The Seer, The Doer, The Enjoyer

All units of nature are continuously active - a stone, a river, a plant, a cloud, a bird, an animal, a human being... they are all "doing" something, ceaselessly.  How are they "doing" what they are doing, and Why are they doing what they are doing - is something which a human being tries to understand.  This quest to understand perhaps started ever since human being emerged on the scene.  Let's try to study the answers that Madhyasth Darshan gives for these.

Units are continuously active due to their being submerged in Space.  This continuous activity of units is purposeful,which leads to evolution.  There are four evolution stages, each evolution stage having tradition of its kind.  Material order, Pranic order, Animal order and Knowledge order are the four evolution stages.  Each evolution stage has something fundamentally different which is not present in the previous evolution stages, while including all the characteristics of the previous stages into its make.  The previous stages are useful for the next stages, while next stages are complementary to the previous stages.  Human being is counted in Knowledge order.  The reason for counting human being in knowledge order, different from animals, is that human being expresses some fundamentally different characteristics from animals.  Essentially, that characteristic is - seeking happiness.  While animals are content in "doing" what they "do" according to their specie (design of body), living instinctively - human beings think, innovate, experiment, reason, imagine, ...  The essential difference between humans and animals is the expectation of happiness that is found in humans.  Human being, apart from being a "doer", is an "enjoyer" - while animals, and all the beings of previous evolution stages, are only "doers".  

Human being - the doer and the enjoyer - seeks enjoyment from his doing.  This seeking makes a human being a seer.  At first, human being seeks enjoyment through senses in instinctual activities.  The sensory enjoyment is not the lasting kind, it becomes clear sooner or later.  This develops the need for continuity of enjoyment in human being.  At first he tries to achieve continuity of enjoyment by making arrangements which ensure that enjoyment keeps coming to him from senses by making his life into a series of events that are full of excitement.  This does not work, or stops working after some time, as every such arrangement becomes boring after a while, every change requires another change, and continuously changing itself becomes a dull routine, which stops giving enjoyment.  He takes another approach, wherein he starts working towards negating his "doer-ship".  He negates his natural being of doer, enjoyer and seer - and surrenders these to God or Guru.  He strives to this ideal of becoming ego-less, which actually works much better than the previous approach, but idealistic pursuit is clearly a more difficult approach than being in hot pursuit of sensory pleasures.  Not many people can pursue this idealistic path with honesty and commitment, and those who can pursue it are adored by common people who can't, which sometimes corrupts these idealists into cheats and charlatans!  Some people try to arrive at a middle path, trying to balance between sensory pursuit and idealistic pursuit.  This doesn't really work, because both approaches are diametrically opposite, and if we look closely to the people who seem to be successful in doing this balancing act - we discover that the actual commitment of these "wise" people is in sensory pursuit, while idealistic pursuit is only a cover.  These are the games that we humans play!  

This "game playing" does not satisfy the enjoyer self, which leads him to explore - what is enjoyment, who enjoys, how enjoyment can have continuity.  This turns the enjoyer into a true seeker.  The seeker eventually realizes answers of these questions, and becomes a seer.   The enjoyer becomes content with continuity of happiness when seeing becomes complete.  The seer produces evidences of his having seen in his doing - as doing with happiness.  

Question:  Animals are also sentient or conscious beings, who seem to be expressing pain and pleasure, then why aren't we calling them "enjoyers" and in turn "seers"?

Animals only "do" - conforming to the specie of their birth.  Animals don't have the expectation of happiness, they only have the want of living (survival instinct).  Animals don't have any free will.  Jeevan in animal and human being is of the same kind and the entity that feels pain or pleasure is jeevan.  An animal expresses itself in one way when the want of living (or survival) is threatened, and it expresses itself in another way when its survival gets assured and bolstered.  It is human being who names these expressions or events as "painful" or "pleasant", while for the animal these are "hard-wired" responses.  Enjoyment is when there is matching of expectation and occurring.  With animals, it is only occurring.

Question: Does a human being know what exactly he is seeking?

No, happiness is unknown to a human being until he achieves realization.  Realization itself is Happiness.  However, a human being has an idea of happiness - as its feeling and semblance.  He gets a feeling of happiness in his sensory activity, which doesn't have continuity.  He gets a semblance of happiness when he can reason or analyse, to some extent, what is happening around him.  Happiness comes into grasp with realization.  Prior to that happiness is a goal.  Study or Education is the process of building clarity in oneself successively, which takes one closer to this goal.

Question:  Are the students happy?

Student is "happy" when he sees progress in himself towards this goal and feels assured that he can understand everything, and he is "unhappy" when this goal seems distant to him or he starts feeling that he can't understand everything.  Continuity of happiness is in realization only.  Commitment and enthusiasm towards the goal keeps the students happy!

Practices of Meditation and Understanding

There is something attractive about the word ‘meditation’.  It conjures up the images of someone sitting silently with eyes closed, unaffected or resolved about the affairs of the world, inward looking, and radiating peace while being connected with something “deeper”.  In today’s stressful materialistic world there are lots of meditation courses available, mostly for a fee.  These practices give relief from the stress of living, assert many people who have gone through these and who regularly practice these.  There are many kinds of meditation practices, each advertising its benefits, each having its niche, some more popular than others.  Some of these are associated with a particular religion while others are more secular in nature.  Many of these practices center around some revered Guru.  Each Guru has a following.  Guru’s capability is normally judged by the number of his followers.  This leads to development of a spiritual market place, where common people do their spiritual shopping, in their efforts of seeking (buying) relief from stresses of living, happy to pay the price for retreating away from the rat race, only to return to it with more vigor!  These spiritual retreats, many of them, make good business from the gullibility of the common people.  There is a lot of mysteriousness associated with meditation.  Let’s try to see if this mysteriousness can be dispelled in the light of Madhyasth Darshan.

Is living really stressful that we need to escape to these retreats regularly and get ourselves “overhauled”?

Materialistic living is stressful.  The cry for relief from this meaningless living is real.  The popular practices of meditation give relief to some extent, but these don’t give the cure, and the need of spiritual retreats continues.  Earlier people used to seek these reliefs in their old age, after retirement.  With increase in psychological stress, the younger people are going for these courses. 

Resolved living is joyous and it is not stressful; therefore a resolved person doesn’t need these retreats for himself.

What is meditation in reality?

