Life Giving Forces - Philosophy - Subramanian A

8/9/2019 Life Giving Forces - Philosophy - Subramanian A

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Table of contents.

1. On the parameters of human mind.

2. In search of happiness.

3. In search of peace.

4. Attitudinal change requirement of paradigm

shift.

5. Life giving forces.

6. The law of expecation, the law of Karma

7. Tolerance.

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1. On the parameters of human mind.

In Cricket, we come across with the term Boundary. A boundary fetches a batsman four runs.

In psychology also, one comes across with the same term. There, we hear about thick boundary and thin boundary.

What are these terms? Generally, a boundary means the limit of something. A man deals with three distinctive kinds of functions sensory, interpersonal and mental. Our brain is involved in

receiving and analyzing input signals. Our senses are the gates to the visual world.

Secondly, the brain functions as a Pattern Machine. Behavioral aspects fall under this. Every individual has got a behavioral and interpersonal pattern which goes with an innate mechanism of

the individual brain. Thirdly, the brain is the seat of mind and its whole mechanism. It is once again an innate mechanism.

Through our senses, we gather experience of the material world. Behavioral and interpersonal pattern depend on experience and thought function. The degree of interpersonal relationship is

an index of our outlook and innate behavioral pattern.

Mind is the seat of emotion and feelings. Mind is a complex affair. The totality of a man is the index of his mind.

Let us come to the terms of thin and thick boundaries in psychology. Our thoughts follow a pattern. Our experience follows a pattern. Individual conception and perception have their ownboundaries. Our emotions, feelings, sentiments and love fall within a boundary limit.

Thus, we are guarded and guided by many boundaries. Consciously or unconsciously we draw these boundaries. And, consciously or unconsciously, we decrease or increase the

circumference of it. We draw a thick or thin boundary. We have got our own ideas of life, sentiments, love, feelings and emotions. Accordingly, we draw either a thick or a thin boundary. Our

conceptions and perceptions vary individually. This leads to marking the circumference of various mental boundaries. Thus, we fall within these limits. Standing within these boundaries, we feel

the panorama of life in our own way and conclude the meaning of it.

It is found that when our boundaries tend to be thick, we draw our strict lines with people, places, to our conclusions and the theme of life. A sort of rigidity goes with thick boundary. In one way,

we are not permitting others to trespass our boundary. As we draw very thick boundaries, we become more and more stiff in our attitude, far from being romantic and artistic, far from being

broad and poetic. Very thick boundaries take us nowhere. We may lead our own natural life but may be disagreeable to others.

Thin boundaries help us to have a flexible approach in life. It helps us to have more insight into life and its problems. When we draw thick boundaries, we do not see what is beyond it. But when

we draw thin boundaries, we become more open to life and circumstances. Thus, I am able to merge with your feelings. Thus, I become more tolerant to things and people. People with thin

boundaries more often tend to be imaginative, poetic, artistic and romantic. They tend to value sentiments and childhood memories are rather strong in them. They are intuitive in their approach


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to ideas and life. They are able to accept diverse ideas from a common angle. They are sensitive to emotions and feelings.

But very thin and thick boundaries fetch bad results. As we have seen, very thick boundaries do not allow a person to look at life and people from diverse angles. Very thin boundaries make a

person over sensitive and over reactive to things and people. This is also a harmful. Over sensitivity, over imagination and over rigidity is equality bad.

Thinness or thickness of mental boundaries varies over age and years. It is generally seen that it thickens over the years due to practical encounters with life. What we were in our boyhood are

not what we are of today. Our ideas, conceptions, perceptions, rigidity, softness to things and people, all change over the years. We get more and more involved with life. We get continually

molded and remolded because of continuous experience in life. Thus, the boundaries take different radii and thickness over the years.

Yet, it seems all the more probable that there is some basic direction for the formulation of these boundaries which is purely individualistic in nature. For every individual, thinness or thickness is

quite natural and spontaneous to him. He may not be aware at all about those mental changes. For him, everything is only a natural flow.

It shows that there is an innate mechanism which classifies and qualifies a person more than the mold due to his experience. Even the sphere of his experience is very much part of his innate

nature. We may shift our angle of vision but our feet may remain at the same ground. The nature of our innate mechanism is not yet fully known but it is believed that it is partly inborn and partly

inherited. We can discover that there are certain lasting traits exhibited from our childhood days which no circumstances could so far change. Put in other words, this means that man outlives

his material circumstances everyway. He has that inner resource in the form of innate nature. Wherever you are, you are what you are. This is the essence of innate nature. Whether he was in

South Africa or in India, Gandhiji was essentially a social worker to the core. There are people who lead a total dispassionate life despite their name and fame. Madame Curie belongs to this

class. The seed counts.

All of us have such seeds. This is an inborn boundary. Thus, mental boundaries are inborn, acquired, made consciously or unconsciously over the years. The circumference, thinness or

thickness undergoes a change over the years but the limits are decided by our innate nature. My circumference may meet your circumference but if there is no permeability, it may affect our

interpersonal relationship. Here lies the clue why different people find it difficult to get along. Their mental planes do not have a common plane. It can lead to cross communication and

misunderstandings.

Everyone has got his own mental boundaries. We constantly try to lift and shift these boundaries to have a healthy communication with people around us. After all we cant run away from

people around us and from the society in which we live. We would expect a normal communication and an equal reciprocation. We may try to drive ourselves into the folds of the society but are

torn apart in one way or the other. We will find that we are unable to shift our mental boundaries to the demands of the world beyond a limit. It is as if something is pulling us inward when we

are trying to be at par with the world. There is an element of stress and strain when we may try to deal with the external world beyond the threshold limit. As I have already mentioned, it is the

innate nature which decides this threshold limit. Most probably, we can rightly call this innate nature as our inborn Samskara. Everyone may have his own story to narrate.

Innate nature can be tuned in a better way if we are conscious about it. It is mutable. Udhava has showed it to the world. Udhava is the representative of lower self or gross nature who sought

the help of the higher self Sreekrishna- for better evolvement and salvation. The only pre-requisite was that the gross nature had the urge to seek better planes of existence. We are all

Udhavas seeking a better existence of life but we very much miss that urge and openness of heart of Udhava. This is the only difference. Actually, the Udhava episode is an illustration of the

following verses contained in the Bhagavad Geetha- Chapter 6, Verse 5 which says:-

Udharethatmanatmanam, naathmanamava sadhayeth,

Atmev hyatmano bandhu, ratmev ripuratmana.

