Date: Fri 8 Apr 2010 18:45:27
To: AM-GLOBAL
Subject: Indeed Margiis Can Teach
From: "Ishvara Deva"
Baba
== INDEED MARGIIS CAN TEACH ==
Namaskar,
Recently in our unit, some of us were involved in teaching others about AM, and one Dada intervened and stated that we should not do this as we were "not qualified".
This made us feel very sad. By Baba's grace we then consulted with one very senior acarya Didi and here following are the points she gave.
Really this was a very sentimental time for us and I remain so grateful for the guidance I received from Didiji.
For those more prone towards philosophical dialog, here are the essential questions we are raising.
1. Should we start teaching others about AM only when we get moksa, i.e. perfection?
2. Should we wait until we have been on the path 10 years before teaching others; or should we wait until we become a wholetimer before guiding others?
3. When can a general margii start teaching others about AM? When should a margii begin preaching the gospel of AM ideology?
Again, here it is not that I want to be a "great" Ananda Margii and give high-sounding talks to big audiences. That is not the spirit of this inquiry. Merely with our own inner heart feeling, a few of us were quietly sitting and talking to others about AM when that Dada came over and told us not to do like that.
MUST START TEACHING RIGHT AWAY
Only after consulting with a senior acarya Didi, did everything become clear. Here are the key points raised by that senior acarya Didi:
The bottom line is that it is the duty of each and every Ananda Margii to start teaching others about Ananda Marga immediately. Even the day a person is initiated they can, nay must, start doing pracara with others.
Here is the support from Baba's teachings:
(A) SIXTEEN POINTS: It is the duty of every Ananda Margii to follow 16 Points and embedded within 16 Points is service or seva. As we all know there are 4 types of seva in AM: shudrocita seva, ksatriyocita seva, vaeshyocita seva, and viprocita seva. And Baba guides us that we, i.e. all margiis, are to perform all four types of seva, including viprocita seva, which includes preaching the ideals of Ananda Marga.
Baba says, "We can give joy to Parama Puruśa by serving His creations – human beings, animals and plants – and this service will be the best application of neohumanism. This service can be done in four ways – viprocita sevá (intellectual service), kśatriyocita sevá (service of courage), vaeshyocita sevá (economic service) and shudrocita sevá (manual service). None of these is inferior: we cannot ignore any one of them. People should render service according to their capacity. Those who like intellectual service, can do that; those who like manual service, can do so. But it will be best if all the four types are performed." (17 May 1982, Calcutta)
In His above directive, Baba clearly tells that everyone - new and senior margiis alike - are to engage in all kinds of seva including teaching others about AM philosophy and lifestyle. Everyone must do this according to their capacity.
That means even a newly initiated margii can and should teach the general public about kiirtan, or yama and niyama etc. To the degree one is properly aware about Baba's teachings is the degree to which they should teach others. Then they will be performing seva and following 16 Points. That is Baba's mandate.
(B) AM MISSION: The Ananda Marga mission - self-realisation & selfless service - concerns each and every Ananda Margii.
Baba says, "What should a person do? Life is a mission. I have said that human life is an ideological flow. That is, human life is a mission; life itself is a mission; one’s very existence is a mission. Átmamokśárthaḿ jagaddhitáya ca – “Whatever one is to do one is to do for átmamokśa – for his own liberation – and for the elevation of the entire world, elevation of the entire human society.” One is to do both these things: that is, these two things are one’s mission." (AV-30)
Thus here again Baba is directing each and every person in the Marga to perform service - i.e. helping to care for and elevate all beings. Upon entering into AM, everyone must do this from day 1. Baba does not say that one should do sadhana for ten years - or after getting perfection, i.e. moksa - then one should start doing service. It is not like that.
Rather from the very beginning every margii is to do sadhana and perform service by preaching the ideals of dharma to others. So here again Baba is mandating that every Ananda Margii must do AM pracara and explain the tenets of AM to others.
