Baba's Special Approach on Sadhana

Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:25:44 -0000
To: AM-GLOBAL
Subject: Baba's Special Approach on Sadhana
From: "Ishvara"

Baba

"Toma'kei bha'loba'si a'mara'..." (PS 3821)

Purport:

  Baba, You are our everything, our Heart of hearts. We love only You.
Baba, by Your grace we are moving ceaselessly along Your divine path; we
are treading on that very path which You have graciously shown to us. Baba,
day and night we sing Your boundless glories and dance according to Your
sweet rhythms. O' Lord, we always propagate Your grand ideals. Baba, You
have created us: We are Your thought projection; we are Your progeny. Baba,
You are our Father-- Our Ista. 
   Baba, by Your grace we love one and all equally; everyone's existence is
treasured. We do not differentiate between high and low, small and big,
rich and poor, touchable and untouchable, sinner and virtuous, literate and
illiterate etc. All are kith and kin-- all are family members. All are part
of that singular humanity. Baba, we are all bound together with Your divine
love. O' Lord, with Your infinite compassion You always call us to come
close with Your beacon call, which pulls our heart close to You. By Your
grace we hear Your call and move towards You. Baba, You are the Goal. Our
each and every action and deed is aimed toward Your divine stance-- toward
reaching up to You. Baba, You are our Aim and the Polestar of our life. 
   Baba, You have blessed us with the ideals of neo-humanism. Firstly, You
have graciously granted us individual freedom; secondly, You have infused
us with collective spirit; and thirdly, You have spiritualised our minds
with the dhyana of the Supreme One [1]. With these three attributions one
other quality unfolds: We wage a relentless fight against all the evils.
And by Your grace victory is sure. Baba, by these four noble qualities of
neo-humanism-- individual freedom, collective spirit, spiritual outlook,
and fight against evil forces-- we have created one big banyan tree of love
and affection which branches out and extends throughout this vast universe.
O' Baba, by this approach we have made this dusty earth into a golden
paradise, by Your divine blessing.
  Baba, we all love only You; You are our Goal. O' our most Adored One...


NOTES ABOUT PRABHAT SAMGIITA #3821:

[1] "Vya's't'...amara'r". In the third and final stanza of the above song,
Baba describes 4 special principles that are part and parcel of our
neo-humanistic philosophy: (a) individual freedom, (b) collective interest,
(c) spiritual ideation, (d) the fight against injustices. All are four are
needed to create a golden paradise on this earth and build a society in the
real sense of the term. For example, without proper dhyana, then individual
freedom can be twisted to exploit the masses. Such is the case in
capitalism since it is devoid of a spiritual approach. Communism does not
allow for individual freedom nor does it recognise spirituality: Both are
missing. For this reason, collective interest and a loving society could
not be attained in communism. So it is more murderous than capitalism.

Comparatively speaking, communists are worse than capitalists. Then in the
dogma-centered philosophy such as in the crude religions, individual
freedom and perfect spirituality are missing. So the religions are just
dogma-based. There is no true feeling of universal love. That is why
followers of same religion can kill each other. This history has witnessed
again and again. So religious society is also defective-- fake. Baba guides
us that in an ideal society all 4 principles are needed: (a) individual
freedom, (b) collective interest, (c) spiritual ideation, (d) the fight
against injustices. Failing that, this world cannot become a golden
paradise. In the absence of any of these principles, groupism and
factionalism will erupt. So our neo-humanistic approach is entirely
revolutionary. In this God-centered approach, individual freedom is used
for virtuous deeds which bring collective welfare, and all the while there
is a pactless fight against all injustices. This is the speciality of our
neo-humanism and this is the grand ideal Baba is propagating in His above
song.


               == BABA'S SPECIAL APPROACH ON SADHANA ==

Namaskar,
We all know Baba places great emphasis on spiritual life and doing sadhana.
And in not one but in numerous discourses Baba warns about being firm in
sadhana because often people fail to move ahead in their spiritual life due
to their own deficiencies like procrastination etc.

