There are five levels of human existence – the physical level, the social level, the mental level, the intellectual level and the spiritual level. These levels are also called spheres or planes of operation of the human being. Every human being dwells in all these five levels to varying durations in a day - during his wakeful hours. Most persons, however, spend the least time in the spiritual plane - and a maximum time in the physical plane and social planes.
The physical sphere of operation
Swami Ranaganadhaanada calls the physical level as the plane of organic existence. We spend most of our wakeful hours on mundane matters of day to day living; we spend a lot of our time and energy in eking out a livelihood. We also spend considerable time and energy in managing the family affairs. The remaining time at our disposal is divided between social obligations, entertainment, sports, etc, which are also important in every life. When you are so deeply involved in these mundane matters of day to day living, you have no time to think of the higher levels of your existence or the ultimate truth which lies buried deep within you.
This buried ultimate truth relates to the Aatma, which is what you are; you are not the body-mind complex. This hidden truth that lies deep within us is like a match stick. The child will never accept that there is hidden fire in a match stick – in the same way that an ignorant person will never accept the hidden truth glowing in every person as the Aatma, which is his real self; not knowing the significance and the importance of this hidden truth, the ignorant person thinks that he is the body-mind complex.
The human species has evolved already to a final stage. There is no more scope for further evolution - organically. We are perfect as we are. We do not, for instance, need two heads – one will do the job adequately. Similarly, we only need two hands, two legs, one nose, one mouth, two ears, one heart, two kidneys, etc. We do not need redundancy in any of these areas. Thus, we are fully evolved organically as it is. We have good equipment – and what we have to do now is to develop techniques to use this existing equipment more efficiently. We have to use, for instance, our mind and Buddhi more efficiently. That is our urgent organic development need presently.
Social sphere of operation
Man lives in the society; he is an intimate part of the society. Man and the society around him are totally bound together; they can never be divorced from each other. Our successes take place in the society; so do our failures. Our joys happen in the society; so do our sorrows. All the needs of man are derived from the society; food and clothing, education, health care, sports and entertainment, marriages, etc are some of the important needs of the man, which the society facilitates. Since we depend on the society for everything that we need in life, we are required to abide by its unwritten rules and regulations.
Man is a social creature. He wants company all the time. Man goes for a job, for instance, not only for earning a living, but equally importantly, for social interaction in the work place. That is why people after retirement usually have a difficulty in adjusting to the solitary life at home. Loneliness is extremely boring to most people. Parents who go to visit their children in USA from India, find it extremely lonely over there and are very eager to return back home as quickly as possible.
People, not only want company, but they also want to be recognized for their education and other talents, wealth, etc in their social circles. Social recognition is a great motivator of behavior.
On the flip side of the coin, there are also a few persons who shun company; they are the loners, who like to keep their own company. Such persons are called antisocial. These antisocial traits become known right from the childhood. I have known some kids who seek out lonely corners at party time when the house is full of kids making merry everywhere accompanied by a lot of noise. Some of these antisocial kids are also sadistic – they beat up other kids or insult other kids and derive a great satisfaction in their discomfiture, which they have deliberately caused. It is the responsibility of the parents to ensure that their children do not become antisocial. From the positive point of view, parents should teach their children to learn social skills. They must tell their children that they should learn how to befriend and how to share what they have with other children.
Life in the mental sphere
Mental sphere is the area of operation of the mind. Mind generates all emotions, which are thoughts concerning love, hatred, jealousy, pride and arrogance, selfishness, greed, friendship, enmity, sorrow, etc. And people do experience these emotions all the time. Since we experience these emotions all the time, we do spend a considerable time in the mental sphere also.
Every person constantly encounters pressures from outside – from neighbors, colleagues, relatives, superiors, subordinates, enemies and so on. There are also forces within you, which are caused by the impurities in the mind, such as selfishness, anger, hatred, jealousy, arrogance, ego, etc. These external and internal forces toss you around, some times very violently too. I have seen several adults breaking down on learning about any bad news. I have known a lady getting highly nervous if any of her children arrived home late. If there is even a slight conflict with a street vendor or with a neighbor, she is to feel highly stressed and extremely nervous. On the other hand, a mature person usually maintains his cool even in extremely difficult situations; panic at the time of hard times or difficult or painful situations could be very bad because it makes the already painful situation even more painful.
The child must learn how to handle its emotions. Some children and adults are good at it and some others are not at all good at it. This is a serious problem and therefore, parents have to pay special attention to these aspects in their children. This is a skill, which the parents must teach their children in order that the child is able to handle its emotions properly in a controlled manner, especially in distressing situations.
Life in the intellectual sphere
Intellectual sphere is the area of operation of the Buddhi. Buddhi is the intellect. All intelligence and knowledge in an individual is centered in his Buddhi. Buddhi has the capability to control the mind. All learning takes place in the intellectual plane. All intellectual attainments happen because of excellence displayed in this plane.
