Spirituality is not a utopian ideal but a practical philosophy which can be practised and realized in day-to-day life, however mundane it be. Spirituality stands for evolution and elevation, and not for superstition in action or pessimism. All fissiparous tendencies and group or clan philosophies which tend to create the shackles of narrow-mindedness are in no way connected with spirituality and should be discouraged. That which leads to broadness of unison alone should be accepted. Spiritual philosophy does not recognize any distinctions and differentiations unnaturally made between one human being and another, and stands for universal fraternity.
Spirituality must inculcate sense in human psychology, and develop a natural affinity amongst this species of the creation. The approach of spirituality should be psychological and rational, and should offer a touching appeal to the deepest psychic sentiments of human beings. Human beings should appreciate by a rational analysis their relationship with the Cosmic Entity and recognize the most benevolent kindness of the most beloved Entity. Spirituality should lead human beings to the one Cosmic truth from which they have derived their selves, and which is the ultimate destiny. That ultimate and absolute ideal is the Cosmic ideal – an ideal beyond the scope of time, place and person. It is the Absolute, without and beyond relativity. It stands with its own lustre for all times and for every factor of the Cosmos, may it be a human being or a less-evolved animal. The Cosmic ideal alone can be the unifying force which shall strengthen humanity to smash the bondages and abolish all narrow domestic walls of fissiparous tendencies.

All the sentiment-provoking ideas should be firmly opposed. This does not mean an attack on those sentiments, traditions and habits which are innate in human beings and which do not hamper their Cosmic development. For example, the movement for uniformity in dress for all people will be but a ridiculous and irrational approach. Different selections of dress are the result of climatic factors and corporal necessities. Moreover, dissimilarity in dress is not detrimental to world fraternity.

There will also be many zonal or regional differences as regards other traditions and customs. These should be appreciated and encouraged for the indigenous development of society. But under no circumstances should there be a compromise in principle or yielding to tendencies detrimental to the inculcation of Cosmic sentiment.

The inspiration of Cosmic sentiment will depend upon certain objective physical problems which must be solved on a collective humanitarian basis. In the relative objective sphere the following few fundamental problems must be attempted at [tackled] and solved. These are:

1. Common philosophy of life
2. Same constitutional structure
3. Common penal code
4. Availability (production, supply, purchasing capacity) of the minimum essentialities of life

Common Philosophy of Life

A common philosophy of life demands a clear conception in the human mind that the development of the human personality means an evolution in all the three spheres – physical, metaphysical or mental, and spiritual. The logical analysis of spirituality is the summum bonum of life in all its aspects.

Those who think dharma to be an individual’s concern conceive it in a very narrow sense. Dharma leads to Cosmic unity, inculcating in the individual mind Cosmic idealism. Religion, in the sense of dharma, is the unifying force in humanity. Moreover, spirituality provides a human being and humanity at large with that subtle and tremendous power with which no other power can be compared. Therefore, with spirituality as the base, a rational philosophy should be evolved to deal with the physical, psychological and socio-philosophical problems of the day. The complete rational theory dealing with all three phases – spiritual, mental and physical – of human development shall be a philosophy common to humanity in general. This will be evolutionary and ever-progressing. Of course, small details may vary according to the relative environment of the age.

Same Constitutional Structure

Despite these obstacles, a social blending of humanity is in progress and needs a common constitutional structure to be evolved to cement the solidarity of the world. A world government is also very essential for exercising full control in certain spheres; for example, there should be only one world militia.

The world government should form certain autonomous units, not necessarily national (based on problems of education, food supply, flood control, public sentiment), which should look after mundane and supramundane problems. The boundaries of these units may be readjusted to suit any change in the environment – for instance, development in the techniques of communication. Development in the means of communication brings the different remote parts of the world nearer, and the world, therefore, grows smaller. With this well-developed swifter means of communication, units with bigger areas can work smoothly and efficiently.

A language must also be evolved as the lingua franca of the world. (At present English is most suitable for the purpose and no national sentiment should be encouraged to go against it.) But the local languages must be encouraged to help the indigenous literatures develop and contribute towards world progress, and thereby contribute to the common brotherhood of humanity.

Common Penal Code

A common penal code must be evolved. Legislation must be progressive and capable of gradual adjustment with the prevalent conditions. Any theory which does not hold a parallelism with the ever-changing conditions of time, place and person, is sure to decay and be lost in oblivion. Hence, there must be a never-ending effort for amendment with a view to rectification.

Crimes are acts forbidden by the law of the government concerned, and virtue and vice (puńya and pápa) are the outcome of traditional customs. The sentiments of the lawmakers are very much influenced by the prevalent traditions and customs regarding the concept of virtue and vice of the locality or of the people concerned. The sense of crime, therefore, has a parallelism with the concept of virtue and vice. The idea of virtue and vice is different in different countries. The aspirants of world fraternity should try to lessen the difference and reduce the gap amongst cardinal, moral and human laws. All those actions which help in the growth of the spiritual, mental and physical aspects of human beings in general should come under the category of virtuous deeds, and those actions which go against humanity in its spiritual, mental and physical development must come under “vice”. This conception of virtue and vice applies commonly to humanity in general.

