Hari
Om
'Freedays' are the 'gather our thoughts' days;
Q&As; a general review of the week so far…
In
trying times, or in times of doubt, it is generally a good idea to go back to
basics; reminding oneself of priorities and to find actions which can be taken
to reset the balance of life. Vedanta is full of 'sadhana' - daily practices
and exercises which can keep us focused on the higher whilst dealing with the
daily life functions.
What
is the main purpose of life? From the spiritual perspective, it is to reach
God; from the humanist (atheistic and agnostic) perspective, it is to be the
very best human being we can be. Regardless of where one falls on the
philosophical spectrum, it is pretty much accepted that there are basic values
which cut across all points of view. It has to be said, also, (and cannot be
denied by the 'nay' camp), that all ancient scriptures point to those very same
values and whether one wishes to accept scripture or not, the common-sense
nature of some writings simply cannot be ignored. Let us take Psalm 15 as an
example. The King James version -
1Lord, who
shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
2 He that
walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his
heart.
3 He that
backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up
a reproach against his neighbour.
4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth
them that fear the Lord.
He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.
5 He that
putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He
that doeth these things shall never be moved.
Plain
English?
1 LORD, who will stay in your house?
2 He that is always:
· making no mistakes
· doing what is fair
· speaking in his heart what is true
3 He says nothing bad.
He does nothing wrong to his
neighbours.
He does not call his brother a fool.
4 He does not like bad people,
but he does
like the servants of the LORD.
He keeps his promises even when it
costs a lot.
5 He does not lend money to get more money.
He does not take money to do what is
not fair.
Nothing can ever move the man that
does all this.
The
first verse could be reworded as "What is a person like who would be of
worth to the family/ society/nation and who rises above the standard?"
How
would this look in Vedantic language?
1
Om/Bhagwan/oh Brahman, how might a mortal attain immortality?
2
Through right-living in their mortal state; seeking to perform actions
well and in fairness whilst always adhering to the truth as best known at any
given time and by ensuring that the understanding of truth is ever-expanded.
3 Such a
one will guard the speech, speaking no wrong and keeping language appropriate
to neighbour and family.
4 Such a
one will beware and avoid the company of those who would bring darkness and
sorrow to life; instead this one will seek the company of those who are on a
similar path of goodness and with high values;
5 what
money is held must be judiciously managed; not selfishly kept nor lavished
unwittingly; neither ought this person to seek money of others for uses of
debatable purpose (bribery, self indulgence, etc). For the mortal who can work
on maintaining these values, steps are made towards immortality.
Thus, from this, we can outline three simple sadhana steps which may be applied daily and help us to
keep our focus.
1 Be sure to keep updating one's knowledge in
philosophy and all matters in which one is involved in order to minimise
mistakes and maintain integrity
2 Speak fairly, wisely, and with the best words
one can to all people. If people are not the same towards you, avoid their
company; stay in the company of the like-minded.
3 The amount
of wealth we have is not key; what is key is to use what we have well. Avoid
those who would utilise unwise financial practices or indulge in the
squandering of our own wealth.
It
is worth noting that 'wealth' does not necessarily have to equate to simple
coins and paper notes. It can be about any possessions which contain an
intrinsic value - and that includes the very wisdom which is referred to in
point number one. This points to another proverb… to be explored next Freeday!
