A CLEAR PICTURE OF THE 4 LEGS OF TRUE RELIGION part 2

Behind the belief of looking upon hoarding as sin and charity as a meritorious deed lies the philosophy of abstinence of using materials when not required to do so and disallowing materials from piling up unused in one place. Piling up materials for a great length of time induces their rotting. If we insist on hoarding things many bad habits and distortions breed in our minds. The flames of envy are fanned and thus crimes proliferate in society. Modern socialism and communist principles agree with this observation. This can be said to obstruct misuse of wealth and instead use it aptly and optimally.

Today the leaders of the corporate world opine that more various goods are manufactured (TV, mobiles, computers etc) the more profits will be reaped. Hence when they produce more goods they lure people into buying them even when the buyer either does not need it or that it is well beyond his/her means. Yet according to corporate philosophy one will become wealthy and more comforts can be added to the kitty. USA and other developed nations vote in favor of this philosophy. They do not realize that our globe’s natural resources will deplete perilously and that industrial pollution will reach alarming levels. (Already everyone is worried about global warming). Mechanics working with machines overtime tends to face dire health problems. Excess work will induce drug abuse and excess alcohol intake. Thus what we are trying to say that all this amounts to misuse of materials. The middle path involves using technology that does not pollute our globe and that production targets should be only as much is required by society. In this manner in comparison to gigantic industries people will get more jobs. Simple living and not wasting materials will obstruct their misuse. Those materials that remain in excess must be distributed amongst that backward classes of society especially those that live below the poverty line. Simple living must always be conjoined to high thinking. Simplicity not only breeds a good character but that because of it when our time, efforts, intellectual capacity and wealth gets saved the same can be utilized for world well being activities. Wherever the ideal of wholesome usage of materials proliferates there hoarding of wealth too will be abstained from. Instead this excess wealth will be used for activities meant for society’s well being. This farsighted thinking can truly be called apt usage of material wealth. It can also be said to be a gesture of goodwill towards Mother Nature on man’s part. Such sacred activities must be broadcasted and propagated all over the world.

These are those very 4 legs of religious duties which help both individuals and world society to attain both material and spiritual bliss. Imbibing true religion connotes absorbing those principles which are universally acceptable at all times by world humanity. Space, time nor religious sects can ever influence them. Barring those rare exceptions, all world religions directly or indirectly inspire their followers, to imbibe these principles and actually put them into practice in their day to day lives. If only all religious leaders of the world continue to urge their followers to do this know for sure that human glory will climb great peaks. In this manner apt social governance is totally dependent on this axis.

We have already said that these 4 precepts demarcate the various streams of social life. In order that the layman imbibes these and puts them into practice he must be given knowledge regarding the various classifications of each precept. No doubt if we delve deep very minutely the number of these classifications will be so high that a layman’s mind will be incapable of remembering them. Hence keeping in mind our present circumstances and requirements they have been classified into 14 precepts based on their social applications. This number is certainly not that less that it is difficult to include all the streams of life within its realm and nor is this number very high which could confuse the common man’s psyche. Like the 14 jewels of Samudra Manthan (churning of the ocean in Indian Mythology called Puranas) the eternal principles of human religion/duty have been classified as the following 14 precepts:

1) theism 2) spirituality 3) religiosity 4) progressiveness 5) self control 6) unity 7) looking upon the world as one peaceful family 8) socialism 9) sacredness 10) punctuality 11) integrity 12) discrimination between right and wrong 13) attaining the spiritual goal 14) radiant skills. In this manner when man imbibes these 14 jewels of ethics true religiosity will bloom in his psyche/soul. Human transformation and social progress will be attained only when these are truly imbibed in great measure.

Now let us study all these individually and in a systematic manner:

1) THEISM: The very spine of human ethics and values is faith in God’s existence. Faith in the fruits of ones deeds, ethics and imbibing discipline is possible only when we are very sure of an omnipotent power controlling this cosmos. Faith that God does exist helps man refrain from sinning and in its place inspires him to walk on the path of integrity. This is that golden fetter which can induce man to imbibe greatness at all times. True socialism and apt management of society can proliferate only when ethics and discipline rule the roost and that we harbor unshaken faith in them. When we lack this faith unruliness and crime breed like deadly mosquitoes. This in turn not only mars the institution called a family but that tension and chaos enter our society in a big way. Hence faith in the existence of a subtle divine and all powerful principle (God) helps ward off illegal and criminal activities in mankind’s life.

