BOUQUET OF THOUGHTS - Vivekananda

Do you known how much energy, how many powers, how many forces are still lurking behind that frame of yours? What scientist has known all that is in man? Millions of years have passed since man first came here, and yet but one infinitesimal part of his powers has been manifested. Therefore, you must not say that you are weak. How do you know what possibilities lie behind that degradation on the surface? You know but little of that which is within you. For behind you is the ocean of infinite power and blessedness.

Men are taught from childhood that they are weak and sinners. Teach them that they are glorious children of immortality, even those who are the weakest in manifestation. Let positive, strong, helpful thought enter into their brains from the very childhood. Lay yourselves open to these thoughts, and not to weakening and paralyzing ones. Say to your own minds, "I am He [pure, free, immortal spirit]," "I am He [pure, free, immortal spirit]."

What makes a man stand up and work? Strength. Strength is goodness; weakness is sin. If there is one word that you find coming out like a bomb from the Upanishads, bursting like a bombshell upon masses of ignorance, it is the word fearlessness. And the only religion that ought to be taught is the religion of fearlessness. Either in this world or in the world of religion, it is true that fear is the sure cause of degradation and sin. It is fear that brings evil. And what causes fear? Ignorance of our own nature.

Weakness leads to all kinds of misery, physical and mental. Weak­ness is death. There are hundreds of thousands of microbes sur­rounding us, but they cannot harm us unless we become weak, until the body is ready and predisposed to receive them. There may be a million microbes of misery, floating about us. Never mind! They dare not approach us; they have no power to get a hold on us, until the mind is weakened. This is the great fact; strength is life; weakness is death; strength is felicity, life eternal, immortal; weakness is constant strain and misery; weakness is death.

We reap what we sow. We are makers of our own fate. None else has the blame, none has the praise.

Religion is the greatest motive power for realizing that infinite energy which is the birthright and nature of every man. In building up character, in making for everything that is good and great, in bringing peace to others, and peace to one's own self, religion is the highest motive power, and therefore, ought to be studied from that standpoint. Religion must be studied on a broader basis than formerly. ...

As the human mind broadens, its spiritual steps broaden too. The time has already come when a man cannot record a thought without its reaching to all corners of the earth; by merely physical means, we have come into touch with the whole world; so the future religions of the world have to become as universal, as wide.

The religious ideals of the future must embrace all that exists in the world and is good and great, and, at the same time, have infinite scope for future development. ...

The power of religion, broadened and purified, is going to penetrate every part of human life. So long as religion was in the hands of a chosen few, or of a body of priests, it was in temples, churches, books, dogmas, ceremonials, forms and rituals. But when we come to the real, spiritual, universal concept, then, and then alone, religion will become real and living; it will come into our very nature, live in our every movement, penetrate every pore of our society, and be infinitely more a power for good than it has ever been before.

Aye, let every man and woman and child, without respect of caste or birth, weakness or strength, hear and learn that behind the strong and the weak, behind the high and the low, behind every one, there is that Infinite Soul, insuring the infinite possibility and the infinite capacity of all to become great and good. Let us proclaim to every soul “Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached."

Teach yourselves, teach everyone his real nature, call upon the sleeping soul and see how it awakes. Power will come, glory will come, goodness will come, purity will come, and everything that is excellent will come when this sleeping soul is roused to self-con­scious activity.

The infinite power of the Spirit, brought to bear upon matter evolves material development, made to act upon thought evolves intellectu­ality, and made to act upon Itself makes of man a God. ... Manifest the divinity within you, and everything will be harmoniously arranged around it.

Our watchword, then, will be acceptance, and not exclusion. Not only toleration, for so-called toleration is often blasphemy, and I do not believe in it. I believe in acceptance. Why should I tolerate? Tolera­tion means that I think that you are wrong and I am just allowing you to live. Is it not a blasphemy to think that you and I are allowing others to live? I accept all religions that were in the past, and worship with them all; I worship God with every one of them, in whatever form they worship Him. ...

The Bible, the Vedas, the Koran, and all other sacred books are but so many pages, and an infinite number of pages remain yet to be unfolded. I would leave it open for all of them. We stand in the present, but open ourselves to the infinite future. We take in all that has been in the past, enjoy the light of the present, and open every window of the heart for all that will come in the future. Salutation to all the prophets of the past, to all the great ones of the present, and to all that are to come in the future.

