PRACTICE
ABSOLUTE DEVOTION! DO KIIRTAN AND SERVE
PARAMA PURUSA ANANDA MARGA YOGA WELLNESS CENTER IN THE PHILIPPINES
2019
DETOX AND NUTRITION AT
edição #7
editorial
Journal completes one year connecting good news throughout the planet “All of you, boys and girls, each one of you is VIP – a very important person” Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji That’s why the ”Dharma for all Journal” completes a very happy year for being a tool of dharma pracar, serving our VIP readers who are present across 110 countries around the globe, inspiring and helping to accomplish His mission! In this period, there were more than 60 articles published in 3 languages, (Portuguese, English and Spanish), through 5 different virtual forms (website, Facebook, Instagram, Issuu, direct mailing)! So, we started the second year of the Journal happy in sharing more amazing projects and examples of life and work on behalf of the Mission! The “Special series: dharma pracar workers” EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Prashanti GRAPHIC EDITION Radha, Laksmii & Jayanti Iasodara COVER Julia Koch Liss Thane TRANSLATION Elena Bryan
2 | Dharma for all Journal
ends with its last article: the family acaryas, including unmissable accounts of Ghrii Acarya Prabha Sood and Ghrii Acarya Kishan Sood (India), Ghrii Acarya Dhyanesh Fleury (USA), Ghrii Acarya Malati (England) and Ghrii Acarya Vishvamitra Jordan (USA). We will also learn about the healing and transforming project of the yoga wellness center created by Acarya Dharmavedananda Avadhuta, in the Philippines. Within this inspiration we would like to commemorate the anniversary of our beloved Guru, Shrii Shrii Anandamurtijii, bringing a surprise to all of you in Ananda Purnima, on May 18th. In this sense, we follow together in this cosmic stream, thinking of Him, feeling Him, being Him.
DISTRIBUITION Free FREQUENCY monthly ISSUE # 7 Brazil July 2019
Namaskar! CONTATO journal@d4all.org journal.d4all.org f b.com/dharmaforalljournal instagram.com/d4alljournal
JOURNAL
CONTENTS
4
Absolute devotion
8
Ananda Purnima: serve the Supreme by kiirtan
11
Let’s sing together: kiirtan for universal togetherness
12
#pracar inspirations
13
Prize draw: watercolors with the mantra Baba nam kevalam
15
Wellness at the Ananda Marga Yoga Wellness Center, Philippines
“You should remember that human life is not like a single flower; it is like a bouquet or a garden of flowers blooming with many varieties of flowers. And this variety of blossoms adds to the collective beauty of the garden. Had there been only magnolia graniflora or one variety of rose only blooming in the garden, although that single flower might be very attractive, still the garden as a whole would not be very lovely. A garden is all the more beautiful because of the flowers of various types and hues.” Shrii Shrii Anandamurti
Dharma for all Journal | 3
babastory
Absolute
devotion There are various stages in the evolution of de-
votion. Baba explained that the highest type of devotion evolves “when all the propensities of the mind are withdrawn from all other objects and are diverted towards the Supreme Goal: that is true bhakti.”
“You may have noticed that people sometimes establish a kind of devotional relationship with God out of selfishness. For example, there is tamasik bhakti or static devotion. People sometimes wrongly pray to God, ‘Lord, I am your devotee and I am willing to do this and that to propitiate you. Such and such persons are my enemies. Let harm befall them.’ Here the thinking is fundamentally defective. There is no doubt that the ideation relates to Parama Purusa. However, the person does not want to attain Him, but wants Parama Purusa to help him or to harm his enemies. Under these circumstances, Parama Purusa may or may not grant your prayers, but one thing is certain – you will not attain Parama Puruca because you do not really want Him. A genuine sadhaka should not practice this type of tamasik devotion because it leads to the degradation of the mind. 4 | Dharma for all Journal
The second type of devotion is rajasik or mutative devotion. Here also there is devotion, no doubt, but the mind does not want to attain Parama Purusa either. The aspirant prays to Parama Purusa, ‘O Lord, bless me with a better political future or with more profit in business or grant me a promotion in my job; please help me to do well in the examinations or arrange the marriage of my daughter without difficulty.’ In this type of devotion, you do not pray to Parama Purusa to help you to harm your opponents, and that is good, but still, you do not attain Parama Purusa.
