THE DIVINE LAWS OF LIFE

 

The Law of Divine Unity 

The whole universe is permeated with divine presence. " All this is for the habitation of the Lord," thus begins the Isa Upanishad. All religions acknowledge that the God is omnipresent and is the ruler as well as dweller of the whole cosmos. Since God is present in each and every aspect of His creation, it logically follows that the whole creation is divine and sacred and  that each and every object in it and each and every aspect of it, including ourselves, the good and the bad, the high and the low, deserve our unconditional love, respect and attention. 

It also becomes clear that we cannot deal with the world according to our needs and desire or fear and expectations, but with a sense of equanimity as if we are playing hide and seek with God Himself in his gigantic world. We realize that self-realization is possible not by going away or escaping but by staying within and accepting the objective world as the twisted truth that need to be explored and resolved by consciously searching for God in its myriad objects. 

People flock to religious places and places of worship as if God does not exist in their homes and hearts. It is rather unfortunate that many people put on their religious attitude or their feelings of reverence selectively on certain occasions, when they go to a religious place, meet with a pious person or celebrate a religious festival. This attitude and behavior is very much similar to those psychologists quote in their experiments with animals on the subject of conditioning. It is an attitude that comes not because of genuine love, but because of an attitude powered by fear, expectation, habit or desire. Knowing clearly that God is omnipresent and omniscient, it is interesting that we choose to worship God only on certain occasions or in a specific manner. 

What is worse, most of us ignore the fundamental unity of life and indulge in discrimination and selfishness. The fanatics are actually the worst examples. They are enemies of God, who use His very name to discredit Him and His creation. They actually need the love of the humanity because they are deluded, devoid of genuine love for God and His creation and are in genuine need of it. 

If we remember that God is omnipresent and omniscient we can bring this attitude into our day to day lives and reorient ourselves completely. We can treat everything in the universe as sacred and divine and make it not only as a source of inspiration but also as an object of veneration to experience the presence of God. We need not have to look to the heavens or ascend to it only after we die to experience the presence of God. We can celebrate life as a joyous offering to God each and every moment and feel His presence in every place.

He who is aware of this truth,  would venerate the whole creation with unconditional love and respect. He  would look upon the world with the mind of God and find himself in it. He would treat  everything and everyone in it the way he would treat himself  or expect others to treat him. He  would deal with the world as if he is dealing with God. The Buddha taught this to His followers when he advised them to cultivate friendliness towards the whole world.

If we look at the world objectively from this point of view, we realize  why the world is in conflicts and why human relationships fail so frequently. Why the world is mostly polluted, dirty and disease ridden. We realize the price we are actually paying for not honoring the divine connection we have with the world we live in. 

If the world or circumstances are unkind or unfavorable to us, we need not have to look far for reasons but into ourselves. The world is against us, because we are against each other, in competition with each other, suspicious of each other and cannot visualize and work for a united world. If we want the world to be with us, we need to reconnect ourselves with the world and  live in harmony with it, with a sense of gratitude and reverence and with an awareness that  you cannot really be happy if a part of your body is sick or disjointed and you use your body purely for your selfish desires without any concern for its wellbeing.  

Man cannot find peace in his life, if he destroys life upon earth indiscriminately for his own survival. If we do not show any concern or love for the world in which we live, the world would become inhospitable for us. The same is true with plants and animals. If  we  indulge  in the indiscriminate destruction of nature around us,  nature would slowly make earth an inhospitable place for the mankind to live and propagate. It is very much true that the world is but a mirror in which we find ourselves. What you find in others is but what actually exists within you. What you give to others is what you receive in return. 

All religions preach this law. Those who seek the language of harmony and peace in life understand this principle very well and treat every thing in the world with due respect and a sense of sacredness. This law demands that you have to treat every one as how you would want to be treated by others. It enjoins that you develop the vision of oneness of the universe and deal with it accordingly.

Those who observe this law are for ever connected to the presence of Divine with in themselves and with in others. They are connected to the flow of universal love that stems from the Oneness of the universe. 

But those who are self-centered find no true happiness. They find their match everywhere and find the world increasingly hostile. They may achieve temporary gains at the cost of others, but remain mostly unhappy, disturbed and unloved.

When we accept this world as a true extension of ourselves, we will truly believe that what exists in us also exists outside. We will live with a sense of responsibility and aim to achieve life's goals in harmony with the world, rather than at the expense of others. We will learn to give most of or part of what we will receive. 

The truth is solace does not come by just going to a Church or temple, but in the love we spread and receive. If we are selfish and disconnected, however hard we may try, we cannot experience oneness with God. The love that we block  in our hearts also blocks our consciousness to the love that comes from others.

