Swami teaches... Problems in society call for humans' spiritual transformation

[Guest guest]

Sai Ram

 

Light and Love

 

Swami teaches...

 

Problems in Society Call for Humans' Spiritual Transformation

 

Current serial "Swami teaches... Problems in Society Call for Humans' Spiritual Transformation" is connected with the previous "Swami teaches... From Duality Towards Non-duality," but from a little different aspect underlining the purpose, why humans' society needs today mental transformation over the world through spiritual awareness. The spiritual enlightenment is the need of the hour for all humanity.

 

In human life, there are three important things: One is the individual, the second is the family and the third is the society.

Today human is concerned primarily about individual interests, Each one is concerned about own position and power. Everyone is struggling for their selfish ends. Individual differences are on the rise. It is selfishness that is the cause of all the cruelty and violence today.

Few care to take any interest in what concerns society as a whole. In society today social morality have disappeared. Peace has become a casualty all over the world, because people have lost the fear of sin, the love of God and basic ethics in social relationships.

One should be prepared to face all challenges and work for the uplift of the society. Regard yourself as an integral member of society. Develop the social consciousness that your welfare is bound up with the welfare of the society.

 

Unfortunately rules and laws of our consumer- society have mostly swept away the foundation of ancient culture and moral values. But moral values are fundamental for human life.

Excessive desire causes imbalance in nature. As human's conduct with nature is perverted, today we find many different natural calamities taking place far more frequently than tens of years ago. It is indiscriminate exploitation of nature results in imbalance in earth, which is playing havoc with human lives.

You should enjoy Nature according to your need. You should not rob Nature of its resources to satisfy your greed. It is likely as once a greedy person owned a duck, which used to lay a golden egg every day. One day, he ripped open the stomach of the duck thinking that he would get many golden eggs at a time. Today human also is indulging in such foolish and greedy acts. Instead of being satisfied with what Nature is giving, human aspires for more and more, and in the process, creating imbalance in Nature.

 

Today scientists are interested in new inventions. The advancement in science and technology has also led too to imbalance in Nature. As a result, there are earthquakes and no timely rains, climate has changing... Science and technology, in spite of several progressive results, have created formidable problems for mankind in their physical existence. Science and technology in majority are undermining the very root of humanness. While providing temporary and transient comforts, several branches of science and technology have turned humanity away from the spiritual quest. They have served to encourage ostentation, possessiveness, self-interest, selfconceit, jealousy, etc.

But Science should be utilised only to the extent needed. Science has its limitations, and crossing those limits leads to danger.

As a rule, human is straying from righteousness. Love is absent from his/her vision. Every desire is misconceived. Every craving is inspired by greed. Sublime ideas have vanished. Spiritual concepts are treated with levity. The human consciousness is getting weakened. Likes and dislikes, attachment and aversion are having free play. Such is the common situation in every country.

 

(If you examine the attitude of young people today, you will find chaos and confusion in their

hearts. Self interest and selfish concerns rule the roost. In their rooms, in the place of pictures of national heroes, you see only pictures of film stars. These are the deities whom they worship. Here the root cause is the absence of exemplary parents and teachers. Even among the leaders, there are few that can be considered ideal examples. It is when you have ideal leaders, ideal parents and ideal teachers that the students will be inspired to act on right lines).

 

Wherever you turn, you see only disorder and conflict today. Fear has gripped everyone. You are haunted by fear whether in your home or out in the streets. Fear grips you when you get into a bus or a train, whether you are going in a car or in an aeroplane. How is life to be rid of fear?

It is through desirelessness or vairagya (detachment) that fear can be banished. Today people think that giving up hearth and home is renunciation.. This is not what vairagya implies. Whatever we do should be done in a spirit of goodwill and service. Everything you do should be regarded as conceived for the nation's well-being. The welfare of all must be looked upon as the motto of all nations.

 

From times immemorial Bharatiyas have lived upto the ideal: "May all the worlds be happy!" To

uphold this ideal, the rulers, the scholars, the sages and others made many sacrifices. The culture of Bharat is vaster than oceans and mightier than mountains.

Bharat (India) is the birthplace of spirituality, charity and righteousness. This sacred land is the

birthplace of the Adi Kavi (first poet), Valmiki, and sage Vyasa, who classified the Vedas. This is the meritorious land that gave birth to Gautam Buddha, who declared that nonviolence is the highest dharma. This is the noble land that was ruled by Lord Rama Himself. This is the Divine land where Lord Krishna sang the song celestial, Bhagavad Gita. Bharat gave to the world noble souls renowned in all the continents. Bharat is Swami's motherland. >From this land His Teaching illuminates over the world.