Minimum Essentialities of Life

The availability of the minimum essentialities of life plays a vital part not only in achieving world brotherhood, but also in the development of human personality. This should be tackled on a world footing, and should be based on certain fundamental presumptions. Every human being has certain minimum requirements which he or she must be guaranteed. Guaranteed availability of foodstuff, clothing, medical assistance and housing accommodation should be arranged so that human beings may be able to utilize their surplus energy (energy up till now engaged in procuring the essentialities of life) in subtler pursuits. Side by side, there should be sufficient scope for providing other amenities of the progressive age. To fulfil the above responsibilities, enough purchasing capacity should be created.

If the supply of requirements be guaranteed without any conditions of personal skill and labour, the individual may develop the psychology of idleness. The minimum requirements of every person are the same, but diversity is also the nature of creation. Special amenities should, therefore, be provided so that the diversity in skill and intelligence is fully utilized, and talent is encouraged to contribute its best towards human development. It will, therefore, be necessary to make provision for special emoluments which can cater for special amenities of life according to the age and time. But at the same time, there should be a constant effort to reduce the gap between the amount of special emoluments and the bare minimum requirements of the average individual. The guaranteed supply of minimum requirements must be liberalized by increasing the provision of special amenities pertaining to the age and also, simultaneously, by bringing about a decrease in the provision of special emoluments given to the few. This never-ending effort of proper economic adjustment must ceaselessly continue at all times with a view to assisting the spiritual, mental and physical evolution of human beings, and to let humanity develop a Cosmic sentiment for a Cosmic ideal and world fraternity.

In this socio-economic set-up people are at full liberty in the spiritual and mental spheres. This is possible because the spiritual and psychic entities for which people can aspire are themselves unlimited, and the extent of possession in this sphere does not hamper the progress of others in their quests. But the supply in the physical sphere is limited, and hence any effort for disproportionate or unrestricted acquisition of physical objects has every possibility of creating a vast majority of have-not’s, and thus hampering the spiritual, mental and physical growth of the larger majority. So, while dealing with the problem of individual liberty, it must be kept in view that individual liberty in the physical sphere must not be allowed to cross a limit whereat it is instrumental in hampering the development of the complete personality of human beings; and, at the same time, must not be so drastically curtailed that the spiritual, mental and physical growths of human beings are hampered.

Thus, the philosophy of PROUT advocates the development of the integrated personality of the individual, and also the establishment of world fraternity, inculcating in human psychology a Cosmic sentiment. The PROUT advocates progressive utilization of mundane and supramundane factors of the Cosmos. The society needs a stir for life, vigour and progress, thereby progressive utilization of all factors. Those who support this principle may be termed “Proutists”.

The principles of Prout depend upon the following fundamental factors:

1. No individual should be allowed to accumulate any physical wealth without the clear permission or approval of the collective body.
2. There should be maximum utilization and rational distribution of all mundane, supramundane and spiritual potentialities of the universe.
3. There should be maximum utilization of physical, metaphysical and spiritual potentialities of unit and collective bodies of human society.
4. There should be a proper adjustment amongst these physical, metaphysical, mundane, supramundane and spiritual utilizations.
5. The method of utilization should vary in accordance with changes in time, space and person, and the utilization should be of progressive nature.

Ever since the dawn of human history till these modern times, the search for the individual self in relation to the larger universe and the meaning and purpose of existence, and how the self relates to a “Higher Self”, “God”, “Supreme Being”, and other such similar terms, has absorbed much of our time, energy, and resources. Several major religions and more minor ones have resulted, and although some of their founders, practitioners and followers were sincere in their search for deeper meaning, purpose, self-knowledge and God, I found that today, after thousands of years in the development of these religions, so many problems still abound in the religious sphere, that one wonders if humanity is on the right track in relation to religions.

I see today that humans are divided along religious lines, there is fundamentalist, narrow-minded attitude of religionists, rampant lack of tolerance for other religious paths—“My way is the only way!” And so conflicts and wars based on religious differences abound on this Earth.

If people love God they love also God’s creation. People can call water in English, H2O as chemical formulae and Pani in Hindi. Water is not going to change. Same thing with God whatever I tell God is not going to change.

I found a viable alternative to the various religions of today which are not giving hope and an enlightened vision to humankind. I shall call this alternative “Dharma”. Dharma means characteristics of a human being. A characteristic of a human being is expansion, happiness, service and merge with consciousness.

The religions inject fear complex, such as a fear of committing sin leading one to end up in the fires of so-called hell, in the minds and hearts of the followers. They also instilled inferiority complex-this was/is done apparently to keep them in line, to control their thinking and lives so that the leaders of the religion may obtain maximum benefits, material and otherwise for their own vested interests.

The religions say if you commit sin you will go to hell, and if you believe in their messengers you will go to heaven or paradise. The so-called absolvement of sins committed by an intermediary like a priest, “savior”-without whom the disciples cannot get rid of their sins to reach a good afterlife-is heavily promoted for the same purposes as above.

