do exist in every religion - they are comparatively few in number. Here the term radical refers to those who blindly follow negative and detrimental theories based on irrational ideas devoid of logic and reasoning. Strictly following bhagavad dharma is not radical as it is based on rationality and for universal well-being. If someone is an adherent of harmful dogmatic teachings from the religions, then surely they are radical. Here Baba points out the defective mind-set of such persons. Baba says, "It is very difficult to persuade religious bigots to follow the path of logic because according to them even to listen to others is a sinful act. This is nothing but mere sentiment. According to some religions beef eating is forbidden but the killing of deer and goats is permissible. This is totally irrational." (Prout Nutshell - 7) Thus in this age of reasoning, most are not convinced or drawn in by religious leaders. Because when those religious leaders themselves do not follow the path of logic, then the common people just think such priests etc are outdated. For this reason the various religions are shrinking.
MUST NOT INCITE REVIVAL
However, if a misplayed and offensive attack is launched against those religions on the sentimental plane - such as by burning their holy books etc - then there will be a major uprising and waves of followers will staunchly line up behind their religion. Baba says, "Through such religions it is next to impossible to establish unity in the society. Religious differences should be minimized as much as possible, but it should be remembered that blind faith in a religion cannot be forcibly eliminated. To strike at any type of sentiment will only cause that sentiment to grow stronger." (A Few Problems Solved - 2) Why do we see - from time to time - profane language used by one religious follower to another? Because of some political gain. This has happened time and again. It has happened in the past and will recur in the future. Intelligent people should always be alert and aware of such tactics. Those not in power incite tense situations to get the power and thereby create chaos in the society. This unfortunate maneuver occurs all around the globe. When we see such incidents it means some political gain is at stake. Those not in power want to come in power by escalating the situation and creating differences. 9/11 happened nine years ago but in those days nobody threatened to burn the Koran because the party involved was in power. Nowadays, since they are not in power, this same party wishes to sidetrack everyone from the main issue of solving the economic crisis. Such parties incite the public in a cheap manner - i.e. by threatening to burn the Koran - in order to disrupt society and bring voters into their fold. If we allow this to create religious conflict then fissiparious tendencies and divisive forces will rise and society will be torn apart. All remnants of peace will be gone. Thus to lambaste any religion on sentimental grounds will only make matters worse. That is Baba's pointed warning. Religious leaders can only rely on sentiment and emotion to rally their people - they cannot say "use your brain" because the religions do not adhere to rational teachings. So if we attack their religious sentiment by insulting their holy texts then that will only invite a dogmatic resurgence of that religion. Everyone, inside and outside of the Marga, must be careful about this.
HOW MUST WE PROCEED
Here Baba outlines what our approach must be in order to create peace and harmony in the society. Baba says, "Psychological methods will have to be employed to make people realize the irrational nature of blind religious faith. This requires a rational interpretation of philosophy through enlightened intellect. When the human mind is gripped by the fear psychology it gives indulgence to blind faith rather than logic and reason. If human fear is removed through logic and reason, the very basis for blind faith will be weakened. That is why human beings will have to be taught philosophical doctrines in a rational way." (A Few Problems Solved - 2) Thus we are to employ logic and reasoning as our faithful tools to combat religious dogmas. Resorting to insulting behaviours and / or belittling their faith will not do. Furthermore in His teachings on neo-humanism, Baba guides us to fight against isms and dogmas with our logic & reasoning. And that logic and reasoning can only be successful if one has inherent love for all of humanity. Such persons are sadvipras. They only can wipe away dogmas and isms. If politicians try to crush, suppress or push aside the religions then they will fail. The communists tried that scheme but they could not smother those religions. Rather such religions flourished underground. Baba says, "It should be remembered that there are certain differences in the society which should be taken into proper consideration. These differences are usually removed through natural fusion. It is not possible to eradicate them by force. When human beings come close to each other with a genuine feeling of unity, when they share the common joys and sorrows of life, those external differences gradually vanish as a matter of course. In the human society there are four main types of external differences: food, dress, language and religion." (Prout in a Nutshell - 7) That is why Baba encourages inter-caste, inter-race & international marriages. And indeed we see that any metropolitan city around the globe where there is a wide representation of diverse ethnic groups living and working together, such as in New York, Sao Paulo, or London, such types of heated social problems are much less. We should rally around similarities not differences. We can also encourage rational philosophical discussions as that will clear up the minds of students.
