Saturday, August 05, 2006

How the Brainwashing Works

Here is an e-mail sent to abhyasis of Sahaj Marg...
How the Brainwashing in Sahaj Marg Works

The 5 cardinal principles for a true disciple.

• Loyalty to the three M's.

• Dedication to the purpose of the Mission.

* Preserving the teaching & practice without distortion.

• Brotherhood.

• Attitude of sharing.

Loyalty to the 3 M's

What is loyalty?

• Loyalty is an unwavering faith in the Master. -Loyalty does not judge the Master.

• Loyalty is the ability to absorb criticism and keep going on and on forever.

• Loyalty is complete obedience to the Master's will.

• Loyalty is the sister of surrender. Without the Master, there is nothing!

• So, loyalty to the Master is everything!

• Out of this grows loyalty to everything that He is committed to.

• Loyalty to the mission and method is thus an extension of one's loyalty to the Master.

• This loyalty can on1y grow out of a close association with the Master, and out of an appreciation of His life and work.

• This kind of loyalty is not only personalloyalty, but extends beyond that, to everything else.

• It is like the difference between - love him who loves aH, and love aH whom he loves.

• It is possible that someone may be personally loyal to the Master (gurumat).

• It is also possible that someone may be loyal to the mission and the method (manmat).

• It is very rare that someone is loyal to both - the Master, and His creations.

• 0n1y such a person is 'truly loyal' .

Dedication to the purpose of the Mission.

• Dedication to the Master's purpose can only come out of complete loyalty to Him.

• It requires total devotion to the Master and His goals.

• It also helps to have a shared vision of the mission and its goals.

• It requires a commitment to make His vision a reality.

Preserving the Teaching & Practice without distortion.

• There are two ways:

• The first is to implement the Master's plan without question or egoistic involvement.

• One simply acts in the way that the Master wants. One does not question the whys or wherefores.

• This is by far the best way.

• The second way is to question, and then, after applying the mind, accept the Master' s way as the best, and then only act.

• However, this implies judging the Master, and therefore faIls short of the tirst way, at least as far as the loyalty of the person is concemed.

• Master says that it is OK to question when given permission to do so, but only up to a point.

• That point is when the Master decides on a course of action.

• To question beyond this point is disloyalty.

AIl of us have done this openly or within our hearts at one time or other.

• The only way we can preserve the purity of Master's teaching is if we accept it completely in our hearts, and if our ego is completely at rest.