We have heard various interpretations of spirituality. “I am not the body, mind or intellect. I am the self. I am Brahman (the Supreme).” Hearing all this, some have asked Amma, “Can ordinary people like us attain such a state?” It won’t be surprising if ordinary people think “this isn’t for me,” when they hear such matters, which seem unattainable. Most people face sorrows, sufferings and challenges in daily life. As far as they are concerned, the difficulties, pains and happiness of life are all true. They will find it hard to understand that “the world is illusory. All these are transitory. The only eternal object is the self”. Spirituality is nothing but the maturity of the mind. It is a state in which one never loses his discriminative thinking, no matter what the situation is.
The biggest problem today is that, in the mad pursuit of more wealth and material comforts, discriminative thinking is lost entirely. When we lose strength of discernment, we give undue importance to the external world and its objects, as well as the physical comfort. The exclusive focus on those things leads to an increase in selfishness. Caught in the grip of blind attachment, we totally forget our inner bond with the universe. This undermines the balance between the human mind and the world. This is what is happening today. In order to maintain the balance in nature, giving and taking are equally necessary. All beings, knowingly or unknowingly, take from and give to nature. We can see this everywhere in nature. We should realise that just as our limbs are part of our body, we are all a part of nature. Every organ in the body has its role. If any one of the organs does not do its part, the body will become weak and its overall functionality will become impaired. The existence of the universe is founded on the ‘give-and-take’ process. If humans do not obey this law of nature, its rhythm will be distributed, becoming a reason for the destruction of the human race.
Abiding by spiritual principles, one can prevent such a disaster. While fulfilling our own desires and needs, let us not forget others. When we are worrying about our own house and children, let us think whole-heartedly about the large world family also. We should remember the fact that there are countless of other people who yearn to live like us. We should cultivate the attitude of returning a share to the society and nature when we take something from them. In short, we should strive to foster an expansive outlook that embraces the whole world through our thoughts and actions. This is maturity of mind. Once, a college professor took his students for an excursion. On the way, they saw poor labourers working at a construction site. The workers had all left their footwear behind in a place outside. Seeing this, a mischievous thought came to the minds of a few students. They took all the slippers and hid them in a bush nearby. Since it was almost time for the workers to end the day’s work, the students thought that it would be fun to see the confusion on the workers’ faces when they find their footwear missing.
Seeing this, the professor said, “I’ll show you something even better. Try doing as I say. First, let’s put the slippers back in place.
Then, let’s put a `5 coin in each slipper. When the workers wear their slippers, watch their faces carefully. The experience will be bliss.” The students did as the professor said, and waited for the workers to come out. After some time, the workers came out, one by one. When they saw the coin in their slippers, they could not believe their eyes. Seeing the happiness blossoming on the workers’ faces, their hearts swelled in joy. “I am neither the mind nor the intellect. I am the self.” Not everyone might attain this state. But we must be able to see everyone else as ourselves. In this way, our outlook will become enriched by the light and fullness of viveka (discriminating intelligence). Only then will our actions uplift both the individual and society alike.
The writer is a world-renowned spiritual leader