In reality, meditation is about being attentive.  Human being is a combined expression of jeevan and body.  Jeevan meditates, or becomes attentive.  Body supports jeevan’s need for being attentive. 

What is the purpose of being attentive?

The purpose of being attentive is resolution.  Our attention is always with that which we accept as our purpose.  If we accept our purpose to be resolution, we become attentive in study for becoming resolved.  If we accept our purpose to be enjoyment, we become attentive for activities which can give enjoyment. 

What is the entity that pays attention (or observes) and what is the object of attention (or the observed reality)?

Jeevan is the entity as observer (of seer), who pays attention.  The object of attention (or the observed reality) is existence (all that is) in the form of coexistence.  Jeevan (self) also is a part of whole existence - therefore "self observation" is a part of this process of study.  Study is to recognize self's purpose and self's worth in the whole existence. Entire observed reality is reflected on jeevan.  Study is the process of paying attention to entire existence that is reflected on self, by using the self's faculties.  Self (jeevan) has the potential of seeing (understanding) the whole.  The process of study is to realize this potential of self.

What do you do with attentiveness in study?

First, be an attentive listener.  The listening is the first step for study.  The purpose of listening is to receive complete information that describes principles of existence, without distortion.  Incorrect or incomplete information would not reach to the desired conclusion.  Second, be attentive to deliberate on what has been listened. It is to keenly observe the validity of the principles of existence in the course of one’s living - at work, in behaviour, in relationships - while they are happening.  The observation of reality is in the present, as it happens.  This meditation is in everyday living, it doesn’t require retreating to mountains!  On the contrary, it requires one to be more alive to one’s living situation, as it is.  Deliberation results in certain conclusions in oneself.  Third, be attentive to directly perceiving the realities and accepting the truth.  Completeness in acceptance of truth results in realization.  There is continuity in attentiveness upon realization in truth.  Prior to realization it takes effort for becoming attentive, after realization attentiveness is effortless.  Realization means being attentive in all dimensions, which is to have all round resolution.

Are the traditional practices of meditation helpful for becoming resolved?

No.  The traditional practices of meditation are not with the objective of resolution.

 

What faculties of jeevan are engaged in study?

The study happens when all faculties of jeevan are engaged.  Study addresses the need of realization in atma and the need of understanding in buddhi, while using the faculties of mun, vritti and chitta. 

The Calling

I had once asked Baba to explain the meaning of the strong impulse or inclination to do something, as the calling or inner voice, that one feels that one has to respond to. Many people give testimony of their having taken big decisions in their lives, to explore the unknown, to lead the life of extremes, because that's what they felt was their calling...  they had to respond to their calling or inner voice.  Is every calling, or the inner voice, genuine?  His answer, as I understood, is as follows:

While intending to evidence all that you understand to be "good" from your tradition, if you have the conviction to do something "better", then that calling should not be denied.

Is every calling essentially the same, or these callings vary from person to person and time to time?

Outwardly one person says that his inner voice is to go and fight corruption, while another person says that he has the calling to go and live in slums to serve the poor, yet another says that he has the calling to become a monk.  These callings or inner voices may not all be what we normally consider as "noble"!  One may have the inner voice to go and conquer the world (like Alexander), or to go on a crusade for his religion, or to become the richest man in one's village.  The flavors of these callings vary and these can take people to completely different directions, and sometimes these end up in frustrating disasters also.  There is a huge gamble associated in blindly following one's inner voice or calling.  We need to understand something more about inner voice or calling.  The religions and great people (like Gandhi ji) have expounded a great deal on the "inner voice" but it has remained mysterious.  Let's try to understand it in the light of Madhyasth Darshan.

Is "inner voice" for real?  Does it exist as a reality?

The "inner voice" and "the calling" is for real.  It exists.

At the root of all these callings and inner voices there is something common, which actually defines a human being.  The calling or the inner voice is the human being's need to know (understand) or inquisitiveness (jigyasa).  This calling is essentially same in every human being. This is the call of 'dharma' or innateness, which distinguishes humankind from animals.  The need to know is not a product of imagination or reasoning - but it gets manifested on imagination.  The manifestation of this need to know on imagination can be different in different human beings - based on their background, place, time etc.  All these manifestations need not be what is normally considered as "noble".

What is the root of this calling or inner voice in a human being?

Human being is a combined expression of jeevan and body.  This calling is not of and from body.  It is of and from jeevan.  This calling is not a figment of imagination either.  This calling is present all the time in every human being, in every jeevan, in the same way - as need of understanding, as need of knowledge, as need of happiness.  These three needs are essentially the same.  This calling or inner voice is jeevan's thirst for fulfillment.  Its root is in atma.  This inner voice gets interpreted by imagination (mun, vritti and chitta).  There is a possibility of misinterpretation here.  The purpose of education is to guide and inspire students for correctly interpreting this inner voice and thereby addressing the need of understanding, need of knowledge and need of happiness.

So the "inner voice" is a need for answer and not the answer itself, and one cannot follow it blindly...

Yes.  This need is there apriori in every human being.  The answer is not there apriori...  Answers for every dimension of living are understood by way of education, upbringing, tradition - from "the world" so to say...  If the answers were there apriori, there wouldn't have been any need of the world!

Jeevan (self) has the need to know its rightful place in the whole of existence.

What means does a human being have to satisfy this need?

Imagination is the link in every human being for understanding.  Education is the path for achieving understanding.  Education makes the world comprehensible to student, so that he can relate with the world, and live harmoniously in it.

How does education work?

The process of education addresses human imagination.  Meaningful education inspires and guides human imagination to align it with one's inner voice.  This alignment requires understanding (bodh) of reality.  Unless the understanding (in buddhi) becomes complete, the alignment of imagination (mun, vritti and chitta) with inner voice (of atma) does not become complete.  Completeness of understanding (bodh) results in realization (anubhav) in atma.  Education happens when realized teacher and inquisitive student come together.  Education is an act of grace by teacher.  The relationship of teacher and student is the most sacred.  Teacher explains reality to the student.  Student infers the meaning of what he hears from teacher and tries to recognize reality around and about himself.  The education culminates in student's achieving realization and becoming as capable as the teacher.  This capability is in the form of living with self reliance or living with humanness - by being in harmony within self, in family, with society, and with nature.

If I respond to my inner voice, wouldn't I face resistance from my environment?