Strike a match stick and the fire, which is ever present in it, comes out. The entire “process of education is to strike the power of knowledge ever present in us”. When a rural person in India, whose ancestors had never had any education, gets educated, what a change comes upon him! What supreme confidence begins to manifest in him! As the hidden powers get unfolded through education, he becomes capable of meeting new challenges – naturally and spontaneously with the strength of increasing energy resources that education brings to him. (Swami Ranganaadhaananda)
Many highly intelligent persons, however, who do not possess a strong character and a robust value base, get perverted. Such persons turn criminals. These intelligent criminals are very selfish. The selfish persons are very mean and greedy; they cheat and exploit all gullible persons. These are the Madoffs and Ramaligarajus of the world. Such persons are not at all bothered about the divinity that is present in them. Swami Viveknanada said once, “When we were in a cannibalistic state, we were eating each other. Now in the so called civilized and progressive state, we are cheating each other.”
If a large number of persons, who are extra smart like the present crop of politicians and white collar criminals, gain success using their cerebral power, mistaking such cleverness and crookedness for intelligence, then mankind has a very dismal and bleak future ahead. If a large number of persons, who are extra smart like the present crop of politicians and white collar criminals, gain success using their cerebral power, mistaking such cleverness and crookedness for intelligence, then mankind has a very dismal and bleak future ahead. If such a culture were allowed to continue, then we will only be cheating and destroying each other. This kind of cheating will continue as long as we live at our organic level, as long as we understand that we are merely an organic system seeking organic satisfactions. We are merely using our latest science and technology to give us increasing opportunities for such organic satisfactions. (Swami Ranganaadhaananda)
Through increased and widespread educational programs, we provide a lot of mental food; but we have not yet discovered easy ways of providing ethical, moral and spiritual food, which is also equally as vital to man as the normal food that he eats to survive.
Spiritual plane
You are the spirit (Aatma) inside your body-mind complex – you are not the body-mind complex. Therefore, you also operate in the sphere of the spirit within you, which is called the spiritual sphere or spiritual plane.
The spirit that is present in you is also the same spirit that is present in all other living beings; there is no difference between the spirits present in the bodies of various living beings. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna Paramaatma says (5.18), “Vidyaa-Vinaya-Sampanne Brahmane Gavi Hastini Suni Chaiva Svapaake Cha Panditaah Sama-Darsinah = To the Jnaani (the wise person), the learned and humble Braahmana, the sacred cow, the elephant, the dog and the person, who eats the flesh of a dog, are all merely coverings, that contain the same spirit (Brahman) as their Aatma”. The distinction is only in the containers, but there is none in the supreme truth packaged into each one of these containers. The Jnaani knows that the same Aatma pervades all beings. He sees the same supreme truth that radiates in him - also radiating in all those names and forms.
Present state of spiritual malnutrition in the world
For the match stick to demonstrate the truth of fire in it, it should be dry – and not wet. Similarly, the light and fire of the Aatma within you cannot be ignited unless the heart (mind) is pure. Purity of heart is the foundation for all spirituality.
The fact is that man has many impurities in his mind – such as selfishness, anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, arrogance, etc. A spiritually inclined person makes serious and continuous attempts to eradicate them; whether he is able to eradicate them successfully or not, he certainly makes sure that they are under reasonable control. When uncontrolled, these impurities in the mind induce a certain evil behavior in man; they make him mean, immoral and depraved. The main passion of such evil persons is to gain the thing that they covet, no matter by what means. For them end justifies the means. Such persons think themselves, like Madoff or Satyam’s Ramalingaraju, to be very smart. They live purely at the organic level; they are completely divorced from the divinity glowing within them.
While the rituals (such as Puuja at home or in a temple or celebrating Rama Navami, Durgashtami, Krishna Jayanti, Dussera Kaali Puuja and other holy festivals – and all of them with a lot of pomp and pageantry, are considered the body of Hindu religion, spiritual practices are considered the mind or the heart of Hindu religion. Karma Yoga, Dhyaana Yoga (meditation) and Jnaana Yoga (which is also known as Sankhya Yoga) are spiritual practices. Sravana, Manana and Nidhidhyaasana (reading /listening, reflection and highly concentrated meditation are also spiritual practices. In case of a child, daily prayer is a good spiritual practice. If the child learns meditation also, it is even better. These spiritual practices clean up the mind and lead to Self-knowledge.
Have you heard of people dying of thirst even when a perennial source of pure water is nearby? This is exactly what is happening in India right now, figuratively speaking. India is perhaps the only country, which has discovered Vedanta and yet people are dying spiritually because of malnutrition. Is it not tragic?
