Ridiculous Dogma Related with Sadhana

Baba

== RIDICULOUS DOGMA RELATED WITH SADHANA ==

Namaskar,
The quoted statement appended below in note #2 where one person is giving their suggestion about doing dhyana with a chair placed in front of them is not at all supported by the teachings of Rev. Baba.

BABA'S TEACHINGS ON PUJA

Baba has elaborately discussed the term puja or pujan along with its various expressions used by the karmkandis (dogmatic Hindu ritualic worshipers). A few sentences are as follows.

Baba says, "When a person, with or without any selfish motive, offers his or her deep reverence to an entity with undivided concentration, with or without external paraphernalia such as flowers, bel leaves, sandalwood paste, Ganges water, basil, bananas, rice, etc., that is called pújá or pújana. And the type of worship which is performed with selfish motive and external paraphernalia is called arcá or arcaná. The type of worship which is performed with or without selfish motive, but certainly without any specific external paraphernalia, is called prárthaná. And the special type of pújá which is performed without any selfish motive or external paraphernalia is called Brahmasadbháva [ideation of Brahma]. Now, these systems of worship are further divided into certain stages of priestly ritual, for instance: auṋganyása [bodily gestures], karanyása [hand positions], ácamana [sipping holy water], shikhábandhana [tying ritual hair-knots], áváhana [invoking the deity], mályadána [garlanding the deity], tilakadhárańa [smearing the forehead with vermilion or sandalwood paste] and visarjana [immersion of the deity in water]. This systematic mode of worship is called vidhipújana [systematic worship]." (Namah Shivaya Shantaya, Disc: 14. Shivopadesha 4)

Discussing these points Baba has proven that best of all of these is Brahmasadbhava, and finally established that NA MUKTIH VIDHIPUJANE (ritualistic worship does not lead to liberation).

TWO PROBLEMS FOR ANY SADHAKA

Actually, there are two great problems before the devotee:
(1) How to contemplate the vast entity i.e. Brahma or cosmic entity by his small unit mind?; and,
(2) If the cosmic entity i.e. Brahma comes in the ideation what should be presented to him as an houour?

In our Ananda Marga system we are given sixth lesson to do dhyana or ideation. As the Cosmic Entity is formless, yet very vast and unfathomable how He can come in the ideation of an unit entity. This problem has been solved by our Baba. He has directed us to ideate on Guru's Varabhay Mudra because we know only our Guru's physical form and treat Him as Gururbrahma.

Some devotees asked, "Baba we do not see Your varabhaya mudra in dhyana, even though we try very hard - please tell us the way." In response, Baba told that perfect surrender is the needed for doing Guru dhyana properly. The sadhaka should not think that he is seeing the Guru but rather Baba is seeing me.

Baba says, "He is the subject, He is everything. He sees you, because He is the subject, you are the object. But if you are thinking of Him, then He becomes Your object. How can He become Your Object? It is an impossibility. To resolve this, I told you that as you do meditation, with the help of Your incantation, you should think that He is seeing You." (Ananda Vacanamrtam, part 1, The Glory of Prańava)

In this way, dhyana will take place smoothly without any hindrance. That is Baba's expressed guideline.

For second problem, Baba has suggested to offer Him the purity of one's mind, i.e. 'Nivedyami cha atmanam twamgatih parmeshwara'. (Pl refer to chapter 36 of Krasna tatva aur geetasar or Krsna and the Giita)

This clearly suggests that there is no scope for any external paraphernalia for doing dhyana of the Cosmic Entity. And indeed this is Babs explicit guideline in many discourses: Devotion is an internal affair where there is no place for external rituals and instruments

Baba says, "Bhakti cannot be identified with árcaná either, which means to worship the deity with flowers, leaves, [holy] water or other articles." (Ananda Vacanamrtam-33, Bhaktitattva)

Thus, as for as the sadhaka's below suggestion of offering a chair to Him to sit on is also ridiculous. We cannot support the dogmatic notion of placing an actual physical chair before us in dhyana sadhana.

WHERE GURU SITS

If we want to provide some place for Guru to sit, it is sahasrara / Guru cakra. It is only there where He is always found. It is His Vrandavan; see the promise He has made in Prabhat Samgiita

Baba says, "Vrnda'vanam parityajya pa'damekam na gaccha'mi..." (PS 4425)

"I am always eternally present in Vrindavan, in the hearts of devotees.That is the Guru cakra. I do not go even a little away from that. I am eternally present along with the devotees."

CONCLUSION

So my humble request to those who are being misguided by anyone is that they should read Babas discourses very keenly. Then they will certainly get way to proceed on.

Dr T R Shukla

Note 1: MORE OF BABA'S TEACHINGS ON RITUALISTIC WORSHIP

  
Baba says, "The word archaná has come from the root verb arc. Archaná means to worship a deity with flowers and other paraphernalia like vilva leaves, ganga water etc. In this ritualistic worship, how much genuine love is there. The ritualistic worship with paraphernalia is done in the midst of time space and person. The difference between time place and person brings difference in ritualistic paraphernalia. So in external rituals, the spatial and personal difference between the Lord and the devotee is not obliterated. But with cosmic ideation people advance towards Parama Puruśa a bit by bit. The more the sádhaka comes close to him, the greater will be the degree of devotion. At that time the devotee will realize Parama Puruśa as his or her own, as the soul of souls and will surrender his or her unit existence in the Macrocosmic flow." (APH-4, Bhakti and Krpá)

Note 2: WHAT ONE PERSON HAS WRITTEN

Kindly now see what one person has written.
  
"Before sitting on sadhana imagine that Baba is sitting in front of you physically and He is witnessing your practice, if possible arrange a suitable sit [seat or chair] for Him."

As we all know Baba strongly condemns this notion of using external paraphernalia in one's puja. Placing a chair in front when doing sadhana is nothing but a carbon copy of the ritualistic dogma found in the various religious. This is not the way. In sadhana we are to seek Him within - in our heart.
  
  

Note 3: MUST NOT IGNORE THIS PROBLEM

All in all this is quite a serious point. If we ignore this suggestion and allow people to put forth their notions of putting chairs in front of them when doing sadhana, then that will create a very negative reaction.

Then, instead of doing real sadhana, more and more people will be encouraged to place chairs in front of them while in so-called sadhana. And not only that but a competition will start as who has the fanciest and most expensive seat or chair. People will start bringing couches or gold chairs, as if that will get them closer to Parama Purusa. By that point our dharmacakras will be filled with chairs - one per every attendee. People will be totally focused on what chair they brought and how it looks, and they will be less focused on their mantra.

So many religious dogmas started in this way. We should not let the same occur in Ananda Marga. We should critically nip this dogmatic suggestion at the very root. It should not be allowed to grow.

Our is that path of dharma and we should not allow any cheap suggestion to take form in our sadhana.