A man should uplift by his own self, so let him not weaken this self. For this self is the friend of oneself, and this self is the enemy of oneself. The following verse says that the self (the active

part of our nature) is the friend of the self, for him who has conquered himself by this self. But to the unconquered self, this self is inimical and behaves like an external foe. These verses

reinforce the fact that no circumstance can affect you unless you affect yourself. My pain need not be your pain at all. My happiness need not be your happiness either. Did the sufferings due to

cancer affect the minds of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Ramana Maharshi like our minds? Nothing can alter you unless you alter yourself. We have to deeply ponder over these verses.

Every person stands at a unique position regarding his boundaries and inborn traits. Unless we know where we are, we cant truthfully judge where others stand. After all, the world is defined

and identified individually in relation to his very boundaries.

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2. In search of happiness.

Unhappiness is a thought. Ananda (bliss) is our very nature. When we are searching happiness, it means that we are unhappy at the moment. We have fallen into our thoughts which areobviously unpleasant thoughts.

What is the root of our unhappiness? We have tried out two methods to live happily but have found that both the methods are really wanting.

What are the two methods? In search of happiness we have let our desires go outwards into this material world. We try to objectify our happiness and derive happiness from objects- thismaterial world. We hook our mind on to various objects, functions and places in search of peace and happiness. We purchase many things in the name of convenience (Convenience is anotherterm of reference for happiness) but soon realize that these objects of happiness and conveniences of the world cannot give us what we are seeking throughout- i.e. Nityananda or eternalbliss. Somewhere the stream is always broken.

So we give it up and try another method. We have heard about it elsewhere. What have been heard? We had heard that if we could suppress our feelings, our desires, then we could remain inhappiness. If by objectifying this world we cannot derive happiness out of it, let us suppress our desires so that desires are not born again to bring unhappiness in our life. This was the centralidea behind the suppression and so we tried out this method as well. But soon we found out that this method also was wanting. The more we suppressed our desires, the more it burst out tosurface quite often. This is our daily experience. So, expression of our desires at the realm of the material world and suppression of our desires at the sub-conscious level are always foundwanting. Both created oppression, i.e. unhappiness.

So, what is the solution to this problem? We find that we are unable to get rid of our desires either by letting it after the world (expressing) or by removing it by depressing it. In fact, by letting itgo after the world, we are only increasing the speed of our desires and by suppressing it; we are simply pressing it further. Desires remain as they are within us with no change in their velocityand nature. So, we continue to remain unhappy throughout the phase being unable to get rid of our desires.

Nobody asks us to get rid our desires- not even our Vedic lore- either by going after the world or by the method of suppression. The right method is to channelize our desires. The problem withus is that we do not know how to channelize, how to control our desires. When we are going after the world to fulfill our desires or when we are trying to suppress our desires, we are in a way

trying to channelize our thoughts but this is not the right way of channelization. So, we remain unhappy and disappointed in our life.

When we have control over our mind, we have control over our desires. Mental control may seem to be a Herculean task but it is simple if we paid a little attention to it. We can control our mindby a better attitude towards life. The present level of life has to be changed for better levels. Better ideas and better goals lead to a better living. This is an elimination process of ideas pertainingto lower nature. We should recognize that the entire universe is a question relative truth in every angle. Lower truths should give way to better truths. Attitude counts a lot. Why are and what forare we living in this world? When we begin to answer this question in an unbiased way, we will start to discover better and better ideas that are leading to eternal happiness. We will discoverthat desires cannot be burnt just as a dump. We cannot just live without any desire. Desires are always lurking deep within. We are in a way confused as to the fulfillment of these desires. Wewill discover that happiness doesnt lie in the physical situation of the world but lies in our mental situation. In the area of thoughts, every physical situation turns out to be a mental situation. Our

judgment of the situation is the deciding factor in the degree of happiness arising out of it.

We should understand that happiness is not an object to be achieved but our own very nature to be finally realized. Thaithareeya Upanishad clearly declares this fact. Happiness is alreadythere within us but we havent so far realized it because of our gross nature. Happiness is the true nature of Brahman, the eternal spirit. Once our thoughts are withdrawn, our mind is brought tocalmness; we can see that we are happy within ourselves. We will be poised, composed. Our mind will be one in tune with the whole universe.

Bhagavad Geetha declares the fact that it is Expectation which leads to misery. How can this be? Let me highlight. There is expectation behind our every activity and when the actual resultdoesnt match with the expected result, the outcome is misery and unhappiness. When the actual result exceeds our expected result, the resultant is happiness. In either case, the actual resultdid not change but the expected result was different and the outcome was either happiness or unhappiness. This is the problem when we try our search of happiness in this objective world. The


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only solution is to discharge our duties and responsibilities without any expectation. Our works will fructify in a natural way. It will take its own course. As a layman, we may naturally dispensewith this idea and would ask can we live without minimum expectation? If we cant dispense with this idea, then, we have to accept misery also as the natural course of events. Can we dothis? If we can, then, our life becomes blest. The Western thought still nurtures the idea that we cant live without minimum expectation but it doesnt see one thing hidden within it- is there anymaximum limit for individual expectation? It is an individual definition. It is an individual accountability. There is no standardization of it. If we can accept this view, it is well and good.

Why should we run after the world in search of happiness? It is due to our ignorance. Let us fulfill the demands of our life in an unselfish way as the Bhagavad Geetha puts it. Putting it the otherway, this material world can satisfy you only in a limited way. Our physical and mental demands vary from time to time. The same situation will not give you the same degree of happiness alongthe axis of time throughout. Every situation is a function of body, mind, intellect, place and the material point of time. These are variable quantities. All the worldly happiness is transitory,temporary and relativistic.

Who are the best creators? Those who are in constant communion with the indwelling spirit are the best creators. When we are happy, those moments are the most creative moments. It isobvious that when we are unhappy, we are less creative. So, when we are close with our spirit, beyond mind and thoughts, beyond mental agitations, beyond desires, we are most creative,

happy and peaceful.

Unhappiness is a thought whereas happiness is our own true nature. We need not search this nature outside us and waste our lives but search it inside and realize it.

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3. In search of peace.

What are we finally searching in our life? If you ask anybody, the answer would be Freedom and Peace. All the diverse roads that man takes in are only in the hope of this final attainment. Wework with various systems and concepts like science, economy, religion, philosophy etc with an attempt to free ourselves. With more freedom, we naturally envisage more peace. In thismaterial world we are bound by people, places, time and distance and so try to redefine them, restructure them for our freedom and peace. In other words, we attempt a reorientation, aredefinition of this objective, material world for our convenience, prosperity, freedom and peace.

