Reach Within to Embrace Humanity
Among the countless creations, human beings rank the highest. That is why it is difficult to be born as a human being. Wise persons must make the best use of this birth.
To make the best use of this birth means living in a manner that benefits those around you. Just by seeing those around you can you embrace them? No. It requires control over your mind.
Human beings fight with each other and suffer because they have no control over their mind. Mind wanders at a speed that is unimaginable. If you learn to control your mind, then you can achieve anything.
The Sadhana to tame the mind is called Dhyana. This Dhyana is the seventh stage in the eight phases of Yoga. Hence it is clear that the earlier six steps must be practised if Dhyana is to be practised easily. Those who practise this Dhyana get an unusual bliss that has no parallel.
This Dhyana helps in attaining Jnana (Knowledge). If you fail in attaining knowledge in this birth, then your life has no meaning and people just live like animals.
An animal cannot go down in evolution. But, a person who fails to get knowledge can go down. In our sacred vedic script the Bhagavad Gita, the Lord says, “It is necessary to realise that knowledge does not mean knowledge of worldly things. It refers to the knowledge of the real nature of atma or self. Once this is acquired, there is nothing else for human beings to do or achieve.”
People fail to reach within themselves due to ignorance or what we call as agnana. This is developed over many lifetimes and hence to reach within, it is essential to purify the mind.
You mind gets purified when you do good deeds. Without purifying the mind you cannot reach within yourself. To purify your mind, good deeds and actions must be performed continuously.
Another easy way to purify the mind is also told in the vedic scripture. Lord says, “Give your mind wholly to me, be my devotee, worship me, surrender to me and make me your supreme goal.” This means that if you unite your mind with God you will not stray anywhere else.
To reach within, to purify your mind and to achieve all that is needed, what is needed is sankalpa or focussed thought. If the wish or thought to reach within is not there, then there is no question of any further progress.
Embracing humanity means that you love the people around you first. When we love something, it is never a burden to us. If you find a job that you love, you do not have to work a single day of your life, because the work itself turns into joy. It is not labour any more. If you work for someone you love, then again work becomes a joy. You embrace humanity. Mahatma Gandhi said that the force of love is the same as the force of truth. The universe will become chaotic without love. The cohesive force between human beings is called love. Where there is love, there is life. Hatred leads to destruction. If there is a fundamental distinction between human beings and animals, it is the former’s progressive recognition of the law of love and its application in their personal life. That some people are brutal does not disprove the law. It shows the difficulty in practicing love. Gandhi again said, “When the practice of the law of love becomes universal, God will prevail on Earth as He does in Heaven. Earth and Heaven are in us. We know the earth, we are strangers to the Heaven.”
Hence the fundamental rule to embrace humanity is to love and present it in every fibre of yourself. You must obey this law of love if world has to be peaceful.
Earlier, I talked about not letting the mind wander. People who try to control their mind during prayers complain that their mind keeps wandering. But when it comes to counting wads of currency notes, the mind is very attentive and does not wander. Why? Because of the love for money. Similarly, if you develop the love for prayer, mind will not wander.
Have you observed your mind? Thought currents flow continuously. Can you hear its noise? Scientists say that 31 brain waves are constantly flowing. Whenever you are engaged in argument and counter-arguments the waves are in Beta range. When you relax, the waves are in Alpha range. When you experience the mood of fun, the mind is sending Theta range waves. Even when you are asleep the mind is emanating Theta and Delta range waves. Hence, in the mind the tussle for thought currents are always in full flow. In fact, it continues unabated.
It is said that when the ‘temperature’ of the brain is increased you get angry, tense and agitated. When there is noise pollution outside, people get hypertension. If the noise from outside can produce such an effect, just imagine the effect of multitude of noise produced from within you. When you control your mind, you reach a state in which no useless or disturbing thought is permitted. This, then allows you to reach within yourself. We have to examine every thought scrupulously to check whether it falls within the framework of righteousness. Hindus chant the mantra ‘OM’ which is the seed syllable or bija mantra which energies the mind. This syllable churns the mind and draws out all unwanted thoughts and emotions hidden in the mind’s subconscious layer. Good thoughts represent Gods and bad thoughts represent demons. When the mind is churned we are able to reach within ourself.
What do we have inside us? That is the source of peace and bliss. Vedas say it is Atman Gyan. A true sense of love activates the ‘third eye’ with which you can reach within yourself and commence the journey to embrace humanity.