There is a third type of devotion, which is called sattvik or sentient devotion. In this type of devotion, you do not ask Parama Purusa for anything. There are yet others who pray to the Lord, ‘O Lord, I have been on earth for a long time; I have to face so many problems in life. Please, O Lord, take me in your lap.’ Here the person praying wants his or her worldly afflictions to end. So there is also a defect inherent in this type of devotion. Such ideations will not serve the purpose. None of these things kinds of devotion has any significance on the spiritual path. Why?
To take an analogy, a little child is crying to its mother, so what does the mother do? She immediately rushes to the child and gives it
a few colorful toys. the child
When a person advances spir-
gories.
stops
immediately.
itually through the practice
When the devotee says, ‘I
But if the child insists that it
of yoga or tantra, he or she
love my Parama Purusa in-
does not want anything ex-
comes even closer to Para-
tensely and do everything
cept its mother, the mother
ma Purusa, the Macrocosmic
only to please Him because
is compelled to take the child
Nucleus. Gradually, even the
by doing so I get indescrib-
on her lap. So devotees with
thought of being separated
able bliss.’ It is a fact that
true bhakti in their hearts do
from Him becomes unbear-
when true devotion devel-
not ask Parama Purusa for
able to the devotee. In that
ops in a person, one start to
anything. Even if Parama Pu-
sublime state, every action
enjoy bliss. This type of devo-
rusa offers this or that, the
that the sadhaka does, be
tion is called raganuga bhakti.
sadakha will say, ‘No Lord, I
it worldly or otherwise has
Although it is one of the high-
don’t want anything but You.
only one propose, and that
er categories of devotion, it
I want to be with You. What
is to please Parama Purusa
is not altogether free from a
You are offering to me is a
in all possible always. Now
tinge of selfishness.
trivial thing; I want You and
even within this ideal state of
You alone, nothing else.’
devotion, there are two cate-
crying
There is yet another type
Dharma for all Journal | 5
of devotion which is free from even a trace
categorically refuse to give you any dust from
of selfishness. This type of devotion is called
my feet.’
ragatmika devotion. This is also called kevala bhakti or non-attributional devotion, and those
Finally, Narada came to Vrindava where he saw
who have this kind of devotion are called gopa
some gopis tending their cows. When they
in Sanskrit.”
saw him approaching, they rushed over and asked, ‘O sage, how is our dear Lord Krishna?’
In order to clarify the nature of ragatmika devotion, Baba told the following story:
Narada replied, ‘The news is not very good. The Lord is sick.’
“Once, Lord Krishna felt seriously ill and was
‘What is His problem? What’s being done to
suffering from a severe headache. Nothing
cure Him?’ asked the worried gopis.
could cure Him. Eminent doctors also tried but they too were unsuccessful. When everything
Narada told them about the headache that
else failed, those around Him asked Krishna for
had not responded to any treatment, ‘So far,
advice, saying, ‘dear Lord, please tell us what
everything we have tried has failed. Lord Krish-
will cure you.’
na told us that if dust from the feet of His devotees is smeared on His forehead, then alone
Krishna replied, ‘There is only one remedy. If
will He be cured. Would you be willing to give
you bring dust from the feet of my devotees
me some dust from your feet?’
and apply it to my forehead, I will be cured.’ ‘Why not?’ replied the gopis. ‘O Sage Narada, It was a very difficult task. Narada was given the
we don’t know whether we are worthy to be
duty of traveling around the world to search
called His devotees or not, but please take the
for devotees who were willing to give the dust
dust from our feet and smear it on your Lord’s
from their feet. Everyone Narada approached
forehead. If we are worthy of being called His
said, ‘My goodness, how can I agree to such a
devotees, it will certainly cure Him.’
proposal? How can I possibly give dust from my own feet to smear on my Lord’s forehead?
‘That is fine. But tell me, are you not afraid of
Is there any greater sin than this? I will have to
committing a sin by giving the dust from your
suffer the tortures of hell for ages if I do that. I
feet to smear on the Lord’s forehead? Isn’t this
can’t even think of committing such a sin, so I
an act of great sacrilege?’
6 | Dharma for all Journal
‘Why should we be afraid, O sage Narada?’ replied the gopis. ‘Our Lord is in great pain. If dust from our feet can cure Him, what else can we wish for? We don’t care if it is an act of great sacrilege for which we will be doomed to live in hell. We will happily go to hell. It’s all the same for us. We love our Lord so much that He too will have to come with to hell to be with us. All that matters to us is that the Lord should be pleased and freed from His suffering.’