Inner voice indicates the natural expectation for completeness which is present in every human being.  This is the reason, no human being can deny completeness. When one genuinely starts pursuing completeness, one starts getting confirmation and support from one's environment.  This happens spontaneously.

Vikalp - English Translation

Translation of Vikalp in English is now available for download.

Madhyasth Darshan Essentials

Madhyasth Darshan can be completely described under the following five headings:-

1.  Coexistence (sah-astitva)

2.  Evolution of Material Nature (vikas kram)

3. Conscious Nature (vikas)

4. Evolution of Conscious Nature (jagruti kram)

5. Awakening (jagruti)

In the following paragraphs we will try to study the essential postulations under these five headings.

1.  Coexistence (sah-astitva): - There are only two realities in existence - Space and units (matter).  Space is pervasive, transparent and permeating.  Units, infinite in number, are saturated in Space.  Existence is coexistence.  Space is non-activity while units (of matter) in Space are continuously active.  The activity of units is purposeful.  This purposeful activity of units (also called as nature) is called orderliness.  Units (or nature) are purposeful, they have movement, and they have constitution.  The units are of two kinds - material and conscious.  Material units is the entire physio-chemical world - as atoms, molecules and their mortal compositions.  Conscious units are as constitutionally complete atoms, which express consciousness.  Material nature itself transcends into conscious status.  Both material nature and conscious nature evidence evolution.  Coexistence is the underlying law of nature.

2. Evolution of Material Nature (vikas kram): - Entire perceivable world is material nature - the rivers, the hills, clouds, the planets, solar system, galaxies, stones, soil, metals, plants, trees, ...  This natural grandeur is the result of the ceaseless and purposeful activity of material nature, as numerous statuses in evolution, each linked to the previous one.  Evolution of material nature is not a chance occurrence and it is not a result of some struggle or competition.  Evolution of material nature is the evidence of nature's longing or intent for completeness due to its being saturated in the complete-state Space.  Each successive stage of evolution is complementary for previous stages and each previous stage of evolution is useful for successive stages.  The evolution of material nature is spontaneous as against being induced.  The bodies of all living beings are also composed of material nature.  The living beings are combined expression of material nature and conscious nature.  Material nature is mortal, i.e. it has the cycle of formation, continuation and decomposition.  Material Nature comprises of two evolution stages - material order and pranic order.  The pranic order has the distinction from material order in terms of its having pulsation (breathing) and ability to reproduce or grow.

3. Conscious Nature (vikas): - Consciousness is expressed by conscious nature (or jeevan), which is in the form of constitutionally complete atoms.  Each conscious atom (jeevan) is an inseparable combination of mun, vritti, chitta, buddhi and atma - wherein atma is the nucleus and the buddhi, chitta, vritti and mun are the successive orbits around it.  These together express the conscious forces and strengths.  Consciousness gets expressed in the living of animals and humans.  Jeevan has the ability and need to see or understand.  Consciousness is the expression of the extent to which jeevan is able to see (understand).  The completeness in the ability to see (understand) is a need and possibility in human being, which is called as realization (anubhav).

4.  Evolution of Conscious Nature (jagruti kram): - The intent of completeness is not just in material nature, it is in conscious nature also.  Therefore, the conscious nature also evidences evolution.  The distinction of evolution in conscious nature from the evolution in material nature is - the conscious nature undergoes qualitative change without constitutional change in the course of evolution, while material nature undergoes both qualitative change along with constitutional change.  Numerous species are evidences of successive qualitative change in conscious nature.  Animals evidence jeevan's living according to the design of body - which is in the form of instinctual living.  Jeevan's activities in human living do not remain confined to the design of body, and jeevan has the expression of imagination and freewill.  The imagination is the seed form of evolution in conscious nature.  Imagination seeks fulfillment.  Imagination has the natural tendency of deriving meaning or inferring from what gets impressed on it.  It is imagination which qualifies human being to be in knowledge order.   The inference in imagination becomes aligned with reality of existence as a result of meaningful education, as accomplishment of understanding and thereby realization happens in jeevan.  Thereafter jeevan starts manifesting realization centered living - which is called as awakening.

5. Awakening (jagruti): - Awakening is manifestation of undivided society and universal orderliness - which is the grandeur of humanness, godliness and divinity.  Awakening is the destination of existence.  The existence can be studied only from this reference of completeness.  The living of an awakened human being - as conduct of humanness - is the reference or destination for evolution of nature.  It is upon awakening that a human being becomes able to discern between delusion and awakening.  Humankind's living without understanding of existence itself is delusion.  Madhyasth Darshan is a studiable proposal for humankind's awakening.

Manav Anubhav Darshan

English Translation of Manav Anubhav Darshan is now available for download.

Destination and Path

It is very important to know the destination.  Where is it all headed?  What is the purpose of it all?  Or does existence (including my own existence) have no direction or purpose?  I have often wondered why Baba always keeps talking of the destination and not so much about the path to it?  The destination is the reference for movement (as path) from wherever we may be.  Building the clarity about the destination itself is the path.  Like a pole star for the sea travelers, the reference of destination guides the students (seekers of truth)...

Madhyasth Darshan proclaims that at the fundamental level existence is orderly and purposeful.  Existence has evolved and is evolving for a definite purpose, and that purpose is to realize "undivided society and universal orderliness".  "Undivided Society and Universal Orderliness" is the destination of existence - all that is.  Existence - every piece of stone, every blade of grass, every living being - is ceaselessly working towards this destination.

Some elaboration is required for the meaning of "undivided society" and "universal orderliness".  Society is a collective expression of human beings.  Many families form a society.  Undivided Society is the manifestation of trust in humankind, as absence of fear.  Trust among human families can happen if each family is orderly within itself - as living with resolution and prosperity.  Universal Orderliness is the manifestation of harmony in all four evolution stages of nature, wherein each more evolved stage is complementary to the less evolved stages and each less evolved stage is useful for the more evolved stages.  Universal Orderliness would be in the form of tradition, which would have continuity.

This destination of "undivided society - universal orderliness" can be achieved at the level of a planet.  Earth can achieve the destination of "undivided society and universal orderliness".  Each presentation of Darshan draws attention to this innate purpose of existence.  Human beings, we, need to see (understand) this purpose and be rooted in that understanding, so that Earth as a planet becomes sustainable for all four natural orders.

