THE MORAL VALUES
The great blunder of all ethical systems is to impose restraint without instruction. All such systems instruct one ‘not to steal’, ‘not to tell a lie’, ‘not to hurt others’ without teaching how it could be achieved.
Why does man display such unethical behaviour? Why is it not possible for all men to be good? It is not that simple to be moral and ethical, because man knows only one part of himself and either reacts through instinct in relation to his subconscious or through association with past experiences. Until man soars beyond the conscious and frees himself, no system of ethics will ever succeed.
The truth is that those who act good cannot help it and those who act evil cannot help it either. Can anyone pretend to know how would have acted the good had he been in the place of the evil? In fact, both good and evil operate as great teachers and great saviours. One may praise good deeds because they teach us virtue. One might curse evil; but evil through its dreary consequences indirectly teaches us the virtues of acting good.
Who to blame then, and who to praise? Good and evil are the two faces of a same coin. If the power to do evil is in one, the power to do good is also there. Only we have to know how to toss the coin. To the doer of evil his acts are not bad because they are committed to bring happiness, pleasure, satisfaction to him, his nears and dears, even if selfishly so. It is the evil consequences that may result that are to be dreaded. Each extreme teaches us the true worth of virtues.
Purity of mind and a well disciplined life are essential to succeed in meditation. Without purity of mind no spiritual progress is possible. Sages from the remotest past have stressed on the need for purification, both external and internal. For one’s spiritual progress both mind and body have to be pure. One without the other is worthless.
Although internal purification is of greater value than external, both are important for man’s spiritual progress. Body cleanliness is external purification. Purity of mind is internal purification. External cleanliness without internal cleanliness is of no worth. Internal and external purity make man less body conscious and less a slave to the senses. The thirst after body is the great bane of human life. Both modes of purification rarefy the body material and cause subtle spiritual forces to manifest in the body. The mind becomes more concentrated.
External cleanliness does not pose any difficulty. The great problem is how to reach the mind and how to clean it! A simple image might help to explain how one can attempt to rid the mind of all the negative impressions and keep it pure. Suppose someone places a cup of dirty water and we are asked to empty and clean the cup without touching it. By constantly pouring clean water into the cup, the dirty water will gradually decrease as the clean water starts replacing it. Finally, only clean water remains in the cup. The dirty water is the negativity and the bad thoughts embedded in us since childhood or from previous lives. The clean water is an analogy for the good thoughts and actions, meditation and prayers.
The five great human virtues of non-injury, non-stealing, truthfulness, non-covetousness and chastity and the five great human disciplines of detachment, contentment, austerity, study of religious scriptures and unconditional love for God shape the foundation without which one cannot erect the edifice of meditation. Of universal significance, they should be practised in daily life. These ten great human values should be practised by young and old, man, woman and children irrespective of caste, class, creed or clime. Their constant practice purifies the mind.
Non-injury or non-killing is non-inflicting of pain by thought, word or deed to any living being. There is no greater joy than to know or make others happy. Non injury to all creatures is conducive to peace and harmony. There is markedly more energy saved to be eventually converted to the higher powers. Non violence perpetuates love and understanding, peace and plenty. Violence brings destruction and scarcity. Forgiveness is divine, fighting is demoniac. One should seek peaceful fair means to settle one’s differences. Only when all efforts towards a peaceful settlement fail one may harden one’s attitude for protection of legitimate rights.
Non-stealing is the conscious or unconscious misappropriation of others’ property or belongings. Appropriation of others’ property or belongings through force or otherwise as well as wastage of personal, others’ or natural resources is stealing and sinful. Of the one who never steals, God fulfils all needs.
Truthfulness is equivalent to the performance of good action and one benefits there from. By itself truthfulness brings rewarding results without the act of any other good action. No lies in thought, word or deed, not even in dreams brings the gift of prophecy, the fulfilment of every wish, the power to work miracles, the power to heal and the power to bring about changes of fortune. Telling lies, encouraging others to tell lies or approving others’ lies is sinful. Falsehood is the worst of sins! Every sinful thought or action is stored up in the mind and will boomerang on the sinner, sooner or later.
Non-covetousness or non-acceptance of gifts purifies the mind. One acquires the memory of past lives and the power to attain liberation. One who accepts gifts loses mental, moral and intellectual independence and becomes a slave. The mind and the heart become impure. Every gift invariably carries with it the negative traits of the giver. One who does not accept gifts remains independent and free. One should refrain from accepting gifts even at the cost of great suffering, to preserve one’s independence of thought, word and action.
Chastity is yet another condition. The importance of chastity cannot be emphasised enough. It is the cornerstone of all practices. Married or unmarried, perfect chastity is vital. Continence is the first step in spiritual progress. The basic nature of the soul is spiritual. The soul has no sex. All ideas of sex should be given up. Let not the soul degrade itself indulging in sex thoughts. Man commits the greatest sin against his own soul by indulging in lust.
Neither meditation nor chastity precludes marriage. They only guard against lustful sex. Chastity should be practised in thought, word and deed always and in all conditions. The chaste brain has tremendous energy and colossal will power. There can be no spiritual power without chastity. All religious orders which have produced spiritual giants always insist on absolute chastity. All great masters had perfect control over their body and mind. These spiritual giants and seers of truth have all been chaste and therein lies the secret of their being supermen and great leaders of humanity.
