Re: 'I do not Belong to and Group'

From: "Girish Nath Biswas"
To: am-global@earthlink.net
Subject: Re: 'I do not Belong to and Group'
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2011 15:51:22 +0530

Baba

              == 'I DO NOT BELONG TO ANY GROUP' ==

                                 ~ PART 2 ~

Namaskar,
In light of the swirling events taking place in our organisation this
letter addresses those dedicated WTs who are trying hard to remain clear
of all the groups.

It certainly is noble for Dadas to proclaim, 'I do not belong to any
group', yet, as stated in the initial letter on this topic, all too often
we see how such Dadas fall prey to groupist activities - often unintentionally.
That is the unfortunate reality.


                               GROUPIST AGENDA:

         'ALL SHOULD BE SWALLOWED INTO MY CAMP'

One of the inherent flaws of groupism is that for their own survival and
growth, all the groups are committed full-time to the propaganda of
their groupist agenda. They want that maximum people should attend their
groupist activities like the dogmatic Mahaprayan program, the crude
Jamalpur tiirtha program, and their own celebrations etc, etc; plus they
want that their chosen Fake Ananda Vanii should be recited, and not the
other group's Fake Ananda Vanii. Indeed each group has so many dogmatic
proposals and propositions that directly contravene Baba's teachings,
and all the while they want to drag maximum followers into their camp's
ritualistic approach.

That is the way groupism works - we have all seen it.

Their basic premise is: 'Anyone not pulled into my group will get pulled
into the competing camp'. Knowing this, such groupists anxiously 'go
fishing' after anyone not directly labeled as being a member of their
group. To this end they apply extreme pressure, coercion, financial
incentives, and victimisation tactics.


             WHAT THOSE DADAS & THEIR DIIKSA BHAIS FACE

So if any Dada announces, 'I do not belong to any group', then they will
be immediately subjected to huge pressure by the various groups. And not
only will that Dada be pressured, but his diiksa bhais as well. Because
every Dada comes complete with an entire string of initiated margiis.
And naturally the competing groups would like to swallow up those
margiis as well.

Thus enormous pressure is applied to those sincere Dadas who declare, 'I do not
belong to any group'. And it is not easy for such Dadas to withstand
such pressure.


                 END UP FOLLOWING ALL THE DOGMAS

Tragically, what happens most often is that those Dadas who proclaim, 'I
do not belong to any group', they end up following some or all of the dogmas,
because they need to survive. They need money, they need food, they need
their support, they need a place to sleep, they need so many things.
And with not enough sadhana or ideological spirit to keep them strong,
they may invariably participate in so many groupist activitiesm, even when
in their inner heart they wish to stick to Baba's ideals.

Such Dadas might attend the dogmatic Mahaprayan program, read Fake Ananda
Vaniis, or help taint BP elections according to groupist policies.
At other times they become proponents of scriptural distortion, and they
participate in dogmatic Jamalpur tiirtha activities etc.

So in the end, those Dadas-- who valiantly claim 'I do not belong to any
group'-- get absorbed into so many groupist dogmas. Indeed, they do not
just participate in one faction's programs, but rather they follow the
agenda of every group to some or more degree. All done in the name of not
belonging to any camp. They are trying to keep neutral but in that attempt
they get caught up in various activities.

This is the tragic state of some of those Dadas who say, 'I do not
belong to any group'.

However, each and every day more and more are able to stand strong. This
is one good development.


                WE DO FALL PREY TO RELIGIOUS DOGMAS

In Ananda Marga, we follow dharma and we do not belong to any of the
dogmatic religions. The proof of this is that we participate in all
kinds of universal programs and never attend any dogmatic religious
function.

But what if we were to become regular attendees of Christmas mass, Durga
Puja, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Easter, Eid, Visakah Puja, Rosh Hasanah etc. If
in the name of not belonging to any religion, we attended ALL those
dogmatic religious holidays could we still proclaim, 'We do not belong
to any religion'. Certainly not.