By nature, the body is inert, dull and sluggish. The mind is vibrant, active and dynamic and the inner-self is luminous. By making the body and mind to become equally active and sensitive through proper exercise, it is seen that you can reach within yourself quite easily.
Now that you have reached within yourself, how do you embrace humanity? As I told you, we have to first love people around us. When you love someone or something what do you do? You spend more time with the person or thing. When you spend more time with people around you, especially those who need your help, you will discover subtle joy in it. You will empathise with them.
Embracing humanity means that you are ready for sacrifice. Once you reach within yourself, you will not only be ready to do anything but also give up anything for humanity. The secret of reaching within yourself lies in giving your total undivided attention to your goal.
Did you think that everything in life is predestined? Then where is the scope to use our intelligence? Not knowing about others living in far off countries or how people live next door is a decision you have made unconsciously. You created this situation within yourself and according to that tendency you keep moving in that direction. Till some teacher or guru told you to reach within to embrace humanity.
The moment you utter the sentence, “I will embrace humanity,” whether you realise it or not, you are actually starting to reach within yourself. What you are stating is that you are taking your destiny in your hands. That is what is expected out of Rotarians. Later you will find that it is your tendency to embrace humanity and that within you have formed a certain attitude. It then starts moving in that direction. Then you will find that you are moving in that direction constantly simply because your tendencies are such and not because someone is guiding you in that direction.
The river is not longing to go to the ocean, just because that is the poetry you read. Water just finds it own level and keeps going. Similarly, your existence in this world is not to confine yourself to the cosy walls of your home. You have to mingle with the community around you. The river that is born on the top of a mountain is a brook at one place, it is a waterfall at another place, in yet another place it is just a meandering river and somewhere else it becomes a wide estuary to join the ocean. Then it becomes the mighty ocean. Your life is similar to this. You have to constantly move from one place to another, if you want to serve humanity. Get rid of all the fancy stories about your powers and come to term with life.
In Zen they teach you that when you are an ignorant person, rivers are just rivers, trees are just trees, mountains are just mountains and clouds are just clouds. But when you become a seeker, rivers are not more just rivers, trees are not just trees, mountains are not just mountains and clouds are not just clouds. Everything takes a different dimension. When you reach out and reach within yourself, you become knowledgeable. In Zen they call it enlightened. When you become such a person, once again rivers become just rivers, trees become just trees, mountains become just mountains and clouds become just clouds!
You may then ask, “What’s the point?” When you are enlightened, it is the same way as when you were ignorant! An enlightened person is just as good as an utter fool, but in a completely different world. You did not embrace humanity earlier because you thought you were special. After enlightenment also, you are special, but now you know that your idea of special is not what you thought. It was not the sum of parts about yourself. You realise now that you are more ordinary than the ordinary and that is why you love to embrace humanity. It is a different dimension of existence.
If Adam and Eve were the first human beings on earth, then we can deduce that the 7 billion population today owes its origin directly to them. In a sense they have become many. The ocean has numerous waves, but can we say that each wave has an identity independent of the ocean? The wave exists because of the ocean. Each sun ray exists because of the sun. Therefore to declare that this is my life, independent of the community around you is meaningless. With ignorance and arrogance people think they are unique and say, “I exist or this is mine.” When your ignorance goes, you understand that you are part of the whole. Hence, you have a duty to embrace humanity.
It is said that a healthy mind exists in a healthy body. Hindu philosophy says, “Dharmartha kama moksham arogyam mulamuttama.” Whether you wish to follow the path of dharma or righteousness, or duty , artha or earning a livelihood, kama or sense of enjoyment, moksha or liberation, health is important. When a mirror is clean, objects are clearly reflected in it. A healthy body causes the mind to reflect like a mirror. To reach within yourself, you need a state of physical equilibrium along with a perfectly balanced disposition of mind. We have to follow a strict regimen or ‘niyama’ with definite value of time, food, sleep and sadhana. As we get immersed in sadhana, we transcend our senses and our mind blossoms. Our hearts expand to embrace all beings. We develop selflessness.
Let us be open and accepting. Draw on your compassion. It is through your conduct that you can convey the meaning of compassion and embracing humanity and not through your speech.
Rotary can be considered as the birth place for today’s gurus who lead us with such messages. Most of us tend to stick to one side of the river, fearing to cross it. We are attached to what is on our side of the river. If we have to work for world peace then we have to give up living on our side of the river and plunge into the water. This is not easy for those who don’t know swimming. But there is a boat to cross the river. It is our leaders who take us to where we want to go for rendering service. Your RI President, Kalyan Banerjee, is one such leader.