IMPORTANCE OF FREE THINKING
The most detrimental aspect of religion which hinders society most is that people stop using their brain. In any era, or country or place where religion is very dominant, people are forced to blindly follow dogmatic edicts and keep away from rational analysis. In that way, they degrade themselves to near animals. Everyone knows that our intellect is the unique quality of being human yet the religions mostly force people not to use their intellect - they stifle the entire method of free inquiry and open discussion. If we gradually encourage logic and reasoning - especially with youths - then gradually the hateful religions will be a relic of the past. That is why Ananda Marga is working hard to establish educational and neo-humanistic institutions around the globe. The rate at which religion is fading now is staggering; it is on a big downturn. We must raise the slogan of intellectual freedom and rational thinking. Then we can get success because religion does not allow such logic and reasoning. In contrast, if we allow impulsive and fiery preachers to burn the Koran etc, then that will only ignite the flames of religious fervor. That will be totally counter-productive.
RELIGIOUS DIALOG: PHILOSOPHICAL DISCUSSION VERSUS ATTACK ON SENTIMENT
As margiis we should understand Baba's guideline for discussing the religions. In AM, we appreciate healthy debates on philosophical grounds based on religious teaching and preachings. Hence we can speak about the loopholes of any of the religions. For instance in Christianity we can debate their positions on heaven, hell, and Satan etc, and with Hindus we can raise the point of idol worship etc. We can discuss why these things are right or wrong with regard to all the religions. But these philosophical discussion must be carried out in a very respectful and dignified manner. There must not be one bit of hatred or disrespect towards any religion. On this very point Baba says in Caryacarya: Baba says, "Never attack the religious beliefs of anyone. Make the person understand gradually with logic. If you attack a person’s religious beliefs, it means you have attacked Ananda Marga." (CC-2, "Society", pt #9) So we do not appreciate any type of attack on one's religious sentiments. That means no bible burning, no Koran burning, no destroying of idols, no cartoons about Mohammad, no wall writing about the religions using offensive language etc. It is fine to politely discuss the defects of idol worship but we should not stand from afar and hurl rocks at those Hindu temples. Debating the principles is very important, Baba says we should do like that. But we must not hurt their emotional or sentimental feelings of their religion. That will only lead to social chaos and and rouse the followers behind those religions. The question comes: Why should we encourage philosophical debates? Because we believe in the liberation of intellect and free use of logic and reasoning. Before choosing any religion, one should use their brain as to how far it is logically meaningful. We see in the society that when people go to purchase anything worth one penny they think deeply about how far they should spend that money or not. But when committing their entire heart and emotional feeling to a certain religion then they do not use their brain. They do not question its veracity. For instance, Hindus believe that if you hold the tail of a cow on the bank of the Ganges in Varanasi and pay a priest 50 rupees to recite the rituals for "godana puja", then you will go to eternal heaven and receive all kinds of luxuries and niceties. Such an approach is not good. Everyone should use their brain and logic and see how far it is rational to surrender to those religious beliefs and theories. In any geographical region where education is prevalent, the grip of religious dogma is melting fast. But where people are not well educated, they are more prone to illogical beliefs, rituals and dogma. So education is very important. It should not be forgotten that in America 14% of the population is illiterate - they cannot comprehend the newspaper. Thus we must work hard to raise the intellectual standard of all peoples in all countries - that will help promote an environment of all-round respect and cordiality.
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace He has given us all the teachings to form a harmonious human society. We must pay heed to His guideline of not hurting anyone's religious sentiment nor should we try and forcefully root out any dogma by methods of suppression, repression or terror. We are all one people - brother and sisters - united in under the loving shelter of one God. Whatever differences we have must be sorted out in a respectful, safe, and diplomatic manner. Baba says, "The more human beings live in unity, shoulder to shoulder, the greater the welfare of the human race will be. Let no one try to suppress others on the basis of nationality, language, religion or anything else in any sphere of life. Let the path of full expression of human intelligence be kept open forever." (A Few Problems Solved - 3) Namaskar, Gagan
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Baba says, "This has been our failing: that we neglected the spiritual faculties of human life, we neglected the cardinal spiritual points of life. If we are interested today in the welfare of this beautiful universe, we should try more and more to accelerate the speed of spiritual progress. If the acceleration of spiritual progress becomes tremendous, then not only in the human world, but also in the physical, psychic and spiritual spheres of the entire world -- and not only of the entire animate world, but of both the animate and inanimate worlds -- there will be tremendous progress. And this is what we want. Now we are anxiously waiting for that crimson dawn on the eastern horizon." (AFPS-5) Note: Generally people do not realise this very thing which Baba has explained above. To understand this fully it needs agraya' buddhi (pointed intellect). Only those who are blessed sadhaka can understand that sadhana is the panacea.
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