Tip to Save Oneself from Ads

Date: Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:39:57
To: am-global@earthlink.net
From: "Pavitra" pwKlauss@springnet...
Subject: Tip to Save Oneself from Ads


Baba

                       == TIP TO SAVE ONESELF FROM ADS ==

Namaskar,
Baba's undisputed teaching for all sadhakas is to keep the mind pure by exercising control over the motor and sensory organs.

Baba says, "Cakśuńá Saḿvaro Sádhu” O spiritual aspirant! O Bhikśu! O monk! O devotee! You should have proper control over your eyes; whatever will have bad effect on your mind, you must not see it. “Sádhu Sotena saḿvaro”. Whatever will have bad effect on your mind, O good man, you must not hear it. “Ghánena Saḿvaro Sádhu.” You should have control over your nose, “Sádhu Jibháya Saḿvaro.” You should have control over your taste. “Káyena Saḿvaro Sádhu.” You should have control over your body. “Sádhu Vácáya Saḿvaro.” You should have control over your language also; and “Savvatha Saḿvaro Bhikśu.” If you want emancipation, if you want liberation from worldly fetters, you must have all-round restraint." (Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 14)

In His above teaching, Baba guides us that the only way to advance along the path of spirituality and overcome all worldly obstacles is to keep the mind free of impurities. The sadhaka achieves this in part by not exposing one's sensory organs to degrading images etc.


                                 LIVING IN THIS CAPITALISTIC SYSTEM

Yet crude ads, or advertisements, are everywhere in today's capitalistic system. Perhaps nowhere do ads play as grand a role as on the internet. Ad revenues spell big dollars for companies. The search engine behemoth Google rakes in a whopping 13+ billion dollars annually in ad revenue alone. So this is big business.

For sadhakas, these ads spell disaster. They are filled with all kinds negative images and distracting messages. Indeed there is no redeeming quality to viewing such ads. And there is no benefit of describing them in full here. We all know what they are.

Yet we are to live in the society. And in this present era, living in the society means going on-line for various reasons: research, information, communication etc.

So how are we to manage this see-saw. On the one hand we have to go on-line; it is a necessity. And on the other side, going on-line means potentially polluting the mind with all sorts of crude imagery.


                                          HERE IS THE SOLUTION

As many of you may already be aware, each and every web browser - whether it be Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari or Chrome - offers a way to increase (i.e. zoom in) your font & image size. Generally speaking, this zoom feature is listed under the "View" menu. The shortcut key is often: ctrl ++; that means press the control key and the plus [+] sign and you will zoom in on whatever webpage you are viewing; press ctrl +- to zoom out.

Again this is something that most are already aware about.

For sadhakas, the beauty of this feature is that when you are surfing the web or viewing a particular site, you can zoom in such that all the ads get pushed off the screen. Because all the ads appear along the sides, top and bottom of the page. So if the image and font size is increased (using ctrl ++) then naturally those ads will be out of view. Then to read the aspects of the page that are of value to you, simply use the corresponding scroll bars.

No doubt this is a simple technique - nothing fancy at all. But it is effective. And for sadhakas surfing the web, we should take every advantage we can get.

The benefit of this is two-fold: Firstly the mind will remain pure and untainted by negative images; secondly, one will experience enhanced concentration as the mind is not distracted by moving graphics etc.

If anyone has any questions or confusions about the above directions, please do email me and I will gladly explain it further.


                                                 BABA'S BLESSING

Here below Baba guides us that cleansing the mind is not an easy job; better to keep it clean in the first place by not viewing negative images on the web, than to see such images and then have to wipe them away.

Baba says, "Cleansing the mind is a far more laborious job than cleansing the body, clothes, house, etc. Intelligent people should not, therefore, allow their mental purity to be stained. You must always guard against the tempest of passion. You must not yield to such storms." (Guide to Human Conduct, "Shaoca")

In this next teaching, by Baba's grace He is telling us that should the mind ever get soiled then we should offer our everything at His lotus feet and become drenched in His bliss.