(C) SUPREME COMMAND: In our Supreme Command too Baba tells each and every Ananda Margii to teach others about dharma and inspire them onto the path of spirituality.
"...It is the bounden duty of every Ananda Margii to endeavor to bring all to the path of bliss. Verily is this a part and parcel of sadhana, to lead others along the path of righteousness." (Supreme Command)
Thus by Baba's teaching in the Supreme Command, it is clear that all margiis - young or old, male or female etc - must embark on teaching others about AM ideals.
ALL MUST PREACH THE GOSPEL OF AM
Through His mandates of Sixteen Points, by His mission statement (Átmamokśárthaḿ jagaddhitáya ca), and by the Supreme Command, it is quite clear that every Ananda Margii should teach others about AM ideals from the very beginning. To delay this is to go against Guru's teachings. No one should have any complex about this nor should this point be shrouded in confusion. All - I repeat all - are to teach others about the principles of AM.
IGNORANT ACARYAS:
NO DADA CAN BAR YOU FROM TEACHING
Thus if you or anyone in your unit is sincerely teaching others about AM philosophy and a Dada tells you that you are "too new", or "not senior enough", or "not smart enough" etc, then just inform that Wt that Baba's guideline is that, "I must perform all 4 sevas each and every day and that includes teaching others about AM ideology, according to the level of my own knowledge base."
Thus no Dada can give any lame excuse and prohibit any margii - new or old - from guiding others on spiritual life and AM ideals.
Actually, it is the dogmatic religions that preach how lay / family people cannot teach the tenets. In Christianity only the priest can do; in Islam, only the mullah can do; and in Hinduism only the pundits can do. They are the only ones to preach the gospel of their religion - not the common people. So AM is totally unique. Baba says that all can and should do.
Unfortunately some ignorant and crafty Wts want to introduce religious dogmas into our AM society by stating that only the priest class can guide others. They just want to "copy & paste" such dogmas into our Marga.
But we must remember such dogmas are hellish.
Baba says, "These [common] people were deprived of the right to study the Vedas. The Antyaja Shúdras, if they even heard the Vedic chants, or the controlling Vedic mantra aum, or the “Savitr Rk” mantra, would be committing a great sin and molten lead would be poured into their ears so that their hearing would be destroyed forever. Nor were women, however educated, allowed to hear such sacred chants." (Namah Shivaya Shantaya, Disc: 5)
Indeed in those days of old, what to speak of not allowing the common people to preach the philosophy, they would not even allow the common people to learn it. If general citizens came in contact with those teachings they would be tortured and shunned - i.e. scarred for life. That was the way those dogmatic religions operated - and still today that is their modus operendi. They feel that mantras or prayers can only be solemnized when they are recited by priests etc. According to bhagavad dharma, there is no 3rd person between the devotee and God, but in such religions, the priest / mullah etc is the so-called intermediary. Here the point is that in the dogmatic religions, only the priest is able pass on religious knowledge, not anyone else.
Tragically now some Dadas are leaning in this direction and not allowing margiis to teach the philosophy to others. We have to oppose such Dadas. When any Dada is forbidding a margii to propagate the gospel of Ananda Marga or neo-humanism, we should alarm everyone about that Dada and unmask their name and address.
AM is totally different from the dogmatic religions. Baba has blessed us with a revolutionary approach where all have the moral duty to preach and teach the tenets of AM.
Unfortunately, some Dadas puffed up with vanity feel that only they should talk about dharma. They want everyone to listen to them. That is what their ego tells them. So they feel threatened if a margii sincerely engages in talks about AM philosophy with others.
But again, Baba's mandate is clear and pointed: Every initiated person in Ananda Marga must preach and teach others about our AM way of life.
IMPORTANT STIPULATIONS
Now that it is clear that it is the duty of every Ananda Margii to perform service and teach others about the philosophy and ideals of AM, there are a few easy points to keep in mind.
1) One must not teach others about the lessons of sadhana unless one is an tattvika, or acarya etc.
