At times I have felt entirely overwhelmed at the insanity that surrounds me in this world. I don’t mean in the way to judge the individual psychological struggles, I mean how misguided an entire society can be, the hazy vision, clouds of darkness can create and the types of behaviours, choices and will that manifests as a result.
My spiritual guide once said, when the wheel of a ship is off the direction of the compass, even by a tiny increment, over time, the ship sails to an entirely different destination.
I find this example fit for spiritual communities, where people are willing to make justifications for tiny transgressions, such as lying in order to present spiritual teachings to the masses or charging money for sharing spiritual mantras and discourses, where lying and cheating people is completely against the spiritual tenant supposedly practiced.
In the Mahabharata, King Drupada served a saintly person (brahamana) named Yaja with the desire to ask for a benediction of obtaining a son who could kill his enemy. This brahmana refused because of the ill intention this king had. However Yaja advised him to approach his brother Upayaja, knowing that his brother would compromise on principles. He concluded this about Upayaja after seeing small transgressions in Upayaja’s behaviour. His lack of cleanliness when eating food and his inability to curb his voracious eating habits, indicated this. Yaja concluded to the King, that due to his brother bending principles and his weakness shown in these small areas, he will likely agree to the inauspicious request of obtaining a son who is born to kill a saintly person.
In this way, small transgressions and compromises lead to larger one. And those larger compromises eventually can take one off the path of righteousness and even true spiritual attainment.
We all have some weakness of heart, we all struggle as humans with vices, mental disturbances and are subject to the demands of our own ego. However, when individuals in the collective whole, continue to make small compromises for themselves and others, especially leaders of communities, the compromised principle begins to be the cultural norm and the cultural norm sits in the psyche as a subtle reality and then, a way of life. They lead to bigger and more serious transgressions.
The Mahabharata for example is especially useful for us to learn subtle principles that can guide our life on a righteous and spiritual path and it also warn us, through its allegories, what actions, characteristics of personality can lead to our own destruction.
With effort and wilful intention, we need to reflect on our behaviours, intentions and ego states and tap the wheel of our ship back into place at times, for the growth of our consciousness in the right direction.
BoilTheMilk 