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Ananda Marga is a social and spiritual organization founded in India in 1955 by spiritual master and philosopher Prabhat Rainjain Sarkar, known by his spiritual name of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti. The mission of Ananda Marga is to help individuals achieve complete self-realization and to build a social structure in which the physical, mental and spiritual needs of all people can be fulfilled.
Teachings
The teachings of Ananda Marga deal with a wide variety of topics such as mysticism, cosmology, sociology, history, yoga, health, psychology, philology, economics, farming, music and literature. As a social service mission, Ananda Marga originated in India, but has since expanded into a global organization with thousands of dedicated volunteers working in virtually every country of the world. The activities of Ananda Marga encompass a wide range of projects for the welfare of humanity as well as all other living beings, the environment, and the planet as a whole.
Activities
Ananda Marga runs yoga and meditation centers, schools, orphanages, food distribution centers, disaster relief programs, medical centers, community development projects, and other service projects. Emphasis is placed on solving the problems of the local people, whatever they may be, and assisting them in managing all their personal and social resources for the prosperity of all.
Philosophy
The philosophy of Ananda Marga is one of universalism. It is a synthetic outlook, recognizing God as the one limitless supreme consciousness. This universe, having been created by Him, is existing in Him, and as such all created beings are His children, part of the one universal Cosmic family. Thus we are all brothers and sisters, connected in love by the bonds of Cosmic fraternity. This universe of diversity has evolved out of unity (God), and we must continually strive to see that unity in all diversity. Thus the social outlook of Ananda Marga recognizes that the welfare of the individual is inextricably linked with the welfare of the collective, each relying on the other for its existence and dynamism. Everyone has the right to equal opportunity and as such there should be no discrimination on the basis of superficial barriers such as race, nationality and religion.
Ananda Marga advocates a world of justice, security and peace for all. To this end Ananda Marga gives a practical, rational, and systematic way of life for the balanced development of all human potentialities: physical, psychic and spiritual. It is a system that incorporates practices that are beneficial for personal and social upliftment. These range from proper hygiene and diet, to yoga postures, to a scientific technique of meditation based on morality and leading to complete peace and inner fulfillment. It recognizes that a balance is needed between the spiritual and mundane aspects of existence, and that neither one should be neglected at the expense of the other. Hence, the goal of Ananda Marga is
"Self-realization and the welfare of humanity."
More about Ananda Marga in Wikipedia
- Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team: Amurt
- Neo-Humanism as propounded by P. R. Sarkar: Neo-humanism
- Progressive Utilization Theory: PROUT
External links
- Homepage (http://www.anandamarga.org/)
- An, Angela, Ananda Marga Yoga Society, (2000) Article written by a student of the late Jeffrey Hadden of the University of Virginia Available online (http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/anan.html)
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