The specifics of the path will vary from person to person, place to place and time to time - while destination for all of us is the same.

It is a big relief to have a fixed and clear destination!  Now we can evaluate every step of our lives, whether it is going to take us closer to our destination or it will take us farther away from it.  We can also evaluate every reasoning and justification that we come across, and see whether it is in support of this destination or it is opposed or unconcerned with it?  It simplifies the living a great deal when we have a clear demarcation between what is necessary and what is unnecessary.

अर्थ का बोध

State of Being

The inference of a human being is not of more than what exists.  While human being has a sense of the state of being (existence), in the absence of clear reasoning and realization there is incompleteness in his knowledge and lack (or sense of lacking) in his material accomplishments, as a result he suspects the state of being (existence).

- From English Translation of "Manav Anubhav Darshan" by Shree A. Nagraj

Pace of Understanding

Understanding is a natural process and it takes time.  There is no comparison of this process with other natural processes like growing of a tree, filling of a jar with water, learning of a language, etc...  It is the process of qualitative change in self (jeevan), which results in consciousness development.

I think, each student has his own pace of understanding.  The teacher can inspire the student, but the pace of understanding is student's personal, it can't be forced on him.  The student needs to recognize his pace, and move with his own pace, firmly and resolutely.  One need not do any idealistic excesses for increasing this pace...  For the simple reason - these excesses do not work!  There is no need to glorify such foolhardy excesses, because this undue glorification can be misleading.

The evolution of nature is gradual, it has a sense of fluidity, each evolution stage gently morphs into the next evolution stage. Perhaps consciousness development process would also be like a gradual morphing...

I think, after a stage, there is a need to let go...

Personal Responsibility

I am so quick to shun responsibility for anything that has not gone right about me.  I blame my parents, spouse, systems, politicians, corruption, religion, tradition for my misfortunes.  What am I responsible for?  What is my personal responsibility for things that are happening to me and around me?  When all fingers start pointing towards me, including my own, I am not left with any place to escape.  Understanding becomes my real need only after becoming cornered thus.

जीना

"जीवन विद्या जीने के लिए है, केवल बोलने के लिए नहीं" - बाबा इस बात पर बारम्बार ध्यान दिलाते हैं।  फिर भी इसका महत्त्व पूरी तरह अभी समझ नहीं आया है।  विद्या को बोलना आ जाना पर्याप्त नहीं है, इसको जीना ही पर्याप्त है।  अपनी विद्वता से दूसरों को प्रभावित करने की दौड़ में अपना जीना कहीं छूट जाता है।  सच बात तो यह है जिनको हम प्रभावित करने के लिए दौड़ रहे होते हैं, उनका वास्तव में हमारे जीने से कोई मतलब भी नहीं होता।  जिनको हमारे जीने से मतलब होता है, उनको हमारे बोलने से ज्यादा मतलब नहीं होता। 

The Story of Evolution

The material order with movement has continuous change in the form of relativity.

The material order with movement and change itself transforms into pranic cells of pranic order upon attaining qualitative change.  The pranic cells are occupied in doing composition as a result of getting the environment, own potential, and circumstances.  These pranic cells themselves are evident in the form of greenery.

The body structure of animals and their want of living vary according to environment.  This process results in many statuses of instinctual living.

Whichever body form jeevan accepts as its medium, it remains occupied in experience activities through that, while imagining getting more enjoyment than that.

Human body has emerged in the same course of evolution.  Further evolution than human body is not possible.  The continuity of happiness is not there in collecting more materials than what can be consumed.  Along with this, it has also been known that realization in Brahman itself is the continuity of bliss.

While body forms of animals and humans are largely similar, there are certain specialities in sense organs of humans compared to animals.  Every jeevan of knowledge order makes use of such body for production, behaviour, use, and consumption according to its wants, thoughts, desires and understanding – accordingly it undergoes change and refinement in its thoughts.  In this course of change and refinement in thoughts it becomes aspirant of realization and endeavours for the same.  These inquisitiveness and endeavours result in qualitative change in self, as realization.

Nature is saturated in Brahman.  Based on comparative evolution in nature, less evolved nature manifests itself for use of more evolved and more evolved nature guides the evolution of less evolved.  The more evolved nature signals for qualitative development and less evolved nature signals for its usefulness.  All round resolution is the purpose of expression of awakened human being, the feeling and semblance of which is necessary to happen in the one who is to be awakened.

- Excerpts from English Translation of "Manav Anubhav Darshan" by Shree A. Nagraj.

Source of Truth

Question:  Do I have a "source of truth" inside me, which I can look within for answers and guidance in any situation of my life?

Answer:  Not the source of truth, each human being has the source of understanding truth in the form of imagination.  Imagination has the natural expectation of understanding truth.  Each human being can study and achieve realization, and thereby become a resource of resolution.  

Question: Is prosperity the "feeling" that I get from my being definite about material needs and being satisfied in having only that much?

Answer:  Prosperity is not just about being definitive about material needs, and obtaining those material objects anyhow!  Prosperity results only from hard work.

Question: What is the purpose of human existence?

Answer:  Realization.  Realization is the purpose of human being's existence.

Question:  What is valuation?

Answer: Valuation is to appreciate the value innate to every reality in existence.

Question:  I don't understand Hindi language to follow the books you have written.  Is it enough if I attended Jeevan Vidya shivirs and meet with those people who are associated with Jeevan Vidya?

Answer:  No.  Speaking Jeevan Vidya is not the same as living Jeevan Vidya.  It is not enough to attend Jeevan Vidya Shivirs to understand Jeevan Vidya.  Study is necessary.  Those who are living this understanding, are capable of imparting it to others.