Presently, we find ourselves inflicted in spite of more wealth (ever increasing GDP), in spite of better health, in spite of better education, in spite of better and revolutionary advances in science and technology, health care and management services. In spite of more comfortable living standards, we are still not happy; on the other hand, we are becoming more and more mean in every department of human endeavor. We consider ourselves as very intelligent and smart – but we burn the young brides for more dowry; we throw acid at those that do not acquiesce to our wishes and incur our displeasure; we behave violently and resort to suicidal bombings, when we do not conform to our standards of political or racial or religious beliefs. Is this progress? Is this civilization? It is too deep a human tragedy to be glossed over as we are all doing presently in our complacent attitudes. We have to seriously review our ideas of behavior and religious philosophy and see if we can stop this rot from spreading any further; we should in fact try to reverse the trend.
Thus, in India, we not only have physical malnutrition, but we also have ethical, moral and spiritual malnutrition right now unfortunately. The poor have physical malnutrition while all others are suffering from ethical, moral and spiritual malnutrition. What is the result of this ethical, moral and spiritual malnutrition? Everyone is cursing everyone else; husband blames the wife; parents blame the children and vice versa. Political parties blame other political parties. Nations blame other nations. We got ourselves into this unfortunate and tragic blame game after a prolonged period of ethical, moral and spiritual starvation.
Life at the spiritual level
There are always a few disturbing currents and undercurrents in every life. The human interactions are many and varied; and all of them cause you a great deal of stress and tend to unsettle you, if you are not careful. These forces can only be handled effectively by the knowledge of Vedaanta. By efficiently handling these diverse interactive processes in the human situations, we have to bring out the best in human beings – when parents will handle children properly, husband will handle the wife correctly and vice versa, governments will handle people with sympathy and human values, etc. This is like striking a dry match stick to produce fire and light.
In all such cases, the success in the human efforts depends upon the Buddhi. Therefore, you appoint your Buddhi, the guide of the chariot of your life – in the same way that Arjuna appointed Krishna to guide his chariot in the battle of Mahaabhaarata.
Spiritual evolution
We have to go well beyond the organic dimension to look for the resolution of the present maladies in our society. When we recognize the real problem and put a dimension on it, we would have achieved half the solution. We have to now look for the other half of the solution.
If you believe in Vedaanta and follow its principles sincerely, you will be rewarded by strength of character; it also leads to a steady spiritual growth and a sense of fulfillment. Vedaanta says that further human evolution should be towards the spiritual growth, which should be reflected in better understanding of human problems, more wisdom and more forgiveness, more sympathy, more love, more helpful nature towards all life and more fulfillment in all fields of human endeavor. Let spiritual fulfillment find expression in all the inter-human transactions. This is the meaning of spiritual evolution beyond the organic dimension; it means more growth in ethical, human and aesthetic dimensions. Consider the following, which will facilitate the spiritual evolution.
- The child should be trained to grow spiritually also along with the physical and mental growth. Then, the child, when it grows into an adult, will not hate, will not exploit and will not destroy. It will give up prejudice and narrow mindedness.
- Tensions, conflicts, sorrow, suffering and frustration, etc, will cease. People will stop exploiting; people will stop hating and destroying.
- Spiritual orientation will make the child give up jealousy, anger, hatred, greed, arrogance, and all such negative traits.
- Rajas and Tamas will decrease and Sattva will increase. With the increasing ethical awareness, the behavior of the child will automatically improve. With increasing Sattva, clarity in thinking, character building, increased love and compassion will take place - and an all-round qualitative enrichment of life would take place.
- We have to rediscover the light and knowledge, imprinted and hidden within us. People will then enjoy the wealth, the health, the beauty, the goodness and the auspiciousness that unfold. Then, no matter what is the current state of our society, whatever may be the dismal social trends around us, they will all soon disappear yielding place to hope and happiness; and the future growth of mankind will then be along the righteous path (Dharma).
Who is going to bring about this Evolution?
Most of the contemporary commercial Gurus are like wet matchsticks; no matter how much you strike, no fire and light comes out of them. Parents are the most effective Gurus in this area. They are the only persons who can effectively bring about this evolution in their children.
Can you ever imagine spiritual persons like Ramkrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Tejomayananda, Swami Ranganaadhananda, Swami Dayanand Saraswati and other similar Mahaanubhavas
- Ever losing their temper in anger no matter what the provocation is
- Ever displaying selfishness and meanness
- Ever succumbing to fear, jealousy, arrogance, hatred, greed and other impurities
You would find them calm and composed at all times – which are the Saattvic qualities referred above. Do you not admire these Mahaanubhaavas for their Saattvic qualities? They are the successful persons of this world in the sense that they do not allow the mundane transactions of life on this planet to affect their temperament or their happiness; they maintain their stoic equanimity under all circumstances.
Would you like to imitate them – especially in this department (spiritual sphere)? In management, they say that you should imitate the successful and never imitate the failures. The successful persons have done at least some things right - and the failures have done most things wrong.
The next thought is about “You are what you eat”
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