A person who experiences this ordeal has but an emptiness within from which he is rarely free. But if he can manage to shake off his pettiness, he will have the opportunity to experience the sacred presence of God in the world around Him. He will grow in the light of that awareness and learn to see the world as an aspect of God. He will find the world in harmony with his own aspirations and personal goals and live with the confidence that when the need arises, he would get the required help or guidance from the unknown.

 

The  Law of Inherent Balance 

It is a well known fact that biologically human beings cannot tolerate extreme physical or mental conditions. Beyond a point, we cannot withstand the joys and sorrows or the comforts or discomforts of life. Excessive self denial is as harmful as excessive self indulgence. Overeating is as harmful to our wellbeing as obsessive dieting. Too much alcohol would burn the system. A little once in awhile would perhaps relax the muscles and serve the heart. Extreme inaction or extreme exertion are equally harmful to our professional and personal lives. 

This is true in case of other things concerning our lives. For example in our relationships if we do not know where to stop, we may cause innumerable problems to ourselves and to others. If we do not know when to care and when to ignore our children or when to discipline them and when to pamper them, perhaps we may fail to bring them up as responsible adults. Even among the closest relationships, a certain degree of privacy and separation are required for the relationships to survive. 

People become abnormal or lose sight of reality when they lose their inner balance. If ordinary individuals attempt to go the extremes in any matter, they put themselves in difficult situations and suffer from serious problems. They may even develop some form of eccentricity or abnormality which may seriously interfere with their daily lives. Unless a person has trained himself well to withstand the rigors of working for an extraordinary aim or goal,  it is better for him to remain with in balance and experience life in all its dimensions.

To the degree we move towards the extremities, life become intolerable and painful. Whoever we are and whatever may be our achievements, if we swerve from the middle path, we will lose the sense of enjoyment. This in essence is the law of inherent balance. What we mean by this is that we must exert enough control on ourselves to ensure that we and our lives remain within bounds and in a state of balance so that we may be able to enjoy life in all its hues and colors without endangering our survival and happiness. We must know what is healthy for the body and the mind and what is not. We must know what is good for out lives and what is not and strictly adhere to them.

The whole universe runs on the same principle. There is an inherent balance in all creation. In some intricate and inexplicable way the diverse components of the universe remain with in their bounds. The visible and invisible forces of the universe hold their sway and keep the balance. And if there is an occasional disturbance or calamity in the universe or upon earth, it is basically to correct some imbalance or restore balance. 

Imagine what would happen to this balance if the earth tilts by a few degrees or moves away from the sun by a few thousand miles!  We are safe on earth because the earth is in a state of balance, and is in harmony with itself and with other objects in the universe. The moment this balance is disturbed, we will vanish forever into some black hole of the universe.

If we can learn anything from our experiences, this is the foremost. Life on earth is conditioned by this principle of moderation. Our bodies and minds have evolved on the principle of balance and control. We are safe if we remain within bounds and avoid the extremes. We are at peace with ourselves if we know our limitations and stay with in our control. 

The Law of Abundance 

The universe exists on the principle of abundance. It is by giving that you receive.

This is the law of abundance, which stipulates that we cannot enjoy the riches of the universe unless we are willing to share them with others.

Health and happiness need not always go together.

Not all who accumulate wealth enjoy their lives.

It is because they guard their acquisitions jealously unwilling to share them with others.

Abundance does not mean mere accumulation of material wealth.

Happiness, peace of mind and harmony in life are also part of this universal abundance.

Abundance comes into a person's life only when he facilitates its free flow from him and through him.

You can block the flow and you may accumulate wealth.  But there is no guarantee that the wealth you amassed would bring you peace and harmony. There is no guarantee that you would enjoy the love and acceptance of others.

Selfish accumulation of wealth only generates negative consequences of abundance- its overwhelming capacity to inflict pain and suffering.

Remember, whatever that comes to you today will leave you some day. For every thing is here is so transient and fleeting.

At the end of life all that is sought is lost and all that is given is gained.

This is the secret of life and the basis of divine life.

The Law of Individual Reality 

You are the creator of your life and your reality. Your thoughts become your actions and your actions create the circumstances in your life. You are responsible for everything that happens to you in your life.

This is the simple law of as you sow so you reap.

It can also be called the law of motion and emotion.

Every thought that we send out into the universe comes back to us with accumulated energy of its own kind.

When negative thoughts go out of our minds, they will come back to us with redoubled negative energy and give us lot of pain and unhappiness.

