Dada Threatens To Commit Suicide + Celibacy: Comparing Ananda Marga & Catholicism

From: "Ramujagar"
To: am-global@earthlink.net
Subject: Dada Threatens To Commit Suicide
Date: Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:06:55

Baba

This entire email is composed of 3 parts:

(1) Posting: Dada Threatens To Commit Suicide;
(2) Reply: Celibacy: Comparing Ananda Marga & Catholicism:
(3) Prabhat Samgiita #1089.

Each section is demarcated by asterisks (***).

== DADA THREATENS TO COMMIT SUICIDE ==

Namaskar,
In our Ananda Marga, human life is regarded as something invaluable and highly treasured. The gift of human life is not easily gotten; and, once achieved, it should be utilized to follow the path of bhagavata dharma. This every Ananda Margii knows.

So just as our Ananda Marga protects the rights of the baby and is against abortion, similarly we support the idea that one's life should be properly maintained and do not support any acts of suicide etc.
          

SUICIDE IS SAME AS HOMICIDE

First and foremost, according to Baba's guideline, suicide itself is condemnable. Parama Purusa has graciously bestowed one with the human framework, and intentionally killing oneself (suicide) is equally sinful as killing another human being (homicide).

The point is that when Parama Purusa has supplied this human body, nobody has the right to destroy it by demolishing themselves. If anybody kills themselves, in future they will not be graced by getting a new human life.

Consider this: Suppose parents give a pen and paper to their 6 month old infant, and the baby tears up the paper and throws it on the ground, and chews the pen and throws it outside via the window. Then his loving parents will think that this baby is not mature enough to have a pen and paper. They will think, "Let the baby grow up before I give those materials again."

In the same way, Parama Purusa does not grant new human life to people after they commit suicide. Rather, the suicide victim will have to wait a very, very long period - even as long as millions of years. Because when someone has committed suicide, it may take millions of years to drift along as negative microvita. So killing oneself is an abominable act.

STORY FROM SHABDA CAYANIKA

If any person commits suicide they may not get human life for millions of years. The following story, narrated by Baba in Shabda Cayanika, makes this very clear. In that story, Baba is describing the fate of a British officer "Sahib" who killed himself. So many years passed, and still his disembodied soul was living in that government bungalow.

Here is that excerpt from Shabda Cayanika where the Sahib who committed suicide is describing his terrible fate.

"Today I realize what a horrendous mistake I made...This path of suicide that I have taken to save my honour has crudified me so much that even after such a long time I cannot find any deliverance. These days I am utterly helpless. ...Oh, what a painful bondage! Is there no path left open to me to attain peace! Is there no ointment I can apply which will soothe the burning of my bondage!" (1)

Thus the Sahib suffered tremendously by committing suicide - just one torment after another. Even though he was feeling deeply repentant for his crime of suicide, he had to endure a lot of torture and pain. It is only Baba's causeless grace that He granted him (the Sahib) a better life.

SUICIDE IS EXTREMELY NEGATIVE

All of Baba's teachings clearly demonstrate that in a weak moment, nobody should invite their own disaster by committing suicide. Not only that, it is our duty as a true devotee of Baba to help and support others when they are feeling depressed or devastated or unsure of themselves.

Thus we should be prepared and warn them that committing suicide invites long-term irreparable damage. Here 'long-term' means thousands and thousands of years of punishment. Because the life span of negative microvita is not limited to ten, twenty, or one hundred years, but far longer than that.

So the entire act of committing suicide is meek and cowardly - and ruins one's future.

Nowadays all around, in the general society, the overall atmosphere is quite negative. People suffer in so many ways: Physically, psychically, emotionally, and spiritually. They do not have a proper ideology to move on in the right direction. Many are prone towards suicide. So in this situation, our duty is to guide them and bring on the proper path.

PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND SUICIDE

In order to help people we must better understand what causes a person to consider killing themselves.

The key point to know is that nobody wants to die. Nobody wants their own destruction. This runs contrary to all human psychology. People do not commit suicide because they wish to invite their own ruination. They commit suicide in the hopes of freeing themselves from the horrors of their present existence and starting afresh by gaining new life. This is the fundamental reason behind each and every act of suicide: The utmost desire to start anew.

They think: "This life is a lost cause. I do not have what I want. I must rid myself of my ghastly problems. Let me kill myself and start anew." Sadly, their dogmatic, mind-set is riddled with all kinds of worries, fears, delusions, and difficulties. The best way for us to help is to understand and empathize with what they are going through.

Ultimately, because of their deep despair and dogmatic outlook, they think that by committing suicide they will get a better opportunity - a new life.

Such persons fall in two distinct categories.

(a) REBIRTH: Those who believe in reincarnation such as inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent think that by killing themselves they will surely be granted new, better life.

