A balanced life

AUG 12 -

A balanced life has two aspects of humanism—one is physical fulfillment and the other is spiritual attainment. Without the first, humans cannot survive. Without the second, they cannot be happy. The materialistic pursuit invariably leads to unrestrained desires of possessiveness. Amassing wealth is replete with many problems and gets interlinked with issues like security—individual, social and national—and owning destructive weapons like the atom bomb. We have seen how the sense of insecurity foments wars, conflicts and devastation at the cost of human needs for provision of food, water, shelter, education and health. Spirituality is a force to turn the whole process of life around for peace and happiness.

The second part pertains to internal conditionality. It is related to spirituality interspersed with ethical values and the harmonious coexistence of different philosophies. When one learns to look within, one learns how to control hatred, wrath, greed and such other evil emotions. One also experiences an inner calm and enhanced sense of tolerance. A friend of mine who is well versed in spirituality, Sri Krishna Aniruddh Gautam, explains it in a simple way: “Spirituality is basically about the inner self. There are two selves in human beings; one is the higher self and the other the lower self. The higher self is like a guardian who can oversee the functions of the lower self. The higher self can be considered as the super consciousness. The lower self is a working self that responds to daily chores. If the higher self keeps a watch and observes the lower self, the lower self cannot go astray. The lower self is our physical body, mind and brain. But the self subsisting above the buddhi (brain and knowledge) is the higher self. The self that is below the buddhi is identified as I; and that is what we know and recognize as myself.”

Similarly, Gaurinath Rimal, another friend of mine who is knowledgeable about the subject, explains spiritualism in greater simplicity. He says, “Spirituality is to take cognisance of atma (soul), which is common to all. It is the basis of spiritual equality. There are people who believe that there is paramatma (supreme God) and It is present in every atma. Those who consider the two as one and the same are called Adwait (monoism), and those who regard them as two separate entities having a relationship of an umbilical chord are known as Dwait (dualism). Nonetheless, they have no difference of opinion as far as spirituality in man is concerned.”

Needless to say, happiness is a common goal. But not all are lucky enough to get it. There are many factors that obstruct the pursuit and achievement of happiness. Going back again to the ancient wisdom, the old scriptures point out that it is the inner imbalance arising from Kama, Krodha, Lova, Moha and Ahankar that denies human beings the opportunity to attain happiness. It is difficult to find their exact synonyms in English language. However, they can be expressed as follows: desire, anger, greed, attachment and arrogance. As the handicaps to achieve happiness in life have been identified, the ways to overcome them have also been prescribed by none other than the ancient scriptures. The way to remedy the inner disturbance and imbalance caused by the debilitating elements is to cultivate an inner and outer discipline based on development of a moderate and holistic personality.

Now the question arises as to how to develop such a holistic personality. It can be done by practicing, as prescribed by a Nepali spiritualist, Chintamani Yogi, the following functions every day: Sadhana, Prarthana, Parishram, Daan and Chintan Manan. It is again difficult to find their exact synonyms in English. However, we can come close to their meanings with these terms: exercise or pursuit, prayer, labor or toiling, offering or donating and contemplation. In other words, a daily physical and spiritual exercise, honest earning, social sharing and reflection on omission and commission of the day are essential ingredients to develop a holistic personality. It is equally necessary to know the symptoms of a holistic personality to find out if one has been able to develop it or not. In simple terms, it is the increasing realisation of peace within and satisfaction without. That is the achievement of a balanced life.

In the Eastern way of life, there are four pillars of a balanced life—dharma, artha, kama and mokshya. Dharma is often translated as religion, but here it means duties—and not religious faith as such, but worldly duties toward family, society and mankind. For the fulfillment of the duties, one has to earn money (artha). Kama is biological. It is related to reproduction and regeneration. However, it is inclusive of other human desires and ambitions. All these are supposed to be kept in balance. It is the balanced pursuit of these three activities that lead humans to mokshya (liberation), which is the final destination of human life. That is the consciously-felt meaningfulness of life.


Source: http://www.ekantipur.com/2012/08/12/oped/a-balanced-life/358627/