One atom in this universe cannot move without dragging the whole world along with it. There cannot be any progress without the whole world following in the wake, and it is becoming every day clearer that the solution of any problem can never be attained on racial, or national, or narrow grounds. Every idea has to become broad till it covers the whole of this world, every aspiration must go on increasing till it has engulfed the whole of humanity, nay, the whole of life, within its scope.

The infinite oneness of the Soul is the eternal sanction of all morality, that you and I are not only brothers --every literature voicing man's struggle towards freedom has preached that for you --but that you and I are really one. This is the dictate of Indian philosophy. This oneness is the rationale of all ethics and all spirituality.

We want today that bright sun of intellectuality, joined with the heart of Buddha, the wonderful, infinite heart of love and mercy. This union will give us the highest philosophy. Science and religion will meet and shake hands. Poetry and philosophy will become friends. This will be the religion of the future, and if we can work it out, we may be sure that it will be for all times and peoples.

Just as a physicist, when he has pushed his knowledge to its limits, finds it melting away into metaphysics, so a metaphysician will find what he calls mind and matter are but apparent distinctions, the reality being One.

The more advanced a society or nation is in spirituality, the more is that society or nation civilized. No nation can be said to have become civilized, only because it has succeeded in increasing the comforts of material life by bringing into use lots of machinery and things of that sort. ... In this age as on the one hand people have to be intensely practical, so on the other they have to acquire deep spiritual knowledge.

No civilization can grow, unless fanaticism, bloodshed, and brutality stop. No civilization can begin to lift up its head until we look charitably upon one another, and the first step towards that much-needed charity is to look charitably and kindly upon the religious convictions of others. Nay more, to understand that not only should we be charitable, but positively helpful, to each other, however different our religious ideas and convictions may be.

Look upon every man, woman, and everyone as God. You cannot help anyone; you can only serve; serve the children of the Lord, serve the Lord Himself, if you have the privilege. If the Lord grants that you can help anyone of His Children, blessed you are; do not think too much of yourselves. Blessed you are that that privilege was given to you, when others had it not. Do it only as a worship.

You may invent an image through which to worship God, but a better image already exists, the living man. You may build a temple in which to worship God, and that may be good, but a better one, a much higher one, already exists, the human body.

We have always heard it preached, "Love one another." What for? That doctrine was preached, but the explanation is here. Why should I love everyone? Because they and I are one. Why should I love my brother? Because he and I are one. There is this oneness, this solidarity of the whole universe. From the lowest worm that crawls under our feet to the highest beings that ever lived --all have various bodies, but are the one Soul. Through all mouths you eat; through all hands you work; through all eyes you see. You enjoy health in millions of bodies, you are suffering from disease in millions of bodies. When this idea comes and we realize it, see it, feel it, then will misery cease, and fear with it. How can I die? There is nothing beyond me. Fear ceases, and then alone come perfect happiness and perfect love. That universal sympathy, universal love, universal bliss that never changes, raises man above everything.

We have to cover everything with the Lord Himself, not by a false sort of optimism, not by blinding our eyes to the evil, but by really seeing God in everything. Thus we have to give up the world, and when the world is given up, what remains? God. What is meant? You can have your wife; it does not mean that you are to abandon her, but you are to see God in the wife. Give up your children; what does that mean? To turn them out-of-doors as some human brutes do in every country? Certainly not. That is diabolism; it is not religion. But see God in your children. So, in everything. In life and in death, in happiness and in misery, the Lord is equally present. The whole world is full of the Lord. Open your eyes and see Him. This is what Vedanta teaches.

India has to learn from Europe the conquest of external nature, and Europe has to learn from India the conquest of internal nature. Then there will be neither Hindus [Indians] nor Europeans --there will be the ideal humanity which has conquered both the natures, the external and the internal. We have developed one phase of humanity, and they another. It is the union of the two that is wanted. The word freedom which is the watchword of our religion means freedom physically, mentally, and spiritually.