But we dont often get to the target. We miss our goals. We remain peaceless and pinned to situations. The bondage continues despite our technological advancement. Wars remain in place ofpeace. Peace Treaties become a continuous failure. Neither reorientation nor any redefinition of life in the material plane of existence gives us the desired amount of freedom and peace. Evenafter centuries of struggle we remain within a sphere of frustration, disappointment, unhappiness and ego, thus continuing to remain in square one. The backdrop might have changed fromstone-age to the age of computer but human nature hasnt changed much. Human struggle hasnt changed much. Nevertheless, man is in long struggle for freedom and peace but he is unableto unknot his Gordian knot.

The solution is simple but man has not paid much attention in this direction. The aim of all religions is the same- freedom and peace. Perhaps, Hinduism has given us the best solution. Let ustry to have a birds view of the situation.

The fundamental thing about peace is that it cannot be searched and obtained objectively. Peace is not an object to be possessed. So, the objectification of life can never bring in the desiredresult. So long as our mind is hooked on to this material world, peace can only be a product of a given situation. It means that if the equilibrium of the situation is lost, our peace is also lost.Here, our reaction to the situation counts a lot. Equilibrium is defined by the individual nature and hence it can vary from person to person. This clearly tells us that my level of peace is differentfrom your level of peace. Peace is an individual experience. It has no universal definition. The threshold level of disturbance has no universal mark from individual point of view. From whichpoint my disturbance starts is my own problem and not the problem of the world. Everybody has a view about life and if life offers a different view, people get disturbed and become peaceless.

How can we overcome the situation? When life can always offer a different view from our personalized view, how can we remain undisturbed and peaceful?

Life is a question of individual experience. My life has my definitions only. My life has my views only. Views can certainly change over a period of time. My views can be my death trap. If we canproperly understand these aspects, if we can view our life from broad angles, we can see that we can still redefine life. It requires an awareness of situations and solutions from a higher level ofperception. Acceptance of life is fundamentally required. We are to be convinced that happiness and sadness dont lie in the things, people, places and situations of the world. It is only ourmental angle that finally decides whether we are happy or unhappy at any given moment. For a teenager, a cockroach in the bathroom can create a very unhappy situation but for somebodyelse, the situation need not stir him at all. Here, cockroach is not the backbone of the problem but our response to the situation is the main problem. We can view it differently but often, we arenot prepared. If a situation can offer a problem, the same situation can offer a solution too. Problem and solution, happiness and unhappiness, peace and disturbance these are all two sidesof the same coin. Which side is being looked upon and which side is being overlooked is the deciding factor.

If happiness and unhappiness is a question of relativity, then, peace is also a question of relativity in the material plane of existence. This is why our approach to peace becomes a process ofpermutation and combination. It can offer a temporary solution for a situation. We need not hope for a permanent solution by this approach. Peace cannot be expected out of Ceasefire, PeaceTreaties or by signing Peace Pacts. We are really seeing this truth. Everything is relativistic and conditional. Space, time, people and places all fall within the sphere of this relativity andconditional clauses. For perfect peace, conditional approach is never sufficient. Why do the attempts for a peaceful co-existence with Pakistan fail? When both countries are negotiating peacethrough a Peace Treaty, it becomes a conditional clause for either country. Peace can never be conditional. Love can never be conditional. All the values and virtues cannot be conditional.Wherever any concept of life becomes one of condition, life will offer resistance at one point. When peace becomes part of a conditional clause, conditions apply. Human mind will offerresistance to conditions and peace cannot be expected out of such a situation. In fact, the entire human struggle for freedom is a struggle to overcome all man made conditions as well. We

need a second thought on the issue of peace.

What is actually peace? We often refer to the term peace of mind. This means that when our mind is disturbed, our level of peace is also affected. Mind is always of a dual nature and the seatof thoughts. Thoughts will press our mind. Dual nature can toss the mind hither and thither. The net result is a disturbed mind. We can see that as our mind becomes calmer and calmer, to thatdegree peace will be growing within. So, the state of mind is the key factor behind the degree of peace. With enough mental poise, enough peace is assured. Actually speaking, peace is theundisturbed level of mind. Our attitude towards life counts a lot. Our response to a situation counts a lot. We need an introspection and retrospection here. Our mind is in our hands. We canbring down our crowded thoughts to a zero level by practicing mental concentration. We can spend our time in solitude. We can go to quiet retreats and be in the company of this vast andbeautiful Nature. Every element of this Nature has a message for us. Nature has its own living voice. We should not miss to listen it. Actually, this voice is our own inner voice, our own innerrecesses, our own vast resources since we are very much part of this Nature. Silence has a voice. A falling leaf has a long whisper unto our ears. We should lend our ears. If we start listeningto the voices of Nature, we can see that at one point we become the embodiment of that voice. At this point mind will be totally absent. Thoughts will be totally absent. Peace will be our ownvery existence. This is an indescribable feeling. Peace cannot be reasoned out. Mind will be fully recharged. We will get totally refreshed. This points out to the fact that true peace is a statebeyond our mind and thoughts. Peace of mind is only an approximation when mind is almost absent. Here, our language becomes a barrier to express the true nature of peace. Until we areaware of this, we would be vainly searching peace in things, places, people and situations. The very state is within us. The very state is easily reachable and achievable. Only thing is that wehave to mind our mind!

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4. Attitudinal change requirement of paradigmshift.

What matters most in our life? Attitude towards life is most important.

Life is a very big concept. One cannot give a simple definition of it. Individual life, social life, religious life, political life, spiritual life this extends in an endless manner.

How do we see our life? We see it with out own intellect, mind and heart. Mind is the only instrument available to us to feel about life. Analysis, feelings and judgment of life this is a process.Mind sees life. It experiences life.

How does it experience life? What is the parameter of our experience? Our attitude towards life is the parameter of our experience. Our attitude has a bearing on our judgment about life. Ourexperience is tempered or non-tempered according to our attitude towards various concepts of life. The guiding spirit in our life is our very attitude towards life. This decides our total outlooktowards life.

Can we change the nature of our mind? People generally complain about that they cannot change their mind and its moods. They take it for granted the nature of their mind without going deepinto the mechanism of their field of experience.

Mind can be changed towards a higher plane or a lower plane according to ones attitude towards a given situation, person, place or a concept. Attitude is linked to our sense of belief andprevious judgments. If our attitude towards a person is very unhealthy, our future encounters with him also can be quite unhealthy. If I consider him as my enemy, he becomes my enemy. If I


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consider him to be my friend, he is my friend. It all lies in my attitude of thought towards him. My attitude is determined by my previous experience. Previous field of experience is determined bya previous judgment. Thus, if we try to recapture the whole picture of our previous experiences, we will arrive at the answer that the influencing factor was an attitude of us towards variousconcepts concerning that person. Attitude judgment- experiences this is a closed circle. At the bottom lies our individual nature that is responsible in drawing this circle.

