Nancy Note: I have known Baba (Shrii Shrii Anandamurti) since 1973 - he was my guru and spiritual master until his death in 1990 when he released me from my vows.
These great masters come rarely. Baba's mission was to incorporate new social and economic theory with deeper spirituality. Self-Realization and Service to Humanity was his credo. And he trained thousands of monks and nuns over a 30 year period - many of them going on to become saints. You could say that he was a guru's guru ... a spiritual master's master.
Most of you associate Change with something that is not Peaceful, and you often believe that you cannot Endure it, so I will change the face of your deepest nature around CHANGE .
Much of what I have to say next, I have already said during my lifetime on this Earth. And I would like to begin with a short poem.
Let us move together, let us sing together,
Let us come to know our minds together.
Let us share like sages of the past, so that all people together may enjoy the Universe.
Unite our intention,
Let our hearts be inseparable.
Our mind is as one mind,
As we, to truly know one another, become One.
Following are some of Baba's published writings:
Train yourself in the ideal of the lily, which blossoms in the mud and has to keep itself engaged in the struggle for existence day in and day out, parrying, bracing, and fighting the shocks of muddy water and storms and squalls and sundry other vicissitudes of fortune. And yet, it does not forget the moon above. It keeps its love for the moon constantly alive. It seems, however, but a most ordinary flower with nothing extraordinary about it.
Still, this most ordinary little flower has a romantic tie with the great moon.
Similarly, you may be an ordinary human being - you may have to pass your days in the ups and downs of your worldly existence - but do not forget the Divinity within, your greater Self. Keep all your desires inclined toward the Soul. Always keep yourselves merged in feelings of Divinity ... go deep into the mood of Infinite Love.
O human beings! You are fortunate. the clarion call of the Universe has reached you. That very call is vibrating in every cell of your body. Will you now lie inert in the corner of your house? Will you waste your time by clutching ancient skeletons to your breast and moaning over them?
The Supreme Being is calling you in the roar of the ocean, in the thunder of the clouds, in the speed of the lightning, in the meteor's flaming fires. Nothing will come of remaining idle. Get up and awaken the clouded chivalry of your dormant youth. The path may not be strewn with flowers - an inferiority complex may seek to hold back your every advancing footstep, but even then you have to proceed onward, tearing the shroud of darkness.
You will soon rend the thick darkness of despair on the way to the attainment of the Supreme State. You are never alone or helpless. The force that guides the stars, guides you too.
A Story...remembered by Hib
Anandamurti went without food (he lived on 2 small cups of curd water each day - a thin mix of water and yogurt) for five years while imprisoned in an Indian jail. He often joked with his disciples, “You may follow my worldly example in all things … except fasting!”
During those years of imprisonment, spiritually-minded Judges in the Judicial system of India refused to convict him in spite of immense pressure from Governmental agencies and People in power. Finally, in frustration, his jailers turned to murder.
They tried a massive dose of poison at first, but Anandamurti lived.
Next, they sought to hire an assassin. The first man they approached said, “You want me to kill who? Anandamurti, are you crazy! He’s a manifestation of the Lord … I’m not going anywhere near the guy!”
The second assassin was made of sterner stuff. He agreed, and after Anandamurti’s family and disciples had departed one evening, the jailers quietly sent him into the cellblock. Some time later, he raced out of the prison. The story he had to tell went something like this.
“I waited and watched Anandamurti pacing back and forth in his cell. Suddenly, he got to the far corner of his cell, and began to walk straight up the wall … then he walked, up side down, across the ceiling … then down the other wall. I’m telling you, everything they say about this guy is true. I can’t kill Him!”
Orders came again for Anandamurti’s death. His social, economic, and spiritual teachings were attracting millions of people and creating a social movement. A number of powerful individuals and ‘vested interests’ saw their way of life (and profits) threatened in a country like India, where the social inertia of a caste system was good for business. So, once again an assassin was hired.
This third assassin was reputed to be a hardened killer who was merciless. He entered the prison with an unshakeable conviction that he could kill Anandamurti. No one knows exactly what occurred, but this man emerged raving like a lunatic. The doctors called-in to examine him diagnosed a permanent psychotic condition – insanity.
When Anandamurti was later asked about these assassination attempts, he said that everyone receives God according to his or her nature. The first criminal knew right from wrong in his heart, and this knowingness came to him. The second criminal was established in deceit and immorality, but capable of change when faced with a blunt choice. The third assassin was hardened in his hatred for all Life, and received the full force of this violence as it was reflected back to him.
Shrii Shrii Anandamurti
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