It is a change of the soul itself for the better I that alone will cure the evils of life. No amount of force, or government, or legislative cruelty will change the conditions of a race, but it is spiritual culture and ethical culture alone that can change wrong racial tendencies for the better.

But the basis of all systems, social or political, rests upon the goodness of men. No nation is great or good because Parliament enacts this or that, but because its men are great and good. ... Religion goes to the root of the matter. If it is right, all is right.
Great indeed are the manifestations of muscular power, and marvelous the manifestations of intellect expressing themselves through machines by the appliances of science; yet, none of these are more potent than the influence which spirit exerts upon the world.

I direct my attention to the individual, to make him strong, to teach him that he himself is divine, and I call upon men to make themselves conscious of this divinity within. That is really the ideal --conscious or unconscious --of every religion.

It is a man-making religion that we want. It is man-making theories that we want. It is man-making education all round that we want. And here is the test of truth --anything that makes you weak physically, intellectually, and spiritually, reject as poison, there is no life in it, it cannot be true. Truth is strengthening. Truth is purity, truth is all­ knowledge; truth must be strengthening, must be enlightening, must be invigorating.

The Christian is not to become a Hindu or a Buddhist, nor a Hindu or a Buddhist to become a Christian. But each must assimilate the spirit of the others and yet preserve the individuality and grow according to his own law of growth.