2) One should not teach aspects of Baba's teachings that they themselves are not adequately familiar with. If one does this then two negative results will arise. Firstly, one will spread faulty explanations and confuse others; and secondly, the person you are trying to teach will lose faith in you.
So ti is important to educate oneself about AM ideals and consult Baba's discourses by reading Ananda Marga books.
Indeed, every Ananda Margii should be eager and ready to preach Baba's gospel to any and all who are interested. And even if they are not interested, we should try and inspire them.
Margiis can teach our kiirtan mantra to anyone. We can teach them to sing internally or externally.
MUST NOT BE CONCERNED WITH PRAISE OR CENSURE
SERVE OTHERS TO PLEASE HIM
Here is another dynamic to be aware of when preaching AM ideals.
Some sincere margiis start doing pracara and mistakenly think that because they are doing dharmic work then people should appreciate them. Although this is not a totally degrading mindset, but for bhaktas this is not a very lofty outlook. This has a distinct drawback as well because if people are not appreciating you, then you feel there is no point in doing the work and you may drop it entirely. Furthermore if anyone criticises you then you will be totally dejected. Side by side, some opportunists might praise you to the sky in order to exploit you and get you to attend to their agenda. These are the pitfalls of getting caught up in praise and censure.
The best is for every sadhaka to serve other and propagate AM ideal thinking that they are doing everything for Parama Purusa - to please Him.
Then if someone opposes or praises you it does not matter. Your mind will remain balanced and you will not veer from your course. Why? Because you are doing to serve Parama Purusa, not to garner praise etc. Here the whole idea is that one should not be a slave of praise or censure. Then one cannot fulfill their duty on this earth.
Those who do pracara dharma with idea that they are serving Parama Purusa never get frustrated by others' negative comments. That is the expression of real devotion. And such persons do not anticipate that others should praise them because they are doing a great job.
Whenever a person believes in their heart that it is their duty to do a particular task then they do not expect that people should praise them. For example, when a mother is caring for her very small infant, then that mother does not care if the neighbor praises her or not.
Similarly, a good sadhaka will preach the gospel of AM without any expectation of praise and without any concern for censure. One will fulfill this blessed duty to please Parama Purusa.
Baba says, "Nindantu niitinipuńáh yadi vá stuvantu: “If I am too concerned with those who praise or censure me, I will not find time to do my real work. As I have come to this world only for a short period, my only concern should be to keep on doing the duty the Lord has assigned to me. And while doing this allotted duty, I should remember that I belong to Parama Puruśa. I have come form Him, and I will have to return to Him – and to do that, I must complete my allotted duty.” (Subhasita Samgraha, part 12)
Baba says, "Regarding those who are likely to create obstacles in your path – let them do so. You should remember that those who are the actual pioneers, the real vanguard of the society, are always a microscopic minority, but it is they who are destined to be victorious. Those who once opposed, or are now opposing or will oppose in the future, will in the future admit: “Yes, we are now driving our vehicle safely and comfortably along the very path which that vanguard once opened by clearing the jungle.” This means that those who cleared the obstacles in the beginning will later be recognized as pioneers. The funny thing is this, that people do not give recognition at the time it is due. This is the natural law. And at the same time you should also remember this simple truth: that in a jungle the number of tigers and lions is always few; the jackals far outnumber them. Yet in the jungle the tigers and lions reign supreme, not the jackals. The jackals are sure to howl, that is their nature; but the tigers and lions will not be frightened." (AV-6)
Namaskar,
Ishvara
Note 1: IMPORTANT PROVERB
One should never forget that human life evolves gradually from animal life in the cosmic cycle of brahmacakra. Human beings were animals in the past and those propensities are still dominant in many of our fellow human beings. For this reason some people feel the need to oppose good work. If we all keep this in mind then one will not get affected when others are opposing your righteous deeds.
Always remember this proverb: No good deed goes unpunished. The sens is that certain notorious people want to abuse you because their own prestige is at stake. But pay no mind to them, go on propagating the ideals of dharma, always singing Baba's name.