Because the reason why we do not belong to any religion is because our
way of life is totally independent of those dogmatic religious
ceremonies, beliefs, and programs. We only follow the path of true
spirituality and dharma as given by Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji.


                THEY FOLLOW ALL THE GROUPIST DOGMAS

Naturally then, when any Dada says, 'I do not belong to any group', then
it should mean that they are not part of any groupist activities. None
at all.

Yet, the unfortunate and common outcome is that some Dadas participate
in many of the dogmatic groupist functions. To "prove" the fact that
they are not partial to any group, they: (1) Read all the Fake Ananda
Vaniis, (2) Attend various group sponsored events, (3) Accept money from
all the groups, (4) and so many other nonsense things.

Indeed, they are constantly exploited, used, and abused by all the
leading factions.

In that case, can we really say that Dadas 'do not belong to any group'.
In their heart of hearts they may wish to keep away from groupism, but
in the current organisational climate, it is not easy. So we have to
help such Dadas as much as possible as they wish to stand on the
ideological principles of Ananda Marga.

Rather the claim can be easily made that they are involved more so because
they follow all the dogmas of all the groups, not just the dogmas of one
particular group. Again, this happens not because it is their heart's
desire but due to circumstance.


               BABA POINTS OUT THE NATURE OF GROUPISM

Here below Baba points out the inherent defects of groupism.

Baba says, "Motivated by socio-sentiment, one group harms and exploits
another group in the social, economic, cultural and religious spheres."
(NH-LOI, Disc: 7)

And this is exactly what we see happening in our Marga. The various groups
along with their affiliations are constantly hammering on each other and on
general margiis.

And those Dadas who proclaim, 'I do not belong to any group', they are
most often in the middle of all of this. They want to be free from all
groupist activities - but it is not easy. In they end, they begin
dragging margiis to one group's dogma, and sometimes dragging their diiksa
bhais to group sponsored Prout meetings, or to one or another faction's
seminar program etc.

This, sadly enough, is the way it works. Again such Dadas want to follow
dharma and implement Baba's teachings, but in this present climate it is not
easy for Wts to survive without some type of community or structure.

Thus when any Dada pronounces, 'I do not belong to any group',
then we should watch carefully to see whether they are following the
dharma of AM or some groupist policy agenda. And we should aim to help
them be strong in their values.

Here the point is not to condemn anyone per se, but rather ensure that
we ourselves do not get lulled and yanked into any groupist program by
someone who says, 'I do not belong to any group'.

All in all this is a big topic, and I certainly hope others will come
forward to discuss this most important issue. Because it seems to be
going on in all the sectors.


                        BABA'S BLESSING

By Baba's grace we will bravely overcome today's groupist struggles and
follow the dharma of AM. In our own individual lives, we must be adamant
to only adhere to Baba and not any groupist agenda. Then by His grace,
step by step, our entire AMPS society will become pure and clean once
again.

Baba says, "The dharma of all human beings is one and indivisible, and
that dharma is bha'gavata dharma. Establish yourself in that dharma and
your victory is assured." (AMIWL-10)

Namaskar,
Girish


                           PRABHAT SAMGIITA

"Priyatama ama'r ghare eso a'loy purn' kare..."    - P.S. 3776

Purport:

 O' my dearmost Baba, please come to me and fulfill my ago-old longing.
Please grace me and satiate my desire. Please come with Your sweet smile
and with Your heart-rending most attractive lips. Pleas grace me and
fill my heart.
 Baba, I do not want anything from You; I want to surrender everything
unto You. I only want to offer You. I want to ensconce in Your tune and
melody. I want to move on that path which is the most pleasing for You.
  I want to involve in Your shravan, manan, japa, niddhidhyasana, japa
and dhyana. In the past I wasted a lot of time running after imaginary
things-- mirages. I was chasing after & following many dogmas--
temporary and ephemeral things, thinking that they are permanent shelter.
  In the past I was involved in spreading various dogmas: Thinking that
someone is low and someone is high, creating disparities &
differentiations, giving unnecessary importance to temporary and worldly
things etc. By this way so much time and money went in vain. My whole
life went in this way.
 Now by Your grace I have understood that only You are the eternal
truth. Baba, please come to me; I want to surrender...



