Hinduism - the antithesis of a Spiritual Blackbox

            Sanatana Dharma rests on the bedrock of its hoary tradition of inquiry into the SELF. Ironically, today we find Hinduism far removed from its ideals. As the pace of materialism picks up in the world, more objects and ideas get more abstract. This may be out of convenience or ignorance. Traditionally, the six darshanas of Sanatana Dharma had many sub-schools and acharyas. Today due to the ignorance of the masses, coupled by market share fighting by New Age Gurus who steal all the ideas and rebrand it as their own discovery, many ideas have become mixed up. While the positive note is one need not be wedded to any one school of thought, the flip side is no one really understands what is being communicated, nor is there any first-hand experience. Spirituality has become a black box.

Black box

            Black box is an abstraction where the entire system is solely viewed as inputs (stimuli) and output(s). There is a complete lack of transparency of the process within the black box. Most of the readers are aware of the Black box, a device usually hunted for after an airplane crash. But most of us are not aware that almost everything we handle around is a black box. This may include hi-tech objects like a Smartphone or computer. Yet this also pervades to simple things in life. Many are not even aware of where or how our food comes from. Many have permanently removed themselves from the kitchen, except for eating food from outside, thus creating a black box around food. The input is buy food from a restaurant or packaged food. Output is usually ailment in the long run, but the lure is convenience.

            When even critical requirements like food have become a black box is it any wonder that Spirituality is an even more mysterious black box!! It almost seems like an oxymoron of separating SELF from itself. In the path of Spirituality in Sanatana Dharma, the biggest black box, Brahman itself, is challenged.

Existing blackbox models - convenience religions and gurus

            Abrahamic models reiterate blind belief through the whip of fear of eternal damnation or the lure of eternal heaven, which limits their spiritual understanding. All Abrahamic religions center on blind following the dictates of a prophet who is the only one who was authorized to get limited wisdom. It has to be accepted as correct else it gets retaliated as heresy with even fatal consequences. Even if science proves their idea of Sun setting daily in a muddy pool is wrong, no islamist wants to accept it. Hard core Christian still has issues with fossils and timelines prior to 6000 years even today, giving rise to Flat Earth theorists of 21^st century.

            Abrahamism relies ONLY on circular logic. Follow what prophets said. How did they get the information? - from God. Who gave the proof about these Gods they follow? – Prophets. Can anyone else validate or verify the information. No, because that was the last prophet and you cannot be one. How to explain the oddities in the world? God created it and HE must be compassionate else God will get angry and destroy you. The lousiest argument they put forth is that of afterlife. If you do not sign up under their banner, you are guaranteed HELL, even if you are Buddha, who was born prior to the age of their Prophets.

            Today many New Age Gurus exist, who declare either there is no need for Vedas, even for teaching a Hindu follower base, or say these abstractions can be done away with and replaced by their simpler lectures. Worse yet they market themselves as Yogi without respecting the Yoga darshana, an integral component of Sanatana Dharma. In short, they exploit the ignorance of the masses to give corrupt, self serving lectures which do not take the followers anywhere, spiritually.

Criteria and qualifications

            Understanding this backdrop is critical to see the contrast. In the journey of Self discovery the idea of questions is essential and very central to the progress. This is evinced from the fact; we do not have one Upanishad, the highest essence of Vedas, which is not in a question answer format. Blind rabid questioning leads one nowhere. Questions should be based on understanding whatever wisdom that has been shared, imbibed and incorporated into daily life. Without this foundation, curiosity based or kutarka questions do not yield positive results. 

            Questions also must be based on the values one follows. If a person is untruthful, yet wants to know the merits of being Truthful, if there is a genuine quest, it is possible. But if one were to be hypocrite, their questions lead one nowhere, even if the person is endowed with wonderful intellect. Sincerity behind the question unravels the wisdom that comes its way in response to the quest. Certain prerequisites exist for any venture. One must have the qualities of a good student, for the questions to be meaningful and the responses to be effective. The spirit of inquiry works with the associated good attributes like Viveka and Vairagya. These attributes may not be needed for vyavaharika inquiry like science, but are crucial in Atma vidya.

What is the way forward?

            We have studied the mindset of modern Hindus which has got an inversion of its values. A very potent weapon – Secularism has been unleashed on the Indian society with devastating consequences. First we need to develop the mindset for spirituality by developing the right values. Instead of focusing on acquiring the right prerequisites, we bring our shortcut habit even to this inward journey.

            A terminally ill patient who has minutes cannot extend it with millions of dollars. Similarly bringing our outsourcing mindset we cannot have somebody else evolve in our place. This laziness will not work in this arena. Instead of taking time to develop virtues, one cannot compensate by going to a New Age Guru for a quick prescription nor does spirituality take root by mere blind belief like with the cults that follow prophets.

            Every aspirant has to focus on the roots. If we nurture the dharmic roots, we will have nice spiritual fruits that benefit both the individual and the society. Sanatana Dharma doesn’t believe in mass following or generic prescriptions as every individual is unique. 

Does that mean there is no need for a Guru?

            Just like there are prequalifications to even appear for an entrance examination in any field, these virtues prepare the traveler on this spiritual expedition.  The Guru can aid by sharing tips due to the awareness of the path and compassion to help the disciple, but it is up to the individual to do the tapasya. This is where the circular logic of the Prophet based religions is trapped in its own quicksand.

