Universality is an essential element of spirituality. Unlike the individuality-conscious mind that thinks and acts in self-interest, the spiritual person is essentially universal in thought and action. The reasoning mind is analytical and discriminative, and gets caught in details, while the intuitive mind is unifying and all-embracing. But the transition from reasoning to intuition is not automatic: the wide gap between the two must be bridged by self-effort. Without abandoning the sense of individuality, one cannot embody universal awareness. It takes conscious effort to discard habitual thinking patterns and become receptive to universal existence. Most saints are impractical in the world of
individuality and self-interest. They sacrifice everything just to maintain
their sacred relationship with the Supreme. A truly spiritual person is a
person of universal love and compassion for all, irrespective of consequences
to his or her personal self.
The Upanishads repeatedly emphasize the universal nature of
existence. From that standpoint,
the whole of humanity and all living beings are part of one existence.
Affecting one part affects the
whole. The individualistic existence that centers on selfishness and greed is
not only an impediment
to personal spiritual growth, but is detrimental to the existence of others as
well. True religion is universal in content. It respects and is sensitive to the
needs of all people, and wants external and internal peace for all. At the same
time, it does not conflict with well-established scientific discoveries and
facts which have helped discard ignorance-based superstitions and beliefs.
Religion need not clash with rational thinking, though it be grounded in faith.
Science explores truth through the reason-based conscious
mind, while spirituality seeks truth revealed to the intuitive mind. Discovered
truth and revealed truth are both truth, yet springing from two different
states of mind. Putting faith in one and discarding the other is a matter of
choice. In both cases, however, truth is universal. The test of universality is
a must for any ‘truth’ to be accepted. If it violates this criterion, then
there are strong grounds for doubting its validity. Universal truth is always
unifying. It answers all doubts and enquiries satisfactorily, leaving no ground
for individual preferences or motivated interpretations. The value system
encompassing truth, justice, freedom, equality, fraternity, and love has
universal appeal. It is therefore an essential part of spiritual life. Any behavior
that negates these principles on grounds of self- or group-interest can be
considered unethical and unbefitting a spiritual aspirant.
One measure of spiritual growth is the progress one makes in
rising above selfish desires such as
desire for accumulation of material wealth. After all, material riches belong
fundamentally to the
whole of humanity. Spirituality enjoins a movement towards oneness and
universal existence.
Vedanta duly emphasizes this. Surrender to the Supreme — a foundational
spiritual practice — is possible only when the individual self is subordinated to
the universal will. When individual desires rule one’s thinking, universality
and spirituality remain absent in thought and action. This is the veil that needs
to be lifted to enter the domain of spirituality. Only when one is universal in
speech, thought, and action can one hope to claim being spiritual. By looking
within, one opens oneself to universality, omnipresence, and freedom.
Self-realization makes us universal and free at once. Wealth and power are only
loaned to us by nature. Let us not claim sole ownership of them.
Spirituality demands integration of knowledge, integration of mind and matter, and ultimately, integration of all existence. It reveals the substratum of all changing realities. Gross material existence is a realm of ever greater limitation. In the process of expansion, one experiences increasing degrees of subtleness, leading to the ultimate existence in super consciousness. The spiritual path is therefore a journey towards universality in the extreme, where there are no barriers of limitation, restriction, or finiteness. It is a process by which a part realizes that it is one with the Whole, and all distinctions between one and the other are obliterated forever.
Source – Excerpt from article titled ‘Ethics, Universalism, and Spirituality by Dr V V Rampal’ published in the June 2008 issue of Prabuddha Bharata magazine.