Criticism - was Maryann's posting and penkatali's response

[Guest guest]

Amma has said, and I paraphrase: "There is no difference to me

between someone who criticizes me or someone who loves me.

I view them the same."

 

I heard this at a satsang last Saturday, and I thought of the posts

on the message board after I posted from The Hidden Gospel.

Those posts led me to question inviting new people into this

group, which came up at the satsang. I told someone about the

group, and she was interested in it. I felt then that I would not

want new group members seeing the attacks that were made on

me simply because I shared from a book some members didn't

like. I also thought those attacks may have been made the way

they were made, the tone of them, specifically because I am a

woman, and I wouldn't want to invite other women in to be

attacked that way. Also, I would not want people to think badly of

me for my being treated badly by others, and I have noticed I

have carried that concern.

 

I realized later that such attacks do not say anything about me,

and that defending myself against them only gives energy to

something unreal, which actually hurts.

 

This does not mean, however, that insults or attacks should

always go unaddressed. It just means to pay close attention to

the energy involved. I thought the Pippi excerpt I posted was a

good example of a girl standing up for herself, an example of

good energy in dealing with an attack. That post received a

challenge from a member because the subject line of the

message wasn't "an earnest question" - ha ha ha!! LOL!!!!!!!

(What else can ya do???!)

 

This brings me back to why I find Amma so impressive. She

does a lot of good works in the world that actually go against the

traditional societal grain. I know she has met with a lot of

criticism along her way, but it didn't stop her. She is a shining

example to all, which is why I love her. (She is mentioned in Inga

M's book

 

I read another book recently called The Anatomy of the Spirit, in

which the author, Caroline Myss, Ph.D. recognizes the

correlation between beliefs and the manifestations of illness in

society. She calls this Toxic Tribal Power when it happens at the

group level, and she uses AIDS as an example. She says that

homosexuality in men is considered so terrible, and that belief

has essentially created the AIDS epidemic, which of course,

struck the gay male community first and hardest, and is still

primarily associated with it, despite the fact that AIDS is not

limited to the gay male community. The doctor's point is that our

minds create poison and sickness with their beliefs, which hurt

us. The poison within us is activated by the poison in others, and

we experience pain, sometimes we even become ill and die

from it. Each person is responsible for this.

 

BTW I did appreciate the invitation to post outside Shakti

Sadhana so that what I wrote could get a different response.

That did matter to me. Sincere thanks to all involved.

 

This is what I think: let's not let each other's poison amplify our

own. Let's not amplify each other's poison by continually pointing

it out. It's like exposing oneself to acid unnecessarily. Corrosive

things corrode things. Like Eckhart Tolle said, don't accuse each

other of being unconscious: don't go unconscious yourself. Let's

turn down the poison and turn up the love. Higher vibrational

frequency...

 

I hope this is helpful or useful. I know it's long, and I thank you if

you waded through it all. This topic has been taking place over a

week now, I think, maybe more than two weeks...?

 

Love,

Mary Ann

 

, "N. Madasamy"

<ashwini_puralasamy> wrote:

> Brianna wrote : Mary Ann recieved a lot of criticism here in

Shakti

> Sadhana, and I think PK's response is a good example of a

> complimentary view. Adiji asked me to forward it in

appreciation of

> Mary Ann's contribution, andbecause I am also a moderator of

Sadhana

> Shakti. Again, I just thought it was interesting and worth

sharing.

>

> I thank you for your kind gesture Brainna. I really appreciate it.

> Mary Ann is also a moderator of Shakti Sadhana. She is an

intelligent

> and matured person. So I shall let Mary Ann to answer this

herself of

> how does she feel about being Criticise.

>

> But in my personal opinion, being criticise is part and parcel of

the

> whole discussion forum. You cannot expect everybody to agree

to your

> views. If somebody comes here and wants to say something,

then they

> should be prepared to be criticise, to be praised etc. That is

what

> the whole forum is all about. I have been criticised to many

times

> and I take it as a learning process and improve on it.

>

> "hugs and pranams"

> Hugs to you too Brianna