            Sanatana Dharma recognizes and emphasizes that Moksha is happening at the individual’s level for the Purushartha and Divine Grace. It is not an experience of the Body-Mind-Intellect as hinted by the word Self Realization. This state can be achieved through diverse paths, depending on the Body-Mind-Intellect of the individual, which is constantly shaped by the battle of two forces – Vasanas and Purushartha. This never ending tussle that shapes the Janma-Karma-Janma cycle is also referred as Samsara. The different Vedantic methods like Bhakti, Jnana, Karma Yoga and also other Dharmic methods like different types of Dhyana culminate in the same outcome – Moksha. When this experience happens it is called Atma Pramana, the individual Atman tastes the proof itself.

            In Prophet based religions, even if a person stumbles upon this state, as a religious leader, exclusivity of experience is given only to that person. No one else can even remotely experience this level as it was anointed upon them. This is where Sanatana Dharma differs fundamentally and it declares that anyone can reach this exalted state, but it is also our birth right and duty. Though the vasana baggage can color the lower levels of this experience, at its highest level, the experience seem to find common ground amongst great rishis. This is called Apta Pramana. These experiences of Aptas transcend time and space. 

            The collective framework of such experiences, pathways, guidance on the potential obstacles and doubts are all codified in many texts like Upanishads. The essence of all the Upanishds and Vedas is extracted for all humanity by the grace of Sri Krishna in the form of the Bhagavad Gita. They all point to the collective wisdom of numerous Rishis of the yore. Due to the special efforts and love of VedVyasa, they have been codified as the four Vedas – Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharvana. The Vedas are the sound form of the Brahman, thus called Shabda. The ultimate proof of the highest spiritual experience and the methods are the Vedas and hence it is called Shabda Pramana.

            For millennia, every aspirant and truth seeker has found their Atma Pramana validated by others experiences in the form of Apta Pramana which resonates and relies on the Shabda Pramana.

 

            Enter the New Age Guru. They claim there is no need for Shabda Pramana, demand their Atma Pramana as ultimate, which cannot and must not be compared with others as it is their individual experience, else their brand becomes unmarketable. Any Guru who steals Sanatana Dharmic ideas but says no need for Vedas or its associated literature, markets themselves as Yogi, a level which their disciples can aspire but will never experience is a sophisticated fraud.

            To achieve Self realization, the foundation is Purushartha. Guru’s grace, parent’s role and society rooted in Dharma provide the necessary impetus and ecosystem. None can substitute our own Purushartha – our own Sadhana, Tapasya. Emancipation is still at the individual level, though the fruits are Universal.

            A Guru is like a school teacher who can coach, explain the topics and doubts, give practice, treat different students according to their temperament, but the teacher can and will never take our place in the examination. Guru is seen widely as a crutch or replacement for the individual effort in today’s society. This is a deeply wrong fallacy that has led to many pseudo and limited Guru Factories that churn out disciples in thousands and millions, more like a business. Guru out of compassion is giving and giving, wants to share their Atma Pramana to anyone who comes in contact. An abundance of compassion wells in every genuine Guru. They may take the form of Swami Sivananda who wrote over 300+ books to share the inside bliss. It may take the shape of Swami Chinmayananda who tirelessly spread the wisdom of Bhagavad Gita to the masses, practically for every single day for four decades. The proof of such wondrous sharing of their experiences is the reason why India has a treasure of spiritual literature in form of works of Alvars, Nayanmars, Siddhas, Dasas and many more. If one sees past the subtle differences of the philosophies, the spiritual experiences seem to be common across the board. All of them emphasize that our efforts alone as the sole ingredient that is necessary, while Guru’s/Bhagwan’s grace merely accelerate the progress.

            Personality worshippers devoid of any accompanying values or virtues or Purushartha, are more like sports fan than a spiritual seeker, a moniker often given by New Age Gurus to keep their followers egos fed. The real purpose behind any Spiritual journey is to constantly keep the Seeker prepared and the only way is to incrementally work on their virtues.

            Sanatana Dharma believes that with Avidya, ignorance, covers Brahman / Bhagwan, it results in the fall of the Atman to the perceived lower levels.

            Bhagwan + Vasanas => Man. This implies as man works at the destruction of vasanas, they attain the highest perception of Bhagwan. The experience of many Aptas is at a higher level all the paths prescribed under the umbrella of Vedas not only lead to the same goal, but also coalesce. As one gains the true wealth of these character traits, the path becomes not only clearer but also the journey becomes more attractive and compelling. There is no mystery in the process. The black box ceases to exist. We saw in an earlier Q&A on why we cannot perceive Bhagwan now? 

            On this wonderful auspicious Rama Navami, let us make a commitment to slowly but surely make efforts to improve ourselves. Sri Krishna in Bhagawad Gita (Chapter 6, Sloka 5) urges us to lift our lower self with the higher Self. He also says that we are either our own best friend or worst enemy. If we follow his prescription there is no black box, else we are tossed back into Samsara chasing one black box after another, hoping that magically we will be taken care of. May Rama’s life be our inspiration, may his infinite gunas be a model for us to shoot for. May Rama’s grace inspire all our good vasanas to get active overcoming our patented tamas. May we exert Purushartha towards this ParamaPurusha, whose lotus feet is our sole refuge. Jai Shri Ram.

Om Tat Sat