What is our attitude towards a particular person? What is our attitude towards a given situation? Have we ever thought of these factors before forming our own field of experience arising out ofit? If our attitude towards any person is one of unconditional love, our experience will be one of universal brotherhood. Else, if our attitude towards a person is one of classification according tohis caste, creed, colour, religion, profession, nation and the like, then, our experience will be one of partiality and prejudice. We like him or hate him according to our attitude towards him andsuch a judgment will affect those judgments of the situations in which this particular person has involved. We will side him or not according to our attitude towards that person. Even though wemay claim that we are on the part of justice, we often commit the above mistake. Our class feelings are responsible in deciding our attitude towards a person, state and a nation.

Our reaction to a person and our reaction to a situation is a question of our attitude. The sense of our attitude easily affects our final judgment of the person or a given situation.

If our attitude towards life is not one of openness and frankness above all ranks and dispositions and class feelings (names and forms in a nut shell), our field of experience will be a narrowone. We will be complaining about people and life. We will tend to be rigid in our attitude. We will tend to be not being optimistic. Optimism, pessimism, happiness and sadness all these arethe response codes of our attitude versus different functions of life. We have already tagged the different concepts of life and this is the main difficulty. We have already identified and fixed lifeby our general attitude. This is the main problem.

Happiness or sadness doesnt lie in a given situation or a person but it lies in our reaction/response to that situation or that person. This important parameter is often forgotten and we blame theworld for being responsible for our unhappiness and tears. Nobody really does give anybody a long exposure of unhappiness. It is all our feelings. If we were to look into the same person orsituation with a different attitude, a better attitude, from a fresh angle, we would find ourselves to be better placed in respect our pessimism and unhappiness. We often jump into conclusionswithout taking into account of our attitude. In other words, we exclude our individual nature, sense of attitude, sense of judgment, the field of experience from that given person or a givensituation. Enmity and religious fanaticism stem out from our attitude towards other groups and religions. We are ignorant of many areas to be taken into account. We are adamant of certainfacts. We wish to believe only in certain ideology. Our innate nature compels us to follow a certain pattern.

If we try to reflect on the nature and tendencies of our mind, we can find that it is very weak in many areas. But we project this weakness as the weakness of the world in a measure to provethat we are always right and perfect and the world is imperfect and wrong. Who will wish to hear from the world that he is wrong in his experiences, attitude, conclusions and judgment? Actuallyspeaking, we are superimposing all our mental weaknesses upon the rest of the world and enter into a conflict with the world. We often commit this grave mistake but we are rather unaware ofthe situation. It is like a person seeing the world through a particular framework of mind. Individual mind is like a telescope having a particular range. This range fixes the definition of life for thatindividual. We have our own measuring scale to measure this world and thus project our mind into the world to measure every aspect of it. Standardization of solutions is possible in aChemistry laboratory but standardization of life giving concepts is not easily possible because of the individual texture of human mind. Unless we can standardize our measuring unit with that ofthe measuring unit of the world, we cannot actually measure the world in somewhat absolute terms (beyond our attitude and experiences). We cannot expect the world to change its measuringscale in accordance to every individual taste.

Every individual has to apply his own conversion factor. What is this conversion factor? This conversion factor is what is called attitudinal change a definite change in the attitude. Why do weexpect the world to behave as our own individual attitude? Individually we may be a saint or a savage but we cannot expect the same outlook from the rest of the world. We should not give adead line for the behavior of the world. Value systems should be promoted. But we should not condemn the world for its animal behavior. Instead, we should view it from a sympathetic angle

and try to understand that the gross behavior of the world is due to its ignorance and lack of wisdom. If the world had enough wisdom, it would not have behaved so heartlessly and in aprejudiced manner. Instead of condemning the world for its behavior, we have to take measures to dispel its ignorance.

We have the task of educating the world for a better mental living. Here, our attitude towards the world should be very clear. We should have an open view. Our approach should be one that ofa sympathetic teacher who tries to make his students feel better about the values of life. Such a teacher would never get frustrated over the repeated attempts. Enough persuasion, patienceand perseverance are required. Look at the ways of our great men in inculcating values into the roots of people. They know how to communicate with the world from the level of the world andraise them step by step. The world, in a way, is like a mentally retarded person or a lunatic. Else, the world is like our children of lower primary, with ignorance and lack of knowledge. Do weignore our mentally retarded friends, lunatic world or children of primary classes? The same attitude applies to us in respect of the world for its short comings. To condemn is very easy but tobring it to a level has its own rewards.

What is the task before us? If we are to change radically in our approach, if we are to bring about a radical change in the outlook of the world, we have to change1. Our own attitude towards the world2. The attitude of the world in the collective sense.If we look at the problem from close quarters, we can see that if we change our individual attitude towards life, this will automatically take care of the second aspect since the world is acollection of individuals. Every individual has a role to play in this attitudinal change. Nobody can really teach anybody anything unless one consciously absorbs a given idea. Vivekanandawould say that nobody can even teach a child.

So, attitude counts a lot in our individual and social life. An attitude indicates our basic approach. We may say that our attitudes and inclinations are born out of our experience encounters withvarious aspects of life. Thus, we hold the view that our attitudes cannot be changed so long as our experiences remain so. But why should we view our experiences so rigidly, so fixedly, sofirmly? Experiences are born out of our views towards a given situation. The same view is held for the same given situation. We forget that situations are alterable with alternative views. No twosituations can be alike. Alternative views do not strike our mind and so the same experience goes with similar situation. Rigidity is formed regarding our experiences. A previous memory oftenunpleasant is haunting us. We are unable to get over those feelings when similar situations get repeated in life. We get stuck to our previous experiences.

There is no meaning in getting stuck to our bad experiences forever. They are to be dispelled as singular instances to which many elements had contributed their share time, place, names

and forms, our level of mind and the collective nature of the persons involved in that particular instance. These are all variable quantities. So many factors contribute to a particular incident. Ifwe hang on to those bad experiences so refutably and hold on a stiff attitude towards similar circumstances/incidents, we forget one thing that those factors that were responsible for ourprevious experience/incident had changed in nature, quantitatively and qualitatively over the passage of time. This means that everything has grown over time. We have grown over time. Theworld also has grown over time. So, no two similar material situations are ever possible in our life except in our view and within our mental nature. If we are to have this insight that everyexperience is different from its previous ones, we should have an open attitude towards our own experiences. If we are holding a stiff attitude, then, we are closing doors upon our very life.

We may have pre-conclusions of this world because we have formed it out of our experiences. We dont wish to change those pre-conclusions or prejudiced views because we are stiff towardsour experiences. The possibility that the world can still be different from our previous conclusions doesnt at all flash in our consciousness. We have no open attitude. We are not sensibleenough to look into the trends of our own sphere of attitude. There is no kind of experience that can be classified as stiff and unchangeable. It is our own wrong notion and feeling.