 

To overcome the total problems created by consumer-society, people have to change their inner values and turn to the spiritual insight about own Self and the whole Universe. There is the leading role of Swami's Teaching as a guide for spiritual development for humanity.

 

People talk about spirituality. What does it mean? Spirituality means discovering the unity in the multiplicity. Unity can be achieved through truth, nonviolence and love. (Preoccupation with one's own destiny is not spirituality. That also is a form of selfishness).

The essence of spirituality is mental transformation. (Without mental transformation, what is the use of all spiritual sadhanas? What is the use of prayers)? Develop spirituality, love, unity, and forbearance. All these can be achieved through God's grace. People do not even need to undertake any rigorous spiritual practices. (Japa, meditation, and yogic practices confer only temporary satisfaction). It is enough if you develop love in your heart. It is Love and Non-violence that sustain the world. So, the true spirituality consists in filling the heart with Love, dedicating all actions to the Divine and striving for the welfare of all.

 

Hence, in every way, the awareness that Cosmos is manifestation of the Divine should be obtained. The truth of the Upanishadic declaration, "All this is permeated by the Divine," should become a firm conviction. Human is derived from the Divine, is sustained by the Divine and has to merge in the Divine. (Human is not a petty being, nor is a weakling or a destitute. Human is the most powerful being on the Earth).

 

Although the Universe is filled with innumerable objects, with different forms and names, the one thing that is present in all of them is the "I." The "I" Principle is omnipresent. The expression "I" is used by a yogi or a bhogi (pleasure-lover), by a mendicant or a millionaire. "I" runs like a continuous thread in a garland in all beings, whatever their name or form. Hence, every human has to recognise the significance of this ubiquitous term "I".

In this vast Universe, wherein there are innumerable things which have to be learnt, what is the

inner reason for the emphasis placed by Vedanta on the search for the meaning of the word 'I'

used by everyone in common parlance? When human is able to understand the meaning of "I," he will be in a position to understand everything.

 

In the great scriptures and epics, you find the statement: "The enquiry into the Self leads to Liberation." All scriptures enjoin: "Know thyself." The Sruti (Veda) declares: "Aham ethath na" (I am not this). In this statement there are three distinct terms: "I,am not," and "this." What is the "I"?

On the authority of the Vedas, the "I" has been described under various names as Atma,

Brahmam, Paramatma, Pratyagaatma, and the like. It must be noted that this "I" is present in

every human as Vaiswaanara. In the form of Vaiswaanara, the "I" principle digests the food taken

by a person and, converting into blood, circulates it to every part of the body.

Then, there is the term "This.This" implies and indicates every object in the phenomenal

universe. "This" is used when referring to the sun, the moon, hill or dale. The inner meaning of the use of the term "This" is that it refers to everything that can be perceived. "This" is present

as an all-pervading quality.

"This" is Drisya (the Seen). "I" is Drashta (the Seer). Creation is a manifestation of the union of the Seer and the Seen.

It follows that the 'seer' is not the 'seen'. "I am not the body; that is my vesture. Even as I see other things, I am also seeing my body.This" is how one should recognise the distinction between the seer and the seen.

Here the Divine parable is hidden. The Vedas declare: "Aham Brahmasmi" (I am Brahman). But in Swami's view, even this is not complete truth because the presence of 'I' and Brahman i.e. Atma symbolises duality. Truth is one, not two.

The body is like other perceived objects. Hence, to identify the body with one's Self is preposterous.

All the myriad forms cannot be perceived without a perceiver. Therefore, the basic truth

underlying all the forms is the existence of the perceiver (the "I", the Seer).

Recognise the fact you are the Seer. This Seer is known by many names. In the waking

state, Seer is the cogniser in all beings, and hence is called Viraata Svaruupa. (The Cosmic Person). As peson is engaged in a variety of activities, he/she is also termed Vyavaharika-Purusha (changing soul). On account of the attachment to every object in the world, he/she is also called Viswam (a name of the individual soul in the waking state).

(In the waking state, the "I"-consciousness is present in its fullness. In the dream state, it is

present only to the extent of fifty percent. In the Sushupti state (of deep sleep) it is present in its

complete subtle form).

The term "nenu" ("I" in Telugu) is not just a simple two-letter word. It has countless meanings.