Baba says, "It is natural for human beings to become soiled with dust in the course of their journey in the physical world. But this is not to continue forever. They should make their minds completely unblemished by offering all their mental colours to the Supreme. Forgetting the external aspect of the play of colours, they should accept the internal colour-play as the ultimate in human life – and thus establish themselves in the true Vrindavana, the Supreme Desideratum of human life." (The Liberation of Intellect: Neohumanism)

Namaskar,
Pavitra



                                 PRABHAT SAMGIITA

"Tumi ga'n go ka'ha'r tare badhir kare rekhe dhara're..." (P.S. 1972)

Purport:

Baba, in this cosmic play of Yours, You go on singing Your divine songs to attract devotees. Even then I do not know for whom You are singing. Baba, Your divine songs are pervading throughout this entire vast cosmos; Your songs are permeating each and every loka. Baba, nothing else is audible except Your divine song. O' Baba, by Your melodious call You have made everyone deaf. Baba, You come and go; and You smile and lovingly look upon one and all with Your infinite compassion. But unfortunately nobody can see You.  

Baba, because of Your songs, the whole world is melodic. With Your tune, rhythm, & melody, You saturate this entire universe with divine nectar. Everyone is immersed in Your music. Baba, when You come close then You shower Your grace abundantly. In spite of that it is impossible for me to become one with You-- because of my own faults & shortcomings.

Baba, You are completely captivating: Your coming and going in dhyana, Your sweet smile, and Your charming look-- all this deeply touches my heart. Baba, You are most attractive. O' Parama Purusa You are the universal mind (Vishvama'nas); You destroy and wipe away all cimmerian darkness and staticity; and You shower Your divine effulgence. Baba, You lovingly hold each and every atom and molecule in Your heart. Baba, everything resides within You.
 
Baba, with Your divine song You have captivated this entire universe. It is Your causeless grace...

Note: Parama Purusa attracts devotees in various ways-- such as through the song of His divine flute. And that is what has been expressed in the above song.

"Master Glossary" Blunder: The Term Acarya

Date: Sun, 06 Mar 2011 18:12:23 -0000
To: AM-GLOBAL
From: "Jawaharlal Deva"
Subject: "Master Glossary" Blunder: The Term Acarya

Baba

                == "MASTER GLOSSARY" BLUNDER: THE TERM ACARYA ==

Namaskar,
In our ongoing investigation of the "Master Glossary" from the "The Electronic Edition (English) of the Works of P.R. Sarkar" (version 7.5), we examine the term: acarya.


                                                 BABA'S DEFINITION:

                                   ACARYAS TEACH BY THEIR CONDUCT

As we all know, Baba has given a very clear and pointed definition of the term acarya.

Baba says, "'Acárańát pát́hayati yah sah ácáryah – “One who teaches through one’s conduct is an ácárya.” If you cannot learn anything from the conduct and behaviour of a certain person, why should you accept that person as an ácárya/á?" (Ananda Vacanamrtam, part 23, "Silent Action)

Thus, by His above definition, it is very clear that conduct is an integral aspect of being an acarya. Indeed, if one's conduct is improper, they are not an acarya.

Here below Baba emphasizes this very same notion that one's conduct - i.e. speech and deeds - is the central component of acarya life.

Baba says, "An ácárya or ácáryá should always instruct by his or her exemplary actions and words." (Ananda Vacanamrtam, part 31)

And in His next guideline, because conduct is the main theme of being an acarya, Baba once again stress this point.

Baba says, "I have already explained in the definition of ácárya, Acárańát páthayati yah sah ácáryah – “One who teaches through one’s conduct is an ácárya.” If one’s conduct is not exemplary, he is not an ácárya/á." (Ananda Vacanamrtam, part 23, "Silent Action)

So by all of the above it is quite clear that according to Baba, an acarya is one who teaches by their conduct and if one's actions are not proper then they are not an acarya. It is a very straightforward definition.


