Vedic Wisdom: Understanding Suffering and Unity

Vedic Wisdom:

How can the most ancient tradition of knowledge in the world, the Vedic tradition of knowledge, shed light on the current state of affairs in the world? Why is suffering seemingly increasing in world consciousness?

According to the Vedic knowledge contained in the Upanishads, suffering arises from the delusion of duality, the delusion of difference when there is, in reality, only oneness.

Whenever there is a sense of two, fear and suffering will arise.

In the Viveka Chudamani, The Crest Jewel of Discrimination, verse 330, Shri Shankaracharya says:

“Whenever the wise man sees the least difference in the infinite Brahman, at once that which he sees as different through mistake, becomes a source of terror to him.”

Origin of War:

This is evident when we observe the recent course of events in the world. The origin of war always begins in the fear-ridden stressed minds of men. When actions are propelled by fear, the damaging effects are multiplied. One loses one’s sense of proportion and the sanctity of human life is trodden underfoot. One operates in darkness and there is no light to lessen the harmful effects of one’s actions.

This is action in ignorance – action which violates the laws of nature.

The conflicts, disharmony and wars prevalent in the world today are all based on ignorance. By focusing on the differences that divide cultures, races and religions, the mind erects artificial barriers between people which divide life from itself.

All conflicts and problems arise from weakness of mind. When the mind, like a small angle lens focusses on narrower and narrower boundaries, the unbounded grandeur of life gets broken into small bits and pieces. One’s awareness gets entangled in the fragmented world of politics and one overlooks the common bond shared by all living beings. One’s moral compass then loses its ability to navigate action in the right direction. One damages the fragile web of life and blindly demolishes numerous institutions built for the advancement of society. These wrong actions lead to unavoidable long term consequences for the perpetrators. Individuals living in such warmongering countries have to bear the burden of the suffering imposed on others. The universe reacts to individual action. The irrevocable law of the universe is:

“As you sow, so shall you reap.”

Solution to Situation

The only way to emerge from the tunnel of ignorance is to expand one’s awareness, to transcend the surface level of thinking and experience pure consciousness, the unified field interconnecting all life. One has to tread the path to enlightenment to experience and express the full light of knowledge.

The practice of Transcendental Meditation, by leading the mind to Transcendental Consciousness, brings purity to all aspects of life and enables one to live in harmony with natural law.

In the state of full enlightenment, the ultimate truth of life is established in one’s awareness. In this state, one perceives the basic unity of all beings. In chapter 5, verse 18 of the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna imparts the highest knowledge to Arjuna:

“In a Brahmin endowed with learning and humility, in an elephant, in a dog and even in one who has lost his caste, the enlightened perceive the same.”

In verse 29, Lord Krishna says:

“He whose self is established in Yoga, whose vision everywhere is even, sees the Self in all beings, and all beings in the Self.”

This underlying unity of all life is the highest ideal expressed again and again in the Vedic literature. The key to living in harmony with natural law is to transcend and experience pure consciousness on a regular basis. Such an experience broadens one’s vision spontaneously. One begins to perceive the unity underlying diversity. Only such a pure orientation of life can restore harmony in the family of nations. Only individuals and nations that promote the Vedic ideal of “Vasudaiva Kutumbakam” – “the world is my family” can remove the fear caused by the delusion of duality and lead life in a truly evolutionary direction.