It does not refer to the transient body. The "I" is the Eternal Witness present in all beings. All worldly knowledge relates to the senses, which are transient. The real Truth emanates from the heart. What is received from the external returns to the external. Human is not a product of the external world. Human has come from the Divine and "I" is a permanent reality.

You are eternal and self-effulgent. Hold this truth firmly in your heart.. Keep this awareness

firm. Awareness implies total understanding. (Knowing this or that bit of information is not complete awareness. For example, having seen just the tail of a rat, how can you claim to have seen the rat itself)?

 

Today human tries to know Divinity with his/her mind. In order to visualise Divinity, you should understand the "I" Principle i.e. Atma Principle. The Atma is formless. So long as you are attached to your form, you will not understand what Atma means.

(What do you mean by vision of the Atma? It is visualisation of the all-pervasive effulgence. In order to understand this, you have to transcend form. All the material objects have a definite form, but in due course of time they lose their identity and merge into the causal dimension, i.e., in the Atma. So, human should make an effort to go beyond form and merge into the Atma).

 

For better understanding the vision of Atma and also different aspects of Swami's Teaching it is essential to know the quality of three types of ethereal dimensions, namely, Bhutakasha, Chitthakasha and Chidakasha.

 

Bhutakasha is engulfed by Chitthakasha, which in turn is encompassed by Chidakasha. The Bhutakasha is very vast. All the stars, the Sun, the Moon and the Earth, form a part of Bhutakasha. All these are present in Chittha in a subtle form. So,Chitthakasha is many times bigger than Bhutakasha. You feel the Sun is self-effulgent, but in fact, it is the Atma, which illumines the Sun. So, the Atma is the greatest of all. Its vastness cannot be described in words. All the five elements are made up of atoms, whereas the Atma is not made up of atoms, as it is formless.

All the activities that are related to the form correspond to Pravritti (outward path) i.e., Bhutakasha, which is made up of atoms. All this will ultimately merge into the Atma.

 

(In the days of yore, many sages made concerted efforts to recognise the nature of the Atma. Ultimately, they declared to the world, "I know the Supreme Being who shines with the effulgence

of the Sun and who is beyond the darkness of ignorance)."

 

In order to have the vision of the Atma, you don't need to go to the forest and undertake penance. You can see it everywhere once you dispel the darkness of ignorance from within. Divinity is latent in humanity, but you are attributing various names and forms to it and are trying to visualise it through worship and rituals. As a result, you are subjected to frustration and depression.

First of all, you should make efforts to realise the Divinity that is latent in Bhutakasha. Only when you transcend Bhutakasha and Chitthakasha, can you understand Chidakasha.

Bhutakasha is like a small star in the sky of Chitthakasha. The same can be said of Chitthakasha as compared to Chidakasha. Chidakasha is nothing but the Atma. There is nothing beyond this. To understand the formless Atma, you should go beyond form.

 

In the beginning, you meditate on a specific form, but gradually you should go beyond that form and realise the formless Divinity. (The formless Atma in daily life is experienced in the deep sleep state (sushupti) in which you lose the identity of name and form).

Though the modern human is highly educated, he/she is unable to comprehend the principles of Bhutakasha, Chitthakasha and Chidakasha. Usually person is keeping away from such an enquiry, thinking them to be abstruse philosophical truths. But they are the eternal truths, which are to be understood and put into practice in daily life.

(In Bhutakasha, beings are many, but the underlying Atmic principle is the same. Though you see God in the form of people around you, you are not excited. But if you see a person with three heads, you will become ecstatic thinking that you had the vision of the Divine Cosmic Form).

 

 

All that you find in the external world is nothing but Viswa Virat Swaruupa (Cosmic Divine Form). All forms are His. Form is associated with pravritti (worldly activity, attachment). It is the root cause of

delusion. Due to the influence of worldly objects, you have forgotten your Swabhava (True nature).

Human should hold on to the principle of non-dualism and sanctify own life through this spiritual awareness. Once you develop faith in this principle, you will have all the purity and prosperity. "All are Mine and I belong to everybody." Once humanity reaches to such firm conviction the sharp social, environmental problems vanish. It would be is the triumph of spirituality as passport to the Golden Age. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 23. "Give up selfishness: Cultivate unity," Chapter 7; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 24. "Discover the God within you, Chapter 21; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 32, part 1. "Give up enmity, develop unity," Chapter 4; Sathya Sai Speaks. Vol. 33. "Vision Of The Atma, " Chapter 3).

Namaste - Reet