- Based on dialogue of Shree A. Nagraj with Ashok Ram (Tirupathi), (August 2012, Abhyudaya Sansthan, Achhoti)

सम्वाद

अभ्यास, अध्ययन

Source: अभ्यास दर्शन, - 2^nd Edition, पृष्ठ 133, 175  (Text below will be incorporated in Edition #3, it has been modified from the existing one in Edition #2) - Shriram Narasimhan

अभ्यास, अध्ययन

अध्ययन जागृति के अर्थ में चरितार्थ होता है| यह मानवीयतापूर्ण जीवन के साथ आरम्भ होता है जो श्रवण, मनन एवं निदिध्यासन पूर्वक चरितार्थ होता है| जीवन चरितार्थता ही आचरणपूर्णता है| अध्ययन शास्त्राध्ययन, उपदेश एवं स्व-प्रेरणा का योगफल है| इन सब में प्रामाणिकता का होना अनिवार्य है|  जीवन के कार्यक्रम का आधार ही अध्ययन है | अध्ययन, श्रवण, मनन, निदिध्यासन की संयुक्त प्रक्रिया है| शास्त्राध्ययन, श्रवण एवं मनन ही अध्ययन के लिए अभ्यास है| अध्ययन के लिए मन को लगाना ही अभ्यास है| योगाभ्यास का तात्पर्य अभ्यास एवं अध्ययन से है|

श्रवण का तात्पर्य भास होने से है | भास होने का तात्पर्य परम सत्य रुपी सह-अस्तित्व कल्पना में होना, वाचन व श्रवण भाषा के अर्थ रूप में सत्य स्वीकार होना है| शोध विधि पूर्वक मनन प्रक्रिया में मानवीयतापूर्ण जीवन के अनंतर न्याय धर्म सत्य रूपी वांछित वस्तु देश एवं तत्व में चित्त-वृत्तियों का संयंत होना पाया जाता है| संयत होने पर पूर्णाधिकार के अनंतर श्रवण के सारभूत भाग में अथवा वांछित भाग में चित्त-वृत्ति का केन्द्रीभूत होना पाया जाता है| यही मनन है| मनन का तात्पर्य निष्ठा एवं ध्यान से है| मनन प्रक्रिया में आभास होता है जिसमे न्याय धर्म सत्य दृष्टि से तुलन होता है| आभास का तात्पर्य भाषा सहित अर्थ अस्तित्व में वस्तु रूप में स्वीकार होना, अर्थ संगति होने के लिए तर्क का प्रयोग होना, अर्थ वस्तु के रूप में स्पष्ट तथा स्वीकार होना फलस्वरूप तर्क संगत होना है| अध्ययन विधि में मनन पूर्वक ही ‘तदाकार’ होना पाया जाता हैं जिससे साक्षात्कार होता हैं, एवं बुद्धि में न्याय धर्म सत्य रूपी प्रतीति होती है| यही निदिध्यास है| निदिध्यास का तात्पर्य अर्थ की निरंतरता होने से है| साक्षात्कार पूर्वक बुद्धि में स्वीकारने की विधि ही अध्ययन है| इसके पूर्व में किया गया क्रियाकलाप अध्ययन के लिए अभ्यास है| प्रतीति का तात्पर्य तर्क संगत विधि से सहअस्तित्व रूपी वस्तु बोध होने से है| अर्थ अस्तित्व में वस्तु के रूप में समझ में आना ही प्रतीति है|

अध्ययन विधि में निश्चित अवधारणा की स्थापन प्रक्रिया ही निदिध्यास है | बुद्धि में होने वाली बोध ही अवधारणा हैं जो मन, वृत्ति, चित्त में भास, आभास, साक्षात्कार से अधिक स्थिर होते हैं अथवा वस्तु स्थिति सत्य, वस्तुगत सत्य,स्थिति सत्य –सत्य बोध सहज यथावत जानने-मानने की बोध क्रिया ही अवधारणा है| अवधारणा ही अनुमान की पराकाष्ठा एवं अनुभव के लिए उन्मुखता हैं | अवधारणा के अनंतर ही अनुभव होता है |

ध्येय के अर्थ मात्र में अर्थात ध्येय के मूल्य में चित्त-वृत्ति एवं संकल्प का निमग्न होना ही सत्तामयता में अनुभूति (अनुभव) है | यही तदरूप अवस्था में होने का तात्पर्य है| यही अभ्यास एवं अध्ययन की सर्वोत्कृष्ट उपलब्धि है | अनुभव का तात्पर्य सत्ता में अनुभूतिमयता की निरंतरता या अक्षुणणता है | अक्षुणणता प्रत्येक क्रियाकलाप एवं कार्यक्रम में भी स्थिर होने के अर्थ में है | यही भ्रम मुक्ति है | अनुभव में होना ही केंद्रीकृत ध्यान एवं सहज निष्ठा है, यही निदिध्यासन की अक्षुणणता है|

अध्ययन पूर्णतया सामाजिक एवं व्यवहारिक है| अव्यवहारिकता एवं असामाजिकता पूर्वक अध्ययन होना संभव नहीं है| मानवीयता के अनंतर ही अभ्युदय का उदय होता है| पूर्णता पर्यंत इस उदय का अभाव नहीं है| उदय एवं अभ्यास का योगफल ही गुणात्मक परिवर्तन हैं जो योगाभ्यास (अभ्यास, अध्ययन) पूर्वक चरितार्थ होता है|

व्यायाम, आसान व प्राणायाम योगाभ्यास के लिए सहायक है| शरीर का स्वेछानुरूप उपयोग करने, स्वस्थ रखने के लिए ये प्रक्रियाएं आवश्यक हैं| वातावरण, अभ्यास के लिए सहज उपलब्धि हैं| कृत्रिम वातावरण ही अतिप्रभावशाली है, जिसका निर्माण मानव ही करता है| कृत्रिम वातावरण के लिए शिक्षा एवं व्यवस्था प्रधान तत्व है| प्रकाशन, प्रदर्शन व प्रचार भी उसी के अनुरूप संपन्न होता है | विपरीत वातावरण अर्थात अमानवीय वातावरण में योगाभ्यास (अभ्यास-अध्ययन) होने के लिए स्वयं मानवीयता से परिपूर्ण होना अनिवार्य हो जाता है | ऐसे स्थितियों में यह साधनों में गण्य है | अध्ययन का पूर्व साधन अथवा मूल साधन मानवीयता ही है |

अनुभव एवं समाधान दोनों ही न होने की स्थिति में अध्ययन नहीं है| यह केवल निराधार कल्पना है | जो अध्ययन नहीं हैं, वह मानवीयता को प्रकट करने में समर्थ नहीं है| इसी सत्यातावश मानव समाधान एवं अनुभूति योग्य अध्ययन से परिपूर्ण होने के लिए बाध्य हुआ है | यह बाध्यता मानवीयता पूर्ण पद्धति से सफल अन्यथा असफल है | मानवीयतापूर्ण जीवन में वैचारिक समत्व स्वभावत:सिद्ध होता हैं जिसमे कायिक अवं वाचिक समत्व प्रत्यक्ष होता है| स्थापित मूल्यानुभूती एवं उसकी निरंतरता ही योगाभ्यास की अर्थवत्ता है| चैतन्य प्रकृति में ही अनुभव योग्य क्षमता अभ्यास एवं अध्ययन पूर्वक स्थापित होती है| ये सब चैतन्य इकाई में होने वाले अविभाज्य क्रियाएँ हैं|