To: AM-GLOBAL
Subject: Indeed Margiis Can Teach
From: "Ishvara Deva"
Baba
== INDEED MARGIIS CAN TEACH ==
Namaskar,
Recently in our unit, some of us were involved in teaching others about AM, and one Dada intervened and stated that we should not do this as we were "not qualified".
This made us feel very sad. By Baba's grace we then consulted with one very senior acarya Didi and here following are the points she gave.
Really this was a very sentimental time for us and I remain so grateful for the guidance I received from Didiji.
For those more prone towards philosophical dialog, here are the essential questions we are raising.
1. Should we start teaching others about AM only when we get moksa, i.e. perfection?
2. Should we wait until we have been on the path 10 years before teaching others; or should we wait until we become a wholetimer before guiding others?
3. When can a general margii start teaching others about AM? When should a margii begin preaching the gospel of AM ideology?
Again, here it is not that I want to be a "great" Ananda Margii and give high-sounding talks to big audiences. That is not the spirit of this inquiry. Merely with our own inner heart feeling, a few of us were quietly sitting and talking to others about AM when that Dada came over and told us not to do like that.
MUST START TEACHING RIGHT AWAY
Only after consulting with a senior acarya Didi, did everything become clear. Here are the key points raised by that senior acarya Didi:
The bottom line is that it is the duty of each and every Ananda Margii to start teaching others about Ananda Marga immediately. Even the day a person is initiated they can, nay must, start doing pracara with others.
Here is the support from Baba's teachings:
(A) SIXTEEN POINTS: It is the duty of every Ananda Margii to follow 16 Points and embedded within 16 Points is service or seva. As we all know there are 4 types of seva in AM: shudrocita seva, ksatriyocita seva, vaeshyocita seva, and viprocita seva. And Baba guides us that we, i.e. all margiis, are to perform all four types of seva, including viprocita seva, which includes preaching the ideals of Ananda Marga.
Baba says, "We can give joy to Parama Puruśa by serving His creations – human beings, animals and plants – and this service will be the best application of neohumanism. This service can be done in four ways – viprocita sevá (intellectual service), kśatriyocita sevá (service of courage), vaeshyocita sevá (economic service) and shudrocita sevá (manual service). None of these is inferior: we cannot ignore any one of them. People should render service according to their capacity. Those who like intellectual service, can do that; those who like manual service, can do so. But it will be best if all the four types are performed." (17 May 1982, Calcutta)
In His above directive, Baba clearly tells that everyone - new and senior margiis alike - are to engage in all kinds of seva including teaching others about AM philosophy and lifestyle. Everyone must do this according to their capacity.
That means even a newly initiated margii can and should teach the general public about kiirtan, or yama and niyama etc. To the degree one is properly aware about Baba's teachings is the degree to which they should teach others. Then they will be performing seva and following 16 Points. That is Baba's mandate.
(B) AM MISSION: The Ananda Marga mission - self-realisation & selfless service - concerns each and every Ananda Margii.
Baba says, "What should a person do? Life is a mission. I have said that human life is an ideological flow. That is, human life is a mission; life itself is a mission; one’s very existence is a mission. Átmamokśárthaḿ jagaddhitáya ca – “Whatever one is to do one is to do for átmamokśa – for his own liberation – and for the elevation of the entire world, elevation of the entire human society.” One is to do both these things: that is, these two things are one’s mission." (AV-30)
Thus here again Baba is directing each and every person in the Marga to perform service - i.e. helping to care for and elevate all beings. Upon entering into AM, everyone must do this from day 1. Baba does not say that one should do sadhana for ten years - or after getting perfection, i.e. moksa - then one should start doing service. It is not like that.
Rather from the very beginning every margii is to do sadhana and perform service by preaching the ideals of dharma to others. So here again Baba is mandating that every Ananda Margii must do AM pracara and explain the tenets of AM to others.