2) SPIRITUALITY: Uninterrupted faith in our fundamental existence and faith in its omnipotent nature is that substratum which throws wide open all doors of progress. This self belief makes his will power strong and in turn inspires him to give up his limited ego ‘I’ and instead merge it into the cosmic soul (God). If we insist only calling this illusory ‘I’ pure and powerful like God know for sure that the fetters of such narrow mindedness will become unbearably painful. On the other hand when we imbibe discipline, gentlemanliness, cleanliness, oneness of soul with others, great character and generosity in our day to day life our soul expands so as to encompass the entire world in its very existence. The 3 fold endeavor of self transformation, self advancement and self creation rule the roost. Man transcends the binding clutches of greed, avarice, desires etc and instead uses his soul potential for world welfare activities. Such sacred sentiments make an individual great and thus world glory becomes a foregone conclusion.

3) RELIGIOSITY: True religiosity means adhering to ones righteous duties. One must be devoted not only to ones family but ethics and social well being. Being responsible oneself and not trespassing on the rights of others is true religiosity. God has given every human being certain powers. Know for sure that these are not meant for eat, drink and be merry way of life. Instead this God given potential must be used for ones own advancement and that of society in a befitting manner. Man’s one and ultimate goal of life should be lading a life of ideals and principles and hence in this manner like a cog in the wheel contribute towards a radiant future of this world. The underlying goal of religiosity is certainly not to bind man in the fetters of obsolete traditions and beliefs. Instead that righteous duty should be executed by every world individual, which will help manifest true well being of the entire world.

4) PROGRESSIVENESS: Today we give importance to keeping our body fit and healthy and eking out a handsome salary. What we fail to realize is that equal importance should be given to purifying our intellect, experience and viewpoint. In fact true human progress is synonymous with soul progress. For this self reflection and self introspection are most required. When we deeply understand the true goal of human life we slowly get weaned away from selfish attainments and instead our psyche starts thinking of world well being and peace. The more our soul expands so as to merge into the cosmic soul (called God by laymen) means that we are marching ahead on the path of true advancement/progress. When our soul becomes expansive we start experiencing the sacred bliss of being one with other beings. It is this sense of oneness of soul that can help world beings live united in a peaceful manner.

5) SELF CONTROL: It is only via self control that we can render our body and mind healthy and balanced. Misuse of our sense organs leads to diseases and mental stress. If we refuse to observe the rules of healthy eating and resting our life force gets depleted quickly. To protect our health it is important to observe Brahmacharya (sexual continence). The body becomes ill because of misuse of the 5 senses and mind becomes diseases because of unwholesome thinking. Mental promiscuousness is even more deadly than bodily illnesses. Hence always urge your psyche to think positively and in a sacred manner. Along with the body and mind one should have immense self control regarding ones wealth too. If we succeed in desirably controlling our body, mind and wealth we will become strong, great thinkers and prosperous both materially and spiritually.

6) UNITY: Success in any form is totally dependent on our mental equipoise and balance. A mental state wherein man remains calm and serene under all circumstances is most required today. Never despair when dire situations glare at us and instead always think positively. Such a mind is extremely well balanced and healthy. With due diligence and practice anyone can develop this inner state of serenity. All the great tasks executed in world history and all great leaders and thinkers of the world definitely possessed such a focused and sacred psyche. By taking recourse to it one can march ahead in any chosen field of life with honor.

7) WORLD AS ONE FAMILY: The chain that binds an individual to society is the institution called a family. Society is nothing but a congregation of many small units called families. No doubt efforts are required to induce progress in every family and make every member cultured and great in character. despite this one should not limit progress to this tiny unit and instead we must widen our mental horizon so as to encompass the entire world as our family. The Vedas say ‘UDAAR CHARITAANAAM TU VASUDHAIVA KUTUMBAKAM’ meaning one imbued with great character looks upon the entire world as his/her family. Thus our sentiments towards our family should wax like the moon in such a way that the entire world becomes our beloved family. We must use our bodily and mental potential for the advancement of the entire world. Such cog in the wheel like contributions to the world will definitely herald a heavenly atmosphere on earth on an eternal basis.

8) SOCIALISM: Man obtains wealth and comforts from society so as to lead a prosperous life. Hence it now becomes his duty to contribute humbly to society’s progress and peace. It is ethical duty to look after society’s well being and is as important as his duty towards his family and relatives. Society can be well managed and made prosperous only if every world denizen observes his duty towards his family and the entire society in an ethical and honest manner. We must behave with others exactly in the way we desire other to behave with us (if we do not like abuses from others stop abusing others your self). Only on the basis of this test that principles of ethics and social duties will proliferate infinitely. Further it is as important to weed out tainted traditions, criminal leanings and blind beliefs from their roots when compared to imbibing ethical living. World society will attain glory and grandeur only when every individual imbibes discipline, wholesome behavior, sense of world brotherhood and sacred duty to society on a day to day basis.

