As an ever-learning student of material and spiritual knowledge, I see spiritual advancement as an open book; the pages consist of Nature, the words the weather, the dialogue as experience and the structure as people. However, most people do not realise the importance of material advancement in relation to spiritual advancement.
A few months ago, a Mahraj had come to visit our temple in Bahrain. It was one of my favourite lecturers, as he connects well with the devotees, having a charismatic personality. Seeming as no one were asking any questions, I decided to enquire his point of view on spiritual advancement. So, I asked him:
‘Hare Krishna, doesn’t one have to advance materially before spiritually?’
Ladies and gentlemen (or should I say ‘fellow devotees’?), the answer I received was quite an eye-opener;
‘You do not need to have money to advance spiritually, my dear child. You just need to be a good Vaishnavi and plenty of decent men will ask for your hand in marriage, whereby you can serve the Lord together.’
Why is it that as soon as the word ‘material’ pops up, all spirit souls relate it to money? As much as I adore this Mahraj, I was quite taken aback by his reference to my marriage, and complete irrelevance to my question. The reason why I am clinging onto my ridiculous theories is because the basis of any religion is becoming a moral human being. Christianity and Judaism (the Ten Commandments), Islam (Qu’uran) and especially Buddhism advises it, as without it how can one go further?
I have come across too many people who reject the plea of help from a less fortunate one, simply because they are too concerned with chanting their sixteen rounds for ‘spiritual advancement’. The second lesson that I was taught (first: Krishna is God and the Absolute Truth) is to try to be in the mode of goodness always. Ignoring to help someone in anyway simply to skip to the Chariot to seek Krishna is far from Sattva-Guna.
In a nutshell, I have understood that the basis of surrendering oneself to lead a rightful spiritual life is only through succumbing into leading a moral material life. This does not exclusively mean piling up one’s bank pockets, but rather following an ethical manner of living. There comes a certain point when material life and spiritual life are almost side by side, and that is when one steps forward to conquer either one of them. The best stanza that encapsulates this is from the Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13; Text 8-12
amanitvam adambhitvam
ahimsa ksantir arjavam
acaryopasanam saucam
sthairyam atma-vinigrahah
indriyarthesu vairagyam
anahankara eva ca
janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-
duhkha-dosanudarsanam
asaktir anabhisvangah
putra-dara-grhadisu
nityam ca sama-cittatvam
istanistopapattisu
mayi cananya-yogena
bhaktir avyabhicarini
vivikta-desa-sevitvam
aratir jana-samsadi
adhyatma-jnana-nityatvam
tattva-jnanartha-darsanam
etaj jnanam iti proktam
ajnanam yad ato ‘nyatha
Translation: ‘Humility, pridelessness, non-violence, tolerance, simplicity, approaching a bona fide spiritual master, cleanliness, steadiness and self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification, absence of false ego, the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; nonattachment to children, wife, home and the rest, and even-mindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me, resorting to solitary places, detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization, and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth – all these I thus declare to be knowledge, and what is contrary to these is ignorance.’
Please note that the first few nouns Krishna has presented are: ‘Humility, pridelessness, non-violence, tolerance, simplicity’, while the last piece of advice is ‘…and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth’. Hence, without adapting the basics of material life, one cannot seek Krishna. So, next time you see someone without a smile, gift them yours - it starts of there, and soon any spirit soul will reach the bottom of this enlightening verse.
January 22, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Haribol,
I agree with you, on how devotees assume that we are talking about settling down into grhasta life when the issue of material life pops up, especially when we are female. but i guess that many women always talk about this when they speak about material success, and it’ll take a while before we can move away from that attitude.
by your statement that we reject to answer the plea of help from the less fortunate, simply because we are too concerned with chanting, but you must understand in order to beable to provide the help others need, you have to have saved yourself: the scenario of the drowning man comes to mind, if you can’t swim you will never beable to help him, you will end up hindering himself & yourself. so rather concentrate on the immediate and eventually saving others will not be a task.
also the second lesson that you mentioned that you had learnt from KC is ‘to try to be in the mode of goodness always’, but that is not entirely true. i can see that you understand the 3modes of material nature, so i won’t explain that. however, iskcon is beyond these material modes in nature, we are meant to transcend beyond the mode of goodness–transcedental, and that is wer u receive the essence and abilities to help others.
i nevertheless appreciate your great realisations, and i look forward to them as they are indeed insightful.
thank you,
your humble servant
January 23, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Ooooh! Thanks for the constructive criticism. I shall keep the accepted views in mind next time. I completely agree with you about how woman / man should always help herself / himself first before anyone else (my father even gave me the specific example of helping oneself to the oxygen supply thingy on the aeroplane before aiding others).
However, I still abide to my personal experience and views that it is ridiculous if one is an able-bodied and capable of aiding, but purposefully avoids it to simply advance in the name of God.
Moreover, please allow me to clear up one slight blur about how I conveyed my ‘second lesson’. I deliberately did not mention Divya-guna, (although initially contemplating it) because I was referring to life in the material world; as far as I am concerned one can attain this mode of transcendence – or unqualified goodness – only through Sattva-guna. Nevertheless, the saying does go: the sky is the limit, so you’re right; I should’ve written how one must aim to be in Divya-guna, so we can come as close as possible to achieving it.
Thank you. Hare Krshna!