Teachings of Mahayogi Baba Lokenath
Just
as no two flowers are alike, no two Enlightened Ones are ever the same.
E ach
is wonderfully unique, without artificiality. All knowledge and ignorance
are transcended, absorbed in the blissful, egoless state of Sat-Chit-Ananda
(Existence - Knowledge - Bliss Absolute). Like all great Enlightened Beings,
Baba Lokenath's life and teachings offer every individual, every moment,
every age and all time a fresh revelation of the ever-elusive Self.
Each Creation is Great in Itself
One day, Baba was visited by a pundit from a local school who proceeded
to lecture Him on the scriptures. As the pundit was talking, a crow began
making an unpleasant sound which the pundit found intolerable. He threw
a stone to make the crow fly away only to have the bird return immediately
to the same branch and resume making noise. To Baba, the bird was freely
expressing the beauty of its existence through its own sound. When the
pundit tried to drive it away a second time, Baba interfered. "You have
driven away the crow because the sound seemed very unpleasant to your
ears, but your sound, too, seems to Me equally unpleasant and disturbing."
The pundit was shocked because a crow is a crow and man is the master,
superior to all creatures. To Baba, each and every creature is itself
a manifestation of Divinity. He felt the same about the smallest ant as
the highest being. As a result, hate had no place in His heart. Baba wants
us to know that nothing should be looked down upon.
A Social System Where Love Rules
People from all walks of life came to Baba for guidance. They not only
came for spiritual guidance, but for help with the complex problems of
daily life. Baba was deeply interested in every problem and suggested
appropriate actions. His suggestions always proved a blessing to both
the seeker and to society at large. Baba advocated love and mutual respect
among all classes, as well as interdependence, without exploitation of
any class.
Conscious Awareness
To the question, "What is the path to a happy and peaceful life?" Baba
spontaneously replied, "Do whatever you like, but do it consciously, with
a sense of awareness." The questioner, however, continued, "If You give
Me permission to do as I please, then what would You say if I hit somebody's
head with a stick?" Baba smiled and replied, "Do it and see. I asked you
to perform all actions consciously. Once you become conscious and aware,
you will find that your conscience will prevent you form hurting anyone."
The evils in society are perpetrated because awareness is absent. All
evil actions are the result of unconsciousness. To seekers of truth and
bliss Baba gave another fruitful instruction. "If you intend to become
spiritual, you must analyze your actions and thoughts each day before
you go to bed at night. You must assess the good actions and evil actions
and come to a firm resolution not to repeat evil actions anymore." A seeker
should try to practice all activities in a state of awareness. This is
the most important "abhyasa-yoga" or spiritual practice for the aspirant.
Most recurring actions that flow from lust, anger, greed, jealousy and
the like manifest only in a state of unawareness. The seeds of these tendencies
lie dormant in the subconscious layers of the mind.
Be Angry but Do Not Become Blind with Anger
Baba also says, "Be angry but do not become blind with anger." Never allow
anger to possess you. Then it blinds you. When anger is given free rein,
it bursts out and causes damage -- not only to the person at whom the
anger is directed, but also, more seriously, at all levels of being to
the one who is angry. Let anger become conscious. Step back, be a witness
to anger and its mechanisms, to what is appropriate and inappropriate
in the situation. The show of appropriate anger in daily life may be inevitable.
The parent chastising a child, the teacher reprimanding the student, may
call out a display of anger in protective guidance. No one should be consumed
by anger. Remain a vehicle of appropriate and conscious expressions of
anger, always working for the highest possible good. Then anger cannot
possess or damage the mind or body, or thwart the purposes of the soul.
Practice What You Preach
As a world teacher, Baba always followed the maxim, 'First, practice yourself;
then preach.' He often repeated this principle to His devotees. It was
a principle the He followed perfectly. For example, Baba taught the path
of desireless action and the importance of self-help. When local landowners
presented the land for construction of the ashram and proposed their intention
to donate funds to build the cottage, Baba objected. With the help of
the villagers, He personally worked on the construction of His own small
cottage, at the same time inspiring everyone never to feel ashamed to
do menial work, since all work is service to the Divine.