Saturday, April 3, 2010

Satsang Ideal: Mystical yet Better-worldly. {14.}

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Radhasoami!

Classifying religions, cults, sects, faiths & denominations on various b
ases has been a favorite pastime of the many. Popular categorizations of a religion would include its being:
** Mystical or ritualistic; &
** Unworldly or worldly.

Buddhism may be regarded as having been initially at least essentially mystical, focusing on the practice of meditation. Mere external rituals mark most major religions. There may have been unworldly elements in certain major religions, but since no religion or its followers could have survived & expanded on
such an ethereal basis for long, most chose to coyly adopt the worldly route.

Only
fringe and offbeat sects can afford the luxury of being unabashedly unworldly, such as the one in Japan that even exhorts its followers to commit suicide en masse as a way of exiting the earth & ostensibly gaining paradise. Well, who hasn't heard that it's a crazy world?

The quest for paradise inevitably came to be regarded as not being in conflict with one’s acquisition of material possessions; indeed, worldly prosperity came to be viewed as an indication of one’s likely gains in the beyond as well. Hence, there has been a growth of capitalism worldwide, with the active involvement of Christians {particularly Protestants, as studied extensively by Max Weber}, Jews, Jains, Sikhs, Hindus & others.

So, how may the Radhasoami religion of Dayalbagh be described?
** Is it mystical or ritualistic?
** Is it unworldly, worldly or “better-worldly”?

Does being a Satsangi mean that one:
** Pray to the exclusion of all life, or merely superficially perform certain rituals timely?
** Scorn & shun the use of material trinkets, or actively rival with the Joneses -- or Kapoors, if you please! -- in the modern consumerist culture?

Or, is there a middle & optimal route instead that Satsangis are enjoined to practice?

The actual Satsang worldview regards the world as real, but perishable, & as headed for destruction at the end of Kaliyuga in the form of a MahaPralay. Life is an opportunity to progress spiritually, so that the soul attains access to higher divine realms, & ultimately achieves salvation by reaching Radhasoami Dham, the loftiest divine realm in existence.

Hence, Satsangis are NOT to confuse their essential worth or Grace merely with their stock of material possessions.
Satsangis are NOT to rival others over such trinkets.
Satsangis are NOT to fritter their lives -- or lose sight of their true goal in life -- in a blind, mad & never-ending chase of the numerous attractive products being thrown up by the present consumerist culture worldwide.

However, a dignified life requires a certain degree of material success. This is again treading on thin ice, because individual perceptions can vary considerably on what may constitute a "dignified life". Is it merely a couple of square meals a day, and minimal shelter, or does it include occasionally buying an exotic island in the middle of an ocean "far from the madding crowd", and perhaps a few acres on the moon? I confess I am now slightly digressing in a lighter vein, so let's resume the relatively more profound ruminations!

Certain “scientific research” {I am quite sceptical about what such words are supposed to exactly mean, but more on this perhaps later!} has even apparently confirmed that when someone’s material requirements have been adequately met, the person’s focus turns more towards God. Moreover, since Satsang is to spread in the world, we shall require finances on a mammoth scale.
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The Satsang ideal exhorts Satsangis to aim for “ausath darje ki” or moderate degree of {& not “aala” or superior} material facilities. This is doubtlessly based on the expectation that any human who pursues wealth and possessions to a great degree gradually gets attached to them, & begins to crave them more. This effectively diverts her or him from the true goal of salvation.
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Unlike several other peoples across the world, who have institutionalized the fine arts of begging, borrowing, stealing and plundering, Satsangis are enjoined to live by their own work, or by the sweat of their own brow. This promotes the traits of independence, integrity, morals, values and ethics. One cannot wallow in muck daylong to effectively quote the scriptures by the night. One cannot partake in the rampant corruption prevalent in most societies worldwide -- particularly, the Indian - and pretend to maintain the purity of one's soul.

Most importantly, for the Radhasoami religion to spread adequately in the world, as per the Paath lines,
Badhath Satsang ab din din / aha ha ha oho ho ho.”,
phenomenal resources will be required. Hence, Satsangis may be excused a greater attempt at more earnings, if their focus on the true Abode remains foremost in their minds, & the striving is oriented towards Seva in some form or the other.

Paisa saath nahin jatha hai, sachi Bahkti aur Seva hee saath zarur jathe hain. That is, one doesn’t lug one’s lucre or bucks into the afterlife, only one’s devotions and services get carried forward into the beyond as one’s spiritual capital. More money is good, desirable & beneficial, to the extent that it enables more & better Bhakti & Seva, or devotion and service. The efforts for added riches become bad, undesirable & self-defeatist if they are at the expense of one’s faith, or distance oneself from one’s quest for salvation.
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So, it would appear prudent to accept, albeit with certain qualifications, the biblical observation about the love of money being the root of all evil {Timothy 6:10}. However, the interested reader may also read what Ayn Rand says in her incisive and brilliant writing style on this topic, basically arguing that money is a mere tool and is the root of all good {Atlas Shrugged}.
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Radhasoami!
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