Religions propagate irrational superstitions not in accordance with logical thinking and scientific discoveries and are advocated and form an important part of the teachings and doctrines. Similar illogical rituals are also propagated. An Indian philosopher P.R. Sarkar defines dogma as “Ideas that imprison human consciousness within four walls….that does not allow the mind to expand and be liberated.– such as “My God is the one and only true God, all others are false!” are hammered into the followers’ minds. This creates narrow-mindedness and irrational fundamentalist thinking and behavior, which is very dangerous and can lead to violence and worse towards other so-called non-believers as we have seen in history and today.”

Some people think religions are created by God. I believe that religions are created by human beings. God cannot create another God. God cannot hate anybody because it is His creation.

On the other hand, Dharma has the positive features. It has no place of sin, fear complex, inferiority complex, illogical and irrational rituals are never focused upon, entertained or taught as part of its teachings. Spirituality doesn’t propagate dogmas that limit human thinking and expansion of consciousness. Spirituality accepts and encourages logical and rational thinking in

line with science. The spirituality advocates universal outlook, broadmindedness and openness.

Sincere spiritual-seekers promote systematic and scientific practices for well-being and progress in all spheres of life, physical, mental and spiritual instead of mindless rituals and religious practices.  A spiritual person practice spirituality without following dogmas. This removes the dependence on intermediaries like priests and “saviors” as gate-keepers of one’s own spiritual advancement, and takes away the possibility of religious exploitation.

Comparing the characteristics listed above for both religions and Dharma, spirituality, is substitute the English term true practical spirituality based on the nature of human beings for self-realization and God-realization, I make a good case for the replacement and propagation of spirituality versus outdated religions. The principles and practices of spirituality are disseminated and taught all over the world, we can imagine what genuine freedom and rationality in human consciousness based on universal, broadminded outlook can prevail on this Earth. Humanity can finally breathe a sigh of relief, breaking the chains of the suffocation that millennia of religious dogmas have imposed on us, and true spiritual progress can be achieved.

From my childhood, I had many questions. Who am I? What is the goal of my life? What is the nature of this world? Who created this universe? I used to ask many people, but I did not get any satisfactory answer.

I was born and raised in India. I noticed that some people were suffering from poverty and others from family problems.

My primary goal was to take care of my own family members. I received a scholarship and got admitted into a very good high school. I studied hard and passed my high school exams. I wanted to study biology to become a doctor, but my parents wanted me to study math so that I could earn more money by becoming an engineer. Finally I listened to my parents and studied for two-years in an intermediate college.

I learned meditation from a spiritual teacher and monk when I was 8-years-old from the Ananda Marga ( “Path of Bliss” ) organization, and I started practicing. I was a very emotional person before I learned meditation. I got angry if my mother was not serving me food or water quickly. After practicing meditation regularly, my mind got expanded. I started to feel how my actions caused my mother pain. So I started doing my own chores. I did not allow my mother to wash my clothes or to serve me food.

Instead of expecting and receiving help, I started helping others. I felt many people suffer from so many problems without anyone to help them. I thought if I became an engineer I could earn good money and take care of my own family.

I was very much concerned with many problems in society. I saw that many people were not satisfied even when they had a lot of money. Matter is limited, but the mind is not. It is subtle. I was not running after money or material gain. I wanted to attain peace and happiness in my life.

I read several books about great personalities and felt that people remember them because they did good works for the society. Many people come into this world but very few are remembered. I thought I should live a glorious life.

I started following moral and ethical principles strictly. My meditation got better and better. I felt very happy, and wanted to give happiness to others by teaching meditation. I decided to become a monk and yoga teacher of Ananda Marga.

When I was leaving for the training center, my parents objected and did not allow me to go. I was not yet 18. I left home and went to Kolkata, India, but parents brought me back home twice. So the third time I left home without telling anyone. I completed my training, passed the exams and became a monk and spiritual teacher.

It was very painful for me to leave my parents for the first time ever. My goal was to attain self-realization and to do service to humanity. My goals were high and noble, so I decided to dedicate my whole time to help others by becoming a monk.

My first posting after graduating as a monk was as principal of a primary school in India run by Ananda Marga. After working three months there, I received a higher responsibility and I started to travel. I worked nine months with very little funds. I taught yoga asanas and meditation and gave workshops on those topics for about 10 years to thousands of people in India before I came to the U.S.

I had some health problems which I cured by practicing yoga asanas regularly and eating healthier food prescribed by my guru Shrii Shrii Anandamurti. I learned that particular asanas and alkaline food can cure constipation, acidity and leucoderma. I also had emotional problems like anger, fear, vanity and jealousy. Meditation helped me to control these negative tendencies.

My mind was also very restless, and daily practice of meditation calmed me. I could reach deep inside and access at will a vast reservoir of positive energy, creativity and peace.

By becoming a monk I volunteered my time and served others. I taught yoga free of charge. I felt happy to see that people got benefited by changing their bad behavior. I cured many people’s diseases by teaching yoga.