If the Parliament of Religions has shown anything to the world it is this: It has proved to the world that holiness, purity, and charity are not the exclusive possessions of any church in the world and that every system has produced men and women of the most exalted character. In the face of this evidence, if anybody dreams of the exclusive survival of his own religion and the destruction of the others, I pity him from the bottom of my heart, and point out to him that upon the banner of every religion will soon be written, in spite of their resistance: "Help and not Fight," "Assimilation and not Destruction," "Harmony and Peace and not Dissension."
Characteristics of Indian Philosophy
To most of us living in India we sort of take Indian culture, philosophy for granted. When I asked a friend of mine to review a recently launched Culture Site she said it was lovely but her non resident Indians friends would find it's content more interesting. Its only when we become global citizens, start meeting people from different countries, cultures do we want to know more about India and its philosophy in particular. This article is based on inputs from Seven Systems of Indian Philosophy by the respected Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PHD and Introduction to Comparative Philosophy by P.T.Raju. Indian philosophy is inward looking, aims to help human beings deal with the ups and downs of life with the goal of self-realization. The Sanskrit word for philosophy is darsana, which means direct vision. The words symbolize the difference between modern Western philosophy, which mainly relies on intellectual pursuit and Indian philosophy that relies on direct vision of truths and pure Buddhi (reasoning). Darsana is divided into two categories namely Astika (believer in the Vedas) and Nastika (non-believer in the Vedas). Astika are Nyaya, Vaisheshik, Sakhya, Yoga, Mimamsa and Vedanta. Nastika are Carvaka, Jainism and Buddism. Others are a mixture of the ideas of these systems. Although each school of philosophy is unique, they all have characteristics in common. Some of the important ones are - 1. Direct experience. All systems of Indian philosophy claim to be derived from the Veda but the Veda itself are a record of the sages who realized the truth within. To solve life's questions related to nature of life, death, birth, cosmic/ individual existence, they started making rational inquiries, observations. Unable to find satisfactory answers, they discovered various methods of meditation that help one attain the higher levels of consciousness in which one may have direct experience of the truth. Each school originated with an enlightened teacher who described his experiences of the truth and method of attaining it. 2. Acceptance of authority. Respect for sages and ancient scriptures is a strong tradition in India. When a teacher advocates a new philosophical system, he cites established scriptures or the writings of authorized sages to support his statements. The Astika or orthodox schools always refer to the Veda to support their theories. The Nastika or unorthodox schools do not accept the authority of the Veda but follow the authority of their founder. Buddha for example reiterated many things said in the Veda but did not cite the Veda as the source of his views. And so the tendency to rely on the work of a realized teacher is maintained in Buddhism also. 3. Harmony among schools. All systems of Indian philosophy have a unique quality of cooperating with one another. When a debate takes place the intent is not to destroy another's philosophy but to clarify one's own theories, thoughts. This has enabled various schools to live in harmony. Indian philosophers realized that every human mind is unique, must be allowed to follow a philosophy of its choice. 4. Parallel growth and coexistence of so many schools. The various systems of philosophy flourished and grew simultaneously. The main reason is that the open-minded approach attracted students of various hues who were impressed with the practical aspects of that system of philosophy. When a particular teacher delivered a message, it was studied and teachings were put into practice by a group of people whom it suited. So was formed a school of philosophy. Each system continued to coexist because it provided a theoretical and practical philosophy to meet intellectual and emotional needs of students at different levels of realization. There is Saivism in Kashmir and Kerala and Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Yoga throughout India. The five schools of Vedanta exist even today. All these systems continue to undergo change, grow to meet the needs of modern man without deviating from the basic teachings of their founders. One has never heard the followers of these sects fight with one another. Another school is to be defeated on the strength of intellectual argument rather than by using the Gun, taking to terrorism. 5. Open-mindedness. A broad outlook that reflects its unflinching devotion to truth distinguishes Indian philosophy. Each school is open to the views of all other schools. There was nothing like, this is the best system or the only way to self-realization. The established system of philosophical exposition in the Indian tradition involves explaining and criticizing the prior view of the subject, then refuting the view and describing a subsequent view that takes you to a higher level or final theory. It's like saying at work I identify a problem, do not criticize but offer a solution too. Because of a continuos exchange of ideas, the philosophical systems have with time, become more sophisticated and complete. Simply put an individual who enters into a discussion with an open mind and willing to listen to another's point of view is likely to have a better understanding of the situation. It is one reason why Indians have taken to the Western culture so easily, are able to adjust in just about every environment, U.S., Australia, Britain, South Africa. 6. Support of logic and reasoning. Direct experience is the foundation of Indian philosophy, but reason and logic are the chief tools that enable the system to develop and grow. The theories are presented in a way that the rational mind can easily accept. All systems of Indian philosophy apply the methods of logic to argue their points of view and protect themselves from criticism. Reason only justifies that which intuition or experience has revealed. By virtue of being an important part of our philosophy, logic got ingrained in the Indian mind. Since computer software uses logic extensively, it has helped India gain recognition as a potential global software power. 7. Belief of Eternity. Each system of Indian philosophy proclaims that there is an eternal consciousness in man and the realization of this consciousness is the goal of life. Imperfections are a result of ignorance and are on the surface of our personality but what we need to do is to discover the Self within that lies in a perfect state of bliss. Man's physical existence depends on his karma's (actions) but the center of his life is eternal. 