                                    MORE OF BABA'S TEACHINGS ON ACARYA

Baba furthermore states that in addition to maintaining an exemplary code of conduct, our acaryas should possess the following qualities.

Baba says, "Only those persons who are sincere, spirited and endowed with sharp intellect, and who understand and can make others understand the philosophy, will be considered eligible to become a´ca´rya/a´s." (Caryacarya, part 1, "Táttvika, Ácárya/á, and Purodhá")

Here below in this following descriptive explanation of an acarya, Baba emphasizes that one's dealing and conduct must be proper in order to be an acarya.

Baba says, "Those who have the responsibility to show the path to others should be of superlative character with the most refined conduct. They and their followers must move constantly towards all-round development and shreya [ultimate spiritual attainment]. Persons who teach such well-regulated behaviour to others by their own conduct are called ácáryas." (Ananda Vacanamrtam, part 31)

All in all, Baba's definition of an acarya is very clear: The main thing is exemplary conduct based on AM ideals.

Indeed, Baba's mandate is quite revolutionary and drastically different from the trends in other arenas of contemporary life.


                                           TODAY'S SOCIETAL TRENDS

In the so-called modern civilization, especially in the west, conduct has little or no meaning.
Dancers, singers, writers, politicians, movie stars, businessmen and athletes are often plagued by crude, if not lewd, behaviour; but since they say the right things, speak "high" words, and pledge promises etc, the common people have no objections. It is all fine and well. That is way things happen today in the general society.

So when we see that good conduct is distinctly lacking in the general society, that is why we should be even more vigilant to highlight the proper definition of what an acarya is. Otherwise it looks like we too are ignoring this critical aspect of life: conduct.

Hence any true definition of an acarya must include Baba's Sanskrit shloka, or at the very least reflect its meaning.

                                       Acárańát páthayati yah sah ácáryah

In AM, conduct is everything - especially for our acaryas. On this point, Baba does not accept any compromise. The conduct of an acarya must be sterling - period. In countless reporting sessions, Baba expressed this very same ideal and always pointed out and corrected one's defects and character flaws - especially those of our acaryas.


                                  WHAT THE "MASTER GLOSSARY" SAYS

Keeping all of the above in mind, it is unfortunate that in the "Master Glossary" from the electronic edition of Baba's books, the definition of acarya is missing this all-important aspect of conduct.

Here is how the term acarya is defined in the so-called Master Glossary:

"Acarya: Spiritual teacher qualified to teach all lessons of meditation."

("Master Glossary" from the "The Electronic Edition (English) of the Works of P.R. Sarkar" - version 7.5)

Thus in the above definition the publishers totally omitted the very essence, i.e. conduct. There is no mention of this in the above noted definition.

Yet the reality is that if one teaches "all lessons of meditation" but their conduct is not good then they are not an acarya according to Baba. So the definition given in the "Master Glossary" is wrong, or at the very least misleading and incomplete.


                                                           SUMMARY

The matter is very clear. Baba says that a key defining element of being an acarya is possessing proper conduct. That is Baba's definition of acarya. So when that element is totally absent from the definition in the "Master Glossary", that is cause for concern. Then new readers will get the wrong idea and so many others will be misled. And still another segment of the society will be left unimpressed whereas they would have been duly impressed if they knew our Wt cadre is defined by their sterling conduct.

The main problem is that the "Master Glossary" fails to properly express Baba's real definition of acarya. For this reason this letter has been written. Because when our own publishers are unable to provide a proper definition of our AM terms, then how are non-margiis going to learn about AM ideology.

Namaskar,
Jawaharlal


Note 1:                               READ THE FIRST POSTING

To view and read the first posting in this series about the term "gopa" click below.

http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2011/02/master-glossary-blunder-term-gopa.html

Please watch for more entries in this series and write in with your own thoughts.