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by Jayaram V
There is a bridge between time and eternity; and this bridge
is Atman, the spirit of man. Neither day nor light cross that bridge,
nor old age, nor death, nor sorrow. Evil or sin cannot cross
that bridge, because the world of the Spirit is pure. This is why
when this bridge has been crossed, the eyes of the blind can see,
the wounds of the wounded are healed, and the sick man becomes whole
from his sickness - Chandogya Upanishad
May we follow the path of goodness as the sun and the moon follow
their path. May we associate again and again with liberal, the non-harming,
the knowing. - Rig Veda 51.15
May good thoughts come to us from every side, pure, unobstructed,
over flowing - Rig Veda, 89.1
Whether we are in pursuit of material success or spiritual enlightenment,
virtue and morality matter. True wealth or happiness or self-realization
can be achieved only on a strong moral foundation. Practice of virtue
inculcates a sense of social and moral responsibility in our collective
consciousness and certain orderliness and discipline in our behavior,
without which we cannot survive or live peacefully upon earth. We
have the potential either to be a god or a demon. In each of us,
good and evil tendencies wage a continuous battle for control and
supremacy and the struggle intensifies as our world becomes increasingly
chaotic. Each and every moment in our lives, we are presented with
this choice, to choose between the good and the evil and the right
and wrong. What we choose determines the course of our lives and
the fate of our world. The progress of our civilization and our
survival as a species rest upon the simple belief that doing good,
being good and staying good on our part would lead to our collective
good.
We cannot act irresponsibly towards one another and expect some
good to come out of it eventually. Our interconnectedness makes
it almost impossible to isolate evil in an individual and deal with
it as if it does not belong here. As the world is increasingly drawn
towards materialism, the practice of virtue becomes all the more
relevant. A great saivite guru once remarked that in the days of
the Ramayana, the demons used to live in distant lands and enter
the human world once in a while to cause trouble or disturb the
rishis. In the days of the Mahabharata, they began participating
in the human affairs in the guise of friends and family. Nowadays,
in the age of Kali, they had actually started living inside us.
This is a sad development but true. Evil is now ensconced deep in
the consciousness of everyone. To be free from it, we have to fight
the great epic battles of Ramayana and Mahabharata within ourselves
by invoking the power of God and remaining on the path of virtue.
Religion and Morality
All religions recognize the importance of morality in our lives.
On the surface, it looks like religion and morality are inseparable.
But this is not true. We can say religion and morality are somewhat
vaguely interrelated and the practice of one does not necessarily
mean the practice of the other. For instance, a religious person
need not be moral and a moral person need not be religious. Religion
may try to regulate the moral life of an individual, but a person
cannot be called moral just because he has taken to religion or
practicing it. We cannot also say that an atheist is immoral simply
because he or she lacks faith, or argue that someone who has committed
a mortal sin is virtuous just because he happens to be a monk or
a religious figure.
The line of thought that separates religion from morality is
of recent origin in the west, following the dawning of the age of
reason and the advancement of scientific thinking, but it has been
prevalent in Asia since ancient times. Some of the notable religions
and philosophies of the east, including Buddhism and Jainism, have
been atheistic. The Samkhya and Yoga philosophies do not believe
in God, but they teach the practice of morality as a necessary condition
for the liberation of individual beings. Even though we may argue
that religion and morality are distinct subjects, we cannot fail
to notice the important role played by all major world religions
in keeping the world on the side of righteousness and making people
feel responsible for their actions. A state may introduce laws to
make its people follow certain rules. But it cannot replace religion
because it cannot influence the inner world of its subjects. Law
can only enforce legal obligations we are expected to honor, not
moral conduct.
Morality in World Religions
In Hinduism, dharma (observation of religious and moral law)
is the first of the four chief aims (purusharthas) of human life1.
Morality is also implied in the theory of karma, according to which
each individual is responsible for his or her actions. Hindu scriptures
declare that the people indulge in various actions according to
the three qualities, namely sattva (purity), rajas (vitality) and
tamas (darkness) and suffer from the consequences of their actions
in proportion to the predominant quality present in them. The scriptures
recommend that to escape from the hand of karma one should strive
to improve the quality of sattva by cultivating virtue and doing
good deeds.