Continence and abstinence give wonderful control. Sexual energy, the highest power possessed by man is converted into Ojas, the highest and finest form of energy. The more Ojas stored in the brain, the more the person is intellectually and spiritually strong. Only those who accept and respect the divinity of sex and sublimate that energy into Ojas through meditation gain salvation.
Love should not be confused with sex. Sex is meant for procreation alone. The energy which is spent as sex energy, when controlled, is easily sublimated and divinized into Ojas to be stored in the brain. It will give us an excellent memory and pure intelligence. Sex abuse impairs the nervous system and affects health. It destroys peace and jeopardizes lasting happiness. One should endeavour to sublimate sex energy and make it spiritual rather than merely animal.
All spiritual laws apply to the renunciant and householder alike. Only those who have risen above the mere animal tendencies and made their life pure can see God. True love is divine and divine love is joy. The more one meditates, seeking God, the more one will feel that throbbing love in one’s heart. Only then will it dawn, that love is joy and joy is God.
Detachment is self-control through discrimination. Every unfulfilled desire leaves an impression on the mind which will resurface later as a temptation. Evil begets evil. Resist temptation through non-attachment to sense pleasures and clinging to life.
Contentment is finding sufficiency in whatever little comes one’s way. Contentment generates superlative happiness shielding one from envy, jealousy and hatred.
Austerity is the observance of a strict discipline without denial but rather the avoidance of excessive indulgence whether in enjoyment, food, sleep or work. Wholesome food and environment as well as a pure life are important. The sense organs become more refined and potent.
Study of scriptures as well as repetition of mantras purify the mind and the finer material in the body. Audible verbal repetition is the lowest form. Higher than the audible is the semi-verbal in whisper form with the lips alone. The highest form is mental repetition.
Unconditional love for God is through self-surrender and incessant yearning for Him. Hearing, listening and teaching about sacred legends, devotional songs and worship fill the mind with pure holy thoughts. They fortify the mind and revitalise the entire system.
The best way to practise these virtues is to counteract all negative thoughts or actions by replacing them with positive ones. Selflessness, humility should be nurtured. Worry, fear, anxiety, envy, jealousy, hatred, selfishness, desires for material gain should be avoided as they create negative vibrations. They lead to one’s downfall and causes mental and physical illnesses. Man acts in evil ways when he loses touch with his Soul nature.
One should lead a life of self control, charity and compassion, in keeping with the four basic legitimate desires of man: ‘Dharma’, moral perfection or righteousness; ‘Arth’ wealth or worldly attainment; ‘Kama’, sense pleasure or fulfillment of legitimate desires and ‘Moksha’, liberation. The first three belong to the worldly values and the fourth, ‘Moksha’, is the supreme value. The first three have their worth and merit only if sanctioned by the fourth.
Fulfillment of desires and worldly attainment not for the sake of ‘moksha’ degenerates man, leading to growing greed and lust. There is no limit to man’s desires. Thirst for happiness being eternal, desires are without beginning either. When a desire arises it does not disappear without producing its effect. If unfulfilled, it is stored as an impression deep in our subconscious. Desires do not die until they have worked themselves out.
There is no end to desire, one giving rise to another. All our worldly possessions, aspirations or attainments whether physical, mental, moral or intellectual never contribute to mental peace or happiness. The more one has, the more one goes on desiring, until a point is reached when they cannot be fulfilled and one feels pain. That is the beginning of downfall. The will to resist decreases and one gradually develops negative traits. Thus starts the vicious cycle that makes the mind a whirlpool of desires. Soon it will be a swelling ocean with surging waves of endless desires and resulting impressions.
Desires are the origin of man’s faults and shortcomings. The secret is non-attachment. Non attachment checks away desires, keeps the mind calm. Attachment gives rise to more and more desires which distract. They are formidable obstacles to God realisation. The self which is perfect purity can only be realised through non attachment. Even Samadhi devoid of extreme non attachment will not lead to God realisation. Liberation comes only to the Yogi who has learnt and put into practice the secret of non attachment.
We are free to choose the way we want to live. However, rather than follow our whims and fancies, we have to live according to the moral code. Enjoyment of bodily pleasures is at first highly satisfying but the pursuit of happiness does not end there. Lasting happiness lies in the pursuit of God realisation, not in the endless endeavor for temporary enjoyment through the senses. Remembrance of God is life and forgetfulness of God is death. The wider the gap with the Divine, the more burdensome life becomes and is no longer a song of joy.
Life is not limitless enjoyment, marauding all God-given resources. We have to apply the golden rules, the Yamas and Niyamas. This will show us the value of moderation and how to make the proper choice when it comes to personal behavior and lifestyle.
Neither morality nor spirituality can be purchased. This is one test where man stands alone, stark naked to prove himself to his Creator Lord.
(For a detailed explanation of the Yamas and Niyamas please refer to chapter 13 of the author’s first book, Yoga & Meditation: A holistic approach to perfect homeostasis).