When I came to the U.S. in 1998, I continued my practice. I traveled the entire country and tried to help people. I visited Canada and Mexico and gave seminars, workshops and personal counseling. I helped with the relief efforts by serving food with the Salvation Army during the Hurricane Katrina. I also served food and helped with cleaning efforts with the Red Cross during the Hurricanes Katrina, Ike and Gustav at the Dallas Convention Center.

As a monk and yoga teacher I still teach meditation and asanas. I visit different places to give seminars and workshops on meditation and spiritual philosophies. I volunteer my time and money with the social service organizations for doing relief work. I will continue my service in future. I receive donations from people to serve others.

I am happy by being a monk. I left my small family, but now I have a bigger family. I have a bigger responsibility now to take care of my universal family. As a monk I don’t have to think about myself. The concept of a monk in my mission is very different from the usual concept of a religious monk. I am dedicated to everyone. I don’t call myself Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Jewish or Muslim. I am a human being and my duty is to serve all without any discrimination.

The progressive orientation of society is maintained by making continual adjustments in the use of physical
resources and mental potentialities in accordance with spiritual and Neo-humanistic values. Human beings are
encouraged to construct economic and social institutions to facilitate the attainment of our highest
potentialities.

Different people hold vastly different opinions about the world’s churches and faiths. How can we decide
what is good or bad about them?

The Ecumenical Movement
Tolerance of other faiths, dialog to discover common views, and working together for common social goals
are the foundation of the ecumenical movement. The World Network of Religious Futurists
(http://www. wnrf.org/about/faq.htm) is one such endeavor. While I applaud their ecumenical efforts,
I disagree with their conclusion that organized religions will still exist in 3000. My first experiences
with the ecumenical movement in Brazil highlight the possibilities and the dangers of this approach.
One month before the historic 1992 Global Forum that took place in Rio de Janeiro alongside the Earth
Summit, I was invited to help organize an interreligious vigil for that event. I was skeptical, because
praying for the welfare of the earth is, I think, less important than our actions. However, in the first
meeting at the Institute for Religious Studies (ISER), the organizer, Ruben Fernandez, impressed me
because he gave equal respect to the representatives of every tradition, from the Catholic priest to the
old woman saint of the Afro-Brazilian Umbanda tradition, from the Lutheran minister to the Hare Krishna
devotee. More than 20 different religions, spiritual paths and esoteric groups participated, each allotted
their own structure in the park, to practice according to their beliefs. Nearly 10,000 people stayed until
dawn, when everyone gathered in the amphitheater. There the Dalai Lama and Dom Helder Camara, the former
head of the Brazilian Council of Catholic Bishops, shared the stage with leaders of other faiths. At the
end the religious leaders were embracing one another and all were singing and dancing together to the
spiritual music of different traditions. It was an unforgettable vision of the future, of people from
every race and land living together in peace and harmony with the planet. Another ecumenical group tried
twice to stage inter-religious programs at the same Global Forum. The result of these shows by the Open
Heart Foundation was disastrous. The organizers invited representatives from different religions and
spiritual groups to the stage, but when we arrived, they did not even want to know our names or what
groups we represented. They explained that they wanted us all to sit on the stage as a colorful
background while they gave a lecture. At the end we would all hold hands and read aloud their prayer for
world peace. They would have done better to hire a group of professional actors dressed in different
costumes! This symbolizes some very serious problems with the current paradigm of the major world
religions.

Dogma Vs. World Peace
In The Liberation of Intellect: Neo-Humanism, Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar defines dogma as any intellectual
barrier beyond which one may not question. Examples of some religious dogmas are the ideas that we
are the chosen people of God and others are not, that ours is the only way, that we are going to heaven
and everyone else is going to hell, that only our holy book is the word of God. I remember an incident
from my childhood that typifies religious dogma. When I was 11 years old, I attended a catechism class
in a conservative church in the southern USA. During the class I raised my hand to ask a question. The
pastor said, “Don’t ask questions! Have faith! Blind faith!” Then and now I believe that faith and
surrender have value on the spiritual path, but I also believe that we have the right to ask questions.
A fundamental spiritual principle, called Svadhyaya in Sanskrit, states that we should utilize our
intellect in our search for truth. Fanaticism, even religious violence, occurs when adherents of a
religion blindly follow their dogmatic leaders without thinking for themselves.

In the past, male religious leaders invented dogmas to suppress women; sadly some of these dogmas still
survive. Orthodox Hindus believe that only men can achieve liberation; women must be reborn as men before
they can hope for this. Others believe that women cannot be priests. Some say that women are the original
cause of sin. These dogmas must be discarded, for regardless of the physical and psychological differences
between men and women, spiritually they are equals.

Intolerance and Conflict
Fundamentalism and fanaticism are darkening the psychic climate in some parts of the world. In the Middle
East, hatred and fear between Jews and Muslims is growing. Both groups are of the same racial Semitic
stock, yet the growing violence is driving a wedge ever deeper between them. Religious riots and armed
conflicts between Hindus and Muslims in India are increasing. Fear of religious violence is a constant
part of life amongst Buddhists and Hindus in Sri Lanka, amongst Christians and Muslims in Sudan,
East Timor and the southern Philippines, between Christians and Protestants in Northern Ireland and
between Sunni and Shiite Muslims of Iran and Iraq. Structural violence is equally terrifying. In
Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh and other Muslim countries, the oppression of women and the violence
that the courts mete out to criminals are barbaric and repulsive.