        Nidra' tandra' bhayam' krodha a'lasyam' diirghasu'trata';
        S'ad'ados'a'h purus'en'eha ha'ntavya'h bhu'timicchata'.

Baba says, "Those who want to prosper in life must destroy these six
defects in themselves: nidra' [sleep], tandra' [drowsiness], a'lasya
[lethargy], bhaya [fear], krodha [anger], and diirghasu'trata'
[procrastination]." (AV)

Thereafter Baba describes that those who want to become great must shun
these negative habits. In particular one must not succumb to spiritual
procrastination. This is most harmful since one neglects their spiritual
practice-- and they do not do sadhana.

And Baba furthermore explains that everyone has the potential to become
great, but often people do not tap into that potentiality-- or that
potentiality does not blossom. Most of the time due to lethargy or laziness
in the spiritual sphere.

So those who want to become great must be conscious of all of this.

And to do proper sadhana, various tips are quick helpful-- one of which is
doing sadhana outside. This is Baba's guideline.


                     TEACHING BY EXAMPLE

Of course what Baba teaches He also does. By His example He shows the way.
And doing sadhana outside was Baba's regular practice. Especially in the
early days, Baba used to regularly wander up to the hills of Jamalpur and
explore the countryside and do sadhana in remote isolated places. And then
come back in the evening time or even in the middle of the night. This was
the way of His usual outdoor sadhana program.

Of course there was no need for Baba to do sadhana at all but just to show
us that doing sadhana outside was good, He did like this.
                  
Baba says, "He needs no sadhana, but just to set an example to others, He
performs sadhana." (DT-2, p.92 / 1969, Ranchi)


           BABA DESCRIBES DOING SADHANA IN THE MOUNTAINS

Baba says, "I used to go for a walk nearly every day in the mountains east
of Jamalpur. I used to sit on the second mountain. One after another,
several small and large mountains run parallel to each other. The summit of
the second mountain was the highest place among them. I used to arrive
there in the middle of the afternoon and stay there until about eight at
night." (Shabda Cayanika-1, p.93)

Here Baba talks more about His experience of doing sadhana outside:

Baba says, "I was sitting on the peak. It was the bright lunar
fortnight...In front of me, that is to the west, on the slope of the
mountain, was a dense ga'b forest...The mountain in front of me was
completely bare...I was probably the only person for several miles,
completely alone...the peak that I was seated on..." (Shabda Cayanika-1, p.94)

                                                
                BENEFITS OF OUTDOOR SADHANA

In His various discourses, Baba also talks about the innumerable benefits
of doing sadhana outside: Enhanced concentration, fresh air, mental
sharpness, good for pratyahara, less disturbances, positive microvita,
pointedness of mind. These are but a few of the many benefits.

                         
                  MOVING AHEAD IN SADHANA

By Baba's grace we should all realise our potential and following His
divine example by making it our regular practice to do sadhana outside.
This will be highly beneficial for our spiritual life and progression along
the path of sadhana.

Baba says, "It is desirable to practise various lessons of sadhana alone,
in a lonely place." (GHC, final page)

Namaskar,
Ishvara


P.S. I hope all my margii brothers and sisters will write in with their
experiences and realisations of doing sadhana outside.


              ***************************************
             Some Tips How to Save Oneself From Psychic Diseases

In this age scientific development has made significant progress, while in
comparison human psychic and spiritual growth is lagging far behind. In
result, mental tension has multiplied in geometrical progression. The final
outcome being that nerve, brain, and heart diseases have become quite
common; and nervousness and insanity are also prevalent, if not rampant, in
the society. And the remedy for all this is as follows:

Baba says, "While doing work one should ideate, 'It is the work of Parama
Purusa; it is not mine. I am doing His work to please Him'. By following
this approach mental tension, nervousness, and psychic diseases will never
arise. And also samskaras will not be formed." (08 April '84, Tattanagar DMC)
              ***************************************

For Optimal Health-- Part V

From: "Mirabai _Devii"
To: am-global@earthlink.net
Subject: For Optimal Health-- Part V
Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:44:25

Baba

                       NATURAL WAY OF LIVING-- PART V:

                  CLEANSING TOXINS FROM THE BODY

Namaskar,
Note: One WT has published "tips" how to break fast and those are reviewed
in this below posting.