This is kevala bhakti, true selfless devotion.
By Acarya Pravanavatmakananda Avadhuta, adapted from the book Shri Shri Anandamurti – Advent of a mystery
Find it in Amazon, at: https://www.amazon. com/Shri-Anandamur ti-Advent-Myster y/ dp/1548308404
Dharma for all Journal | 7
Ananda Purnima: serve the Supreme by kiirtan Human existence is trifarious: human beings are neither physical entities, nor psychic, nor spiritual entities – they are three in one. All human expressions and activities take place in those three spheres or strata. We should be strong in all the three areas of life, and then only is human existence trilateral, in its true and proper spirit.
Now, we must serve the society and also the cosmic father in all the three strata of our existence. We must serve the Parama Puruśa in the physical sphere – how? Living creatures are the progeny of Parama Puruśa, so we can serve Him physically by rendering service to living beings in the physical sphere, by removing their various physical miseries and afflictions and by showing them the path to liberation.
8 | Dharma for all Journal
This universe is a loving creation of Parama
intellect and allows people to think easily and
Puruśa. We can give joy to Parama Puruśa by
in the proper way.
serving His creations – human beings, animals and plants – and this service will be the best
So intelligent people should do kiirtan as much
application of Neohumanism. This service can
as possible. When people, due to psychic com-
be done in four ways – viprocita sevá (intel-
plexities, cannot find the solution to their diffi-
lectual service), kśatriyocita sevá (service of
culties and they are at a loss what to do, if they
courage), vaeshyocita sevá (economic service)
sit together at any place and do kiirtan whole-
and shudrocita sevá (manual service). None of
heartedly for a while, their psychic complexi-
these is inferior: we cannot ignore any one of
ties will be removed and they will easily seize
them. People should render service according
upon the solution to their problems.
to their capacity. Those who like intellectual service, can do that; those who like manual ser-
Thus if you have even only one minute’s time,
vice, can do so. But it will be best if all the four
do kiirtan for one minute. If even two or three
types are performed.
people gather together, they can do kiirtan collectively; if one thousand people assemble
In the psychic sphere also, we must serve Para-
together, then also they can do kiirtan. When
ma Purusa, since the mind is a very important
you do kiirtan and move towards Parama Puru-
aspect of human existence. And the best way
sa, the Supreme Father, then in Parama Purusa’s
to serve Parama Purusa in the mental sphere is
mind also there will be a flow of bliss, because
to do His kiirtan with love and devotion. When
so many minds are coming towards Him with
Parama Purusa sees that “a number of minds
love. He will feel very happy. Seeing the bliss of
are flowing towards Me,” He will certainly feel a
His devotees, Parama Purusa will also become
soothing touch, and thus this collective move-
overwhelmed with joy, because of His enor-
ment will benefit both the individuals and the
mous love for His devotees.
collectivity. Parama Purusa loves each and everyone, Kiirtan gives bliss to Parama Purusa in the mental
but He loves those who do kiirtan still more.
sphere, and it also brings joy to human beings both individually and collectively; it leads them
He will say to them, “Come, come, come –
on the path of welfare and frees them from all
come near to Me.”
complexities. It removes all the diseases of the Dharma for all Journal | 9
Devotees may or may not be educated; they
minutes only, Parama Purusa becomes happy.
may or may not be highly qualified; they may or may not be intelligent, but if they do kiirtan
And in the spiritual sphere, the only way to
they are efficient enough to render service
serve Parama Purusa is to do what? sadhana.
to Parama Purusa in the psychic realm. So my
Your sadhana will attain the height of spiritual
boys and girls, don’t miss this golden oppor-
fulfillment when you will realize that “day and
tunity. You have been blessed with a human
night, in adversity or prosperity, all the time
body; there must be maximum utilization of this
Parama Purusa is with me – I have nothing to
human body by serving Parama Purusa both
worry about.”
physically and mentally, and the best method of rendering psychic service to Parama Purusa
By intensive sadhana, you will move closer and
is by doing kiirtan.
closer to Parama Purusa. And in this process of forward movement, when you reach near Him
One of the names of Parama Purusa is “Áshutośa”.