We might not be able to control the weather or the traffic or the moods of all those around us. But, we must certainly can control our attitude towards these events. We all have the power todetermine what we will think about in any given moment. This ability is part of what makes the human. An open attitude is very much necessary in our life. There is goodness in every systemof philosophy. One has to see goodness from a relative sense of perception. Any idea contains a truth about it. It may be of negligible factor but we need not call it bad. We may call it good incomparison with a better idea. We may not call it bad in comparison with a better idea. This is most important. Let our identification of people, places, situations and truth be in the sequence ofGOOD, BETTER AND THE BEST in place of BAD, WORSE AND THE WORST orBAD, GOOD, BETTER AND THE BEST. This needs a Paradigm Shift in our view of things. The senseBad carries is somewhat negative to our mind. This sense can lead us to a less optimistic view of the world.

As we can see, the concept of GOOD, BETTER AND THE BEST always promotes life in all spheres whereas the concept of BAD, WORSE AND THE WORST really retards our spheres oflife. Words with a negative sense of meaning always hold our life back. Words with a negative sense of meaning, if used frequently go on to form the foundation of foul, slang language. Thiscan really block our thoughts and optimistic attitude. This is to be avoided if we want to promote life. How can the world progress if we continuously blame it practically for everything?

A Paradigm Shift in our attitude is very much necessary. It requires contemplation on various life giving forces and aspects of our co-existence. Introspection, retrospection, contemplation andreflection are all necessary to know as to where we are presently standing in relation to our attitude towards life.

The truth is simple:-Live and let live. If a situation can hurt me, it is equally possible for the rest of the world. So I should notconsciously create similar situations for the pains of the world. Tit for tat will not solve my problems. This can onlyaggravate the situation.

Attitudinal change cannot be learnt through a correspondence course. It comes from a deeper understanding of the totality of life.

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5. Life giving forces

Let us turn to within. Let us review our mind, heart and thoughts. First of all, let us discover our strengths, weaknesses and inner resources. Then, let us enhance our horizons with noble viewsthat are absorbed from various walks of life. Certain views are to be taken as axioms of life. Some are highlighted below.


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- This world is in existence only in relation to our body and mind. Our bodily responses and mental responses to various aspects form the backbone of our definitions about life and this world. Inother words, we are the makers and destroyers of our own life with our views and definitions. We are the masterpieces of our own life. You are the Michelangelo of your own life. The David youare sculpting is you.

- Responses can be fine tuned with attitude, perception and fine tuning our mind. So, better definitions are always possible for life and this physical world.

- Our definitions about life and the world at any given moment is the totality of our individual nature and experience up to that point. Individual Nature is a combination of our natural drives aspresented by Satwa, Rajas, Tamas. Individual nature governs our thoughts and level of interpretations. So, better interpretations are definitely possible with improved individual nature.

- Guna gune nethi Kanada- Sage Kanada says that aspects of qualities do not lie in objects and things of the world. Qualities are rather attributed by us to objects and things according to our

physical and mental responses and experiences. Venom is poisonous for man but not for a snake. Antivenin is prepared from venom. So, in absolute terms, what is the quality of venom? Thisis only one example.

- We are born out of this Nature orPrakrithi. All the aspects of Nature are well strewn deep within us. We owe our body and mind to this Nature. We are required to live in tune with Nature tobe peaceful, creative and purposeful. Nature has a body in the form of all animate and inanimate things. Nature has a mind in the form seasons. Nature has a spirit that can elevate our spiritsand creativity by her solemn and eloquent presence.

- Truth is always relative within the realms of this Prakrithi. For this matter, every statement contains a truth within a particular context. Truth is a question of individual definition according toones perception and experiences. We can see that the very basis of our quarrel and fight with people and systems of life is in the name of this relative truth. Our truths are born out of our viewsand definitions. Definitions can vary from person to person. Hence the fight. Any argument/fight is a simple wastage of mental energy. What we have to understand is that since truth is relative,better truths can be certainly identified with a better level of perception and a healthy attitude towards life. What we have to do is to absorb this better and better and still better truth for apeaceful and purposeful living. The best truth is always the self realization. There is only one absolute truth and the rest is all the interpretation of this. All systems of thoughts, all forms of life,and all sciences are born out of the interpretation of this one Absolute Truth. One truth merges with another. Another truth is born out of another truth. Absolute Truth is seen according to ourindividual reasoning capacity and awareness. Life never flows from error to truth but from truth to higher truths.

- I enjoy and I suffer. This is only a question of our individual view. We can definitely change our attitude towards these feelings. From a different footing we can see that all our sufferings canbe removed from our mind with a changed attitude towards people, situations and life taken as a whole. So long as I am the Enjoyer, I am the Sufferer too. This is the truth of it. This is why Godhas no hand in our sufferings. Sufferings is only an individual mental attitude on which god has no hand. Attitude is always changeable. From the point ofRamana Maharshi andRamakrishna Paramahamsa, cancer did not cause any sufferings to them because their attitudes were different from us in this regard. Again, the Cruz did not present any sufferings to Christfrom his individual point of view. He accepted the cross not because of his helplessness but because of his wholehearted approach to life. We need a reflection on this point. Let us not ask whythey suffered. Let us only ask how they viewed the situation . If I am not the enjoyer, I am neither the sufferer too. One more thing . Do we owe ourcredits to god? Then, why do we blame himwhen only debits come in our life? This will not work. We should be able to surrender both our credits and debits before god. Credits and debits. Save and punishment. These are all within ournotions only. No credit is really a credit or a debit a real debit. We can really see that every event serves a purpose in our life. I can take it this way or that way. That choice is mine.

- The law of attraction says like attracts like, so when we think a thought, we are also attracting like thoughts to us. Thoughts are magnetic, and thoughts have a frequency. As we thinkthoughts, they are sent out into the Universe, and they magnetically attract all like things that are on the same frequency. Everything sent out returns to the source to us in the form ofevents. Our thoughts can actually create situations. So, beware of any negative thoughts. This can bring in harmful situations. For example, a man having fears about getting bed ridden in oldage is actually inviting the situation by his thoughts. Let us reflect on the issue carefully. Let us avoid conversations that can bring in negative thoughts and unconsciously reinforce our attitudein that direction. Unfortunately the world around us is pouring fourth so much of negative thoughts, though in an unconscious way. Lunch time conversations in an office are one example. Multimedia comes next. We talk much about bad episodes, bad people and bad experiences. Nothing will work in the present worldis our concluding statement. Such thoughts will not bringabout good results in our life.

