Scriptures, irrespective of the religion they belong to, contain eternal wisdom which the prophets and sages from ancient times had gleaned and put together out of their life experiences, introspections, and reflections. The modern era with its focus on scientific explorations grew increasingly sceptical of scriptural wisdom. Nowadays, however, there seems to be a perceptible renaissance where these precepts are being brought out of the places of worship and scriptures for discussion. There still exists a gap between academically discussing the ideas contained in the scriptures and their application in real life. The cynical part of us feels that these ideas belong to a bygone era and have little relevance to the modern age. It is my conviction that we can’t be farther from the truth. If we truly internalise the principles of the scriptures we could drastically improve our quality of life, both individually and collectively.
There are so many issues that merit deliberations but in this article, I will restrict myself to one aspect that is fundamental to our lives- happiness. There is a growing body of research on positive psychology and happiness with a plethora of books, courses, and seminars on this topic. I have read/ attended a lot of these works, and they are truly wonderful. But mostly the trend is towards finding happiness or the pursuit of happiness as if happiness is something extrinsic and fleeting that we need to find and then latch on to. I refer to this thinking as the Outside-In Approach meaning that to be happy inside we first need to find that in the outside world which makes us happy. Alas, this is the antithesis to the Inside-Out Approach (hereafter called IOA) as enunciated in our scriptures. Ever heard of it? No? I will shortly prove that we all know IOA intuitively and long to experience it. But let’s start with a Vedantic Philosophy called Advaita or Non-Dualism.
We need to understand non-dualism at two levels- intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsically we, due to our avidya (spiritual ignorance) think that we are our body, mind, and intellect (BMI). We forget the real us, our soul (Atma) which is what gives the BMI the spark of life to function. This spiritual ignorance drives us towards feelings, thoughts, and actions which are meant to fulfill the cravings of the BMI. We start to act/react in the vicious cycle of desire (I want to own that), fear (I want to retain that or I don’t want to lose that), and anger (why is that going away from me or why am I not achieving that, etc?) These persistent and recurring thoughts create channels in our minds (neural pathways) that tend to cover our pristine souls with the dullness of spiritual ignorance. The soul gradually turns into ego, a condition borne out of I/me/my-ship (feelings, thoughts, achievements, possessions, etc.)
Extrinsically, this avidya manifests as Maya, where we see otherness- other beings are different from us. If other beings are different from us then how can God (Paramatma) be the same as us? So, there exists an apparent duality in this universe where everything and everyone is considered something/someone different from us. But is that the truth? Let’s see what our scriptures say.
As per Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” and in Genesis 1: 27, “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” There is no duality- we are the same as God.
Holy Quran resonates with the phrase Be and it is (Kun Faya Kun) in multiple verses. Sample a few-
“The originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, “Be”, and it is.” (Quran 2:117)
“He created him from dust, then said to him: “Be” and he was.” (Quran 3: 59)
“It is He who gives Life and Death: when He desires a matter, He says to it: “Be” and it is.” (Quran 16:40)
What did God have to create anything when the universe was created? The only material which existed was He Himself. And who was the craftsman available to create matter out of energy, obviously He Himself. So, there is no duality here too.
Guru Granth Sahib eloquently declares, “With His single order whole creation came into existence….What was that season, and what was that month, when the Universe was created? The creator who created this creation- only He Himself knows.” Later it is added that “So many times He has expanded His Universe.” Not very different from what we have read so far, right?
In Bhagavadgita, Lord Krishna asserts unequivocally that whatever exists in this universe, sentient or insentient is His form only.
“My Nature is divided into eight categories- earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect, and ego.” (Verse 4 Chapter 7)
“Such is my lower nature. But beyond it, O mighty-armed Arjuna, I have a Higher Nature forming the source of all jivas and the support of the whole universe.” (Verse 5 Chapter 7)
“Know that all beings have these two natures of Mine as their source. I am the origin and the dissolution of this entire universe.” (Verse 6 Chapter 7)
I guess that sort of settles the issue of we (Jivatma or individual souls) being a part of God, the Paramatma. As a corollary, all beings in this universe are the same though they appear different due to Avidya in our minds and Maya that has been created by God. This is the essence of the philosophy of Non-Dualism.
What is the quintessence of God or God-like qualities? Firstly that we are complete and perfect as we are and we don’t need anything extrinsic to feel that way. Secondly, because we are complete and perfect there is nothing outside of us that can give us happiness. Real happiness resides within us, in our souls. The only problem is that because our soul being covered with coatings of desires, fear, and anger, it has transformed into the ego. All we need to do is to remove this dirt and the soul will once again shine in its pristine and glorious beauty. Once we then connect with the soul, we automatically get connected to the Master Power Source of happiness, the Paramatma or God. Once this circuit is established, eternal joy is ours forever and when that happens, success, which is a byproduct of happiness, can’t be far away.
I have expounded on this philosophy and many other aspects of scriptural wisdom in my book, “Nine Mantras for Happiness and Success” which outlines unambiguous and tangible steps for a common person like you and me to connect with our Master Power Source.
Maj. Gen. Anand Saxena holds triple master’s degrees to his credit—Master of Science, Master of Philosophy and Master of Management Studies in which he majored in Financial Management. He is also a Helicopter pilot with vast combat flying experience. Anand speaks and writes on religion, philosophy, positive psychology and personal finance. You can buy his book on Amazon or from Readomania.
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