What they fail to understand is that committing suicide and getting new life does not mean escaping from their prior samskaras. Rather, one is accumulating many more negative samskaras by their act of suicide, and they may come back as an animal or a stone. Thus, their desire to start afresh - free from the past burdens is 100% wrong.

(b) HEAVEN: Those from the Semitic religions think that by killing themselves they will get a wonderful, new existence by going to heaven.

Here again, however, as Ananda Margiis we know that there is no place as heaven and that is not one's destination after death. So there is no question of gaining a clean, pure, new life, rather they will be stuck in the mire of their negative decision of committing suicide for thousands or even millions of years.

(c) ATHEIST: They want to get rid of their present circumstance and think that whatever happens will be "better than this."

The overall conclusion is that whatever their belief system or religious background, those who commit suicide do so in hopes of attaining a fresh start in life.

So committing suicide is not some type of glorified action. Rather it is a negative act born out of a psychic disease. Acts of suicide are done by very weak, disturbed, tense, and fragile persons. Those who have a strong mind never invite such negative thoughts nor commit such a horrible act.

SOCIETAL IMPOSITIONS

There are another section of people who fall prey to suicidal tendencies due to the defective outlook of the general society.

For instance, suppose when in good health a person reads a news report that praises and glorifies an elderly person or a deformed person for committing suicide so that they will not be a burden to others. In that case, if that healthy person becomes disabled at a young age due to an accident or becomes feeble due to living into their advanced years, then they too might commit suicide. Because the dogmatic outlook of that selfish society preaches that it is "better to die than to get help from others."

This is indeed a vile outlook born out of selfishness. The authors of such a outlook would rather see another die than lend a hand to help them. This goes against all aspects of a service-oriented mentality and spiritual outlook. Such persons are committing pratyavaya (sin of omission) by not helping the needy person. It is our duty to wholly oppose this type of sinful and diseased mentality.

Then there is another example where societal values lead one to intentionally end their life. In some regions or lands, assisted suicide has come into vogue. Guided by this outlook, people think it is better - i.e. more honourable and respectable - to end their life than to live with a terminal illness. When person thinks that their disease is taboo or that they do not want to face the suffering of their illness, then they opt for assisted suicide. And again, this decision is a direct result of the prevailing norms of society.

So these are cases where societal values led one to the very horrible act of suicide.

CANNOT ESCAPE FROM ONE'S PROBLEMS

Whatever their reasoning, people resort to suicide when they wish to escape from the problems and difficulties of their present circumstance. They think suicide will bring them a better life - somehow.

Ananda Marga philosophy clearly states that one is bound by their samskaras and one cannot escape that bundle of samskaras by committing suicide. Rather suicide itself will lead to the creation of yet another bad samskara.

Best is to courageously face the reactions of their current life. If someone is undergoing terrible suffering they should ask Parama Purusa for the courage and strength to face the problem. Then their samskara will be much less painful. And if sufficient mental strength is aroused that problem will no longer be a problem.

VARIES FROM COUNTRY TO COUNTRY

In various countries suicide is viewed differently. In Japan committing suicide is not treated as a crime. But in India, it is a crime. Whereas in Romania, suicide itself is not illegal, but encouraging or facilitating another's suicide is a criminal offense.

From the Ananda Marga perspective, the overriding idea is that whatever the laws and social viewpoints may be, according to cardinal human values suicide is sin.

LEAD OTHERS ONTO THE PATH OF LIFE (DHARMA)

Seeing the very low standard of general society where so many people are mentally imbalanced, we must never encourage this type of cowardice mentality. Rather with a full voice of courage and compassion we should guide them in the proper direction. Suicide is one sinful act that goes against the essence of humanity.

BABA IS AGAINST SUICIDE

In His discourses Baba has clearly warned for people not to commit suicide.

Specifically, in His teachings on microvita, Baba addresses the topic of disembodied souls. And there He has given a graphic explanation about the negativity of suicide:

"People who commit suicide due to humiliation, psychic distortion, frustration or the overpowering influence of excessive attachment, anger, greed, vanity, jealousy, etc. get the status of kabandha yoni after death. Wherever these entities happen to see other human beings under the spell of psychic derangement, they incite them to commit suicide." (2)

So if one commits suicide they become kabandha microvita, and that is one very negative state.

Here following are more of Baba's related teachings on this subject.

"THIS IS A HOUSE OF THE DEAD"

The sahib let out a long sigh and said: “The advice of the district magistrate was quite sound, but at that time I was not in the right mind to accept his counsel. Because of my arrogance I had completely lost my common sense. My ruler's philosophy was prodding me continuously, telling me – What! Will I flee under the cover of darkness out of fear of a few ordinary farmers? Never! It is against my ruler's philosophy. I will have to do something to save my respect. On and on I went thinking like this until I was at a complete loss. There was no one to give any clear directions or orders. That day my wounded pride told me – the only way to salvage my honour is to tie a noose around my neck and hang myself with this rope. That is the only path to salvation. In this way my honour, my prestige, my reputation, will be saved.