(C) SUPREME COMMAND: In our Supreme Command too Baba tells each and every Ananda Margii to teach others about dharma and inspire them onto the path of spirituality.
"...It is the bounden duty of every Ananda Margii to endeavor to bring all to the path of bliss. Verily is this a part and parcel of sadhana, to lead others along the path of righteousness." (Supreme Command)
Thus by Baba's teaching in the Supreme Command, it is clear that all margiis - young or old, male or female etc - must embark on teaching others about AM ideals.
ALL MUST PREACH THE GOSPEL OF AM
Through His mandates of Sixteen Points, by His mission statement (Átmamokśárthaḿ jagaddhitáya ca), and by the Supreme Command, it is quite clear that every Ananda Margii should teach others about AM ideals from the very beginning. To delay this is to go against Guru's teachings. No one should have any complex about this nor should this point be shrouded in confusion. All - I repeat all - are to teach others about the principles of AM.
IGNORANT ACARYAS:
NO DADA CAN BAR YOU FROM TEACHING
Thus if you or anyone in your unit is sincerely teaching others about AM philosophy and a Dada tells you that you are "too new", or "not senior enough", or "not smart enough" etc, then just inform that Wt that Baba's guideline is that, "I must perform all 4 sevas each and every day and that includes teaching others about AM ideology, according to the level of my own knowledge base."
Thus no Dada can give any lame excuse and prohibit any margii - new or old - from guiding others on spiritual life and AM ideals.
Actually, it is the dogmatic religions that preach how lay / family people cannot teach the tenets. In Christianity only the priest can do; in Islam, only the mullah can do; and in Hinduism only the pundits can do. They are the only ones to preach the gospel of their religion - not the common people. So AM is totally unique. Baba says that all can and should do.
Unfortunately some ignorant and crafty Wts want to introduce religious dogmas into our AM society by stating that only the priest class can guide others. They just want to "copy & paste" such dogmas into our Marga.
But we must remember such dogmas are hellish.
Baba says, "These [common] people were deprived of the right to study the Vedas. The Antyaja Shúdras, if they even heard the Vedic chants, or the controlling Vedic mantra aum, or the “Savitr Rk” mantra, would be committing a great sin and molten lead would be poured into their ears so that their hearing would be destroyed forever. Nor were women, however educated, allowed to hear such sacred chants." (Namah Shivaya Shantaya, Disc: 5)
Indeed in those days of old, what to speak of not allowing the common people to preach the philosophy, they would not even allow the common people to learn it. If general citizens came in contact with those teachings they would be tortured and shunned - i.e. scarred for life. That was the way those dogmatic religions operated - and still today that is their modus operendi. They feel that mantras or prayers can only be solemnized when they are recited by priests etc. According to bhagavad dharma, there is no 3rd person between the devotee and God, but in such religions, the priest / mullah etc is the so-called intermediary. Here the point is that in the dogmatic religions, only the priest is able pass on religious knowledge, not anyone else.
Tragically now some Dadas are leaning in this direction and not allowing margiis to teach the philosophy to others. We have to oppose such Dadas. When any Dada is forbidding a margii to propagate the gospel of Ananda Marga or neo-humanism, we should alarm everyone about that Dada and unmask their name and address.
AM is totally different from the dogmatic religions. Baba has blessed us with a revolutionary approach where all have the moral duty to preach and teach the tenets of AM.
Unfortunately, some Dadas puffed up with vanity feel that only they should talk about dharma. They want everyone to listen to them. That is what their ego tells them. So they feel threatened if a margii sincerely engages in talks about AM philosophy with others.
But again, Baba's mandate is clear and pointed: Every initiated person in Ananda Marga must preach and teach others about our AM way of life.
IMPORTANT STIPULATIONS
Now that it is clear that it is the duty of every Ananda Margii to perform service and teach others about the philosophy and ideals of AM, there are a few easy points to keep in mind.
1) One must not teach others about the lessons of sadhana unless one is an tattvika, or acarya etc.