The Eightfold Path of Buddhism is basically a course in virtuous
living on the path of righteousness (dharma), which would lead to
Nirvana or liberation. The Eightfold Path consists of right understanding,
right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right
effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. Sila or right
conduct is an important concept of Buddhism, which can be practiced
through right speech, right action and right livelihood. Dhammapada
declares, "The evil-doer mourns in this world, and he mourns in
the next, he mourns in both. He mourns and suffers when he sees
the evil of his own work."
Jainism declares that without proper conduct, there is no liberation2.
In Jainism both the lay followers and monks and nuns have to undertake
certain vows and follow a strict code of conduct for their spiritual
development and ultimate liberation3. Right conduct, along with right
beliefs and right knowledge are considered to be the Three Jewels,
or the three guiding principles of Jainism. Right conduct is not
a mere mechanical obedience to virtue, but a spontaneous outcome
of inner purification achieved through the practice of austerities
and penances. One can stop (samvara) the entry of karmic substance
into the soul, through the purification of the mind and the body,
by good conduct and by developing virtues as prescribed in the scriptures.
In Sikhism there is an emphasis on cultivation of virtues and
removal of vices. Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, was known
for his stand against superstition and social inequality and his
emphasis on good conduct, inner purity and devotion to God. Speaking
against outward religious observances, he said, "Let good conduct
be thy fasting." Guru Arjun Dev, one of the notable Sikh Gurus,
emphasized self-control and inner discipline. He declared, "Whosoever
controls the mind, he is a pilgrim." According to Sikhism, lust,
greed, attachment, anger and pride are be the five cardinal vices,
which need to be overcome through prayer, service and charity.
In Islam, good deeds are as important as the five pillars of
practices4. Prophet Muhammad declared that on the Judgment day men
would be judged by their actions. He said to have remarked, "God
does not judge you according to your appearance and your wealth,
but he looks at your hearts and looks into your deeds." Regarding
morals, he said, "The most perfect of the believers in faith are
the best of them in morals and the best among them are those who
are best to their wives." The Quran says, "Whoever does a good deed,
he shall be repaid ten-fold; and whoever does evil, he shall be
repaid with evil."
If Karma is central to Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, sin is
central to Christianity. According to its beliefs, sin is what keeps
man from reaching God. It is disobeying His law, turning away from
Him and His love, indulging in wrong doings and challenging His
supremacy. One can absolve oneself from sin by penitence and by
making a sincere confession before a priest and not repeating it
again. The Sermon on the Mount is perhaps one of the best discourses
on morals ever preached by a Prophet. The Bible is not just a book
of fables and parables about the life of Jesus and other Christians,
but a book of virtue. The Ten Commandments of the Old Testament
serve as a true measure of one's conduct upon earth against the
law of God.
According to Judaism the world stands upon three things, which
are very much like the three Jewels of Jainism: Torah (the holy
knowledge), Avodah (religious practices) and Gemilut chasadim (loving
deeds). Moses had a tough time trying to teach his men follow the
righteous path as chosen by God for the Israelites. Time and again
they betrayed him and tested his patience, as they wandered in the
wilderness in search of their true land. The Ten Commandments of
the Old Testament and the 613 commandments found in the Levictus
and other books are but long lists of divine laws meant to regulate
the lives of Jewish people. They are not meant to secure a heavenly
world some time in future, but a holy and perfect life here and
now by protecting them from the evil and worldly influences.
Cultivation of Virtues
All religions prescribe a code of conduct for their followers
to help them achieve liberation. While there may be wide variations
in what each religion considers as appropriate and necessary for
the good of their followers, there are certain norms religions to
discern the right from the wrong and to decided acceptable norms
of human behavior and religious conduct. The prescribe rules are
about what scriptures you should study and what you should avoid
and what knowledge you should acquire and what you should renounce.
There are rules concerning how to validate standards (pramana) of
knowledge and rely upon them. In some traditions knowledge
is categorized into higher knowledge and lower knowledge, one that
leads to liberation and the other that leads to worldly success.
It is also classified sometimes as right knowledge and false knowledge,
one that is based upon truth and the other that is rooted in ignorance
and delusion.
There are rules regarding how to acquire knowledge and by which
methods. Self-study (svadhyaya) is an established practice in some
traditions to gain mental purity and proper perspective of religious
and spiritual concepts. There are also rules and procedures about
whose words, opinions and interpretations one should accept as final
in case of doubt and disbelief. Every religion upholds one or more
texts as the final authority or the very revelation of God for people
to follow. Those who cannot study them are asked to learn from others
by listening to them. Certain texts are prohibited for study in
all traditions because they seem to arouse negative passions or
contradict what the traditions uphold as the authority.