9) SACREDNESS AND PURITY: Sacredness is a shining ornament of man’s character. Brilliance in various fields (art, music, industry, media etc) can be given due respect only when it encompasses humility gentlemanliness while dealing with others. It also means giving due respect to those who deserve it and never falling into the trap of vanity and arrogance. Maintaining decorum as far as ones mode of dressing, body and other accessories used to falls under its jurisdiction. Shabby or very gaudy clothes and ill kept objects give a very bad impression to others. Hence opt for a simple dressing style which adds to your inner aura. Our first impressions of other people commence with their general appearance and their way of dressing. Moreover if the objects used by us are well maintained (watch, cell phone, car etc) it shows that our minds too are focused and disciplined. Our external life should be well managed and inner life full of gentlemanliness. This is the goal of good behavior.

10)PUNCTUALITY: The substratum of all types of wholesome success in life is proper time management and balanced hard work. The path of progress is laid down when we regularly execute our daily routine and work hard optimally. Every action, be it minute or great in importance should be dealt with in an equally focused manner and thus success will knock on your door without fail. Every action done with due concentration shows the diligence of its doer. Wasting precious time is equivalent to wasting our precious human life. Those who truly understand the true importance of a human life make optimum use of time in their hands. Apart from family responsibilities time and ones efforts should definitely be utilized for contributing to social welfare.

11)INTEGRITY: Man is said to be ethical when he is transparent and honest as far as wealth generation and its expenditure is concerned and that he responsibly enacts all his duties. In material life only those prosper who are full of integrity and responsibility. Professionally too only they succeed who are ethical and full of transparency in all their transactions. They respect accountability and commitment in their various professions. There is a demand for candidates who responsibly and with commitment execute jobs assigned to them. Even society honors and reveres them. In turn society always stands by their side in a cooperative manner. Not only should our wealth creation be ethical but that a part of it must be used for social welfare. One must keep ones expenses minimum and whatever remains must be used for world well being. Such pious sentiments of world welfare zooms mankind to the peaks of human glory.

12)SENSE OF RIGHT AND WRONG: It is an enlightened discriminative intellect that can tell us what is right and what is not. There prevail today innumerable blind beliefs, lack luster traditions and blind practices which when tested prove to be totally useless. And yet because they have prevailed over a very long time span it is difficult for people to give them up. Hence it is only the light of discrimination that can give man the necessary strength to renounce them in totality. It helps man overcome narrow minded thinking and instead works selflessly for world peace and prosperity. Many blind beliefs like death feasts, animal sacrifice, dowry system, ghost mediums, sorcery, astrology for material pursuits, leaving everything to fate etc have made our society weak and demeaned. And yet because vested interests label them as ‘ancient traditions’ no one has the valor to give them up. Thus the only way to uproot them is generating necessary daring for this via an enlightened discrimination.

13)ATTAINING THE SPIRITUAL GOAL: Spiritual goals are attained when we use our time, effort, wealth, skills and capabilities for rooting out sorrow and downfall of society. The more one contributes their potential for this cause the more one will progress on the path of spirituality. The goal of devotion, meditation and penance is to manifest this spiritual viewpoint in our psyche/soul. When a compassionate heart helps those in need it experiences untold divine bliss which is not equivalent to even all material joy of the world put together.

14)RADIANT SKILLS: When there is a lack of radiant skills other qualities of ones psyche lose their utility sheen and importance too. Man can swim in the infinite ocean of glory only if he deeply imbibes gentlemanliness, humility, generosity, sense of service (Seva Bhava) and fearlessness. A weak minded individual may be a gentleman and yet he never has the daring to oppose undesirable trends in society. It is because of this that he fails to help benefit the world at large with his generous and wholesome character. Even minor hiccups in life make him tensed and thus out of fear bows down to unruly and illegal elements. Thus simply because he lacks daring all his other wholesome qualities become pale and useless. A point to note is that at any given point in time the number of dictators, autocrats and criminals has been in the minority and yet because they are fearless (in a demonic way) they achieve their unethical goals. Hence it is most required that along with other sacred qualities a spiritual seeker must develop wholesome enterprise, daring and valor.

The above 14 precepts if imbibed by every layman will definitely reap dividends of greatness of character and they are accepted by all religions the world over. We can say that they are universal, meant for every world individual and is suitable for all times. Despite the disparity of time, place and individual personalities everyone can follow the above 14 precepts for material and spiritual prosperity (barring those very few exceptions of a rare kind).