Why is religious fundamentalism growing?
Too many people feel they have no future. Unemployment, heavy debt, insecurity, urbanization and
Westernization are marginalizing millions. They clearly do not feel part of the capitalist dream
presented by Hollywood with beautiful, rich, happy American actors. Alienated, confused, with little hope
for the ever-elusive material wealth and romantic fulfillment, people fall into personal despair or turn
to religion as a way out. The majority of religious conflicts are rooted in economic injustice. Countless
petty tyrants have followed Hitler’s formula for political success: preach to the poor and unemployed that
the cause of their suffering is exploitation by followers of another religion. Sometimes these religious
leaders whip up a frenzy of communal hatred that results in orgies of ethnic bloodshed. If we cannot
eradicate the scourge of poverty, then it is reasonable to predict increasing religious violence as a
consequence.

A Spiritual Vision
Only universalism can bring world peace. We are all brothers and sisters in one human family. We must treat
each other with mutual respect and love regardless of race, caste or nation. A universal outlook is needed
to overcome the harmful effects of racism, nationalism, sexism, etc. A world government that guarantees the
fundamental necessities of life to everyone, that prevents any form of exploitation and that allows freedom
of travel, should be our goal. The earth is our common heritage, so we must share it equitably. A universal
and comprehensive outlook is also needed in the spiritual dimension. Dharma is an ancient Sanskrit term
which means following righteousness and doing spiritual practices such as daily meditation. Our goal should
be to channel our natural human instincts in a positive direction for our physical, mental and spiritual
development. The path of Dharma is from imperfection to perfection, to become saint-like, to become God-like.

Wisdom, and not mere intellect, is a very rare, timeless quality that the world desperately needs. A wise
person, understanding the deepest truths of life, becomes a fountain of divine love and inspiration. There
are saints who, though illiterate, are respected by all for their wise counsel. Wisdom comes through
knowledge of the self, through deep reflection and meditation.

The Trappist monk Thomas Merton urged spiritualists to take moral stands and point the way towards a new
future that is not based on materialism and exploitation. A new human ethics based on universal principles
of morality should be the base of economic activity and global peace. For example, the ancient yogic
principle, aparigraha is an ecological ideal of simple living, not accumulating unnecessary things. On
the personal level it encourages the adoption of a humble lifestyle and donating extra wealth to charity.
On the social level it is the basis of creating a ceiling on the excessive personal wealth that is robbing
the planet of the resources that God gave to humanity. The Liberation theology of the Catholic Church,
led and inspired by Brazilians Leonardo Boff, Frei Betto and others, and the courageous stands taken by
some Catholic priests against the torture and killings of military dictatorships throughout Latin America
are examples of spiritual leaders fighting for social justice. Self-realization and service to the universe
are universal goals that all people can be encouraged to adopt. Service work is both purifying and humbling.
Bo Lozoff’s wonderful Prison-Ashram Project of the Human Kindness Foundation in the US is a sterling example
of teaching ancient yoga techniques and sharing correspondence of love with more than 50,000 prisoners
around the world (http://www.humankindness.org). The Chicago School of Theology was so impressed that they
awarded Mr. Lozoff an honorary doctorate degree in divinity. From this example, for the last three years
I’ve been teaching weekly meditation classes in the local prisons in Brazil. The Paradox of a Spiritual Future
I find myself in a paradoxical role. Spirituality is deeply important to me, but I do not teach religion.
I love peace, but am dedicated to fighting against the enemies of peace. It is only by taking the best from
the East and the West, and by honoring the spiritual treasure at the heart of every religious tradition that
we can make a better future. At the same time we must reject the dogmas and fight against injustice and
exploitation wherever they are. It is our personal meditation and other spiritual practices which will give
us the inner strength and inspiration to continue on our journey of selfdevelopment, creating a brilliant
future for ourselves and a better world for our children.

Dada Maheshvarananda is the author of the books Neo-Humanist Ecology and After Capitalism. He can be
reached at: Proutista Universal Rua Buarque de Macedo 35 Floresta, Belo Horizonte MG CEP: 31015-350,
Brazil. Tel/Fax: (31) 444-1574,

This article was re-printed from New Renaissance, Vol. 9, Number 3.
www.ru.org

Volume 9, No. 2, Summer 2002 [Accurate date cannot be determined]

Contrary to popular opinion, the urgent need of the hour is not another deluge of information technology. What the world needs now is a comprehensive East-West integration—an internet of meaning, a global highway of wisdom. People crave not only more computers, but also inner rapture, peace and justice. We yearn for a fusion between the finest forms of humanism and the deepest essence of spirituality. We aspire for an outburst of rational humanism and spiritual wisdom—a common vision that can shape a more harmonious and integrated planet. As espoused by the sages, philosophers, and scientists of both East and West, this visionary fusion can foster a global renaissance of inner meaning and social values. Some social observers believe that the faint glow of this phenomenon can already be seen on humanity’s horizon.