सुखी हो के करना बनाम करके सुखी होना

सामान्यतः हम सभी मानवों का "करने" की तरफ रुझान ज्यादा है.  हम लोग इस बात के लिए बहुत जल्दी करते हैं - चलो इसे शुरू करो, इसे बंद करो, इसे बदलो...  इसके मूल में हम सबकी यह मान्यता है कि यदि हम कुछ शुरू करेंगे, कुछ बंद करेंगे, या कुछ बदलेंगे तो हम सुखी हो जायेंगे.  इस तरह हम हर समय "करके सुखी होने" का प्रयास कर रहे होते हैं.  इस तरह हम अपने सुख को अपने से दूर भविष्य में सरका देते हैं - कर लेने के बाद, करने के फल आने के बाद हमको सुख मिलेगा, ऐसा सोच लेते हैं.  इस तरह सुख हमारे लिए एक "आदर्श" बन जाता है.  सुख को लेकर भौतिकवादी नजरिया कोई भिन्न नहीं है.  उसमे भी कहा है - तुमको संघर्ष "करना" पड़ेगा सुविधा और भोग रुपी "सुख" को पाने के लिए!  "करके सुखी होने" वाले आदर्शवादी और भौतिकवादी तरीके काम नहीं कर रहे.

इस बारे में हमको अच्छे से स्पष्ट होने की ज़रूरत है कि - "करने" में सुख नहीं है.

मध्यस्थ दर्शन (जीवन विद्या) में "करके सुखी होने" के स्थान पर "सुखी होके करने" का विकल्प प्रस्तावित है.  आइये इसको समझने का प्रयास करें.

मानव के हर कर्म के मूल में जीवन का होना अनिवार्य है.  जीवन ही सभी कर्मों का "कर्ता" है.  शरीर जीवन का "करने" के लिए साधन है.  सुख की अपेक्षा जीवन में है, न कि शरीर में.  जीवन अपनी समझ या नासमझी को अपने "करने" में प्रकट करता है.

समझदारी के फलस्वरूप जीवन में जो समाधान उद्गमित होता है - वही सुख है.  नासमझी (समझ के अभाव में) के चलते जीवन में जो समस्या उद्गमित होता है - वही दुःख है.

अब इस बात का कैसे निर्णय करें - "समझदारी" क्या है और "नासमझी" क्या है?  "समाधान" क्या है और "समस्या" क्या है?

यह एक महत्त्वपूर्ण प्रश्न है, क्योंकि हर आदमी किसी आयु के बाद स्वयं को समझदार मान  लेता है, कोई अपने को "नासमझ"नहीं मानता.  कोई भी आदमी जब कुछ "करना" शुरू करता है तो उस समय ऐसा वह मान करके चलता है कि वह अपने करने से "समस्या" पैदा नहीं कर रहा.

"समझदारी" क्या है और "नासमझी" क्या है - यह भेद वह व्यक्ति कर सकता है जिसने वास्तविकता जैसी है, उसकी समझ हासिल कर ली हो.

"समाधान" क्या है और "समस्या"क्या है - यह भेद वह व्यक्ति कर सकता है जो अपने जीने के हर मोड मुद्दे पर स्वयं समाधानित हो.

इस तरह हम यहाँ चेतना के दो स्तरों की बात कर रहे हैं...  चेतना का एक स्तर वह है - जहां समझ का अभाव है और हर आयाम में समस्याएं ही समस्याएं है.  चेतना का दूसरा स्तर वह है - जहां समझ है और सर्वतोमुखी समाधान है.  पहले चेतना के स्तर को "जीव चेतना" कहा, दूसरे वाले को "मानव चेतना" कहा.

मानव चेतना में जीने वाला एक मानव का सत्यापन है - "समझदारी से संपन्न होते ही मुझ से निरंतर समाधान उद्गमित हो रहा है.  समाधान ही सुख है.  मैं जो भी करता हूँ, सुख पूर्वक करता हूँ.  मैं अपने कर्मों के फलों के प्रति निश्चित हूँ क्योंकि मैं अस्तित्व के नियमों को समझा हूँ, अनुभव किया हूँ, जीता हूँ."

इस सत्यापन को सुनने के बाद स्वयं में यह विचार आएगा ही कि मैं चेतना के किस स्तर पर जी रहा हूँ?  स्वयं को मानव चेतना के योग्य न पाने पर स्वयं में क्षोभ होना स्वाभाविक है.  इस क्षोभ का निराकरण कैसे हो, इस के लिए फिर शोध स्वयं में अपने आप से उद्गमित होता है.

इस शोध से जो मुझे अभी तक समझ आया है, वह निम्न प्रकार से है: -

प्रत्येक मानव में सुख की सहज अपेक्षा है, जो कि उसकी समझ के लिए आवश्यकता है.  समझ हासिल होने के पहले मानव सबकुछ "सुखी होने के लिए करता है"  ऐसे "करके सुखी होने" के प्रयास समस्या या दुःख को ही बढ़ावा देते हैं.  जब मानव समझ को हासिल कर लेता है तो वह सबकुछ "सुखी होके करता है", जिससे मानवीय व्यवस्था स्थापित होती है या मानवीय व्यवस्था को बढ़ावा मिलता है.  इस तरह, समझदारी हर मानव की प्राथमिक आवश्यकता है.

प्रश्न: समझदारी आवश्यक है - यह तो स्वीकार होता है.  लेकिन क्या मेरे पास वह सब है जो समझ को हासिल करने के लिए चाहिए?

उत्तर: हाँ, हर मानव में समझ को हासिल करने के लिए स्त्रोत कल्पनाशीलता के रूप में बना हुआ है.  कल्पनाशीलता में सूचना से अर्थ को अन्वेषण करने का सहज गुण है.  कल्पनाशीलता ही मानव को जीवों से भिन्न बनाती है.  समझ तब हासिल होती है जब कल्पनाशीलता वास्तविकता के अनुरूप हो जाए.  मानव की कल्पनाशीलता में तृप्ति की प्यास है.  मानव की कल्पनाशीलता की तृप्ति समझ में है.