           ******************************************
                       Animals or Humans

Baba says, "Those who have established themselves in their spiritual
being through the practice of spiritual cult are the real human beings.
Others, who do not move on the subtler and sublime path of spirituality,
and behave like animals, are humans only in name. Human beings alone
have the privilege to do sa'dhana'. Animals, because of their
intellectual deficiencies, are unable to adhere to the spiritual cult..."
 "Human beings, on the other hand, have the capacity to develop even in
the spiritual realm. Those who do not pay heed to this special gift are
animals, nay, even worse than animals. Animals are unable to make
efforts for their spiritual development, whereas humans do have this
ability." (SS-24)

Note: Modern medical science classifies everyone with a human body as
being human, but according to Baba's above teaching all are not human.
In the above guideline Baba differentiates how and why.
           ******************************************

"Master Glossary" Blunder: The Term Aparabhakti

Date: 10 Mar 2011 07:52:28 -0000
From: "Liiladhar Deva"
To: am-global@earthlink.net
Subject: "Master Glossary" Blunder: The Term Aparabhakti

Baba

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

Namaskar,
In this 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: aparabhakti.


                              BABA'S TRUE DEFINITION OF APARABHAKTI

                        ASKING SOMETHING ELSE FROM PARAMA PURUSA

Baba clearly tells us that when one has longing for material gain (house, job, money, wife etc) and one asks the Lord to satisfy that worldly longing that is aparabhakti.

Baba says, "When people beseech the Lord to fulfill all their selfish desires, this is called aparábhakti. “Oh Lord, I am your devotee, help me to pass my examination… Oh Lord, my daughter has attained marriageable age – help me to find a worthy suitor… Let the bridegroom be ideal, let me not spend much on the wedding…” This type of showy devotion that simply asks for mundane objects, is no devotion at all, because it demands everything except Parama Puruśa. Such devotees never say, “Oh Lord, be mine… I want You and only You.” They always say, “I want this, I want that.” In fact this is no devotion at all. When one asks only for Parama Puruśa, this is the true devotion, parábhakti." (AMIWL-11)

In His above teaching Baba terms aparabhakti as the fulfillment of one's "selfish desires" wherein the bhakta requests the Lord to grant him worldly things. Thus if one asks Parama Purusa for a new car, a new boat, prestige, power, post, money or fame, then that is aparabhakti. The request need not be for something physical like a house etc; it could be something psychic like fame. All this is known as aparabhakti because one is not asking for Parama Purusa Himself.

Here below Baba describes this phenomenon of aparabhakti in another manner.

Baba says, "When one wants money from Parama Puruśa one says, “O Parama Puruśa, I am Your devotee.” No, [that person] is not His devotee! Because he does not want Parama Puruśa, he wants money from Parama Puruśa. “O Parama Puruśa, I’m Your devotee. I have got a girl of marriageable age, I want a groom. I don’t want to spend a farthing.” Is he a bhakta? No, no, no. Now, there have been distortions. These are all distortions of bhakti. That’s why it has been said that these are all aparábhakti. When one wants something else from Parama Puruśa other than Parama Puruśa, then that bhakti is called aparábhakti, and when one wants Parama Puruśa from Parama Puruśa, then that bhakti is parábhakti." (Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 24)

Here again Baba is guiding us that when one asks for something other than Parama Purusa then that is aparabhakti. All requests for money, gems, and jewels fall in this category. And truly speaking, any request placed before Parama Purusa that is for anything but Parama Purusa is aparabhakti.


                                        A REQUEST MUST BE MADE

Nowadays there are many people in the world hankering after worldly gain. Do all such person then fall in the category of aparabhakti?