This new, integral, spiritual humanism represents a synthesis between the Enlightenment of the East and the Enlightenment of the West. And what is the most important step to achieve this lofty goal? To establish spiritual practice as the cornerstone of human culture. Hence, it is not enough to simply popularize spiritual (and pseudo-spiritual) ideas as is done today through the ever-growing self-help marketplace which often spread ideas that represent religious dogmas or arcane, mythological belief systems. It is also not enough to preach the noble ideals of humanism. Instead, sincere spiritual practitioners will have to initiate an authentic, spiritual movement which can spearhead the integration of spiritual humanism in society. Obstacles are an inherent part of change. So, let us take a closer look at some of the challenges strewn in the path of this renaissance.

Cultural World-views
Various integral philosophers and mystics—from Sri Aurobindo to Teilhard de Chardin to P. R. Sarkar—have proposed the novel idea that natural evolution is a tireless and ever-changing release of spiritual creativity. With each new, evolutionary stage, more complex beings evolve which enfold or include aspects of the previous stage.

The simplest way to explain this is; when Spirit (or Consciousness) creates life in the form of a cell,
the cell includes atoms. Further up the evolutionary chain, an insect includes both cells and atoms. Thus, the more evolved beings on the evolutionary hierarchy include aspects of the lower beings. The more evolved the beings are, the more they are able to express the refinements of Spirit.

Ultimately—in evolution’s most complex structure, the human being—the expression of Spirit reaches its highest, most elaborate manifestation. Through spiritual enlightenment, the human soul is able to reflect the culmination of the evolutionary journey by realizing the source of it all: God, Brahman or Supreme Consciousness.

Instincts, Sentiments & Rationality
Theoretical models can only represent the panoramic sweep of reality. On the individual level, for example, one can thus describe evolution as Spirit unfolding through four ways of expression: instincts, sentiments, rationality, and spirituality.

The hierarchy of living beings express themselves according to the above four levels, each one enveloping and including the other. All insects have instincts, but they do not have emotions or sentiments. Mammals, on the other hand, have both instinct and sentiments. Some, like monkey’s and dogs, also exhibit a certain degree of rationality. Humans possess all four drives, including the capacity to experience and express spiritual knowledge.

According to Tantra, the thirst for spiritual knowledge is considered a latent human instinct. In highly evolved souls—such as ancient and contemporary mystics—these latent longings blossomed brightly and fully early in life. According to the spiritual, evolutionary view of Tantra, their full-fledged realization of the Divine is the cumulative effect of many lifetimes of spiritual practice.

An enlightened human can realize and act on the basis of his or her Divine, spiritual realization. On the other hand, we also know that humans can act in ways “lower on the hierarchy” than animals. Sometimes even highly evolved people exhibit regressive behavior, driven by certain instincts or sentiments. Many despicable human acts, based on such drives, are devoid of rationality or spirituality.

So what are these instincts? They are reactions stored in the mind through constant repetition of experience. The memory or “vibrational record” is left on the mind and thus forms the basis to produce certain behavior patterns. Some scientists call such instincts “accumulated sentiments” or “habituated sentiments.” Sentiments therefore represent the accumulated effect of instincts.

Insects are guided by their instincts. The actions of mammals, on the other hand, are born out of a combination of instincts, sentiments, and a certain level of rationality. In humans, a broader range of expression—from the basic to the sublime—is available. This gives us greater scope for expressing both destructive and constructive behavior. Hence the built-in dilemma of evolution: with more complexity comes the potential for more problems. Only the spiritual level—beyond instincts, sentiments and rationality—can be termed “perfection.” It soars above the instinctual and mental laws of cause and effect.

Sentiments play a large part in human life. In the subtle anatomy of yoga, there are intricate maps of these various sentiments or vrittis, located in clusters around the various cakras, or subtle energy centers. These vrittis, which in essence are part of the mind, and thus also the brain, effect the subsidiary glands, which are substations between the brain, the nerves and the body. When driven by sentiments such as anger, jealousy, hatred, etc., we create suffering, both for ourselves and others. Yogis thus advanced psycho-physical (yoga postures), psycho-spiritual (visualizations, music, etc.), and spiritual (meditation) exercises to harmonize the physical body and the mind (the subtle body) with the spirit. Many modern health and integral psychotherapies are, in effect, attempting to accomplish the same thing. Rationality is one of humanity’s
greatest assets. It is our best tool in navigating past irrational dogmas and behaviors. However, rationality has its own limitations and pitfalls, which may bring about devastating changes in both the human and biological worlds. Rationality—as witnessed in the development of Western materialism—can become its own belief system and thereby negate the trans-rational (spiritual) and reduce reality to a one-dimensional level. Moreover, human rationality can often be rendered ineffective by lower propensities or pre-rational sentiments. This is often the case in New Age circles where prerational acts or beliefs (mythic rituals, channelling) are mistakenly described as trans-rational spirituality.

The Various Human Sentiments
As social beings, humans have—over thousands of years of history—developed various group sentiments. As with individual sentiments, many of these may be adverse to spiritual growth.

