Spirituality and Materialism
This is a time in the world of turmoil and change. It is a transition between one age and another, between one form of subsistence and another. In this transitory period, many things are changing. Many things are not as they were. In the future, many things will not be as they are now. In this transitory period, human life becomes fragile. There is a movement from the known into the unknown. There is the tendency in human beings as in all beings to want to have stability, to want things the same, but they go on changing. At some junctures in history, they change very quickly, and this is one such juncture. Though it may seem slow in the moment, in the spectrum of life it is very quick. It is seen in the change of dominance of species, extinctions of species, the restlessness of the Mother Earth as she begins to shift and change. It shows in human society, in the basic knowledge that things cannot go on as they have.
In such times is great opportunity. There is great danger and there is great opportunity. The great opportunity is for spiritual development, for spiritual realization. In the monotony of the familiar, the conditioned mind becomes dominant and consciousness falls comfortably asleep in its conditioned patterns. But in such times of change and shift, the conditioned mind cannot find comfort. Thus, opportunity is there for an expansion, for the development of mind, for the development of spirit, because the old ways of materialism that have dominated much of the world in the last few hundred years are finding their end. The social cycle changes and this dominance of materialism cannot remain. The vaeshyan era is ending. So in such times, what is the greatest need?
Q. Spirituality.
A. Yes, it is spirituality. It is spirituality, not material security. When scientists find a few more pockets of oil, it does not solve the problem, does it? They are now improving the ozone layer, but the problems of the world remain. These types of band-aids will not do because the problem is spiritual.
There has become a disassociation in the emphasis on materialism between the vital human spirit and human life. Therefore, illnesses such as depression and nervousness run rampant in the society. People are discontent, unhappy. It is rampant. You cannot say the majority of people are happy all the time, relaxed in their life, enjoying their life. It becomes so commonplace that people hardly notice. They just think that this is the ordinary way of life. Yet many times in human history when you look about, people are content in their lives. They are happy in their lives even though their lives may be pitifully hard. Look about today and how many do you see who are happy in their lives and who experience no stress and strain of life?
The growing unhappiness results from spiritual vacancy. Many people have material gain but they work day and night; their families are disrupted; there is no emotional support and often no family at all. Even nuclear families are broken apart and there is no development within the heart of the human being of passion to find their most beloved. They say, “There is no God. There is no divinity. There is nothing but what we can see with our eyes and touch with our hands.” This kind of hard materialism blocks the mind from subtle view. The devotional sentiment does not blossom in the heart and a restless unhappiness comes in the mind eventually.
This is a spiritual problem. The over-emphasis upon materialism has broken down the social structure. It has broken down the value base of society and has left the people without a spiritual goal, without a belief in something greater than themselves for which they can work and to which they can aspire. The greatest need today, though the needs are many, is spiritual. The need today is to replenish the heart blood, to restore people to the path of dharma, to let them know and feel the association with their divinity. Thus, the need for acharyas is very great. The need for spiritual people who will share our spiritual vision and understanding is very great. The need for progressive utilization theory (Prout) is great. So, you want to dedicate yourselves to share your dedication to spiritual life and to sadguru within this world. That is a noble task indeed, a noble thought, a noble intention. Such intentions make a difference in the world, and when acted upon, giving healing and hope to others, they create a great movement and collectively they begin to shift the society.
You should never feel that you are small and what can you do in this world, you can do much, simply by doing your sadhana. By following your heart, your passion for Parama Purusha, and sharing it with others, you give inspiration, hope, to the human heart. Without hope, what is there? Hope lights the fire of love. Hope that there is this beneficent flow of grace in the world. The man who cannot see can go around saying, “There is no light. There is no light. People are talking about this but they are just trying to hoodwink you. There is no light. I know because I cannot see it.” Likewise, those who are blind spiritually cannot feel the shower of divine grace because their mind is lost in materialism and in association with the senses. They say, “There is no grace. There is no guidance. There is no divinity.” They are speaking from their own experience. The only problem is that the experience is there because they do not know how to move internally. They do not know how to trust internally or how to open the heart and to feel the shower of grace that has always been and always will be. They do not know how to allow themselves to travel on the arms of love to the abode of divinity.
This difficulty to know the divine comes because the mind is deep in ignorance, absorbed in the senses and the material world. The divinity and the shower of grace from the divine love become invisible. So the people go on and say, “There is no God. There is no grace. There is no help. There is no compassion. We are alone here until we die.” For the one who says it, it is true for they cannot receive but for those who receive, it ceases to be true.