प्रश्न: समझने के लिए क्या "करें"?

उत्तर: अध्ययन.  कल्पनाशीलता को वास्तविकता पर ध्यान देने के लिए नियोजित किया जाए.  एक व्यक्ति जो समझा है, वह दूसरे व्यक्ति को समझा सकता है.  समझा हुआ व्यक्ति "अध्यापक" है, समझना चाहने वाला व्यक्ति "विद्यार्थी" है.  अध्यापक (प्रमाणित) और विद्यार्थी (जिज्ञासु) के संयोग में अध्ययन होता है, जिसके फलन में विद्यार्थी भी अध्यापक जैसे समझ जाता है.

अध्ययन सही मायनों में "करना" नहीं होता, "देखना" होता है.  यह वास्तविकताओं को समग्रता के साथ देखने की बात है.  वास्तविकताओं का दर्शन होना ही समझ है, जिसके फलस्वरूप अनुभव होता है.

प्रश्न: जब तक समझ नहीं आ जाता, तब तक क्या "करें"?

उत्तर: "करना" कहीं रुकता नहीं है.  समझने में समय लगता ही है.  जब तक पूरा समझ में आ जाए, तब तक जितना समझे उसके अनुरूप अपनी जीवन शैली को ढालने का काम कर सकते हैं.  अध्यापक समझदारी पूर्वक जीने के मॉडल स्वरूप में उपलब्ध रहता है.  इस तरह विद्यार्थी अध्यापक का अनुकरण कर सकता है.  इसमें हर विद्यार्थी की अपनी गति होगी, अपना डिजाईन होगा, उसकी परिस्थितियों के अनुसार.  सभी एक ही गति से, एक ही डिजाईन में नहीं बदलेंगे.

प्रश्न: मैं अपने समझने की गति को कैसे बढ़ा सकता हूँ?

उत्तर: समझने की गति को विद्यार्थी तय करता है, न कि अध्यापक.  अध्यापक अपने समझ में स्थिर रहता है और विद्यार्थी की जिज्ञासा के अनुसार उत्तर देता है.  जिज्ञासा वह है, जिसका उत्तर न होने की पीड़ा विद्यार्थी में हो.  जिज्ञासा वह है जो मानव के सार्वभौम लक्ष्य के लिए हो.

प्रश्न: मैं समझ गया हूँ या नहीं, इसका मैं कैसे पता कर सकता हूँ?

उत्तर: स्वयं में सुख की निरंतरता समझ की पहली निशानी है.  हर व्यक्ति समझने पर अपने समझे होने और सुखी होने का सत्यापन कर सकता है.  मेरे समझे होने का कोई दूसरा सत्यापन नहीं कर सकता.  समझे होने की दूसरी निशानी है - व्यवहार में सामरस्यता और प्रकृति के साथ संतुलन.  समझे होने की तीसरी निशानी है - दूसरे को समझा देने में सफल होना.  सबसे बड़ी दिक्कत है, हम समझे नहीं रहते हैं फिर भी अपने को समझा हुआ मान लिए रहते हैं.  इससे बचने का उपाय है - अध्यापक के साथ अध्ययन में अपनी प्रगति का समय समय पर विस्तृत मूल्यांकन करते रहना.  अध्ययन पूरा होने तक अध्यापक एक मार्गदर्शक के रूप में उपलब्ध रहता है.  अध्ययन पूरा होने पर विद्यार्थी आत्म-निर्भर हो जाता है और अध्यापक के प्रति कृतज्ञता के साथ जीता है.  यदि आत्म-निर्भर नहीं हुए हैं या कृतज्ञता को नहीं जी पा रहे हैं - इसका मतलब हम अभी पूरा समझे नहीं हैं.

Doing with Happiness versus Doing for Happiness

We humans are biased for action, for doing.  We are too quick to get going, do something, start something, stop something, change something...  At the root of this bias is our belief that if we get going, if we do that thing, if we start that thing, if we stop that thing, if we change that thing - we will become happy.  In this way, we are always "doing for happiness".  In this way, we are postponing our "happiness" for later, until after we have done, until after the results of our actions have come.  So happiness becomes an "ideal" for us.  Materialistic stand about happiness is no different...  It also says that you need to "do" (struggle) for "happiness" (enjoyment or fun).  Let's face it, idealistic or materialistic approaches of "doing for happiness" are not working!

Let's be very clear that happiness is not in doing something, anything for that matter!

Madhyasth Darshan (Jeevan Vidya) presents an alternative to "doing for happiness", which is "doing with happiness".  Let's try to understand it!

At the root of every human action, jeevan (the conscious unit) has to be there.  Jeevan is the "doer" of all actions.  Body is the tool of jeevan for its "doing" in a life span.  The expectation of happiness is there in jeevan, and not in body.  Jeevan manifests its "understanding" (or lack of it) in its "doing".

The resolution that emerges in jeevan from understanding itself is happiness!  The problem (or lack of resolution) that emerges from lack of understanding itself is misery!

How do we be clear about what is "understanding" and what is "lack of understanding"?  What is "resolution" and what is "problem"?

This is a very important question, because every human being after certain age considers himself to be having the understanding that's needed for his living.  Every human being begins "doing" in any situation with the belief that he is fully resolved about that situation.

The demarcation of what is "understanding" from what is "lack of understanding" can be done by a human being who has achieved the understanding of reality the way it is.

The demarcation of what is "resolution" from what is "problem" can be done by a human being who is resolved in all dimensions of his living.

So we are talking about two planes of consciousness here...  One plane of consciousness is with lack of understanding and is marred with problems.  And the other plane of consciousness is with understanding and all round resolution.  The former is called "animal consciousness" and latter is called "human consciousness".

A human being living in human consciousness testifies that resolution emerges in his self (jeevan) continuously ever since he achieved the understanding.  This resolution itself is happiness, he goes on to say.  He says that he does everything with happiness.  He doesn't feel the need for surrendering the results of his actions to God or some probability.  He says, that I am definite of the outcomes of my actions - because I have understood and I am rooted in the laws of existence.

OK, that's Him, what's in it for Me - who according to above description doesn't quite make it for the human consciousness!  This indignation or doubt is bound to arise in us sooner or later.