These main social sentiments are:

1. Geocentric sentiments: This refers to a group’s attachment to the indigenous soil of an area or country.
It is the fertile basis for many other insidious sentiments, such as geo-religion, geo-patriotism, and geo-economics. Geo-religious sentiments, for example, can be superstitions promoting the fanatic belief in the reverential quality of a certain mountain or river—the belief that all who die in that particular area will be liberated or go to heaven. From a spiritual point of view, this is, of course, utter nonsense. In essence, all natural places on this earth are sacred and holy, all are created, maintained and transformed by the same source of Pure Consciousness.

2. Sociocentric sentiments: These sentiments promote the interest of a group—family, village or nation—at the expense of other groups or nationalities. Since the dawn of human civilization, such sentiments have been instrumental in human warfare, either tribal, racial, or religious. Based on such group sentiments many other divisive sentiments are developed: socio-patriotism, socio-religion, socioeconomics, and so on. Sometimes one will find a mixture of these sentiments. Nazi-Germany’s war in Europe, for example, displayed a vicious blend of socio-patriotism and socio-economics.

3. Anthropocentric sentiments: Humanism is a more expanded and far more progressive sentiment than the previous two. It can be an expression of genuine love and compassion for all people on the planet. However, such human sentiments often violate the interests and sentiments of non-human creatures, whether reptile, mammal or plant. Such human-centered sentiments today threaten the very fabric of the environment; indeed, the future existence ofthe human race.

4. World-centric sentiments:
More expansive than humanism, it also includes the biosphere. This rational and/or mythic belief system is sometimes disguised as spirituality. It is prevalent in certain world-centric eco-philosophies or neo-pagan views which use systems science or the Gaia-theory to point to nature or the Web of Life as the ultimate God or Goddess. As Wilber and Sarkar both note, this view is not necessarily wrong. From a biological or scientific point of view, Gaia or Nature is indeed a whole organism, but this organism, this nature, is itself not the whole Chain of Being (or cosmic creation). Nature, or the Web of Life, is only a biological expression of Cosmic Consciousness. Nature’s intelligence is imbedded in Cosmic consciousness, not in matter. Similarly, human intelligence and awareness is imbedded in the soul, not the brain.

5. The Spirit-centered worldview:
All animate and inanimate beings are an expression of Cosmic Consciousness. This awareness forms the transcendental foundation for creating harmony between the three worlds of Body, Mind, and Spirit in society. Various spiritual traditions name and divide these levels differently, but all the levels of consciousness must be integrated in order to achieve a state of true Spirit-centeredness.

The Spirit-centered, or transpersonal, world-view, acknowledges and incorporates the other world-views. But—and this is crucial—it also sees their limitations. In other words, while supporting all the positive ideals of humanism, we should also work toward overcoming its inherent flaws. We may support the world-centric view of systemscience, but we must also acknowledge that it cannot teach us anything about spirituality. The Spirit-centered world-view thus includes all the other world-views in a grand panoramic circle of understanding. Sarkar termed this as Universalism. It is a world-view that includes the whole universe—stars, planets, continents, humans, plants, animals. Embracing the whole circle of life, this spiritual, extrasensory outlook begins and ends with the very essence of Cosmic Consciousness. It simultaneously sees both Earth and Heaven. It beholds both the One and the Many.

Roar Bjonnes is editor of Prout Journal and contributing editor of New Renaissance. His articles on ecology, economics and spirituality have appeared in numerous magazines, books and academic journals in Europe and the United States.

Namaskar is a traditional yogic greeting that means, “I greet the divinity within you with all the charms of my mind and the cordiality of my heart.”
We are divine beings, each one of us. We have, in addition to physical and mental qualities, spiritual qualities. Our journey, as individuals and as members of a global community struggling against economic globalization and injustice, is two-fold. It is personal, and it is collective.

Capitalism teaches the superiority of the individual: “I win, you lose.” Or, “I win and it really doesn’t matter what happens to the rest of the world.” What are the lessons we teach our children in school? “Get a good education, then get a good job and make some money.” Western education offers no clear message of social responsibility. We have responsibilities to others as well as individual rights.

Compassion is the most important quality for a spiritualist to have. We need to feel compassion for others and to serve those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

So our journey is both external and internal. Just as we learn from all our personal experiences, so we also learn from the collective struggle for social justice.

I teach prisoners, as Father Jim Consedine does [another speaker at the conference]. I teach them meditation and yoga every week, and personally I find it very gratifying, because they are in a process of transformation. I am inspired by the example that my spiritual master, Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar <../../sarkar/default.htm>, gave when the first person he chose to teach meditation to was an infamous criminal in Calcutta who later became a great saint and spiritual visionary. So I think, “If that was the person who he felt was most worthy of spiritual transformation, then who am I to judge the spiritual potential of others?”

We are all brothers and sisters. When I was a child, I often used to fight with my brother and sister, but of course we remained family. In the same way, human beings have lots of differences, and I’m going to fight and struggle against injustice. But I always want to remember that I’m fighting and struggling against the bad actions that people do and not against who they are. Because they are, forever, my brothers and sisters, too.