you will feel that – although Parama Purusa has
“Áshu” means “quickly, easily”, so “áshutośa”
millions of sons and daughters like you who are
means one who can be satisfied quickly and
coming closer to Him – He is in front of you,
easily. Whether good or bad, if people do
and you will feel that on the lap of Parama Pu-
kiirtan sincerely and wholeheartedly even for
rusa there is a vacant seat waiting just for you.
five or ten minutes, Parama Purusa becomes pleased. So it is not difficult to please Him – any
Shrii Shrii Anandamurti
person can satisfy Him easily. 17 May 1982, Kolkata Parama Purusa does not make any distinctions between educated and uneducated, between
Extract from Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 22
black and white – all are His loving sons and daughters. Even the ugliest child is a precious jewel to its parents. If people do kiirtan for a few
10 | Dharma for all Journal
Art by Liss Thane
Many have already celebrated Baba’s birthday, but there is one more very special invitation: for us to give Him another gift.
The Global Kiirtan Movement Unit invites the planet to sing kiirtan for 30 mins, all together. at the same time around the planet on May 26 at UTC 11:30 with the ideation of MOVING TOGETHER.
Call your friends and let’s spread positive microvita on the planet and raise your vibration!
See the invitation and local time below: https://journal.d4all.org/event/planet-earth-unite-kiirtan-together/
Dharma for all Journal | 11
#pracar inspirations
Event: ANANDA
PURNIMA CELEBRATION
Where: Ánandam Yoga e Cultura in Porto Alegre – RS, Brazil When: May, 2019 Picture by:Ricardo Keunecke Rainjan Pracarakas: Nandini Sarkar e Nihar
Event:
DHARMA CHAKRA AND TANTRA YOGA IN THE PROJETO QUALIDADE DE VIDA (Life Quality Project, free translation)
Where: Conselho Comunitário do Rio Tavares, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil When: April 2019 Pracarakas: Kaelashanatha Deva (Caio Kim) e Parashanti (Priscila Bratfisch)
12 | Dharma for all Journal
Prize draw – watercolors with the mantra Baba nam kevalam – how to participate Still in this festive mood, celebrating one
In order to participate at FACEBOOK:
year of the Journal and Ananda Purnima, we
– Like the fan page of Dharma for all Journal
would like to bestow you with a prize draw
(https://www.facebook.com/dharmaforall-
of four beautiful watercolors, printed in A4
journal);
size with the mantra Baba nam kevalam, from
– Like the official photo of the draw and mark
Liss Thane. Two watercolors will be drawn on
3 people per comment (you can comment as
Facebook and two on Instagram. You may
many times as you want).
participate in both draws! In order to participate at INSTAGRAM: We will do a live stream for the prize draws
– Follow the Instagram profile of Dharma
on June 21, 2019, at 1 pm (UTC -3), and the
for all Journal (https://www.instagram.com/
comments will be accepted until 10 am (UTC
d4alljournal/);
-3), on the same date.
– Like the official photo of the draw and mark 3 people per comment (you can comment as
Here are the names of the winners: Instagram @caiokim1 @eneasmendesjunior Facebook @Henrique Pinotti @Dora Ferreira
many times as you want).
Good luck! Dharma for all Journal | 13
14 | Dharma for all Journal
Wellness abounds at the
in Cebu, Philippines It’s unusual for someone seeking treatment to leave one of the Ananda Marga Yoga Wellness
Centers
(https://amwellness.
org/) in the same condition they arrived, according to Dada Dharmavedananda, who founded the first center in 2005, in Mandaue City, Cebu Province, Philippines.
It’s more common for a person to leave the center on the road to recovery at the very least.
“It’s astonishing to see when people have extremely bad skin problems, for instance. They are going to lots of doctors, but when they come to the center it gets step by step better until it’s completely or almost completely gone,” he said.
Bonafe Karen O. Amador, from Davao, Philippines is one such case. He faced psoriasis and a psoriatic arthritis crisis when he arrived at the Wellness Center. “Before Dharma for all Journal | 15
coming, I had chronic pain at the joints of my
100 percent coronary artery blockage and he
right thumb, right elbow, right chest, and asso-
couldn’t even stand or sit without strong help.
ciated pain at my lower leg muscle. Psoriasis
Within 10 days he could stand by himself and
was flaring up in both my lower legs,” Amador
take initial steps. In three weeks he was walk-
said. After a 12-day treatment, however, all that
ing.”
was left was a slight pain on his thumb. “What is so impressive about the program is that it is
“Almost everybody, they look better when
not only treating my body but mind and spirit
they leave,” Dada said. “They look brighter,
as well. The kiirtan and meditation were so re-
their skin is better quality, and they’re happier.
laxing. I felt light and had peace of mind.”