“So thought, so done.

“I tied a noose around my neck with this rope and hung myself. You may call it suicide, cowardliness or sin. But in the state of mind I was in that day I could see no other path open to me. So knowingly, perhaps, I took this sinful path in order to salvage my honour.”

His voice choked. “You know, now I am completely alone in this place – solitary, companionless. No one comes near me. Everyone is afraid; everyone says that this is a house of the dead.”

“Then?” I asked.

“Today I realize what a horrendous mistake I made. Human beings' benevolent consciousness leads them towards greatness and evil crudifies them. This path of suicide that I have taken to save my honour has crudified me so much that even after such a long time I cannot find any deliverance. These days I am utterly helpless. Please consider my helplessness and give me some direction, some order; tell me what to do. Where is my path of welfare, my road to providence?” (3)

"UNNECESSARILY THINK THAT EVERYONE DELIBERATELY AVOIDS THEM"

"Because of problems in the objectivated mind, people suffer from various psychic complexes. For example, there are those who are inclined to think that no one, neither their friends and relatives nor even their domestic animals, cares to think of them. They unnecessarily think that everyone deliberately avoids them, dislikes them, or ignores them, and therefore they become disappointed, dejected, and dispirited. Life loses all its charm and attraction for them, and they may even commit suicide. This type of mania is called melancholia." (4)

"DO NOT HAVE THE DIRECT WILL TO SURVIVE"

"Most people who commit suicide do not have the direct will to survive. However, their indirect will remains partially active, sustained by the desire to be free of the untold sorrows, miseries, and humiliations of this life. Deep within they cherish an indirect desire to acquire a new, dignified life in another world after death. This desire is the work of the indirect will. Their indirect will seeks a way to escape the ignominy of humiliation and build a new and better life in the future. Their will did something in the past for which they must undergo their present humiliation." (5)

"IF SOMEONE'S MIND BECOMES VERY NEGATIVE..."

"Whatever one does in this world, one does in order to get pleasure. A person becomes greedy for tasty food because by eating it that person gets pleasure. Someone has a weakness for earning name and fame because that person gets pleasure through the medium of name and fame. Another person forgets everything in his greed for money because his avarice gives him pleasure. If someone's mind becomes very negative and he thinks that he will get happiness by not living, then he will commit suicide." (6)

"I AM DEFEATED IN THE STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE"

"There is a defeatist complex. “Oh, I am defeated in this world,” “Oh, I am defeated in this struggle for existence.” Such a sentiment, such a psychology, sometimes goads a man to commit suicide even. “I am defeated, I am defeated in the struggle for existence.” You must not encourage this type of psychology. When your father is the Supreme Father, your father is the most powerful entity in the entire universe, why should you think that you have been defeated in the struggle for existence? No, a bright future awaits you. Your future is glorious, your future is luminous, your future is effulgent." (7)

"MANY PEOPLE ARE COMMITTING SUICIDE; MANY PEOPLE ARE BECOMING LUNATICS"

   "These days many psychic diseases have appeared as a result of this mental complexity. Many people are committing suicide; many people are becoming lunatics. The reason is that people are unable to adjust with the various types of complexities in life."
   "The human brain is limited, and its nerve cells also have a limited capacity: they cannot tolerate these growing complexities. Kiirtana gives bliss to Parama Puruśa in the mental sphere, and it also brings joy to human beings both individually and collectively; it leads them on the path of welfare and frees them from all these complexities. It removes all the diseases of the intellect and allows people to think easily and in the proper way."
   "So intelligent people should do kiirtana as much as possible. When people, due to psychic complexities, cannot find the solution to their difficulties and they are at a loss what to do, if they sit together at any place and do kiirtana wholeheartedly for a while, their psychic complexities will be removed and they will easily seize upon the solution to their problems." (8)

Namaskar,
in Him
Ramujagar

Note: HERE IS THAT DADA

Dada Loknathanandji in Varanasi wants more land and has threatened to commit suicide if he does not get his land request met. It is duty of those near or far to fulfill their dharma and not commit pratyavaya - one must intercede before it is too late. Those who know Dadaji must be proactive and assertive. They must protect him, inform him of the consequences, and counsel him. If his mind is not changed, then he might turns toward suicide - as he is threatening to do. We must not let this come to pass.