- Faith in oneself is all the more important. Today, we have practically no faith in ourselves nor in people or in any systems that can really support our life. We are still after the definitions of liferather than living our lives. Life is not a mere set of definitions or a pre-designed drama. Life is a continuous stream. Acceptance of life has to be our primary requirement. Planning our life like arigid Mathematical equation is a waste. What we need is a mental training to cope up any unforeseen situations. Do we train our children with this farsightedness? Does our curriculum supportthis idea? Let us look at our ancestors and see how they led a peaceful and contended life. Contentment is what is much needed in our life. Contentment is in a sense our thanksgiving to godand people around us for all that has been bestowed to us in our life. We owe much to the primitive cause of our life and the society for its services. Are we properly returning these services?We only tend to criticize the world for its shortcomings. Have we ever done a self analysis? We can see that without us the world would definitely be more peaceful and less with disturbance!

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6. The law of expectation, the law of Karma

Karmanyeva AdhikarastheMaa Bhaleshu kadachana.Maa karmabhala hethurbhoormaTe sango asthwa karmani.

"You have a right to perform your assigned duty, but not to the results of your actions at any time. Let there be no desire in you for the fruits of your actions. Nor should you ever get attached toinaction or non-performance of duty."

[Chapter 2 verse 47]

Perhaps, this is the verse that has eaten away much of our thought energy in its right interpretation.

What is the idea behind this verse? As a man we cant simply sit without performing any Karma. Thought is Karma. Actions are Karmas. Nature cannot exist without any Karmas. Brahman hasno Karma. The entire trouble lies not in the Karma but in the Bhava (feeling) behind it. Expectation is one kind of feeling that is normally inseparable from the Karmas that we usually perform.

While uttering this verse, Krishna was well aware of one thing - that happiness or misery meant the difference between the expected result and the actual result. For example, I expected a rankin an exam but missed it by just one mark! I am in misery. Who asked me to expect so? If I say that I have the freedom to expect, then, I should also admit that I am bound by the law of suchExpectation - misery or happiness as the case may be. When the actual result is greater than the expected result, I am in happiness and when the actual result is lesser than the expectedresult, I am in misery. This is the sum effect of having Expectations. Accepting this fact, I can go on expecting anything in life but am I ready to accept misery too by this law of Expectation? Lawof Expectation actually demands from us to accept both happiness and misery in an equal way. We do accept only happiness and mentally reject misery. This is where the trouble lies if weaccept the theory that we cant live without expectations.

Krishna was aware of this human mental situation. So he asked the mankind not to have any expectation attached to our Karmas. The fruits will reach our life according to the quality of the

Karma itself! If we can forfeit the results of our Karmas before god, then, all the results are only the gift of god. This is an attitude. This means that salary is not our birthright but only the fruits ofour work. We should respect our salary as the gift of god. This is the meaning of it. Do we have this attitude? Only an attitudinal change is required here - everything is the gift of god. Nothing isour birthright - not even this air and water. We may have to give up our salary when war breaks out in the country. When earthquake happens who can claim his lands? We will have to run intodeserts and die. See, we have no respect for the five elements- air, fire, sky, water and earth and we suffer. Not even once we feel that our birth is the very gift of god.

Expectation leads to misery - this is the key view behind this verse. Nishkama Karma is what our Oriental philosophy teaches us. Do your duty and accept the results as the Prasada (gift) ofgod. The Lord asks us to discharge our duties in a dispassionate way. This is the central idea. If we discharge our duties and responsibilities in a passionate way, the quality of Karma woulddefinitely get affected at some stage by the element of our ego and vest interests. Only selfless discharge of duties would bring the world to ultimate prosperity.

The West as a whole maintains the idea that without minimum expectation and passion, we cant live in this world. But what is the definition of this minimum expectation? The West is notdefinite about this answer. There is no maximum limit for minimum expectation . This is the truth. If I say that my minimum expectation is to steal 10 million for my immediate survival, theworld should not disagree with me. This is the situation. The world cannot fix maximum limit for minimum expectation of an individual. Now the reader can reflect on the philosophy of the Eastand the West regarding the idea of Karma and the Law of Expectation working behind it.

Whenever I think of Karmas and their effects, the following example comes to my mind. The illustration is this:-


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Suppose a man is living in a rented house. He has a family too. One day he eats a mango and throws the seed. It grows. He protects it in every possible way. Five or six years eclipse. Themango tree begins to bear fruits. Squirrels and little birds taste the fruits. The family tastes the fruits. The fruits are given to neighbors. The ripe mangoes are sold. They reach different marketsall over the world. Men living in different parts of the world taste these mangoes. The fruits reach different hands. The seeds reach different lands.

This is one situation. There can be other situations. The tenant dies before the tree bore mangoes. In this case also, the above situation can prevail except for the fact that the man who sowedthe seed didnt actually taste the fruit.

A third situation is also possible. The tenant and his family left the house before the tree actually bore fruits. Now they are living abroad. A new tenant is now living in that house. He gets achance to taste the mangoes. The mangoes can reach the place where the man who had actually sown the seed is now living, by way of export. There is a chance of him buying these verymangoes and tasting them and exclaiming that these mangoes are as sweet as the mangoes he used to taste once upon a time! He is unaware of the fact that these mangoes are of the sameold tree.

What are our conclusions? Every seed requires a gestation period before it gave out fruits. This is applicable to the law of Karma. Karma also needs a gestation period before it gave the result.If a woman is pregnant, she has to wait for ten months to claim the baby. If you are a salaried person, you will have to wait for one month to get your salary in the normal course. Likewise, wecan extend. Result means an effect. Seed is the reason. Fruit is the result. And the fruit becomes the seed. This is an endless chain. Actually speaking, seed and fruit are only two perceptionsas defined by man. One is direct evidence whereas the other one is only indirect evidence. What we term as different Karmas are but only the same working force of Nature. The difference liesonly in our definitions. We cannot actually say that we are the doers. It is only one level. Strictly speaking, we serve only missing links in the endless chain of Karma. This means that we serveonly instruments in the endless chain. If it is not our turn to perform an act, then somebody else will take our position. Time will not wait for a particular body. Nobody is indispensable in thisworld. The show will continue so long as it is the necessity of the world.

The second conclusion is this- Nobody can definitely say about the gestation period of any Karma and when the effect would altogether be over. My seed was not the first seed. It was only oneof the seeds in the endless chain over a passage of time. I was only an instrument to sow it and shape it to my imagination (Samkalpa). Mango was my ultimate Samkalpa in the aboveillustration. The effect practically continues till the end of the world.