Symptoms are invariable, with a few exceptions, radically decreased or disappeared.”
Skin problems are some of the most common conditions treated at the center, but the facility
Aniisha Koenig came all the way from the Unit-
also treats cancer, diabetes, heart trouble, si-
ed States with the goal of getting her medita-
nusitis, chronic cough, weight issues, digestive
tion practice to be regular and to learn how to
troubles, high blood pressure, and pervasive
eat in a healthy way. “It was an amazing expe-
body pain like fibromyalgia.
rience. When I returned to the States, my family and friends said my skin glowed and they
“We’ve had old people with arthritis pain who
observed the happiest Aniisha they had ever
for years and years couldn’t walk without pain,”
seen,” she said. Denise Flesch, from France,
Dada said. “One of the very first cases was a
healed a stomach pain that had bothered her
man who was extremely overweight. He was
for years after a 14-day program at the center.
wheelchair-bound. Doctors said he had nearly
“Dada Dharma is so good to be able to locate
16 | Dharma for all Journal
the main cause of my health problem. Now I can eat nicely. My sleep is very good. I do not feel tired anymore when I wake up. I found the way how to maintain good digestion and in general, better health.”
The center isn’t as skillful in structural problems of the bone or muscles, but attendees also see some reasonably good results. The center’s expertise is chronic diseases related to internal organs. The vast majority of the work at the center in Cebu as well as centers around the world is detoxing and proper nutrition.
The idea for the Yoga Wellness Center came to Dada during meditation. He wanted to create a meaningful social service project that would serve a lot of people in a powerful way. He considered possibilities such as helping alcoholics or juvenile delinquents but dismissed the ideas for one reason or another. One day while driving a motorcycle down the highway in Taiwan, Dada shouted at Baba asking, “What kind of a guru are you? I’m trying to find a proper service work and you’re not giving me the way.” In that angry mood, he sat down to meditate. Within a few seconds, he heard very loudly in his mind, “Do natural therapy as a service.”
From there the idea took root. He and a team of people set up an experimental outpatient Dharma for all Journal | 17
clinic in Taiwan. Then they shifted to Korea to create an inpatient clinic at the master unit there. When Dada was transferred to Manila Sector, he took the determination he wanted a proper inpatient center that could act as a global model. He continued to receive guidance about the project in unexpected ways.
“I was in the airport in Singapore and jumping in my head the thought came, ‘Baba, is now the right time to start raising money for a natural therapy center?’ In the same moment, I saw something on the floor, picked up, and held it in the air. It was money. ‘Did anyone lose any money?’ I asked. No one stopped. It was a 100 dollar note.”
That was in 2003. Construction started a few months after that and the center in Cebu opened in February 2005. People stay any length of time from a couple of days to four weeks. The amount of people fluctuates all the time. Sometimes during training, the center bursts at the seams with 15 trainees. And sometimes, the center has few or just one or two or even is sometimes empty.
Dada estimates 2,000 people have visited the center and many people received initiation while there. It’s hard to quantify the numbers, but maybe one-third of the non-margiis who come get initiated into the Ananda Marga style 18 | Dharma for all Journal
of meditation. Some of those initiates become
Ratna Devi from Cebu, Maharlika graduated
dedicated margiis.
from the Basic Naturopathy Course last February 2017. She said, “I came to understand that
Every year the Cebu center offers training and
healing involves treating the body, mind, and
around 130 have graduated from the program.
spirit and that is exactly what I’ve learned and experienced during the course. Over the last
In terms of what’s next, Dada and his team are
two years I have met hundreds of people, and
turning their attention to a global network.
exposed them to the knowledge that I gained during the course. I believe that many of them
The concept of the Yoga Wellness Clinic ex-
have really practically benefited from it.”
panded and now other centers exist around the world, as for example in the United States
By Radha (Rebekah Moan)
(https://prama.org/); in Ananda Nagar in Índia (http://yogadetox.in/) and in Taiwan (https:// yogafasting.org/).
Dharma for all Journal | 19
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