by Sri Bimal Mohanty
VOL No. 53
July. 2005

 


  Atma
 Knowledge
 Creation
 God
 Spiritualism
 Sanatan

 Questions
 e-mail

MEASURING THE SPIRITUAL PROGRESS- Part 2.

"Based on the lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty"

QUESTIONS FROM READERS

QUESTION 1 FROM Sri Anshuman Patra

Every body, including the religious institutions take too much pride in setting up modern hospitals and dispensaries as great manavseva. There does not seem to be the same zeal in setting up well structured, organized, spiritual hospitals to build spiritually healthy human beings. The system of run of the mill bhajan, kirtan or pravacan gatherings are all that we see. We need truly spiritual hospitals. Please comment.

ANSWER: Yours is an interesting thought but I wonder how this can be considered acceptable. You have assumed two things. Firstly, the world abounds in too many spiritually sick people. Secondly if there is indeed spiritual sickness, then, through outside intervention of a “spiritual doctor”, it can be cured. Let us look at these two from a different view point however subtle it may appear.

Let us not consider the depletion of dharma or righteousness as a sickness. That is a frightening concept. According to sanatan philosophy every ‘created being’ is an extension of the divine. Jiveiva Brahma na parAh. Therefore to say that the jiva is sick, is to say Brahman is sick, which is absurd. The divinity of the ‘beings’ can not be sullied by any sickness. It is ever healthy and pure. This is the uniqueness of thought found in sanatan philosophy. In many other philosophies, sin, hell, damnation etc. have been drilled into our pshyche, but not so in sanatan philosophy. There is a positive way to consider.

All the maladies of the world existence, that we see around, are analysed as the results of mistakes committed out of ‘ignorance’. Sanatan philosophy holds ‘ignorance’ and removal of ignorance through acquiring of ‘knowledge’ as the key factors in our evolutionary process. The purity and potency of the soul is hidden under layers and layers of ignorance. One has to shed off these coverings which are not part of our true nature.

It is established in sanatan philosophy, that the solution to the worldly problems is achievable for sure, by individual efforts themselves. The power to fight ignorance and acquire the knowledge has been built into the system of every created being. The remedy for the maladies lies within every individual. It believes also that this power within every individual is so great, that when released, nothing –repeat nothing- is unachievable. As the individual changes, so does the group and so does everything else.

This solution, this process of all powerful self-effort, is known as Yoga. The sanatan philosophy discovered Yoga and gifted this to the world of ‘jiva’s, as the solution with unthinkable dimensions.

So, if we know the solution, why we don’t see this happening? And is there no role for external help that man needs?

The first question is in our minds only. Too much lamenting and chest beating we seem to be doing and shouting that everything is wrong around us. We often get so obsessed with the worldly problems that instead of working for its removal we sort of enjoy feeling miserable. The wise thing to do is to be level headed about it that slow as it may appear, things indeed are happening in the right direction- the only direction it is programmed to happen. This is a ‘process’ and one must learn to accept all the intermediary stages in the process with a mind balanced by faith.

Is it a fatalistic attitude? No it is not. Here comes the importance of individual efforts – in small or big measure- that spirituality demands. One way is to let things happen in its slow and circuitous way. But the better way is to participate consciously with the process and give momentum to the evolutionay process. Yoga is precisely that. Yoga is the catalyst through which the process moves faster. The changes come quicker.

What about external help? How essential it is to seek external help?

Since every mistake committed, brings with it a setback, misery and unhappiness, it is but natural for every being to align with any external support that can help in avoiding mistakes, steer clear of difficulties. That is why everyone is so naturally attracted towards a Guru, advice from the scriptures or a divine intervention.

By the grace of the Lord, this is abundantly available all around us. The Lord Himself is our constant guide operating through individuals, the entire physical and subtle world around us as our teacher, our benefactor, our Guru. He is also the inner voice within us, who is constantly advising us what to do and what not to do.

If we are looking for hospitals(?), the entire creation, within us and outside us, is the greatest hospital of all, the greatest class room, the greatest laboratory of all.

If man only cares to cognise this truth. If only we understand and turn our attention to our real welfare. Those who do, find peace quickly. Those who do not, learn it the hard way.

QUESTION 2 FROM Sri A V Kutty

Mine is a academic question but I can not help asking. All these activities around us, the entire creation, all of us, are all these going to end one day?

ANSWER: It is surely an intriguing question though somewhat academic all right. All that we see around us, the entire creation in its variety of dynamic constituents is nothing but Brahman manifesting himself. There is no final end to anything whatsoever. There is no cessation of activity at any time as Brahman has neither beginning nor end. Although incessantly changing all the time, every phenomenon that unfolds itself is simply one particular state of things, appearing and then giving way to another state. That is jagat- jayate(manifests) and then gacchati(vanishes). But the over all concept of cosmic activity ceaselessly goes on. Brahman does not cease to exist.

Every state of things is simply another form (rupa) of Brahman. Each format is one state paving the way for another format, out of which new things and new shapes will evolve. The cosmos has changed so much. Even man has changed so much and certainly will not be same eternally. We in our ignorance see the changes as beginnings and ends. Spiritually they are merely transformations.

Sanatan philosophy has this interesting concept of day of the Brahman when all manifestations become expressed (vyakta) and then follows the night of the Brahman when apparently all activities cease and everything becomes unexpressed (avyakta). But is Brahman night the end? Not so by any imagination. It is simply another state of Brahman. The activities in the night still continue for the next Brahman day to dawn in. The cycle goes on.

QUESTION 3 FROM Sri Vineet Kumar

Sir I like your issues & regularly visits on sunday at Meditation Hall I prefer to remain silent Please send your issues regularly.

ANSWER: Your observation “I prefer to remain silent” brings to mind many connotations. We understand that this english word, especially in the spiritual parlance of sanatan philosophy is pregnant with esoteric meanings. On slightly negative side it is a kind of aberration (dosha) of our mind. Life is too precious and too short. This wonderful opportunity called life has only one overriding purpose which is the pursuit of satchidananda- the eternal truth realization and the ensuing bliss. Life has tremendous potential to make us realize this goal. And when one after many many cycles of births and great efforts and good actions of the past finally acquires a human birth that is the supreme opportunity rewarded to us by nature. It is incumbent upon all humans to make more than optimum use of this opportunity as there may not again be another chance for many many more rebirths. ( Please revisit AHWAN chapters 26 (The path of progress), 3 (Understanding our position), 4, (A question of continuous development) 5, (Individuality of man) etc.). When remaining silent is born out of shyness, it becomes an impediment and inhibiting to our sadhana. This is very natural to most of us and needs to be fought back. It undermines self confidence. Life provides hundreds of moments of opportunities, that when taken, can greatly speed up our progress. On reflection, all of us regret many such opportunities that were lost by shyness and a vital step not being taken. At that moment we failed to understand life and failed to listen to that inner voice and act. This may not be the case with you but one must guard against this shyness. If Radha were shy she would not have rushed to Krishna. So one has to be very open and out going when our focus is clear.

Then on the other hand, on the positive side, true silence could be the very tool that can lift our sadhana to new heights. Silence to what? Silence here means the separation from all noise and turmoil of life that distracts the mind from the same goal of satchidananda. When silence forces one to introspection and single minded contemplation that is not shyness, no impediment. Silence then becomes a state of stability- sthitaprAjnyatA. That silence is coveted by all sadhaks.

Silence can be an obstacle or an aid. It depends on how we understand it.