                     ALL WANT TO BE HEALTHY

All around the globe there is a growing interest, and even fascination, in
human health & wellness. People are trying innumerable types of tonics,
diets, pills, surgeries, procedures, and remedies to increase their quality
of life. But unfortunately most of the public guidelines are improper and
push innocent people in the wrong direction.

By Baba's divine grace we Ananda Margiis are in a unique position. Because
He has graciously bestowed on us all the inner secrets and special tips for
living a long and prosperous life. Among these many wonderful guidelines,
one very helpful process is Baba's unique system of fasting & breaking
fast-- as it cleanses and purifies the entire body.

In the general society most have never even heard of fasting, or never
tried it. And those who have done it often proceed via improper
instructions, thus causing more harm than good. However in Ananda Marga
Baba has blessed us with the perfect and ultimate system.


                       BABA'S GOLDEN SYSTEM

As every Ananda Margiis is well aware, Baba's expressed teaching is to fast
from sunrise to sunrise-- thus giving the body's organs ample time for
complete rest and rejuvenation. This is one unique aspect.

And another speciality of the AM system of fasting is the special emphasis
which Baba places on breaking fast properly. On numerous occasions Baba
Himself has told that animals know how to fast but only humans know how to
break fast. The point being that there is a definite and proper way to
break fast-- and this is how the toxins get removed. Thus a wrong technique
such as haphazardly breaking fast or prematurely filling the body with food
will ruin the entire detoxification process.

Hence Baba has put forth the idea that everyone should follow a rational
and systematic approach for breaking fast. And as a review here are a few
of those teachings.


         A FEW OF BABA'S GUIDELINES FOR BREAKING FAST

[A] Baba guides us that we should give ourselves plenty of time the morning
of breaking fast to attend to our spiritual practices as well as for
the actual process of breaking fast. Doing everything in a rushed or
hurried manner and then running off to the office or catching a bus is not
at all advisable. Instead that will just create more problems as the body
is in a very delicate state and needs proper time to be re-hydrated and
energized. Hence as most of us require less sleep the night of fasting we
should rise early the next morning to give ourselves a maximum amount of
time.

[B] Another invaluable guideline which Baba has given us is the great
emphasis He places on drinking water and hydrating the body.

Baba says, "To maintain the internal functions of the body without
hindrance and to maintain the internal liquid balance, everyone should
drink a sufficient quantity of water." (YT, Appendix A)

And Baba continues to explain that on normal day a healthy person should
drink 3-4 liters as a baseline. So on breaking fast morning when the body
is dehydrated it is obvious that we should also drink a very "generous"
amount of water-- and not just a single glass.

And, as we have all experienced, on the morning of breaking fast drinking
an ample amount of water fulfills two distinct purposes. Firstly by
ingesting a minimum of 2-3 liters of lemon salt water then the body is able
to cleanse itself from top to bottom. The toxins are pulled from the
entire body and the entire length of the digestive track is made sparkling
clean.

Thereafter by drinking fresh water the second task is accomplished.
And that is to re-hydrate the body because after a 36 hour dry fast the
body is in need of water. Thus after cleaning the body with lemon salt
water one must drink another liter or two of fresh water to properly
hydrate the body. As others have described before, this two-fold process of
water drinking has to be completed prior to taking any solid food.

[C] When the body is cleansed and hydrated then one can eat a few ripe
bananas by chewing them properly to promote smooth and easy digestion. This
will give some calories to energize the body and when these bananas have
properly settled in the stomach (approximately 20-25 minutes) one should
again drink water before taking a light meal of well hydrated rice and
vegetables or other food commonly available in your locale.

[D] So these are some of the key points yet no doubt there are various
other detailed steps about breaking fast that others have already written
about.


                          GREAT RESULTS    
          
The grand outcome of all of this is a dynamic and wonderful cleansing
process which consumes the entire body.

