We are living in a world torn by strife, disturbed by emotional outbursts, divided by communal and religious hatred, and life itself threatened by raw and uncontrolled violence. This is true of life at all levels, individual, national and global. We can see that by and large human beings seem to get used to all these circumstances, and life goes on as ever. Indeed, there is a tendency to get inured to circumstances, and a tendency to shrug off things as something over which we have no control, hoping that "they", whoever that "they" may be, will solve our problems for us, and restore harmony and peace to our shattered and disfigured existence. My Divine Master, Samarth Guru Mahatma Shri Ram Chandraji Maharaj of Shahjahanpur, has taught that the solution to all evils lies within the self of the individual. The inner hatred is projected onto the external world. The inner mental disturbance manifests itself in our creating disturbances outside. The inner strife between our lower and higher natures results in strife being created in our environment. And so it goes on…the story of what lies within the human heart wreaking its vengeance on all that lies outside of itself. His inspired and confident message to us has always been that external changes can be brought about only by bringing about changes in the inner being of the human. All that happens in the external universe only reflects the inner existence of us human beings. When we try to bring about change in our environment solely by acting upon the external world, we achieve merely cosmetic effects. And like all cosmetic applications, they have to be renewed again and again, as they have no lasting or permanent effect. Imagine trying to strengthen a decaying structure by merely whitewashing it! But this is all that we see happening around us. Is it surprising that we are faced again and again with the same nauseating patterns of corrupt and violent existence? Can merely strengthening the forces of law and order eradicate robbery and violence, and bring about a law-abiding society? Such efforts are no doubt laudable, as reflecting on our desire to correct matters, but no more than that. My Master has taught us that if we are serious about bringing about lasting changes in society, we must apply all our efforts to changing the individuals of which society is after all composed. If one wishes to feed a hundred persons, or a thousand - what goes by the name of mass feeding - one has to feed all of them individually. In the same way, if society is to be transformed, the individuals must first be transformed. My Master has stated emphatically that there is no other way of bringing about lasting change. All other efforts may bring about some temporary palliation of a situation, but nothing more than that. His clarion call to humanity is that if we want external harmony, we must work upon ourselves to bring about inner harmony within. If we want to live in a non-violent world, where anyone can walk about at any time of the day or night without fear of being molested, then we must work upon ourselves and eradicate all the violent tendencies lying buried within us. If we want peace outside, we must first create peace within ourselves. And the more we are able to do this successfully within, the more we shall see that success mirrored in the external world. The external world is nothing but a mirror image of our inner world. Create within, what you desire to have in the external world. There is no other way. Therefore self-transformation holds the key to social transformation, whether at the level of the small village or of the whole world. What is it that has always made change difficult, if not virtually impossible? Resistance to change! We talk of this resistance all the time, of how it is hampering our efforts at all organized levels, and yet we fail to see hidden therein the message staring us in the face - Friend! Start with yourself. Have YOU been willing to subject yourself to the forces of change which you are trying to force upon others? Are you yourself, willing to first become that which you now want us to become? Are you trying to eradicate caste while retaining it for yourself? Are you trying to eradicate corruption while you are yet corrupt? When we are faced with such questions, we must know that it is nothing but the mocking glance of the mirror which is asking us these questions. Society is, in a sense, our mirror. It is, in another sense, our conscience. Both these must help us to continuously re-evaluate ourselves, and help us to orient ourselves on the path of truth, very much as the stars and the sun guide the mariner on the oceans of the world. It is only a foolish person who will destroy the mirror because he sees something revolting in it, blinding himself to the fact that what he sees there is only himself. The mirror does not interpret. It does not comment. It merely reflects what is put in front of it! It is the same with the conscience. It neither judges nor interprets. It reveals to us what we are, and what we are doing. The intellect interprets - and therefore the great saints of India have always warned us to beware of what the intellect tells us. Their message has ever been that we should listen to the inner voice, the voice of the conscience, as it is our own Self speaking to this, our lower self, telling us what we are to do, and guiding us on our right course from within. Can education solve this problem? Well, it cannot be denied that education has a salutary effect, but experience shows us that it, too, only makes us more capable in the direction in which we are already set. Today's highly sophisticated criminals are very well educated! They need the education to meticulously plan their crimes. In short, education cannot make a man more moral or ethical. It is morality and ethics which give direction to life, whereas education, at best, adds to our ability to handle our responsibilities. Can increasing the standards of living solve the problem? Not if what we see happening around us is true, that it is the elite with the highest standards of life that is corrupt. It is a fallacy to think that if we ensure the basic needs of existence, then society will lapse into some sort of automatic peace and tranquillity. Desire is like fire - it demands more and more fuel to keep itself burning! Can even moral education do the trick? Not if it is merely the sort of moral education that is now given in our schools. It is also a fallacy to think that reading a few verses of the Gita daily will establish inner values. Otherwise all the pundits would have been rishis! We come then to the inescapable conclusion that if we want change, lasting change, real change, we have to work inside, within the heart of man, to eradicate at the roots of his existence all the latent tendencies lying dormant therein. THAT alone is the way, and that is the way of yoga as it has been practised here, in this ancient land of ours, over the centuries. But here, too, there has come the inevitable hardening of the arteries, and today rituals have taken the place of the ancient spiritual practices which were dynamic, potent, and therefore effective. Powerful indeed are the forces of decay and corruption, because they carry us inexorably towards the destructive half of life. As things harden, they lose their efficacy. This is true of all rituals, whether associated with religion, or even with social measures. The system of Sahaj Marg is a revitalised and restructured system based on the ancient Raja Yoga, and puts yogic sadhana back into the life of every individual who is willing to accept it - without any consideration of caste, race, colour or even sex. All are human beings. Differences of caste and creed are our creations. God did not create the religions. As my Master proclaimed, 'Religions divide, Spirituality unites!' Spirituality is universal in its application. It penetrates to the heart of the human being, and works from the source outwards and thus makes possible that change which alone is lasting, which alone has meaning not only for himself but for the whole universe - inner transformation. Change yourself, and you contribute to universal change. But try to change the universe, and you change nothing! (Reprinted from "Messages 1983-1995", p. 21-22) |