Thirdly, if you dispense with the idea that you are the doer and enjoyer, and hold the view that you are only an instrument in the endless chain of Karma, you can see one thing. This Prakrithi isthe ultimate doer and the enjoyer of all Karmas. We call it by different names. We call it squirrels and birds. We call it Mr. X and Mr. Y and Mr. so and so. We fix the risk and responsibilityaccording to our individual view and nature. Mr. X and Mr. Y and other names are only indices to fix the reasons and problems. The real truth is that it is only the Prakrithi in multifarious formsthat is doing everything and enjoying/suffering everything. So long as there is not the concept of I, there is not the concept of either the doer or the enjoyer. Enjoyment and suffering are alsorelative terms. What I may term as sufferings need not be so to another man. This is the point. There is no point in asking why God is punishing so and so person. It may be a punishment fromour point of view but it need not be so from that persons point of view. For example, Ramana Maharshi had an attack of cancer. The world thought that he was suffering out of it. The worldasked the question why God was merciless towards him. But from his point of view, he was not at all suffering. He never held the view that God was merciless towards him. He was aware ofthe eternal truth. There is no point in asking why God is merciless to the world under many situations when He is considered to be all merciful. God is neither merciful nor merciless. ThisPrakrithi is all merciful to every living form. It is expressed through every form. Man has to be merciful towards all living beings. Then only it becomes the mercy of God. We are all instruments.Again, the world has already quantified the level of mercy, love etc. We expect these qualities out of the world in a quantified manner as defined and fixed by every individual. The world isactually merciful towards you but your expectations in this regard can be on the higher side. You may be expecting 100 rupees from somebody but if you receive only fifty rupees, you may thinkthat the world is not merciful. Your expectation regarding the level of mercy has actually deceived you in this context. The world is merciful to its levels by its own definitions. The problem is that

the qualities of mind are being quantified by the individual like one Kg of salt or 2 liters of coconut oil by the demand of the situation and his level of expectation. Within this Prakrithi, all conceptsare only relative, all truths are but relative. But we try to quantify everything and universalize them. We always compare situations for our conclusions and judgments. God has no hand in thisgame of our judgment. Again, are we merciful towards the world? Are we really giving it first before expecting it from the world? This is the question. If we have the arguments, the world too hasarguments for its defense. This is the truth. Give it first. Then, it will certainly return.

We can see that all Karmas are very potent and capable of producing remarkable effects over an endless period of time. If we are aware of it, we can sensibly make use of the effect by turningit into a result/or sensibly get out of its way if the effect is bad, and try to improvise upon it. The problem of the world is that it is often unaware of the effects of Karmas. We do not know eitherabout the intensity of the effects or the period over which the effects would persist. Every word, thought, idea, deed and action produces an effect and the present world is nothing but acumulative effect of all that had taken place in the past. We should recognize the fact that bad Karmas bring about bad effects not only for those who indulge in it but for the entireworld/universe over an endless period of time. Remember, our mangoes are eaten not only by us but by others as well. Karma is a kind of physical/mental force and its effect is also a force.Both are certain energy fields. The fields act on other fields of the universe and bring about a change in the total network. Karmas from a higher angle are nothing but an invocation of subtleenergy, fields that are spread throughout the universe. When we are chanting Mantras, we are invoking certain fields. When we are worshipping the natural elements like the wind, water, earthin the form of Devi-Devatas, we are tuning ourselves to certain energy levels. The whole universe will be at our feet if we are able to invoke natural forces through the nobility of our Karmas. Itmeans that our Vasanas, Samkalpas, Samskara, thought, word and deed everything should be highly noble and pure. Acceptance is the key word. We should accept life with all diverse nature.We should have an open approach to the various concepts of life. Any kind of mental weakness is resistance. It affects the degree of conductivity of the field. The values are thus affected andthe fields of the universe will work against us. Natural calamities are not calamities that remain outside our existence. The cumulative effect of our selfish Karmas brings about such disasters.Man has been committing this right from his first appearance in this world. The cumulative effect is great. We are seldom applying our heart to whatever we think, utter or do. This is ourproblem. We have practically lost the Visudh Bhava behind our Karmas and thus our Karmas turn out to be a mechanical affair. Out of this mechanical creation, monotony and boredom areborn.

While we indulge in bad Karmas, the whole energy spectrum falls into a negative value. Any good Karma done with a bad intention, done in a bad attitude, done with an indifferent mind gives anegative effect. For example, we may be giving alms to a beggar but if we give it with a curse or with an indifferent attitude, the effect will be negative. We will have to suffer a resistance bothfrom within and without. Every thought, word, deed has a recoil and if our thoughts are not sublime, words not of softness, deeds selfless ones, the recoil will be great. Sufferings surmount dueto the recoil. Not only that we would suffer more but that we would pass our sufferings to the world in the form of threats, violence, agony, restlessness etc. So, we have to be careful of our

Karmas. Anything of a negative quality should be avoided. We often would say that circumstances force us to commit errors in life. We blame the circumstances and try to wash off our hands.Who creates the circumstances? People other than you. Who are these people? Once again, individuals like you. So, what is the conclusion? Every individual has to mentally progress so thathis thoughts, words; deeds do not harm the world. Our basic intentions are to be good. Our basic attitude should be very positive. We should understand we cannot live alone in this world. Weneed this entire universe for our survival. Even a star at the end of the universe can give us a balance of life. Sharing is life. Live and let live should be our watch word. Why should we think thatothers are always damaging us through various means? Dont we too damage the various life giving systems? If we are kind enough towards the world, the world will also be mindful to us. Theworld often expects good word, deeds and qualities like honesty, love, first from others and so if we are able to show our nobility first, the world is ready to reciprocate it. When I am expectingyou to keep a high morale in life, I forget the fact that you are also expecting the same from me. It cannot be conditional. So, it is better that we became good in the first place rather thanexpecting the world to be better than us. Why should we unnecessarily expect? The world at any rate wont become good the way we expect. Secondly and very importantly, how can you judgethat the world has become good unless you have become better than the world? How can the teacher know that the student has improved unless the teacher stood at a better level than thestudent? Better judgment of an improvisation is possible only by a refined mind. So, it goes on without saying that we have to improve in our quality first before the world has actually improved.

