Guest guest Posted October 10, 2007 Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 hi Maniji : What a relief to read your post on the 'Bauls' - after all that 'back and forth ' debate on *bAdhA' your post on 'bAULS' made a happy reading . Did you know that our beloved Chitta and ken knightji and i had made a mention of Bauls in our posts to Advaitin msany many posts ago ? Did you know TAGORE eho was inspired by Baul Sangeet ? None other than our noble prize winner Rabindranath Tagore ! YOU WRITE : ( The Bauls believe that authentic worship of God takes place only deep within each person where God is enshrined. Individual enquiry is stressed, emphasizing the importance of person's physical body as that which enshrines the Supreme. The essence of the Baul belief is that God is hidden inside each one of us and neither priests nor rituals can help us to find God there.) here is one of Tagore's poems based on the philosophy of Bauls for you ! AmAr prANer mAnuSh Achhé prANé tAi heri tAye sakol khAne Achhe shé nayôntArAy, Alôk-dhArAy, tAi nA hArAye-- ogo tAi dekhi tAye JethAy sethAy tAkA-i Ami Jé dik-pAné (bengali) The man of my heart dwells inside me. Everywhere I behold, it's Him! In my every sight, in the sparkle of light Oh I can never lose Him -- Here, there and everywhere, Wherever I turn, right in front is He! Rabindranath Tagore Did you know that Bengal is the motherland of many poets , philosophers and religious leaders ? That is why, our poet Tagore calls Bengal 'Amar Sonar Bangla' ? Anyway ,i am glad you liked the verse from Sri Dakshinamurthy Stotram ! after reading you mentioning about your gurus ( SWAMIJI S CHINMAYANANDA /DAYANANDA) - i was reminded of the following words of Mata Amritanandamoyee - " Someone asked Mata Amritanandamayee " Maa, whom do you think is the best Guru? " to which Maa replied :- " One who is a great Discipleonly can be a Great Guru " .)! anyway .. WE SHOULD NOT GET STUCK ON 'METAPHORS' - THAT ITSELF IS A 'BADHA' ( OBSTACLE) if a bee gets stuck on the lid of the honey jar , how can it get deep inside the jar to get all of the honey ? THE HIFGHEST TRUTH IS BIGGER THAN A METAPHOR - IT IS THE LIVING REALITY ! TtHERE IS NEITHER SNAKE NOR ROPE only Brahman! love and regards advaitin , " R.S.MANI " <r_s_mani wrote: > > > > BEFORE THE SUN SETS, KNOW WHO YOU ARE By Amitava Basu > . > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 11, 2007 Report Share Posted October 11, 2007 Namaste Nivedita-ji, Could you kindly let us know in what sense are the Bauls Tantriks? Are they practitioners of mantra-shaastra? Mani-ji quoted the following from a newspaper article: > The essence of the Baul belief is that God is hidden inside each > one of us and neither priests nor rituals can help us to find God > there. These kind of statements about " rituals " come from modern misunderstandings of our traditions. All Hindu life is necessarily ritualistic, and if what Nivedita-ji says about the Bauls being Tantriks is true, then they are even more ritualistic. It is through the ritualistic traditions that the ancient Indians undertook their analysis of experience and developed their insights. Traditional life in India has always been full of ceremonies marking every small or big event and this is the hallmark of our culture because this is how we learnt whatever we know. Without the ritualistic tradition, there would have been no Samkhya, no Yoga, no Advaita Vedanta and no Buddhism. It is not an accident that all of these developed in India and not in Europe or the Middle East. They developed here because they are the outcomes of learning through ritual and not learning through doctrines/beliefs. Ramesh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 11, 2007 Report Share Posted October 11, 2007 Rameshji : You make some interesting observations. Let me also share what i have read on the Bauls . " The beginning of the Baul movement was attributed to Birbhadra, the son of Vaishnavite saint Nityananda, or alternatively to the 8th century Persian minstrels called Ba'al. Bauls are a part of the culture of rural Bengal. Whatever their origin, Baul thought has mixed elements of *Tantra*, Sufi Islam, Vaishnavism and Buddhism. They are thought to have been influenced by the Hindu *tantric sect* of the Kartabhajas as well as *Tantric Buddhist schools* like the Sahajia. Some scholars find traces of these thoughts in the ancient practices of Yoga as well as the Charyapadas, which are Buddhist hymns that are the first known example of written Bengali. " Furthermore , " Their religion is based on an expression of the body, which they call deho-shadhona and an expression of the mind, which they call mana-shadhona. Some of their rituals are kept mostly hidden from the mainstream, as they are thought[citation needed] to be repulsive by many, and hedonistic by others. They concentrate much of their mystic energies on the chaar-chand (bengali for four-moons), i.e. the four body fluids, on the nine-doors or naba-dwar, i.e. the openings of the body, prakriti which implies both the woman and the nature, and a control of breathing, known as domo-shadhona " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baul If you are really ibterested in learning about Bauls , there are many books available . pl read Seeking Bauls of Bengal (University of Cambridge Oriental Publications) by Jeanne Openshaw in Back Matter YeS ! hindu religion is ritualistic , no doubt about it ! But as Adi Shankara Bhagvadapada says in Atma Shatakam ! Na Punyam Na Papam Na Saukhyam Na Dukham Na Mantro Na Teertham Na Vedo Na Yajnaha Aham Bhojanam Naiva Bhojyam Na Bhokta Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham verse (4) I do not commit sins or good deeds, nor have happiness or sorrow, pain or pleasure. *I do not need mantras, holy places, scriptures (Vedas), rituals or sacrifices (yagnas).* I am none of the triad of the observer or one who experiences, the process of observing or experiencing, or any object being observed or experienced. I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness. Rameshji . Rituals are only the starting point. The Culminating point is always 'atma jnana' ! This is true of all religious sects be it Buddhist , Hindu , Sufi , Islam , etc ! Bauls are no exception - ultimately all that remains is **consciousness** The Gypsy in me always loves Music and dance . more so Folk music ! This is why i am so enamoured of Baul Music ! It is for the same readon i am attracted to Sufism as well - i love to be a Whirling Dervish. What does Vedanta mean ? The jnana kanda begins when karma kanda ends - that is Vedanta ! A man of expanded Consciousness does not wear any labels - he is neither a vedanti , nor a tantrik, buddhist or a sufi ! enjoy - Life is too short! In advaitin , " Ramesh Krishnamurthy " <rkmurthy wrote: > > Namaste Nivedita-ji, > > Could you kindly let us know in what sense are the Bauls Tantriks? Are > they practitioners of mantra-shaastra? > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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