Myself

1. How come you are a kind of pop musician when you are a monk?

2. How come you aren’t more serious? Your blog doesn’t seem like what I’d expect from a Yoga monk.

3. Why did you decide to become a monk?

4. How do you earn your money

Myself

1. How come you are a kind of pop musician when you are a monk?

I was a musician long before I was a monk, and I actually gave up music to become a monk. But a couple of years after completing my training, I was given the duty of supervising the music department of our mission in Australasia, and by degrees I developed a way to use music to express my spiritual ideas and feelings. I find that it is a great way to inspire people about spirituality. You might like to think of my songs as philosophy lectures set to music!

2. How come you aren’t more serious? Your blog doesn’t seem like what I’d expect from a Yoga monk.

Didn’t I tell you? I don’t write that blog. It’s written by a strange alien who occasionally takes over my body.

But seriously, many people have the impression that to be ‘spiritual’ we have to be terribly grave. I think this is a great misconception – in life we seek happiness and laughter and humour are an important part of that.

I write songs about serious issues, and some of my friends complain because I write too many sad songs. Telling jokes helps to compensate for this. So I try to take myself less seriously, and to take my spiritual duty more seriously.

My Guru had something beautiful to say about this:

“I want to see you all laughing. It gives me great pleasure to see you all laughing.”

3. Why did you decide to become a monk?

This could be a multiple choice:

  • a. Because no-one wanted to marry me.
  • b. Because I couldn’t hold down an ordinary job.
  • c. Because I really like the orange hat.
  • d. None of the above.

The correct answer is of course ‘d’ – none of the above. I did not become a monk for any negative reason or because I could not adjust with a more ordinary life.

The real reason I became a monk is this. In 1975 I learned about meditation and the philosophy of Ananda Marga, from a monk like myself. In a remarkably short time I experienced tremendous benefits from this practice, and understood that I’d learned something that could really help me become the kind of person I’d like to be. I felt that the best thing I could do with my life would be to dedicate myself to the propagation of these teachings as a monk of Ananda Marga.

I chose not to marry because this work is so demanding that it would allow me to fulfil the responsibilities of a family man.

4. How do you earn your money?

Money? What money???

As a full time missionary for Ananda Marga, I receive a limited amount of support from our members. But in recent years I’ve survived mainly from the proceeds of my CD and book sales. So please don’t hesitate…

I am also often involved in fund raising for Ananda Marga service work in poorer countries.

 

3 Comments

  1. Duane Stjernholm on August 25, 2013 at 7:03 pm

    Hi Dada, I am the founder of the United Earth Ecclesia and we seem to have similar goals in how to change the world for the better. Steve Baherman (Swami Beyondananda), a friend and collaborator of Bruce Lipton, allowed me to use a quote of his as an Epigraph to my book, “You Are An Exclamation of Love… And the Benefits of Becoming a Member of the United Earth Ecclesia” written under my Pen Name Dane Starland. I would be happy to send you a free PDF copy of my book if you will provide me with an email address that I can respond to with the PDF as an attachment. We are currently working on completing the Membership web site and hope to have it functioning by the end of the year. At that time will will make concerted drive for (free) Membership in the UEE and begin the process of Poll-itical Networking for Collective Consensus to determine how we can collectively improve the world. The details are outlined in my book and I would be honored if you would join us on our quest to collectively create the better world that we envision. Thanks for your consideration.

  2. Brett Jason on February 11, 2015 at 4:20 am

    Blessings Dada,

    I have just recently come across you and your work via youtube and your TEDx talk: The Revolution of Love. Needless to say, I felt swept from my feet by the beauty and depth of your message. It resonates deeply with the way’s in which I am remembering to view the interplay between Life, Love and Consciousness. Baba Nam Keyvalam has been running through my head consistently since being first exposed to it and I feel its abilities to unlock and awaken that which lay beneath the mechanistic constructs of the ego based reality.

    I am in the process of creating a revolutionary event in Calgary, Ab, Canada called The Paradigm Shift Expo (www.paradigmshiftexpo.ca), a gathering of Energy, Creativity, Entrepreneurism and Wellness (The 4 Dimensions). This event is an exploration of Consciousness and the interconnectivity between all people, things and systems. We believe that through these ‘4 Dimensions’ people can become empowered to overcome obstacles, build confidence and find inspiration to live the lives that the truly deserve.

    It is our belief that by taking a multi-disciplinary approach to exploring the one system in the universe, Consciousness, we can make ideas that have been typically considered to be esoteric and make them digestible to the greater population. If we can motivate entrepreneurs and the leaders of tomorrow to act in the best interest of greater Humanity than we can pave the way for more peaceful inner and outer worlds for the one and for the all.

    After experiencing the love that you emanate through your Being and through the majestically peaceful music that you create, my higher self tells me that you must be a part of what we are working to create, A Paradigm Shift towards more peaceful inner and outer realities.

    It would be great if I could contact you directly via email or phone and speak with you further about how we could manifest this possibility into a reality!

    Peace, Love and Vibrations

    Brett Jason | Producer
    http://www.paradigmshiftexpo.ca

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