8. The law of karma. Every Indian school accepts this law which states that for every effect there is a cause and for every action there is a reaction. If a man becomes attached to the fruits of action, then he becomes a victim of his own karmas because it is attachment to the results that motivates him to perform future actions. The fruit has arisen out of the action and action out of the fruit. This cycle is the wheel of karma. When my only motivation to do something is because I want to enjoy the results, I am bound to be unhappy because I will not always not get what I want. I am more worried about the results than the act itself. All schools agree that the concept of karma is the only explanation for the existence of suffering. Nothing in life is accidental, what we are today is a result of our karma's deeds in this or past life. A friend of mine has, with the help of astrology, been able to know about acts and omissions of her previous life. After discovering a substantial part of his inner self she is able to correlate the events of this and last life. Connecting her past and present births has changed her perspective to life. Karma is not fate or kismet. Karma means that every human being controls his future. You reap what you sow. 9. Moral and ethical teachings. Ancient seers realized that there must be some discipline in our lives with relations to family, society, and nation for without law and order, the world becomes disorganized resulting in misery. Eastern philosophers believed that for peace within there had to be peace outside. Lack of morality and discipline creates misunderstandings in relation with others and is the cause of emotional problems. Emotions need to be disciplined and channeled correctly. Disciplines related to body and mind are generally known as moral and ethical laws and the practical systems of Indian philosophy are based on these laws. These are commitments not commandments, accepted to create external peace without which there can be no internal tranquility. 10. Acknowledgement of suffering. Most quests for self-realization start with the reason for pain and suffering. The goal of each system is to overcome suffering. Buddha began his philosophy by saying there is suffering, next he said there is a cause for it, there is a state in which suffering ceases and finally there is a way to attain freedom from all pain. These statements are called the Four Noble Truths. The experience is due to our inability to experience the inner self. Suffering comes about because of one's attachment with worldly objects, the moment we start looking within, and freedom from pain starts. 11. Thoroughness. Because of this broad outlook, there is an extreme thoroughness in Indian systems of philosophy. It is like the river Ganga, that originates from a glacier, runs down the hills of Garwhal onto the plains of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal collecting water from different sources before it reaches the Bay of Bengal and merges itself with the all embracing sea. Similarly, Indian philosophy started with simple levels of human understanding incorporated the direct experiences of sages down the centuries to become a vast and thorough body of knowledge. Tradition, respect for ancient sages and infinite quest for knowledge make Indian philosophy so vast that it is difficult for people of other countries to fathom how a group of men could have delved so deep into human nature. 12. Practicality. All systems of Indian philosophy contain a practical aspect called Sadhana. Thus the theoretical aspects of philosophy can be applied to everyday life. The ancient sages believed that any philosophy that did not enable man to handle the problems of day to day to life was of no use. Those of you who have read the Bhagwad Gita would agree that the holy book is less about religion but tells us how to handle the ups and downs of life. Self-realization, the direct experience of ones inner nature is the goal of all systems of Indian philosophy. Every system prescribed its own way of overcoming pain to achieve the goal of life. Thus every human being has to look within, understand his own nature and figure out his way to self-realization. There is nothing that this is the only way. It's all about direct experience referred to above. The way to reach this goal include selfless love, service to others, purification and self-control. Because of their usefulness, practicality each system of Indian philosophy is as new today as it was three thousand years ago. It is this quality of our philosophy that has enabled India to survive through dark periods. 13. An interesting feature is the naturalistic attitude towards all philosophical problems including the religious. The object of religion, the Brahman, is conceived to be as naturally connected with man as is with life and life with matter. 14. Because of this naturalism, rationalism is encouraged to the extent that there are no dogmas in Indian religion. For the same reason, faith in the sense in which it is accepted in Christian and Islamic thought is not found in Indian thought. God has become a subject of existential philosophy in India unlike the West, Arab world. For the same reason, Indians do not worship, must I say fanatically worship any of their Gods, founder of religion. We do not take to the streets when our Gods words are interpreted differently. What Lord Krishna said in the Holy Geeta has been interpreted differently by many great men like Sankara, Swami Chinamayananda and Dr Radhakrishnan. Buddha is worshipped because he is said to have spoken the truth, what he said was considered true on its own merits, not because he said it. Thus, anyone who speaks the truth can become a Buddha. Classical Indian philosophies, except the Mimamsa, showed indifference to man as he exists in society since there was overwhelming emphasis on inward interest. This is probably one of the reasons why Bharat never developed any political thought. 15. As human events were considered to be insignificant moments in the being of inwardness, philosophers did not give history importance. Whatever good was achieved in history was accomplished by men as their steppingstones to inwardness but the steppingstones were considered to be dispensable. The progress of culture and civilization, the achievements of man did not attract the mind of philosophers. Unlike the West or Muslims who used to record history. Which probably explains why Indians have a better record of their history after the first foreign invasion in 327 bc. 16. Everyone can have the revelation, and it is called intuition. Intuition is naturally coexistent and continuos with the intellect (ability to distinguish between the right and wrong), not opposed to it. The emphasis on intuition is due to a combination of empiricism, naturalism and rationalism in Indian thought. 17. A human being could achieve salvation by looking inwards only. With this the philosophies of knowledge, and along with them epistemology and logic, obtained tremendous development. It is wrong to think that India had no logic, they developed as handmaids of metaphysics, and the truths were obtained through some kind of intuition. The Upanishad truths were not obtained through logic and epistemology. 18. Indian philosophy is concerned with the True, the Good and the Beautiful. It finds all the three and their identity as the extreme end of inwardness, not of outwardness. The three highest attributes to be realized are Existence, Consciousness and Bliss. (Sat, cit and Ananda). Truth, goodness and beauty have outward existence but existence, consciousness and bliss have inward significance. The Brahman alone posses all these qualities, is the view of all Vedantic schools. And Vedanta is the dominant philosophy in India.