Baba says, "As a result of fasting, the poisonous and unproductive waste of
the body gets destroyed and expelled." (CC-3)

Thus by Baba's complete system of fasting and breaking fast all the toxins
get removed and the body becomes vibrant and pure.


                         ONE BLACK SPOT

Unfortunately in one small corner of our present day AM society, one WT is
preaching and publishing something different which runs counter to Baba's
perfectly prescribed system and guidelines. For the awareness of all and to
clear the matter entirely, we should all be aware about the defective
approach being advocated by this WT.

                                                           
                     FAULTY RECOMMENDATION #1

Our WT wrote: "Break the fast the next morning after sunrise with a glass of lemon juice
(about 1/4 of a fresh lemon in a glass of water), with a little salt or honey."

Needless to say drinking only a single glass of lemon water on the morning
of breaking fast will never ever suffice. That is like placing a tiny drop
of water in the desert. Because a mere small glass of water is nothing
compared to what the body really needs. Not to mention that one cannot
cleanse the body with that paltry amount of fluid either. In which case all
the toxins, previously undigested food, and other waste material will just
sit and linger in the body. And those dirty substances will release their
negative microvita throughout the entire body since they could not get
expelled from the body. Thus on multiple accounts this incorrect guideline
of drinking only 1 glass of water is totally wrong and harmful as it goes
against Baba's expressed teachings. So no one should do like this and we
should warn others also. Because unfortunately one WT published this faulty
suggestion in their book.


                     FAULTY RECOMMENDATION #2

Then that same WT wrote: "Then eat 1/2 or a whole banana slowly, biting off
small pieces and swallowing them whole without chewing."

So after drinking only 8 ounces or 1/4 liter of water, now this WT is
recommending to eat a banana without chewing it.

Yet for sound health, Baba's explicit teaching in Yogic Treatments book is
that all the food taken into the body must be digested properly. And part
and parcel of this process is chewing since this act of chewing awakens and
stimulates the digestive enzymes and produces saliva in the mouth-- thus
allowing for proper digestion.

But on this most sensitive time of taking the first solid food after a
fast, our WT is putting in black and white that one must not chew their
food. So this is another "faux pas" or negative guideline given that is
contrary to Baba's teaching.


                     FAULTY RECOMMENDATION #3

The WT writer then recommends: "If possible, wait a 1/2 hour and then eat your
breakfast."

So lastly, after not cleaning or hydrating at all, and after not chewing a
banana, now the guideline has come to eat breakfast after just a short gap
of time, or even right away if one does not have an adequate amount of
time. Without question, this type of thing will create one "train-wreck" in
the stomach. Because in that dehydrated state unchewed food is being mixed
with a full meal of new food and that is all getting mixed into one mass
along with the toxins and waste that never got released from the system.
All of which spells disaster for any human being. No doubt this is not what
Baba means when He says that we should break fast in a proper way.


                           BABA'S WARNING

This WT erred from the path because they tried to invent their own way that
was not at all consonant with Baba's guidelines. Otherwise what can be the
cause. And even worse is that they put those things in print-- thus
misguiding all. So before following anyone's professed recommendations we
should always evaluate how far those things are truly proper or not. This
is Baba's warning.

Baba says, "Whatever people learn from the external world-- be it from a
book of facts or a learned discourse, or any source of knowledge-- is
'prapta vakya' or 'relative knowledge'. It is sometimes correct, sometimes
incorrect." (PNS-18, p. 6-7)

Thus in the world there a countless books full of wrong information like
the section of that book about breaking fast written by our WT.


                    ONLY BABA'S TEACHINGS ARE BEST

Baba's teachings are best. They are the Supreme Guideline. Thus whether in
the realm of sadhana or fasting, by following His way we will always
proceed along the road of progress and welfare.

