Babuji (of Sahaj Marg) Claimed to Modernize Spirituality

Taken and translated from an article by Élodie: "Babuji Prétendait Modernizer la Spiritualité", on her blog: Pour Que Vive Le Sahaj Marg



October 26, 2012 

Babuji Claimed to Modernize Spirituality

 Once again, reading the latest article by Michael really made me think. His extensive knowledge of Sahaj Marg and the quality of his analysis command respect. At my humble level, I give you here some of the ideas that inspired me. Do not hesitate to come and discuss with me. 

Babuji took advantage of all the experience accumulated by the ancient spiritual wisdom when he created the Sahaj Marg.  This spiritual method was to be the fruit of modernity and of an Indian culture which opens on the outside world.

Babuji describes the Sahaj Marg as a system that allows everyone in their everyday life to a quick access to spiritual realization.  In other words, this was to be the only method which was supposed to allow fusion with the divine during the spiritual seeker's lifetime, without giving up his daily life.Sufis, Buddhist monks or Hindu sanyasins withdraw from the ordinary world to devote their lives to the spiritual quest.  They adopt an austere and reclusive lifestyle, a monastic, hermetic and ascetic  lifestyle.  They give up everything to devote their lives to spirituality, it is a full-time commitment.  Contrarily, Babuji claims that there is no need to renounce anything, Grihasta (householder's lifestyle) can achieve the goal without changing one's daily lives.

For Sufis, Buddhist monks or Hindu sanyasins, time does not exists. The quest is infinite, it transcends their lives, and continue to reappear in subsequent reincarnated lives. Instead, Babuji insists on the urgency of spiritual realization, demonstrating (showing proof to)  not only his linear conception of time, but its modernist acceleration.

For Sufis, Buddhist monks or Hindu sanyasins, what is important is the spiritual quest, the journey, the spiritual journey.  Instead, Babuji says there is nothing more important than the goal of attaining  divine fusion.  The only thing that counts is the goal and of little importance are the means to achieve it, while in conventional wisdom, the means are the end. 

A goal readily available to all,  three un-natural ideas which have an appeal to seduce to modern minds:

* where the ancient spiritual wisdom focuses on the spiritual path, Sahaj Marg offers a goal, to result to achieve
* where the ancient spiritual wisdom is in an infinite time, Sahaj Marg counters with the urgency of achieving
* where ancient spiritual wisdom reserves the spiritual quest to those who devote their time and their lives, Sahaj Marg claims the speed of reaching the goal, for all. 

Forgotten are the values ​​of renunciation, asceticism, the slow and contemplative journey,  Babuji offers a modern method, the only valid one.  How does he do it?  He accelerates the slow process of Raja-Yoga obscuring the first six steps thanks to the intervention of an outside and intrusive All Powerful Master.  (or more often a preceptor).

We now know the unfortunate consequences of this (r)evolution. They are terrible and have done a lot of damage.  Had Babuji ever imagined?  Was he aware of everything it engendered?  To Chari and Patel, the question does not arise, they know.

Remember the letter of Babuji in 1963 where he denigrates and denies totally the Sufism of Lalaji (published by Dinaysh, the grandson of Lalaji)

“The Mohamadan systems have all breathed their last and this, 'The Sahaj Marga' the only ONE has now emerged out in their place. Its teachings and methods widely differ from those of the old systems in many respects.”

One feels there suddenly emerging all the self-sufficiency of a somewhat arrogant and presumptuous Babuji.

Babuji claimed to modernize spirituality, he popularized (vulgarized) it, but he also weakened it and atrophied it. 

Élodie

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 Comment on Elodie's blog (Pour Que Vive Le Sahaj Marg) 

Anonymous Said....

This grihasta life recommended by Babuji... is it not a life of denial if remembering the Divine Master has to be constant?

Who can claim to be with his wife and children as a grihastha when his heart, mind, attention, focus, desire, aspiration, is constantly away and permanently busy with someone/thing else? Only a corpse would remain.

Therefore, renouncing the world is there too in Babuji's Sahaj Marg, but this fact is hidden behind the smokescreen of the family life standard.

Renouncing the world is the universal path of self-sacrifice, which can't be avoided when full dedication to God is targeted. This is true whatever the culture, country, historical period, people, and method.

If Babuji's teaching is followed absolutely, it will result in renouncing the world for constant remembrance, service and dedication, while the corpse, being the slave of desires in a social network, will continue to play whatever others want it to play.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

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