The role of spirituality in society

By Khadga Man Shrestha

Materialism, Spiritual materialism and Spiritualism are the guiding forces of human life. All human beings are moved by these forces. Every individual in society has his wants. Some are moved by the materialistic wants while others are inspired by spiritual materialistic wants. Only a few indulge in spiritual wants. Every one desires a happy life. He is not satisfied by the attainment of basic needs only. His desires or wants are never fulfilled. His thirst of getting more wealth, more happiness is never satisfied. This greed for more wealth, more means of recreation, more resources make him more materialistic. He is always lost in these pursuits. By satisfying his wants he gets only temporary peace.

Human beings perform rites and rituals for the attainment of their desires. For the attainment of happiness, wealth, power, human beings perform sacrifices. If he gets satisfaction, then that takes him to spiritual materialism. His devotion to certain gods or a deity is motivated by his worldly desire. He does not get permanent peace.

Spiritualism is just like a fountain within. If one controls the mind and respects another’s claim, the social recognition of his claim empowers him to exercise his claim peacefully. If a society gives anything to a human being, then he has to give something back to society. This attitude takes anybody to spirituality.

If he donates money for importing quality education to any backward ethnic group or providing lunch to the children of backward communities, that particular evening he gets a celestial or heavenly place and pleasure. By any act or deed if one gets personal benefit he gets material satisfaction only. In the same way by performing any religious rite or rituals, if one gets any material benefit, that particular act will give him temporary peace but the act of charity without any personal self-interest gives him permanent peace. Lord Buddha has preached that right views and right intentions give us Prajuya (wisdom) right speech, right action and right living give us shil (Virtue), right effort, right mindedness and right concentration give us Samadhi (concentration or mediation). Spirituality can be gained by performing the eight fold noble paths of Lord Buddha.

If the mind of the individual is disturbed by anger, greed, hatred, will, animosity, hostility we cannot expect peace and harmony in our society. The Chinese philosopher Confucius has said that he would not be able to help him who does not ask who am I? The enlightened persons say, "First find peace within yourself". The sages, saints and seers say "know thyself".

The great scientist philosopher of the court of Kaniskha, Nagarjuna by name, who Henu-Tsang called as "one of the four lights of the world", enunciated the theory of relativity in his Madhyanika Sutra. Based on first sermons of Lord Buddha and delivered at Gridha Kuta mountain in Blhar Ven, Nargarjuna propounded a theory of Sunyata (void). He is also called the Indian Einstein. He has written radically on essencelessness with its four diametrical variables- Existence (bhava), Non existence (bhavabhara), Non existence, Non existence (nobhava bhava)

His analysis of Sunyata or essencelessness exposes us to the individual ego and natural phenomena. A subtle exposition on the momentary changeableness. In concordance with the theory and practice experienced by Lord Buddha, Nagarjuna has interpreted Sunyata in the context of a person’s endeavour to serve the cause of humanity.

According to him, Buddha’s definition Nirvana is peace, a mental state free from desire, hatred and ignorance. The Buddha propounded the ways of peace within and out.

For realizing the truth, Vipashana, self-observation/self judgment are the best means. Whatever religion one follows, an individual should be taken as a human being. In other words, Vipashana is the reading of the human mind and a way of averting impurity of the mind and making it pure. It is not magic or a miracle. It is a pure science. If one examines how the mind influences the material body and how the body influences the mind, the law of nature becomes clear and through patient observation one will clearly realise how negative ideas generate suffering, and whenever one is free from negative ideas he enjoys peace and harmony in this worldly life itself. The highest state of such peace and harmony takes one to Nirvana.

The Buddha explains that unhappiness depends on the cause and the wish to remove the causes, unhappiness will cease. The origination of unhappiness is the second truth, that kind of desire, which leads to rebirth, is charged with pleasure and passion. The desire for pleasure, existence, non-existence is the cause of the origins of unhappiness. Mahanidana Sutta, the great Sutra on Nidana (cause, source, origin), explains the relationship between desire and unhappiness.

Lord Buddha explains that the condition of existence (bhava), existence through the condition of attachment (upadana), attachment through the condition of desire (trishna), seem to have bridged the gap from unhappiness (typified by old age and dying) to desire.

The Buddha further elucidates that old age and dying exist through the condition of birth. The cause of death is birth itself. The cause, the source (hidana), the origination (sanudaya) the condition (pratya), of old age and dying is birth. If there was no existence of any sensual existence there would likewise be no birth. If there were no attachment of any description or attachment to pleasure, attachment to opinion, attachment to vows, attachment to the theory that there is a soul (atma), there would in the same way be no existence. If consciousness did not obtain a resting place in a sentient body there would be no production of the origination of birth, old age, dying and pain in future.

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