one sWAmIji (godman - monk) gave his benedictory speech. What was its gist?
It has nothing to do with keeping our body, mind and actions pure. It has nothing to do with conquering one's own mind and will. It has nothing to do with gnAna or jitEndriyatva (gnAna= awareness of what is real and what is unreal. What is eternal and what is ephemeral. jitEndriyatva =conquering one's own senses, and the fickleness of senses which our organs bring.)
What did he preach from a high pedestal? Avoid the green ribbon! Light lamps.
Personal feelings of this blogger yb (ybrems)
Almost all the swAmijis in India, with a few exceptions, wallow in luxuries, using air-conditioned expensive smart-phones, big cars, palaces, air-conditioners, hired helicopters, expensive garments (of course, saffron color), gold crowns and thrones (of course, ceremonial). Most of these do not befit a monk's life style.
Where do they get all their income and wealth from? From tv channel owners, realtors and builders, chartered accountants, stock brokers and speculators.
Before receiving patronage, and huge donations, the Godmen do not at least undertake some introspection and extro-spection. Why are these businessmen donating these abnormally large amounts? Out of sheer love for one's own religion and God? Are these monies, out of those earned from a right livelihood, without cheating? Do I/we need these large amounts?
ybrem2 : What difference is there between cutting a green ribbon and lighting a lamp for inaugurating something? The swAmIji says that lighting lamps is something sacred and ribbon is something alien and rubbish.
Lights and lamps are only external things. They have nothing to do with enlightenment of mind. Arranging a festival of 100,000 lamps, which the organisers did, involved much oil-burning.
Most of thiese oils are edible oils like sesame oil, clarified butter. They are not some recycled oils from automobile industry.
Most of the people in India are so poor that they are not in a position to buy edible oils at souring prices.
Government of India is spending millions of dollars on importing edible oils.
Edible oils contribute to our balance of trade deficit, apart from luxuries beers, whiskies and wines.
Lighting one or two lights symbolically, may not be a waste. Why burn a hundred thousand lamps, by surrendering to realtors and tv channel owners?
This swAmiji has assured that lighting lamps will lead to janma rAhityam (freedom from the need to be reborn after death). But, most of the people in that assembly may not be bothered about rebirth. 99% of prayers, world over are for satisfaction of desires. They come there in the belief that touching the feet of a swAmIji gets them their desires, whereas it is not so.
swAmIjis themselves are dependent on builders, realtors, tv channel owners and others. They themselves depend on lawyers for getting bails, and politicians and bureaucrats for regularisation of land grabs. How can such swAmIs fulfil the desires of ordinary people? Even if they have such divine powers, they feel obliged to use them first for protecting the realtors and businessmen. Nothing is left for the poor.
history: swAmi vivEkAnanda himself craved for HOT TIME IN THIS OLD TOWN and BATTLE CREEK FOOD. Wasn't that alien culture?
It has nothing to do with keeping our body, mind and actions pure. It has nothing to do with conquering one's own mind and will. It has nothing to do with gnAna or jitEndriyatva (gnAna= awareness of what is real and what is unreal. What is eternal and what is ephemeral. jitEndriyatva =conquering one's own senses, and the fickleness of senses which our organs bring.)
What did he preach from a high pedestal? Avoid the green ribbon! Light lamps.
Personal feelings of this blogger yb (ybrems)
Almost all the swAmijis in India, with a few exceptions, wallow in luxuries, using air-conditioned expensive smart-phones, big cars, palaces, air-conditioners, hired helicopters, expensive garments (of course, saffron color), gold crowns and thrones (of course, ceremonial). Most of these do not befit a monk's life style.
Where do they get all their income and wealth from? From tv channel owners, realtors and builders, chartered accountants, stock brokers and speculators.
Before receiving patronage, and huge donations, the Godmen do not at least undertake some introspection and extro-spection. Why are these businessmen donating these abnormally large amounts? Out of sheer love for one's own religion and God? Are these monies, out of those earned from a right livelihood, without cheating? Do I/we need these large amounts?
ybrem2 : What difference is there between cutting a green ribbon and lighting a lamp for inaugurating something? The swAmIji says that lighting lamps is something sacred and ribbon is something alien and rubbish.
Lights and lamps are only external things. They have nothing to do with enlightenment of mind. Arranging a festival of 100,000 lamps, which the organisers did, involved much oil-burning.
Most of thiese oils are edible oils like sesame oil, clarified butter. They are not some recycled oils from automobile industry.
Most of the people in India are so poor that they are not in a position to buy edible oils at souring prices.
Government of India is spending millions of dollars on importing edible oils.
Edible oils contribute to our balance of trade deficit, apart from luxuries beers, whiskies and wines.
Lighting one or two lights symbolically, may not be a waste. Why burn a hundred thousand lamps, by surrendering to realtors and tv channel owners?
This swAmiji has assured that lighting lamps will lead to janma rAhityam (freedom from the need to be reborn after death). But, most of the people in that assembly may not be bothered about rebirth. 99% of prayers, world over are for satisfaction of desires. They come there in the belief that touching the feet of a swAmIji gets them their desires, whereas it is not so.
swAmIjis themselves are dependent on builders, realtors, tv channel owners and others. They themselves depend on lawyers for getting bails, and politicians and bureaucrats for regularisation of land grabs. How can such swAmIs fulfil the desires of ordinary people? Even if they have such divine powers, they feel obliged to use them first for protecting the realtors and businessmen. Nothing is left for the poor.
history: swAmi vivEkAnanda himself craved for HOT TIME IN THIS OLD TOWN and BATTLE CREEK FOOD. Wasn't that alien culture?
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