The answer is, "No".

Someone on the path of aparabhakti must make a request to the Lord for worldly gain. The person must say, "O Lord please grant me victory in my court case" or "O Lord please help me purchase a new sports car" etc.

So the key point in aparabhakti is that the person must request Parama Purusa for that worldly item.

If one is an atheist and does not ask anything from the Lord yet hankers after material objects and mundane pleasures, then that is not aparabhakti. Why? Because such people do not even believe in God. They are purely atheistic materialists. They are not asking the Lord for anything.

So again the operative factor in aparabhahkti is that the person must ask Parama Purusa to satisfy their mundane desires.


                                  WHAT THE "MASTER GLOSSARY" SAYS

Now we come to the definition from the "Master Glossary" as from the recently published electronic edition of Baba's books. There the publishers have given the following definition:

"Apara'bhakti. Attraction to Apara Brahma, the expressed aspect of Brahma."

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

So this definition is not proper. Aparabhakti is not mere attraction to Apara Brahma, the person must request to the Lord to satisfy those worldly desires. That is the key point which is missing in their definition.

Today, various parts of the the world are filled with materialists and atheists. But these people do not fall within the realm of aparabhakti as they do not request to the Lord to grant their selfish desires. Such persons do not even think that Parama Purusa exists. Hence they are not even up to the mark of aparabhakti. They are a step lower.

For our purposes here, the main thing is that the given definition by the publishers of the "Master Glossary" fails to give the reader an accurate depiction of what aparabhakti really is. Because those publishers simply say that aparabhakti is chasing after any material longing when in reality aparabhakti means requesting the Lord for that material gain.

Our AM philosophy is very vast and pointed and many will not be able to understand the basics of Baba's teachings if our own "Master Glossary" is not correct. We have come onto this earth to follow His order and spread His message. When the "Master Glossary" itself is incorrect then that undermines our entire aim.

Having a "Master Glossary" is an excellent idea; and best will be if it accurately depicts Baba's teachings.


                                             BABA'S BLESSING

By Baba's grace, as sadhakas of the Marga, we should channelise all our energies and longing towards Him and become aspirants of parabhakti. We should ask for Him and Him alone - not any material gain.

Baba says, "When one wants something else from Parama Puruśa other than Parama Puruśa, then that bhakti is called aparábhakti, and when one wants Parama Puruśa from Parama Puruśa, then that bhakti is parábhakti." (SS-24)

Namaskar,
Liiladhar


Note 1:                      THREE TYPES OF APARABHAKTI

Here below Baba classifies those on the path of aparabhakti into three distinct classifications.

Baba says, "There are three classifications within aparábhakti. When a so-called devotee (aparábhakti means they are not devotees, they are so-called devotees) says, “O Parama Puruśa, I am Your devotee,” and then says, “X is my enemy. Please kill him, please kill him!” this type of bhakti is called támasika bhakti. Actually it is not bhakti. When someone says, “O Parama Puruśa, I am Your devotee, but You know, I am not getting any employment, please arrange for my employment,” he is not trying to harm anybody, but he wants physical development or physical elevation, his [physical] betterment. His bhakti, his so-called bhakti, is known as rájasika bhakti. And that is also aparábhakti, and aparábhakti is not bhakti. And suppose someone says, “O Parama Puruśa, I am Your devotee, and You know, I want mukti, I want mukti,” and Parama Puruśa asks, “O my boy, why do you want mukti?” “Oh, I don’t find any charm in this world, because I lost my digestive power. Either give me back my digestive power or give me mukti.” This is sáttvikii bhakti. Actually sáttvikii bhakti is not bhakti; aparábhakti is not at all bhakti." (Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 24)



Note 2:         OTHER POSTINGS ABOUT THE "MASTER GLOSSARY"

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

To view and read the second posting in this series about the term "acarya" click below.

http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2011/03/master-glossary-blunder-term-acarya.html