Positive thoughts on the other hand bring in positive energy and energize us, establishing in the process peace and harmony in our consciousness.

Our actions too yield the same results. our positive actions bring in positive rewards and our negative actions bring negative rewards.

The energy that we unleash either in the form of a thought or action always comes back to us with increased force.

Thus through our actions and thoughts we are constantly creating our own realities.

Whatever we give comes back to us.

We should therefore be very careful about our thoughts and actions as they have a lasting influence on the pattern of our lives.

People blame others for what happens to them. Little do they know that if any one is to be blamed it is the person himself who made it happen to himself !

Wisdom is when something happens to you, instead of looking around for excuses and placing the blame on others, look into yourself and ask yourself why you made it happen? Why you invited those conditions and circumstances into your life?

Perhaps it was because you wanted to learn something out of that experience. Perhaps you wanted to strengthen some aspect of your personality or resolve some long troubling relationship.

When you start accepting responsibility for the events of your life, you begin to learn more about yourself, your inner thoughts, your fears and aspirations. Out of this awareness you also start expanding your consciousness, become aware of your thought processes, and through this awareness you finally learn to change the conditions of your life.

 The Fifth Law: The Law of Harmony  

Truth is harmony, truth is 'Rta', order.

The ancient Aryans believed in 'rta' (pronounced ritha) meaning the universal order or harmony. 'Rta' is an ancient word to which we can trace at least few important words that are known to us today. One is the Sanskrit world 'ritu', which means season. The others are the Latin word 'rhythmus', the French word 'rhythme', the Greek word 'rhuthmos' and the English word 'rhythm' , all meaning, beat, pulse, metre, pattern, order, flowing, and harmony.

Let us understand why the concept of harmony and rhythm was considered so important by our ancient generations and why they elevated it to the level of highest divinity.

They did so because they considered Truth, harmony and order to be the Ultimate Reality lying beyond all realities, the hidden secret behind all manifest creation, or the Absolute Truth above all relative truths.

What is truth?

Truth does not necessarily mean only verbal truths.

Truth is the fundamental reality where there are no conflicts and confusion, no divisions and separation, but only unity and harmony. Truth is where there is movement without obstruction and where there is order without confusion.

Where there is conflict, separation and feeling of alienation, there is no truth.

Where there is division and alignment of divisions into opposing parts there is no truth.

There is no truth in ones life and ones being unless there is total harmony in ones whole being, which include ones activities, thoughts and environment.

Truth resolves all conflicts, divisions and differences and establishes permanent peace, order and harmony in ones life.

There is conflict when you consider the world outside is different and separate from you.

There is conflict when you consider others are different and separate from you.

There is conflict when you consider that some one is good, or some one is bad; that some thing is this or some thing is that. There is conflict as long as you pass petty judgements about yourself or about the world around you.

Unless you learn to resolve these differences, by expanding your consciousness, and learn to appreciate them in their own light, you cannot have real harmony and peace in your life.

The ordinary mind cannot understand this truth because it is still steeped in ignorance. But at the highest level of consciousness, all conflicts and confusion resolve themselves into one beautiful, harmonious whole. You may call it divine. You may call it God, This or That. The fact is, it is One, it is whole, it is harmony and order, without any divisions and without any conflicts.

At that level even in the seemingly chaotic conditions of life one can perceive harmony and certain order. That which we understand as good or that we understand as bad, become but the facets of the same Truth.

He who realizes this fundamental reality of our existence no more suffers from inner confusion and conflicts. He suffers no more from the relative conflicts of his life or relationships. He stops judging things from the limited values of his mind and consciousness. He learns to forgive people. He learns to tolerate opposition. He learns to accept the conditions of his life without complaint. He accepts people and their weaknesses without reservations.

For him there is nothing higher or lower, nothing sacred or evil. Nothing motivates him to take sides or judge the diversity of creation. He lives in harmony with himself and with others, with the world within himself and with the world external to him. He suffers not from fear or insecurity, or from worries and anxieties about himself or his life.

This is the truth.

If you want to live in peace, stop categorizing and grouping things and people, and it includes you also. Stop judging things from the relative state of your mind, against the partial truths you know and believe in. Understand that harmony comes when you live in peace with the world around you, and when you accept it whole heatedly and unconditionally without measuring it against your limited knowledge.

It happens when you become an embodiment of 'Rta', the rhythm of life and creation, in which the ancients believed so much.

The Law concerning Belief, Reason and Emotion

You must learn to use appropriately the three forces of your personality namely emotion, reason and faith, to achieve peace and harmony in your life and move closer to God.

