Quote:a kdo kej ve o tako imenovanih avtosugestivnih metodah, formulah, pozitivne misli itd.
Beyond Positive Thinking
This week’s Siddhaswarupananda (TV) program is about the Positive Thinking Movement. The Positive Thinking Movements begin with the notion that one should have a high estimation of oneself. We should not consider that we have limits in our lives as these are negative thoughts. If you actually observe these individuals however you will note that they are in fact in constant anxiety. They have to constantly battle against being negative and always having a smile on their face. They see negativity as the grand enemy – like the Devil.
And so they establish all sorts of games in order to
stay in “positive thinking land”. But they are never
actually happy. One positive thinking group was run by
a “Father Divine”. This group said that disease and
death is only due to negative thinking. So when
someone gets sick, they have anxiety about having
anxiety. Thus there is a continual battle to stay
afloat. If they see someone dying they want to deny it
because death is negative. This will make them afraid,
that they too can die.
This becomes a continual battle to stay on top of
everything but not being able to be on top of
everything. You will notice that positive thinking is
always about the body. It is to get more wealth, or
health, or a better mate, to become smarter, or such.
They will tell you “If you think you’re going to get
cancer then you’ll get cancer.” And if by chance you
get cancer you beat yourself up “Why was I thinking
negatively?”
Such people never want to admit that they are not in
complete control. It is in fact an “I-Am-God-Game”.
But because I am not actually God things don’t always
go the way I want them to go. One group called the
Sylvia Mind Control group tells people that there are
no limits to your power. This is nonsense. Of course
there are limits. If not then you are saying you are
God.
The only thing they can do is try. And when they fail
– which they always do – they’ll make believe they
wanted to fail as a learning experience.
Positive thinking in essence means you try to make the
world move according to your will. But you are not God
and the individual’s will is not all powerful. So you
end up always worried. You have no actual refuge.
Essentially they deny the existence of the Supreme
Controller by placing themselves in the position of
the supreme.
What sorts of people go to these positive thinking
seminars? [audience member says business people]. So
business people go because they want more money, more
material enjoyment. But they’ll never get everything
they want. You’ll see testimonials like “Through
positive thinking I made $200,000”. So what? Are you
happy?
This is their idea that if they think positively they
will get some material enjoyment and from this
happiness. So negative to them means material poverty,
dying… these are the things to run from. But a person
cannot be in this world and be happy so long as they
are away from God. The Supreme Person is actually
always there as the controller and friend of everyone.
But if we don’t recognize this friend then we cannot
actually be happy.
So positive thinkers are in a position where they
aren’t really positive thinkers. They are constantly
dwelling about how to avoid being negative. They don’t
transcend the negative. The live in a world of
positive and negative, good karma and bad karma. But
it can be transcended. How? By understanding our
relationship with the Supreme Person.
There is a Supreme Being who is beyond both positive
and negative. If I accept the will of God and dovetail
my will with his, then I too transcend the positive
and negative. Then there is no more anxiety. Positive
thinking means thinking things will go your way. Don’t
worry about this. Transcendental thinking means not
worrying about this.
Everyone has desires, but make your desires those of
God. Dovetail your desires with the will of God. When
you do this you will know that “I don’t need to be in
control. God is in control. Everything is in God’s
hands”. Then you will no longer have to worry. All you
need to do is serve God. If you do this then you will
transcend the positive and negative thinking.
[Program ends. Voice comes up explaining how we can
transcend positive and negative thinking. It is
through the Holy Names of the Lord that we will have
no more anxiety. Two Bible verse are given:
Psalms 54:1 “Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me
by thy strength.”
Psalms 124:8 “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who
made heaven and earth”
A short kirtan of the names “Gopala Govinda Rama,
Madana Mohana” closes out the program.]
-------------------------
In this program Srila Siddhasvarupananda takes
questions from the audience during a world tour
program.
Question 1 – Do people use positive thinking as a way
of doing what they want without guilt?
Response: “Guilt is negative thinking. You shouldn’t
have these hang ups like guilt. Don’t let the
negativity creep in.” [this was all said in jest]. The
positive thinker is interested in his own will, not
the will of God. It should be understood that positive
thinking has nothing to do with spirituality. True
some will pose as religionists, but that does not make
it spiritual. Spiritual means to love God and to do
His will.
Essentially the positive thinking movement is about
selfishness. It is a self-centered world where you
seek better health, more money, more enjoyment. You
become the most important person in your life. A few
of these TV preachers will say “The first and foremost
commandment is to love your neighbor. But how can you
love your neighbor if you don’t love yourself. Thus
the first thing to do is to love yourself.” They say
that the teachings of Jesus Christ is to first love
yourself. [now is a joking manner] But wasn’t there
something about body, mind, soul… about loving God as
the first and foremost commandment… yeah…. I think
Jesus said first love God with all your body, mind,
and soul… But these television preachers reverse it.
They say love yourself first, then love God. This is
the American translation of the Holy Gospel. And
people like to hear this. They want success in
business. This one guy has built a giant glass
cathedral. Some people build houses on sand at the low
tide. Others build Cathedrals of glass on the San
Andreas fault [note: I think he might be talking about
the Reverend Robert Schuler who has built the Crystal
Cathedral, and is known as a positive
thinker/motivation preacher].
Materialists will always be in anxiety. They get so
wrapped up in their thoughts. But we must transcend
positive and negative thinking. The foundation of this
positive thinking movement is that this whole world is
a manifestation of my mind. As I think so shall it be.
But this is simply a delusion of grandeur. Don’t be so
puffed up, so arrogant as to think that what you think
will happen will. It may be the exact opposite. You
are not the controller, God is.
There was a cartoon I once saw. It showed two boxers
beating each other up. Finally one of them wins and he
exclaims “I won!!!”. Then the cartoon zooms out to a
birds eye view of the ring. Then out more to show the
stadium from the sky. Then further out to show the
city. Then further out to show the planet earth. Then
further out into space to show our planet as a dot in
the universe. And yet he is saying “I am number one”.
[in a joking manner] If you think that your will is
true, then think for me to go away… but I won’t. You
can turn off your television set, but I’ll still be
here. Turn on your TV and there I am.
Question 2 – I agree that the mind isn’t all powerful
but doesn’t it affect the body?
Response: Yes it has an effect on the body. We do
believe the mind can have psychic powers. And all yoga
meditations accept that the mind affects the body. Our
point is that the positive thinking propaganda that a
person’s limitations are self-induced is not true. The
mind has power but it is limited. It is not all
powerful. But people want the illusion of Lordship.
For all the positive thinking in the world they have
yet to surpass death, they can’t stop nature. It ends
up being simply a form of atheism. Rather than taking
shelter of God, instead they take shelter of their
mind. Maybe they are distressed, having some problems,
but they don’t turn to God. And even if you develop
these powers of the mind, that itself can be a greater
trap. Then you may fall even deeper into the idea that
you are God. Then they miss the real goal of life –
taking loving shelter of God. This is the purpose of
life. Do not take shelter of your own mind. It is
better to have loving surrender to God.