Ananda Marg
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Spiritual practices
Psychic equilibrium is peace. What brings about psychic equilibrium and what disturbs it? Spiritual practices will bring psychic equilibrium, and belief in superstition will disturb it. Hence, we need to follow spiritual practices and fight against superstition.
Spiritual practices: Relief from dukha, suffering, is the main desire, and without fulfilment of this desire, peace is not possible. Nivritti, end of suffering, is of two types: samayiki nivritti, temporary cessation of suffering, and atyantiki nivritti, permanent cessation of suffering. That which helps in getting nivritti, is called artha, but artha is purely physical, so it can bring only physical and temporary remission. Paramarta brings not only temporary remission, but everlasting freedom as well, from dukha. Atyantiki nivritti can be obtained only by Paramarta which relieves one of all dukha – physical, mental and spiritual.
Paramarta can only be obtained by sadhana, spiritual practices. Freedom from dukha, atyantiki nivritti, can be obtained only from Paramarta, and Paramarta can be achieved only by sadhana. In Ananda Marga, spiritual practices begin when the child reaches the age of five. From the very beginning of a child’s life, he is initiated into spiritual practices. With the advance of the child’s life, spiritual practices also advance, bringing within their scope both mental and physical spheres.
Spiritual practices of Ananda Marga do not teach forsaking the world. They teach the right and correct use of all property, crude or subtle. Our sadhana is a systematic and scientific method for physical, mental and spiritual progress and advancement by which permanent psychic equilibrium, and thus everlasting peace, is established.
Fight against superstition: The natural tendency of the mind is to become like its object. Superstition of any kind – social, psychic or spiritual – influences the mind to such an extent that the mind, due to its worries, leads a person into trouble. The mental equilibrium of one believing in superstition is disturbed, and the result is that one not only loses peace, but one is also led to do some action detrimental to oneself. This only further strengthens belief in superstition. Any ordinary incident is magnified and attributed to some bad omen, by believers of superstition.
In the social sphere there is no dearth of superstitions. Witchcraft, discrimination against widows, etc, are curses in society only due to such superstitions. In the psychic sphere, there are deep-rooted superstitions such as belief in ghosts. Not only this, but superstitions related to shraddha, funeral ceremonies, have also bound down even the progeny of a person. In the spiritual field, also, ignorant people have been forced to do many things only because of the deep-rooted superstition of heaven and hell. For the preservation of peace, the fight against superstition is of prime importance.
The spiritual superstitions of heaven and hell and fear of God make individuals suppressed, and they lose their peace. Not infrequently due to fear, such superstitions create an undesirable reaction in people, and thereby cause loss of peace.
In Ananda Marga, spiritual practices are based on rationality. Fear and superstition have no part in them. A systematic and scientific method of spiritual practices in the Marga, path, leaves no place for these superstitions. Unity in Ananda Marga is secured by evolving a casteless society where capital punishment is prohibited, and all take part unitedly in social functions, irrespective of caste, creed or race. In such a society, there can be no discrimination.
Rationality & Physical, Psychic, Spiritual Evolution
Shri Shri Anandamurti, December 4, 2018: The Times of India
The work of a few thousand men, may be done by one man with a machine. If it is introduced in industry, it will surely save labour. This is rationalisation, in the realm of industry. You may term it as “physical rationalisation”. Now, what is psychic rationalisation? It is the effort to rationalise dogmatic religious beliefs and practices, but the principle remains the same.
Traditionalism is to be rationalised. The curvatures are to be avoided and straight forwardness is to be adopted. Ananda Marga adopts a straight path.
You may call it psycho-spiritual rationalisation. Traditionalism is outdated. The times call for rationalisation that can provide the scope for physical, psychic and psycho-spiritual evolution.
Subjectivity is of two types – mental and spiritual. In mental subjectivity the mind merges into its own enhanced subjectivity, and in spiritual subjectivity the mind merges into spirituality. The area of the mind depends solely on its subjectivated pabula whose area increases or decreases jurisdiction of the mind. The subjectivated pabula have their definite periphery. Suppose you see the face of any person, then close your eyes. Now, suppose you compare how much of your mental field is occupied with this image. Say one-fourth. Then try to increase its size. Again try to increase its size up to your capacity. This is the jurisdiction of your mind. This is subjectivated pabula.
When you are seeing some external object with your eyes, that is objectivated pabula. Your mind has more space than the objectivated pabula. Hence the jurisdiction of the mind depends on the subjectivated pabula, not the objectivated pabula pertaining to external objects. The diversion of pabula is possible in the physical and psychic spheres, but not in the spiritual realm. In the physical sphere, both internal and external transmutation of pabula is possible. In the psychic sphere only internal transmutation is possible. In the spiritual realm no diversion is possible.
Changing the psychic pabula or mind is risky in 25% of cases. If there is maladjustment, there is every chance of insanity. In the case of change of mind, there will be a sensation of jhin-jhin (twinging in the nerves) and then the personality will change. Just as transmutation can be done in the physical pabula externally, it can also be done internally by the application of microvita. Suppose there are two people of the same race or sub-race. Suppose one has thinner skin and lips than the other. While lying on the floor, the person with the thinner skin will feel that the ground is harder and colder, while the other will feel that it is softer and warmer. If the racial characteristics of a person are changed, then the entire personality will be changed. I do not accept any racial barriers. But internally, there is no difference between one person and another – there is no fundamental difference between one human being and another.
The greater the size of the periphery of subjectivated pabula, the greater the jurisdiction of the enhanced mind.
The spiritual pabula of an individual influences the process of diversion and transmutation of pabula in the minds of other people. By your pious thoughts you can divert the thought-waves of others. If you ideate on someone in a pious way, the object – that is, the person – will change accordingly. The entire world wants our service whether in the physical, psychic, spiritual or socio-economic spheres of life. In this process the feeling of cosmic brotherhood will increase.