REFERENCES:
1. Shabda Cayanika-2 p.66
2. Microvita in a Nutshell, p.100
3. Shabda Cayanika-2 p.66
4. A Few Problems Solved - 7, The Faculty of Knowledge – 3
5. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life - 9, The Science of Action
6. Shabda Cayaniká Part 1, Disc: 5
7. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 34, Be Free from All Complexes
8. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 22, Serve the Supreme by Kiirtana

*************************************

From: "Jayashrii"
Subject: Celibacy: Comparing Ananda Marga & Catholicism
Date: Mon, 18 March 2013 14:18:23

To: am-global@earthlink.net

CELIBACY:

COMPARING ANANDA MARGA WITH CATHOLICISM

Namaskar,
I very much appreciate those who are concerned about WT conduct in Ananda Marga.

Indeed, seeing the sex crimes that have stained Christianity is quite disturbing and we should ensure such events to not occure within our wholetimer cadre.

At the same time, we should be keenly aware of certain distinctions between Catholicism / Christianity and Ananda Marga.

In Catholicism, only celibate monks can lead prayer and perform their religious rituals and rites etc; whereas, in Ananda Marga, that is not at all the case. It is very different. Family acaryas and family margiis can lead all kinds of social ceremonies marriages, baby-naming, house entering, and so many types of programs, and they can perform initiations. In Ananda Marga, one need not be a celibate priest to convene these programs.

Plus, in Ananda Marga, in the spiritual realm there is no need of a middle man. Every Ananda Margii has their own direct link with Parama Purusa. In stark contrast, in Catholicism, the lay people cannot communicate directly with God. They must go via a middle man, and that designated middle-man is the priest who is celibate. Without priests, Catholics cannot communicate with their Lord in the religious realm and in the social sphere they cannot conduct any ceremonies. They are wholly dependent upon their celibate priests.

Ananda Marga is vastly different. To review, in Ananda Marga there is no need of a priest to communicate with Parama Purusa, and family people can lead the various rituals and ceremonies etc. Plus family acaryas can do initiations. This is not the case in the Catholic Church.

So comparing the Catholic Church with our Ananda Marga is akin to comparing apples and oranges.

MARRY AND BECOME FAMILY ACARYAS

Here in Ananda Marga, the approach is rational and all have the option to choose: Those who wish to lead and remain celibate should become wholetimers; and those who wish to lead without taking a vow of celibacy should marry and become family acaryas. So all have the power of choice. Our acaryas already have the option to be married.

Thus, in Ananda Marga, we need not make any changes to our current system. Everyone has their ability to choose and they may exercise their options accordingly. On this point, there is complete freedom.

GIVE UP WT-SHIP AND LEAVE THE DRESS

Moreover, anyone who has taken the course of celibacy and become a WT, if they are incapable of maintaining their vow and oaths, then they should give up their Wt-ship and leave the dress. They will not be treated like soldiers who leave their platoon and are then arrested and put in military jail. Those wholetimers who leave to get married will not be imprisoned. It is very simple. If they are unable to maintain the proper code of conduct, they need not remain as a Wt - no one is going to force them to stay. There is no question of any coercion. The main idea is that they should not remain in WT dress and contravene their principles and indulge in poor behaviours. That is sinful.

Here again let me reiterate: To lead sermons & functions in Ananda Marga, there is no need of taking a vow of celibacy. Those who are celibate do so by choice. All have freedom of choice on this matter. Whether one is a family person or monk, they can perform all the rituals etc, and they will have their personal link with Parama Purusa.

Baba has given all the rules and regulations for Ananda Marga in a very thoughtful and careful way. So there is no need to change anything. Baba has given the ideal method.

Remaining in WT dress and contravening wholetimer principles by indulging in lewd dealings is absolutely sinful and unacceptable.

Namaskar,
in Him,
Jayashrii









**** Here begins the Prabhat Samgiita ****


"A'laker saurrathe saba'y nite tumi esecho..."  - P.S. 1089

Purport:

Baba, O' my Parama Purusa, You have come with the shining chariot of divine effulgence. You have come to take everyone to the divine realm. You do not differentiate between who is great, who is meagre, & who is small etc. You listen to everyone's tales - to everyone's feeling of the heart.

Baba, O' Divine Entity, even without seeing You, I have loved You. By Your grace, I am always feeling close & loving towards You. And even when I have not heard about You, I have been attracted by Your divinity. Baba, You are so gracious. You do not make judgments based on one's merits or demerits. You love all, unconditionally. And I understand that You are always present - across all time and space.

O' my Dearmost, You have done so much for me, and in return You do not want anything. In spite of knowing about the hundreds of defects in me, You have made me Yours and accepted me as Your own.

Baba, You have showered Your causeless grace on me. You have come here on this dusty earth to bring everyone onto the path of divinity. Baba, You are so gracious...