2) One should not teach aspects of Baba's teachings that they themselves are not adequately familiar with. If one does this then two negative results will arise. Firstly, one will spread faulty explanations and confuse others; and secondly, the person you are trying to teach will lose faith in you.
So ti is important to educate oneself about AM ideals and consult Baba's discourses by reading Ananda Marga books.
Indeed, every Ananda Margii should be eager and ready to preach Baba's gospel to any and all who are interested. And even if they are not interested, we should try and inspire them.
Margiis can teach our kiirtan mantra to anyone. We can teach them to sing internally or externally.
MUST NOT BE CONCERNED WITH PRAISE OR CENSURE
SERVE OTHERS TO PLEASE HIM
Here is another dynamic to be aware of when preaching AM ideals.
Some sincere margiis start doing pracara and mistakenly think that because they are doing dharmic work then people should appreciate them. Although this is not a totally degrading mindset, but for bhaktas this is not a very lofty outlook. This has a distinct drawback as well because if people are not appreciating you, then you feel there is no point in doing the work and you may drop it entirely. Furthermore if anyone criticises you then you will be totally dejected. Side by side, some opportunists might praise you to the sky in order to exploit you and get you to attend to their agenda. These are the pitfalls of getting caught up in praise and censure.
The best is for every sadhaka to serve other and propagate AM ideal thinking that they are doing everything for Parama Purusa - to please Him.
Then if someone opposes or praises you it does not matter. Your mind will remain balanced and you will not veer from your course. Why? Because you are doing to serve Parama Purusa, not to garner praise etc. Here the whole idea is that one should not be a slave of praise or censure. Then one cannot fulfill their duty on this earth.
Those who do pracara dharma with idea that they are serving Parama Purusa never get frustrated by others' negative comments. That is the expression of real devotion. And such persons do not anticipate that others should praise them because they are doing a great job.
Whenever a person believes in their heart that it is their duty to do a particular task then they do not expect that people should praise them. For example, when a mother is caring for her very small infant, then that mother does not care if the neighbor praises her or not.
Similarly, a good sadhaka will preach the gospel of AM without any expectation of praise and without any concern for censure. One will fulfill this blessed duty to please Parama Purusa.
Baba says, "Nindantu niitinipuńáh yadi vá stuvantu: “If I am too concerned with those who praise or censure me, I will not find time to do my real work. As I have come to this world only for a short period, my only concern should be to keep on doing the duty the Lord has assigned to me. And while doing this allotted duty, I should remember that I belong to Parama Puruśa. I have come form Him, and I will have to return to Him – and to do that, I must complete my allotted duty.” (Subhasita Samgraha, part 12)
Baba says, "Regarding those who are likely to create obstacles in your path – let them do so. You should remember that those who are the actual pioneers, the real vanguard of the society, are always a microscopic minority, but it is they who are destined to be victorious. Those who once opposed, or are now opposing or will oppose in the future, will in the future admit: “Yes, we are now driving our vehicle safely and comfortably along the very path which that vanguard once opened by clearing the jungle.” This means that those who cleared the obstacles in the beginning will later be recognized as pioneers. The funny thing is this, that people do not give recognition at the time it is due. This is the natural law. And at the same time you should also remember this simple truth: that in a jungle the number of tigers and lions is always few; the jackals far outnumber them. Yet in the jungle the tigers and lions reign supreme, not the jackals. The jackals are sure to howl, that is their nature; but the tigers and lions will not be frightened." (AV-6)
Namaskar,
Ishvara
Note 1: IMPORTANT PROVERB
One should never forget that human life evolves gradually from animal life in the cosmic cycle of brahmacakra. Human beings were animals in the past and those propensities are still dominant in many of our fellow human beings. For this reason some people feel the need to oppose good work. If we all keep this in mind then one will not get affected when others are opposing your righteous deeds.
Always remember this proverb: No good deed goes unpunished. The sens is that certain notorious people want to abuse you because their own prestige is at stake. But pay no mind to them, go on propagating the ideals of dharma, always singing Baba's name.
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