Promotion Human Values:

1) Peace- Internal and External

We talk constantly about peace-it is one of the most popular topics of world discussions today. Peace between nation, peace in our societies, peace in our schools, peace in our families, peace within ourselves. Yet, although billions of dollars and millions of hours are spent each year on think tanks, brainstorming sessions and international conferences, this much-desired peace continues to elude us.

How then to attain it? What is the secret to finding this elusive treasure? Let us achieve it. Peace-both inner and outer-are essential all else is meaningless.

2) Giving is Living

There is an old adage that says, “It is better to give than to receive”. Yet how many of us actually live by this? How many of us would give to another before taking for ourselves? It is not simple sacrifice. Sacrifice implies some level of suffering. It implies that one is forsaking something one wants out of duty to another. While there is a great deal of spiritual value in the lessons of sacrifice, this is not what I am talking about. For, in true giving, there is no suffering. One does not forsake anything. The giving itself becomes its own reward., People talk about cycles of life. For me, the true cycle is: giving is living, living is learning is knowing, knowing is growing, growing is giving and giving is living. This is the true cycle of life.

3) Worship of the Mother

A mother is truly divine. It is from her womb we have come. Our life is a gift from her own; our nourishment flowed from her body. The love that sustains us, that embraces our soul, ceaselessly streams from her heart.

When I say your “mother” I mean many things. Of course I mean the actual mother who gave you birth. But, I also mean the divine Mother of all-the Goddess. In this Mother, we find not only our own mothers, but mothers everywhere. We find Mother Nature, Mother Earth, Mother Ganga.

4) The Danger of Anger

In life sometimes it is easy to get angry, easy to yell, easy to hit those we love. We assuage our own consciences by saying, “He made me mad,” or, “She made me hit her.” But whose hand is it really that hits? Whose mouth is it really that hits? Whose mouth is it really that speaks harsh words?

The goal in life should be like water-a stone falls in and only causes a ripple for a moment. The “hole” in the water caused even by a large boulder does not last for more than a few seconds. When we get hit-verbally, physically or emotionally-we should be like the water. We should be able to just let the ripples flow and, within a few moments, it should look as thought nothing happened.

We must remember that our loved ones are like wood. Therefore, we must try to be very, very careful before we hammer holes into anyone, before we stab knives into anyone’s heart….if there are too many holes, the fence will fall.

5) Message of Budha

Service to others is the true message, the true teaching, the true wisdom of spirituality.

6) The Power of Love

We all have this power to transform not only ourselves, but others as well. Yet, do we use it? Do we take the divine gift of love in our heats and use it as much as possible, to help as many as we can?

Let us take to heart His divine message of “Love All, Hate None. Heal All, Hurt None”.

God has given us a special ability to touch others with our smiles, to change a life with a simple warm embrace, to bring meaning to the lives of others by our love. We must use this divine gift and never let it go in vain.

Flowers blossom under the warm rays of the sun, and the flowers of our lives-our children, our all those around us- will blossom only under the warm rays of our love.

If we learn how to love others, really truly love them, not for who we want them to be, but rather for who they are-for the perfect souls that God has created- then we have learned one of the greatest lessons of life.

7) Service to others is the Best Medicine

However, what else can we do, so many people ask, to really become aware of God-full of God consciousness- in our daily lives? We can serve His people! Through service of the poorest of the poor we come closest to God. It is easy to see the divine in holy people, easy to serve those who look pious, proper and beautiful. But, the spiritual challenges is to see the divine in all, to serve all- from the highest King to the sickest leper-as though they are manifestations of God.

Through this selfless service, we not only benefit those whom we are serving, but we also benefit ourselves immeasurably. Our hearts fill with joy, with peace and with love. Our lives become full of meaning.

8) Do your Duty

Usually in life, we know what our duties are. We know our responsibilities. We can see the “right” thing to do. This is especially true if we take quiet time to meditate, reflect and contemplate. Yet, too frequently we walk away from doing the “right” thing or from performing our duty due to the uncertainly of the result. We don’t want to  “waste our time” or “look like a fool”. We neglect our responsibilities by saying, ” It doesn’t matter anyway.” We shun our duties with words like, “Well, no one else is doing it, so why should I ?”

This is not the way to live. We must realize that there is an enormous, infinite cosmic plan at work and we must all perform our allotted tasks to the best of our ability. Whether we actually succeed or fail in the venture should not be the biggest concern. True success comes not in a financial “win, “but rather in the humble, tenacious, dedicated performance of our tasks.

9) Raise Yourself-Don’t Erase Others

In life, in the rush to get ahead, in the rush to prove ourselves and make a name for ourselves, we frequently resort to criticizing, condemning and badmouthing others. In order to make ourselves look better, we put other people down. So many times we tell examples of the shortcomings of our colleagues so that we-in comparison-will appears better, or we criticize those with whom we are in competition.

However, this is not the way to get ahead or make a name for ourselves. Let us not try to diminish others in order to look good ourselves. That is like erasing the line to make it shorter, simply so we will look bigger in comparison. The way to get ahead in life should not be at the cost of others. Instead of bringing others down, let us raise ourselves up. Instead of cutting others, let us learn how to grow. Let us become long lines ourselves, rather than erasing others. If we focus on becoming as “long” lines ourselves, rather than erasing others. If we focus on becoming as “long” as we can, then we will naturally shine above others.

10) How to walk on the Path of life

In our lives we frequently get frustrated and broken by feeling that others are blocking our way and thwarting our path. We blame their presence and their actions for our own failure. We explain to ourselves that we would have been able to succeed if only they had let us, if only they had moved out of the way for us. We try to push people and obstacles aside to clear a way for ourselves in life.

However, obstacles never stop coming. People who are jealous never stop trying to block our path. For how long can we try to move them aside? How many obstacles, how many enemies can we try to push away? The answer is to simply find our own way, around them, between them. If they are blocking the path on the right, we walk on the left. If they are blocking the path on the left, we walk on the right.

Author: Sri Chidanand Saraswatiji Swamiji