November/December 2001 Spirituality
Common roots:
The inclusive nature of Indic philosophy

by Swami Nirliptananda

Dissertation given in London on OM Day in January 2001

The tradition of India goes back several thousand years. During this long period, quite naturally, certain precepts, attitudes and behaviour developed. This relates to the individual’s perspective about himself, his relationship with the family and society. Their basic ingredients are woven into the spirit of harmony or the spirit of “unity in diversity”. This is the basic character of the Indian or Bharatiya culture.

In this diversity is present the spirit of freedom - freedom to think and choose. India has been a democratic country since ancient times. Real democracy can only exist where the people are free. Freedom is an essential ingredient in the democratic process; without it one cannot discover the Truth that is the foundation of religion itself. This spirit of democracy was affected by the introduction of power politics. Competition and manipulation or imposition are against the spirit of democracy where individuals have freedom to think without fear of being victimized. In politics, individuals are sacrificed at the altar of groups. There are “power blocks”: each block competes and fights with the other, each trying to dominate the other.

Real religion is democracy without politics. Respect for the freedom of everyone is essential to establish true peace and harmony. Unfortunately, religion has become politicized and with it we witness the threat of violence everywhere. Anxiety, uncertainty and fear grip innocent people who helplessly face situations beyond their control.

The objective of the “Om Day” is to diffuse such a situation. The basic spirit of the Indian tradition and culture, of the Indic religions, is to be tolerant of others’ views and to respect all forms of life. These are the two basic sensitive areas. If everyone can tolerate views that are different from his own and develop a friendly attitude to other forms of life, the world will be free from hatred and hostility. In fact, we are told that this is really the essence of religion.

“One should never do to another what one considers as injurious to oneself. This in brief is the Dharma. Whoever acts differently does so by considerations other than those prescribed by dharma.” (Mahabharata)

Ahimsa, the symbol
of Jainism

The idea of non-injury as a universal law is inherent in this philosophy of life. For this reason vegetarianism is extolled as the best food for humans. Ethically, it conforms to the principle of mutual coexistence. It helps us to recognize our dependence on other forms of life for our existence and therefore caring for them is to our long-term advantage. The Indian tradition has provided the necessary groundwork for society to function in a co-operative rather than a competitive manner. To co-operate with nature rather than exploiting it helps to maintain an ecological balance. We have witnessed natural disasters that are occurring as a result of man’s exploitative attitude. If we plant a tree to replace each that has been cut down, we shall save ourselves much suffering. We have to learn to co-operate with nature.

There is great emphasis on peace in the Indian traditions, for peace is not only the goal of spiritual attainment but also material fulfilment. It is attained by being contented, not by being greedy.

Aum, the symbol 
of  Hinduism

“Simple living and high thinking” has been the motto for the Indians for thousands of years. We cannot buy peace with money or win it with a gun. It cannot be achieved by signing agreements. Where there is mutual trust and understanding, the spirit of sacrifice and respect for truth, there will be real peace and prosperity.

OM: the primal sound

“Om” represents the heart of the Indic religions. It also represents the heart of the universe. It is the Primal Sound from which the universe evolved. Therefore every thing coheres in it.

In the East there has always been a search for wholeness, for fullness. “OM” represents that fullness. It reconciles the spiritual with the scientific. There is no conflict between the two. The Bhagavad Gita refers to the knowledge of spiritual and material sciences as full knowledge.

The sages defined “OM”: “Aum is the imperishable syllable. Aum is the universe, and this is the exposition of Aum. The past, the present and the future, all that is, all that will be, is Aum. Likewise, all else that exists beyond the bounds of time, that too is Aum.” (Mandukya Upanishad).

Concepts of God

In India there are various concepts of the Absolute Reality or ‘God’ and they all coexist without any conflict. Those who believe in one God, many Gods, no God or zero live together in peace and harmony. The wise look at these concepts as having relative values. They all have a role to play in the lives of man. The problem comes when each part is mistaken for the whole. It is from this that an exclusive and superior attitude comes and with it the right to convert others.

In order to understand the danger of this, the sages gave an example about a few blind men who went to see an elephant. Each of them held on to a part of the elephant. The one who held the trunk said that the elephant was like a snake, another who held on to the knee said it was like a tree, still another who held on to the ear said that it was like a fan. In this way each held on to a part and mistook it for the whole. An argument started about who was correct. Just then another man came and saw what had happened. He explained to them about their mistake and they lived in harmony forever.

In ignorance today people fight one another because one thinks that one’s God is superior to the God of another. Those who worship one God think that he is superior to those who worship more than one God. He would make it a point to say that he believes in only one God. The man who does not believe in either is looked upon as a demon. The question of purity of character is not taken into consideration. Believing is mistaken for knowing and, like the blind men, we fight on the basis of beliefs and ignorance. The realized man is silent.

The sages declared that “God” is infinite. In Infinity all the previous concepts are included. Everything has got a place. Nothing exists outside Infinity. One cannot subtract, add, multiply or divide Infinity. It is all-inclusive. They declared: “Purnam adah purnam idam purnat purnam udachyate; purnasya purnamadaya purnameva avshishyate.” (“That is infinite. This (manifested world) is infinite. Take away infinity from infinity, infinity remains.”)

In today’s world when we are becoming more globally oriented, economically, religion has to shed its narrow sectarian and dogmatic convictions and embrace values and principles that are more universally applicable and all-inclusive. I hope our Om Day programmes will make some contribution towards achieving this.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.

Swami Nirliptananda is a senior Swami in one of the temples of the Asian community in London, deeply acquainted with the teachings of Maitreya.

Reproduced with permission from the May 2001 issue of Share International; http://www.shareintl.org