Baba says, "Knowledge directly from the Cosmic Mind is true and beneficial
for all people in all ages and in all countries. It is called 'apta vakya'
or absolute knowledge. The books in Ananda Marga [i.e. Baba's books] are
all absolute knowledge." (PNS-18)

Namaskar,
Mirabai


Note 1:       OVER-EATING THE NIGHT BEFORE SPELLS TROUBLE

As a general rule, it is important not to overeat and stuff oneself the
night before fasting. Certainly we have all seen how this is a common
tendency; but this type of overeating is to be avoided as it delays or even
disturbs the body's cleansing process and makes it difficult or even
impossible to break fast properly. So to maximize the benefits of a fast
one should take care about the quantity of food taken the evening prior.


Note 2:  MISREPRESENTING ANANDA MARGA ON THE PUBLIC PLATFORM

It is highly unfortunate that the involved WT has written these misguided
ideas in a published book that has been translated into multiple languages
and circulated all around the globe. Hence the problem or tragedy is
two-fold, at minimum.

Firstly, hundreds or even thousands of readers have already been
misinformed and anyone following those printed suggestions has been taught
the wrong technique for breaking fast-- thus causing them harm and
difficulty. So the book was written to help others yet here the opposite
effect is happening.

Next, when this point of breaking fast is wrong then simple readers may
think that all the points in the book are wrong. This would be a natural
conclusion to arrive at. In which case the common people may also blame
that the book's recommendation of a vegetarian diet is also harmful. Thus
this is another negative outcome or possibility.

And worst of all is that these mistakes committed by this WT were done in
the name of Ananda Marga. Because the book itself was printed by AM
Publications; and not only that but Baba's name appears in countless places
throughout the book. So naive readers will be misled to believe that the
faulty recommendation given by the WT for breaking fast is consistent with
or part of Baba's divine teachings of AM. Thus the public will form a poor
opinion in that regard also. Means the sloppy and misguided work of this WT
reflects negatively on our Marga. This is the yet another tragedy.

When in fact in all the spheres from relief work to meditation to human
health we are trying to project Baba's Supreme and seamless teachings to the
general society in the best way possible yet this WT's book is going against.


Note 3:      WHICH WT IS WRITING LIKE THIS

The WT who has given these "recommendations" for breaking fast is Didi
Ananda Mitra. She is the one who is misguiding others on this sensitive
issue of breaking fast. Because it is in her book "Food for Thought" ('91
Edn, pp. 78-9) that contains all these wrongful and indeed harmful directives.




Note 4:        EARLIER LETTERS ON THIS TOPIC: PARTS 1 - 4
http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2011/01/for-optimal-health.html

http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2011/01/for-optimal-health-ii.html

http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2011/02/for-optimal-health-iii.html

http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2011/02/for-optimal-health-iv.html


                           PRABHAT SAMGIITA

"Iisha'n toma'r vis'a'n' bejeche, alasata' dure sare geche..."   (P.S. 2496)

Purport:

 Baba, Your divine call and thundering voice is resonating all around &
has removed the staticity, dogma, and lethargy from everyone's mind. Those
negative things which were impeding the path of human progress have
disappeared into the far distant horizon. Now the degenerated state of
dogma cannot remain any longer. Living beings have gotten new life, smiles,
and joy due to the rejuvenating spirit of Neo-Humanism.
 The world which was sleeping in the past is getting awakened. New leaves
and flowers are beautifying the green vegetation and trees. Everything has
been filled with the colours of flowers & fruits-- ensconced in the feeling
of service to one and all.  
 Now there are no narrow sentiments or dogmatic thoughts which can hinder
our forward movement. Now there is no one to create obstacles on our path
towards our cherished Goal.
 The time has come that, under this free sky and beautiful environment, I
should go on marching forward undauntedly towards You. O' Parama Purusa...


         ********************************************
                      Need of the Day

Baba says, "The newly awakened humanity of today is anxious to herald the
advent of one universal society under the vast blue sky. The noble and
righteous persons of all countries, bound by fraternal ties, are eager to
assert in one voice, with one mind, and in the same tune that human society
is one and indivisible." (AFPS, pt 2 p.25)

Note: Nowadays in our Marga society, a few are forgetting this truth. They
should understand that this is not in the favour of dharma. Rather the call
of dharma is to form one human society.                   
        ********************************************