I accept a universal definition of God: that which is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. For some, this may seem a rather standard dictionary definition of the Supreme Being. But I think the definition is very revolutionary. If He is everywhere, then that means He is right inside me and He is right inside you and He is right inside our planet earth.

God is both He and She. I use the male pronoun unnecessarily, because I have trouble calling the One I feel so close to an “It”. Both the masculine and the feminine are equally present in that Supreme Being — it is we who are limited by our concepts of male and female.
If that Being is here in me and here in you, then that means I have to act accordingly, I have to work accordingly. I cannot be a spiritual capitalist, one who says, “I’m going to go to a nice monastery, to a beautiful forest retreat, to the mountains, I’m only going to do my spiritual journey.” That’s capitalism. That’s selfishness.

In my opinion, spirituality is everywhere. In some places, of course, you will feel more spiritual energy. But you don’t have to go on a pilgrimage to any place, because if you close your eyes, wherever you are, you can find all that you seek. So that inner journey is more important than any pilgrimage. Yes, I like to go to the mountains sometimes, to the forests, I love nature, and clearly there is more spiritual energy in some places, such as this beautiful Maori center. But that’s relative. We shouldn’t stop our progress because we’re not in a spiritual place. I’ll meditate four times a day wherever I am.

Consumerism and materialism is what our current society teaches us. It goes like this: “Buy a new pair of Nike tennis shoes and you’ll be happy. Buy a new car and you’ll be happy.” (You’ll probably get a woman with the car, because most advertisements have a beautiful woman next to the car, so obviously you’re going to get that, too!)

That’s a lie. These capitalist lies are what we have to stop, because they are destroying human minds, convincing people that money is the secret to happiness. Television, film, radio, magazines all get money from advertisers to spread these lies. When our minds become clear and strong in meditation, in spiritual practices, then we can begin to see through the veil of lies and legitimacy. Happiness doesn’t come from any material thing; it comes from your own heart. That’s a fundamental truth.

Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar <../../sarkar/default.htm>, the founder of Prout <../5fpp/5fpp.htm>, was both a great spiritual master and also a revolutionary. I first met him in January 1978 in a prison cell in India where he was a political prisoner for seven years. After his release, the US, UK, Australia and some other rich countries refused to give him a visa because they said he was a dangerous revolutionary.

In August 1979, he came to Bangkok, Thailand where I was working. I had the wonderful opportunity to spend seven days with him. One very dark night, what I would call a very “Tantric” night, three of us went with him on a walk in a park. At one point he stopped and explained why the dictator President Ferdinand Marcos had just deported him from the Philippines:

“ They say I am a dangerous man. But I am not a dangerous man; I am not a strong man. Imagine, they are scared of me, and I am only five feet two inches tall!
“ You know how a fish store smells? Ugh! Yet some people like that ‘fishy’ smell. Only those who like the ‘fishy’ smell of selfishness are afraid of me. Selfishness is a mental disease and they know that Prout gives no scope for selfishness.”

We are trying to create a world that limits the expression of that particular mental disease. I used to work in a psychiatric hospital, and I have friends with all kinds of mental diseases. They need a certain kind of care. But we must not allow people with the mental disease of selfishness to run our economies and our countries, to dictate the world that our children can have.

As spiritualists, we have to unite. We have to unite with other spiritualists, like these great people beside me. We have to unite with people of all expressions and beliefs and faiths. I believe the only “ism” that we can support is universalism, the idea that we are one human family. You have your beliefs, and I have mine, but we are all moving in the same direction. If we climb a mountain, it doesn’t matter from which side of the mountain you start your climb; we’re all going to reach the summit together.

I believe that spiritual practices are fundamental to the spiritual path. They are what you actually do to get there, whether they take the form of some kind of meditation or some kind of deep personal inner reflection. It is gratifying to work for an organization that teaches meditation free of charge. Whatever type of meditation we do, our goal is to become better people. An ideal human being, a saint-like person, a God-like person – who cares what their faith is, who cares whether they are Muslim or Jew or Catholic or Protestant or a yogi? When we become ideal human beings, then we’ll all be one.

To unite the moralists, to unite those people who are fighting against injustice, against exploitation, is our goal. Our spiritual practices, our spiritual vision, our spiritual love and compassion are fundamental to get there. They are our strength, our inner sustenance.

Logically, if we look at the world, global ecological destruction is a very real possibility. Spiritually, though, I know we’re going to make it. P. R. Sarkar said, “Your future is bright. It is brighter than gold, it is brighter than platinum, it is brighter than anything you can ever imagine. And you’ll see it with your own eyes.”

How will it happen? I don’t know. And whether it happens this year, or next year, or later, I’m going to continue doing what I’m doing now: fighting for social justice, working against capitalist exploitation, doing my spiritual practices and encouraging everyone else in this human family to learn and try them, too. Because we need inner peace and we need global peace. Without one, we have an angry world. Without the other, we have people dying completely unnecessarily. That’s a crime. That’s totally unacceptable. Humanity is bleeding. We must awaken. We must work together. We must make a better world. We don’t have another option.