Neohumanisn
11/8/94
This morning, I will speak on the topic of Neohumanistic values. In this world, many people feel that in order to secure their welfare they must have an attitude of survival. They must emphasize the maintenance of their basic life, of their physical and economic survival. Now, it is true that one must look to the basic needs of one's self and one's family, but not at the expense of others. Yama and Niyama come into human life at every level. You must consider these principals in all daily involvements. Under the principals of Yama and Niyama there are certain basic assumptions. These assumptions or approaches are cultivated through the practice of Yama and Niyama.
Now, neohumanism, the new humanism, is a humanism which gives basic
respect and support to the development of all living beings; not simply human
beings, but all living beings. All creatures wish to progress forward in their
lives, forward in their evolution. There is an ever flowing stream of life
moving towards the Infinite. All creatures love their life, all creatures want
to survive, all creatures wish to find happiness, and all creatures wish to find
the source of happiness.
How happiness is sought may vary from one creature to another, but this
groping for happiness is inherent in every living being. The simple fish will
long for the water, will long for an environment in which they may feel happy.
They define their happiness by the tide of the water, by the dominance of the
food in the water.The wildcat in the forest will define happiness by the
availability of prey on which to feed and woodland, sunlight, and water for
survival. Each creature has its own definition of happiness according to its
inherent nature. But all creatures are searching with various types of
experiences for the fulfillment of their life, for the fulfillment of their
expression.
Now, when a human being becomes self-aware and wishes to realize the
full potential of their humanity, they will have to follow the practices of
Yama and Niyama. They will have to treat others with dignity. Not only human
beings, but all living beings will have to be treated with dignity. Even
inanimate objects will have to be treated with dignity and reverence. So, human
beings striving towards the Supreme will have to take upon themselves the
approach of that most knowledgable entity, of the Great Infinite Entity. And
what is that approach? It is the approach of Neohumanism. That is to say, it is
the approach of treating every living being with respect and reverence,
treating every living being with care.
A neohumanist will look to the welfare of all living being in thought, word,
and deed. The intent of a neohumanist in all that they think and in all that
they do will be to promote the welfare of all living beings. Not of just human
beings, not of just animals, not of just certain plants or certain species, but
of all living beings. A balance must be
struck.
If one looks at the natural order of this world, one will find that
there is much violence. If one looks, one will see that the wildebeast is
killed by the lion, that the rabbit is hunted by the wolf, and that the jackal
is consuming the flesh of its prey. Yet if one looks one will see that even
though this type of violence goes on, still there is a natural order in which
all living beings are searching for the fulfillment of their life. A
neohumanist will help all the living beings in this direction be they simple
vegetarian creatures like a rabbit or be they wild and fierce like a wolf. They
will help, be they owntrodden human beings or be they misguided individuals who
isuse their wealth and their power. For all of these suffering beings a
eohumanist will have compassion. They will view all living beings as the
manifestations of the Divine, as expressions of the great Parama Purus'a in the
created universe. By viewing living beings in such a way, as expressions of Divinity,
it becomes very difficult to make anyone into a monster. In fact, there are no
monsters, there are only misguided living beings who in their suffering, in
their torment, take to misguided actions. Now, that does not mean that such
people should not be stopped in what they do, they must be stopped. Yet whether
they be stopped or not, they must be seen as Divine expressions, and it must be
realized that their misguided actions come because they are in delusion.
You know, reality is not so easily grasped. Many people believe in this
or they believe in that. There are so many beliefs that may be had by a person
and many of those beliefs are destructive to the lives of other living beings.
This is because the needs of the person who has the belief are so great that
they forget the needs of others. Then their actions go against living beings.
They will harm other beings. And what can be said of the one who harms, are
they an evil person, are they possessed by the devil? No, they are not evil,
nor are they possessed by the devil. They are ordinary people who have become
the victims of deluded thinking and who have, in their delusion, begun to act
in very misguided fashions.
Now, these actions cannot be tolerated. They must be guarded against. If
they will not listen to the voice of reason guiding them tothe proper path,
then action must be taken to prevent the misguided people from harming the
human society, from harming the animals and plants, but no malice should be
felt for them. They are not evil. They are not expressions of some malevolent
force. They are ordinary human beings who are in pain. They are suffering and
from their suffering come these acts of cruelty.
Even those leaders who have brought great pain, great turmoil into human
society, even those leaders, those misguided leaders, are manifestations of the
Divine. In their essential essence they are Divine but in the evolution of their beings they have
developed so many complexes that they cannot see reality clearly. They do not feel
their own Divinity and in their pain, in their suffering, ascribe to delusion.
They may think "I am a great, great person". They may think
"Those are no good, I should destroy them". They become careless of
human life, of animal life, of the forests, of the living creatures and they do
great harm to others.
Why do they harm, because they are evil? No, no, not because they are
evil, but because they are deluded. In their delusion they have gone against
the principals of Yama and Niyama and by doing so have lost the insight of
neohumanism. So, they make grave errors, and those errors cost others very
highly. Because they bring great suffering to others, those errors are not so
easily forgiven. The laws of Prakriti, the laws of action and reaction, will
naturally set a balance in due time, but as a spiritualist, as a neohumanist,
one cannot tolerate such action. One must do everything in one's power to see
that those who oppress human society get no scope for expression and that those
who promote the welfare of others become political and economic leaders. As a
neohumanist one must promote a balanced philosophy so that human society may go
forward and so that human beings do not hamper the natural development of the
plants and the animals of this planetary system. A neohumanist would approach
the troubles of the world in this fashion.
A neohumanist may be involved in politics, they may be in economics,
they may be in any walk of life. They may be an artist, they may be a
psychologist, they may be an engineer, they may be a farmer, or an ordinary
peasant, it does not matter. They may be a rickshaw driver. It does not matter
what is the profession or the involvement. What matters is the intent and
approach of the individual. Neohumanism is not defined by any particular
action. It is defined by the approach. That approach will emphasize the tenets
of Yama and Niyama. A neohumanist will not take an approach that will inhibit
life or bring diminishment to other living beings. So, if one adapts the neohumanist
approach, they will not harm any living being by intention. They will follow
the practices of Yama and Niyama. They will follow the approach of a spiritual
warrior. They will take upon themselves a compassionate view of all living
beings. At the same time, they will fight against injustices towards human
beings, injustices towards animals, injustices towards all life. They will
promote the development of all living beings. They will not be against the
natural processes of life, for, as I have said, violent tendencies are a part
and parcel of evolution. One life may
live upon another—it is a part and parcel of the natural order. This is not to
be seen as against neohumanistic values, but when there is overt exploitation
of any living being, then this is against neohumanistic values.
So, a neohumanist must practice Yama and Niyama and must take an active
approach in promoting the welfare of living beings. They must fight against
oppressors and exploiters at every turn.
Yet at the same time they should not feel that these people who are
oppressive or exploitive are evil. They are not evil. They are merely suffering
beings who, in their suffering, become deluded and therefore act out of
delusion. They must be educated, and if they will not listen to education, then
they must be curbed in their actions until they can act in accordance with the
laws of this universe. You do not harm them, because it is a sure thing that in
the end Prakriti will balance the tables herself. You only ease the tension.