There are norms concerning how to approach God, how to worship
Him and relate with Him mentally and spiritually, what we can seek
from Him and what we should not, how we should surrender to Him
and what we should offer to Him as a token of our surrender and
devotion. How God should be viewed and worshipped are major issues
upon which our religions are divided. Every religion upholds certain
methods of worship and prohibits others. Prayer is the most common
method. Personal relationship with God is also encouraged by all.
We also have norms in all traditions about how to purify the
lower nature and what methods we should follow. They aim to control
the baser instincts and human passions and cultivate equanimity
towards the pairs of opposites. They uphold certain qualities as
divine and such as detachment, truthfulness, non-violence, non-stealing,
devotion, surrender to God, compassion, selflessness, charity, dispassion,
self-control, humility as virtues while they condemn selfishness,
egoism, pride, greed, envy, cruelty and anger as evil and immortal.
They distinguish between the behavior which is conducive to spiritual
liberation and that which is an obstacle. Good behavior is encouraged
with the promise of heavenly rewards and eternal freedom while negative
behavior is discouraged with the threat of eternal condemnation
and continuous suffering. In the Bhagavadgita5
Krishna says, "Divine virtues are for liberation, but non-divine
qualities are regarded as binding." We find similar approach in
all other religions.
All religions prescribe norm for right conduct. Every religion
tells us how important it is to treat others with respect and dignity
as an aspect of God. They encourage their followers live selflessly,
surrender to God and spread good thoughts everywhere. They prescribe
norms and daily code of conduct, so that people can do their religious
duty and fulfill their personal obligations towards themselves,
others and also God.
Transcending Morality
On our path to spiritual freedom we reach a stage where we have
to overcome every attachment including our attachment to our religious
mindset and moral values. We know that like everything else in the
material and objective world, our morals and values, and our notions
of what is right and what is wrong, are all relative to some standard
or belief or context which we uphold as the true measure. Our moral
and material values serve a definite purpose in the progress or
our civilization and in maintaining certain order and structure
in our society. They are immensely helpful in preparing us for our
spiritual liberation and promoting the right values that are necessary
to deal with our baser instincts and selfishness. But they may not
always stand the test of truth and may not always serve a righteous
cause. For example what is right for one may be wrong for another.
What is victory for one in a war, may be a cruel act of imperialism
for another. What one considers as justice in hanging a worst criminal
may be an appalling example of human judgment. Apart from these
moral dilemmas, at times we also have to deal with ambiguity, where
our standards of knowledge and morality are not adequate enough
to present us a clear picture of right and wrong. These are the
gray areas about our scriptures also do not provide right solutions.
While practice of morality is an essential precondition for spiritual
practice, once a certain level of perfection is reached, one should
grow out of one’s attachments for a certain way of life and certain
values in order to become fully liberated. This does not mean that
one can throw all caution to winds and ignore the very laws that
lit the path of enlightenment. It only means after a certain state
in the spiritual practice the aspirants should stop being judgmental
and opinionated, with a holier than thou attitude. They should renounce
their personal prejudices and moral values also as a part of their
effort to cultivate tolerance, understanding, compassion and forgiveness.
One should not come to spiritualism out of despair or to escape
from the harsh realities of life. One may find some initial comfort
in such a choice, but in the end it will only lead to more pain
and suffering. You may escape into the closed walls of an ashram
from the world, but you cannot escape from the world that exists
in you. Spiritual practice is not about observing the established
norms of external conduct, without corresponding inner transformation.
One cannot build spiritual life on a shaky foundation that is devoid
of morality and inner purity. Whether it is in Hinduism, Buddhism
or Islam or Christianity, the practice of morality is an essential
and important part of one’s spiritual transformation. Whatever may
be the religion you practice, soul-centered life is much harder
to practice than many people imagine. It is a path riddled with
innumerable hardship and challenges, where you have to systematically
deny yourself what the world seeks. A deeply religious and disciplined
life is the most difficult of all lifestyles. A spiritual person
has a responsibility not towards himself but the entire world. He
should never betray the trust the world reposes in him on account
of his outward spiritual conduct.
Suggested Further Reading
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