Emotion, reason and belief are equally important in human life. They serve different purposes. But they are complimentary, which means that you need them all equally to conduct yourself in this world. Be it your ordinary life or spiritual, without the one the other two do not take you far.

These three help us to conduct ourselves in this world, but in their own different ways. It is difficult to say which is more useful than the other two. He who has mastery over these three forces, is a master of himself and is qualified to reach God than any one else.

Emotion, reason and faith actually emanate from the the body, the mind and the inner spirit, or alternatively, the animal, human and divine components of the human personality. They are the Great Trinity, namely Lord Siva, Vishnu and Brahma, the divinities that exist at the microcosmic level also, where as the whole human personality can be compared to the Cosmic Man (Purusha) or Supreme Being of the macrocosm. Without these three components, creation and our existence is incomplete.

Emotions connect us to the world, reason helps us to solve the problems of our existence, while belief help us to transcend ourselves to reach the world beyond. Emotions bring people together through the power of love or the joy of being together. But do not help us maintain them for long.

Reason helps us to understand the world around us intelligently, but does not take us far in building relationships that are based upon unconditional love, especially when the relationship are no more yielding the expected results. Reason cannot also explain properly the mysteries of our existence or the need for us to become spiritual. Its vision and its field of activity is limited to the tangible and to the sensory world.

It is where faith comes to our aid. It help us to reason beyond reasons to pursue the path of spirituality so that we may realize Truth in a different way. It enables us to overcome our selfishness and petty mindedness so that we learn to love others unconditionally and sacrifice our selfish interests for the common welfare of all.

When difficulties surround us and we have exhausted our rationale means to deal with them, or when we are overwhelmed with the negative emotions of fear and hostility, faith provides us with some meaningful clues and the required answers to sustain ourselves. When emotions and reason let us down, faith is the comforting and soothing companion. If you have faith in yourself and in God, you can withstand greater difficulties and maintain your inner balance.

Trust is an aspect of faith only. Trust can bring diverse individuals and groups together so that they can work together and live in harmony, though this does not happen all the time as we do not have enough faith in each other. It is trust which is responsible for our social, political or economic institutions. But when people lose faith in them, they either use reason to change them or succumb to their emotions to destroy them.

Emotions on their own destabilize our lives. Reason on its own leads us to unlimited ambition and selfishness and in the process endangers the very safety and survival of our existence. Faith on its own binds us to blind superstition and dogmatism.

Emotions may cause harm if used inappropriately or not regulated properly. The body can suffer from enormous damage because of negative emotions. But take emotions completely out of our systems and what you find will be automatons, devoid of any love for life or concern for themselves or others. If you take emotions completely our of our consciousness, the institutions of family and society would collapse under the heavy burden of reason and conditional relationships alone.

We should therefore know when and where to use these three instruments appropriately for the greater benefit of all.

Cultivate the positive emotions of love, compassion, courage and inner joy, discarding wherever possible their corresponding negative emotions. Whether it is in your physical life, material life or spiritual life, learn to use three forces of your personality for your peace and inner happiness.

Bring out the best of your emotions in your relationships. Use the best of your reasoning in times of difficulties and when you stand alone in the contemplation of God, let the light of your faith shine through your heart. Be a complete man, with the Trinity firmly balanced in you.

The Law of Suffering 

Suffering comes to us because of our inner imperfections. To the extent we learn from our suffering and learn from it, our suffering is mitigated.

Suffering is not a negative but a positive and dynamic force. Its aim is to open our eyes and correct our ways. It comes into our lives, not because we are destined to suffer, but because it has a message to deliver.

When you pursue a wrong path, aim for a wrong goal, make some wrong choices or give expression to some inner imperfection, you suffer and in that suffering lies a warning that you need to change. To the extent you become aware of it and respond positively to it and to the extent you correct yourselves or your actions, your suffering goes.

The hidden purpose of suffering therefore is not to really subject to you physical or mental anguish, but to improve you in some aspect of your life. Those who refuse to listen to its message continue to suffer, perhaps more intensely, till good sense prevails and the required change comes in them.

The reason why every one suffers to some degree in the world is because every one is imperfect in some way and is in need of some improvement. It is through suffering that life evolves on earth.

So when suffering comes into the life of an individual, he must look into himself deeply and find out the root cause. He must find out what its true message is, what it wants in him to change or improve. Once he identifies the cause, he must take necessary steps to change himself. He should strive sincerely to remove the cause. This way suffering becomes not a dark affliction, but a beacon of light guiding us in the right direction towards the future.