So, we enjoy or suffer on account of our Karmas. Out of our two responses- in favour of and not in favour of- enjoyment and sufferings are born. We can check and recheck when Karma is notyet born into an action and is in the Vasana or thought stage that is, when Karma is in the pipeline. Once it is thrown in the form of an action, nothing can be done and we have to bear theeffect of it. We can take a decision before we triggered the gun. Once it is over, the shot will take its own event horizon. Since we are the performers of Karma, we are the receivers too, whetherthe result is good or bad. We receive it individually and collectively. We can overcome the situation by thinking that we are neither the performers nor the receivers but such a situation can beas ideal as the existence of an unicorn horn. So long as I continue to think that I am the performer, I am bound to suffer or enjoy. This is the eternal truth. God has no hands in it. So long as Ikeep the view that I am the doer, I cant blame God why He is punishing me for my bad Karmas. The doer-enjoyer concept is outside the circle of God. God has nothing to do with the concept. Iam the doer and God is the punisher- it wont work. If I think that I am only an instrument in the hands of God, God will no more punish me. Any blow will be seen as part of the very law. I am nomore the sufferer and enjoyer but only the custodian of the worldly treasure that has been entrusted to me by God during my life time. I have a responsibility to give it back to God before I finallyleft the world. I have to keep this treasure for all generations to come. I should not damage his treasure for my selfish enjoyments.

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7. Tolerance

What is tolerance? Is there any need to tolerate a situation or a person? Does toleration mean a kind of surrender, a kind of defeat?

By tolerance we mean a bearing limit, a bearing capacity. There is a physical limit. There is a mental limit. When we are suffering from illness and pain, we tolerate it up to our individual bearinglimit. A small head-ache is thus tolerated. A small fever is thus tolerated. Small or big is defined according to our degree of tolerance. We endure them to a degree. We are not disturbed bythem upto our level of tolerance. We know how to ignore our illness and not to create a situation by our intolerance. The bearing limit is decided by our undisturbed level of mind. If we are ableto stretch our undisturbed level of mind, to that degree we will remain tolerant and mentally be free. This is the truth. The point of intolerance begins at the point of the mind getting agitated. It isnot the degree of illness that causes for our intolerance. It is not the disgrace of the world that causes for our intolerance. It is our own level of disturbed mind that causes for our intolerance. It isour own conceptions about life that go into the deciding levels of tolerance or intolerance.

How far can we stretch our mind to calmness and peace is the key question behind intolerance. Today, we are intolerant to many aspects of the world. Our mind is restless and it is reflected inour degree of tolerance. Even though our political leaders would often repeat that we should be tolerant in order to avoid confusion and chaos, they never guide us as to how we can remaintolerant in a diverse situation. It is only out of our mental poise that we can remain tolerant in a chaotic situation.


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Christ was completely tolerant towards his enemies because he was mentally very much composed. He could view life from a deeper level of perception. That level of perception was deeperthan our ordinary level of perception, our level of consciousness. Christ could easily have taught his enemies a lesson but he did not venture to do so because from his angle of perception, hehad no enemies! The entire world was under one umbrella- the umbrella of love and universal brotherhood. That was his level of consciousness. That was his level of awareness and perceptionabout life.

This is the essence of it. Tolerance is one depth of our mind. Tolerance arises out of our dispassionate and impartial view about life. All the troubles in this world are created out of our level ofpassion, out of our partial judgments and prejudiced views. Parital judgments arise out of our arrogance or ignorance. We fail to look upon things from the right perspective, from the level ofbetter values.

Today, religious intolerance is very much on the increase. Why should we intolerate other religions? It is because we are unable to accept other religions within our folds. We misunderstandreligious texts. We fail to accept other customs and traditions. We fail to accept the diverse nature of human mind and all the probable planes in which it would wander, think, reflect, judge and

conclude. In other words, we are not reflective enough of human psychology. It is only through mutual respect that we can discover each other; that we can co-exist. Co-existence is veryimportant. Mutual respect means giving respect to the feelings of others and recognizing their level of emotion. In short, it means the understandability of human problems and offering servicesto humanity through a better value system of life.

Common trust should be strengthened. We should have belief in the stream of humanity. Man is always in quest of the meaning of religion, god, society, freedom, and other basic conceptsrelated to our physical and mental existence. All of us are travelers on the same boat. The difference lies only in our different conclusions. This is due to our individual nature. Once we knowabout this truth, we can really sympathize with our fellowmen for their shortcomings. Arent we tolerant towards our children, brothers and sisters for their shortcomings? Then, what makes thedifference between us and the rest of the world? Why should we hold a different view when it matters with the rest of the world and not our own kith and kin? In our kith and kin we see ourreflection due to our bondage of love whereas in the rest of the world we do not see so. We feel being less connected with the world. We miss the spirit of universal brotherhood because wemiss the true spirit of unconditional love. What we have today is only conditional love. Our relationship with the world is one of condition. We are bound by our nature. We are conditioned in aparticular way.

Man resists man whenever he tries to expose the weakness and not the strength. Where is the need of my being intolerant towards you when you are praising my strength, my ideas, my views,my outlook towards life? My ego is satisfied by your comments. We often expose others weakness and not the strength. We talk about the badness of others. Goodness and badness are onlydifferent degrees. Good, better and the best- one can use this scale instead of good, bad and the worse. The psychological impact is different. Instead of telling your friend

- You are worse. You wont improve,Tell him- You are good but try to be better.

This also shows that we are tolerant towards him. Once he realizes this, he will naturally think:-

-Why should he love me with all my weakness? Is he not really good at his heart? I should try to improve myself.

This is the beginning of transformation. So, the meaning of tolerance is more than what we may usually think about it. It is the acceptance of man with all his diverse nature. It is accepting lifewith all its diversity. Actually speaking, life is not diverse. Life is only having different levels from different levels of perception. There is no problem in a given situation. It is only our level ofreaction or response which is making it either problematic or solvable. Nobody can really say that he is the only honest and perfect being on the earth. Nobody can really say that his is the onlyreligion, his is the only faith which can survive the test of times. There can be gentler and more honest people than you. There can be so many forms of religions and many systems of beliefwhich are better than what you are following and believing in. This allowance in thought is tolerance. When I say the truth, you have to accept the truth. Only through a sense of acceptance,one is really accepted. What finally returns is what we give out. We should give out ourselves for the purpose of better values of life. This is neither a personal defeat nor surrender before theworld nor any kind of an adjustment but fulfilling the purposes of human life.

Thus, tolerance has a wide meaning. If man is unable to accept the diversity of life, what is the meaning in leading a purposeless life? Higher ideals should be accepted for the propagation oflife. Life is a set of comparisons at every instance. Truth is never an absolute concept within the bounds of human nature and this relativistic world. But all the while, one should be aware ofbetter levels of truth. Only spiritual giants are moving towards absolute truth. From higher levels of truth, one can feel that the diverse nature of life is not actually a conflict in itself but variouscomplementary functions adding on to one single stream. This realization makes us really less and less intolerant to man and his situations. Accept life as it comes. Have faith in higher ideals.Just listen to the voice of the world. Help the world if you can. Otherwise please dont curse.

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Documents

Life Giving Forces - Philosophy - Subramanian A