Its answer, as I have understood thus far is as follows:-

Every human being has natural expectation of happiness, which is his existential need for understanding.       Human being does everything for happiness, until he has understood - which perpetuates problems and misery.  Once he has understood, he does everything with happiness - which establishes and furthers orderliness.  In this way, understanding becomes the primary need of every human being who has not yet understood.

OK, I concede that I need to understand, but do I have what it takes to understand?

Yes, every human being has the ability to imagine, which is all that it is needed for understanding.  Imagination has the ability of deciphering the meaning from the information.  Imagination is what distinguishes human being from animals.  If humans seem to be doing anything different from animals, it is because of their natural ability of imagination.  Understanding is when imagination becomes aligned or attuned with the reality of existence.  Human imagination seeks fulfillment.  The fulfillment of human imagination is in understanding.

OK, what do I need to "do" for understanding?

Study.  Imagination can be used for studying, which is about paying attention to the reality.  The one who has understood can impart this understanding to others.  Therefore, the one who has understood is a teacher and the one who wants to understand is a student.  Study happens in the union of teacher and student, and it culminates in student's achieving the understanding, like his teacher.

Study is not really about "doing", it is actually about "seeing".  It is seeing the realities holistically.  Holistic view of realities is understanding, which results in realization.

OK, then what do I "do", until I have "understood"?

Doing never stops.  It takes time for understanding.  Until one has understood, one can "do" for gradually aligning one's living according to understanding.  The model of living with understanding is teacher himself.  In this way, a student can follow the footsteps of his teacher.  The pace of alignment of living will vary from student to student, based on the student's circumstances, background etc.  Consciousness development is a wound-less process.

OK, how can I increase the pace of my study?

The pace of study is determined by the student, and not the teacher.  Teacher remains anchored in his understanding and answers based on the inquisitiveness of the student.  True inquisitiveness is that for which the student suffers.  Inquisitiveness is not about gathering answers to trivia questions.  Inquisitiveness in student determines his pace.

OK, how will I know if I have understood?

Continuity of happiness is the first benchmark of having understood.  Each human being can tell for himself if he is happy, when he becomes happy.  The evidence of having understood will reflect in one's behaviour with others and in one's occupation with rest of the nature.  The evidence of having understood would also be in imparting the understanding to others.  The biggest difficulty is that we prematurely believe ourselves as having understood, while in reality we have not fully understood.  In order to avoid this trap, the student has a way - which is to do continuous and comprehensive evaluation of his progress in study with his teacher.  Until the study completes, the teacher is available to guide, correct and coach by being a role model.  After the study completes, the student becomes on his own (or self reliant), and lives with a sense of gratitude towards his teacher.  If a student has not become on his own (or self reliant) or doesn't live with gratitude towards his teacher, it is a sure indication that he has not understood yet.

Sensory experience and Receptivity for Knowledge

Human being is known to have both sensory experience and receptivity for knowledge.

Receptivity for knowledge is the initial form of realization. Sensory experience is the initial form of bodily enjoyments.

Sensory experience of enjoyment is in, from, and for material aspect only. The receptivity that desires realization is in truth only.

The movement towards awakening is when receptivity for knowledge becomes more than the expectation of experience from the senses. As its opposite, the tendency in sensory enjoyments (becoming more than receptivity for knowledge) is a trait of delusion and deterioration.

Human being expresses sensory experience and receptivity for knowledge through the activities of five sense organs. The receptivity for knowledge through sense organs also achieves realization in human being upon understanding.

- Excerpt from translation of "Manav Anubhav Darshan" by Shree A. Nagraj.

Path for Completeness and Independence

Conscious unit (jeevan) has activity of wants, thoughts, and desires, and refinement and alteration in these conscious activities is also evident.  Until jeevan attains the potential, capability and readiness worthy of realization in Truth, there exists a succession of maturation, refinement and alteration towards awakening, which is the path for completeness and independence (self dependence).

Human being’s ultimate awakening is manifested in the form of his doing production while adhering to natural laws, his behaviour with justice in society, his thoughts with resolution in self, and his attaining the potential of realization in the Omnipotence.  These are the perceivable traits of independence (self dependence).

- Excerpt from translation of "Manav Anubhav Darshan" by Shree A. Nagraj.

Jeevan Vidya - Ek Parichaya (English Translation)

English Translation of "Jeevan Vidya - Ek Parichaya" is now available.

It can be downloaded from here.

Absoluteness and Relativity

Being (existence) of a unit of nature is absolute.  A unit of nature can't be taken away from the Space in which it exists.  Units of nature have inseparable presence in Space. Space is the energy in which units of nature exist, or are eternally and inseparably present, and this eternal presence or being requires these units to have inexhaustible energy, which is Space itself.

A unit is not alone.  No unit is alone.  Each unit of nature is a constitution of sub-units ad-infinitum.  Relativity is within the constituents of every unit.  Relativity is also there among units.

In this way, a unit has both absoluteness and relativity.  Absoluteness is its potential (which is same as purpose and innateness), while relativity is its manifestation (which is same as its effect).

Relativity is not possible without absoluteness.  Absoluteness has no evidence without manifestation in relativity.

Units could be material or conscious.  Both material and conscious units express absoluteness and relativity in their presence.  Relativity can be measured partially.  Absoluteness can't be measured at all, it can only be understood.

Here it may help to contrast above proposals of Madhyasth Darshan with those of Idealism and Materialism.  Idealism dismisses relativity as unreal.  Materialism dismisses absoluteness as unreal.  Madhyasth Darshan postulates coexistence of absolute (Space) and relative (nature), therefore units of nature have both absoluteness and relativity.

Human being (You and I) too is a unit of nature - who has both absoluteness and relativity aspect to himself. Human being has purpose and innateness as his absoluteness.  Human being expresses relativity in his personality (day to day living).  Human being is a unit of knowledge order, so he requires to understand to be rooted in his absoluteness, and only then does he become capable of realizing harmony in his personality (relativity aspect).  Rest of the nature, other than human beings, naturally evidence their presence as coexistence of absoluteness and relativity.

Awakened human being evidences absoluteness of Space in his living.  Rest of the nature are successive statuses linked towards this evolution and give partial evidence of absoluteness of Space.  Awakened human being is the reference of evolution in nature.

Values, Tradition and Technology

Technology is typically not something we consider alongside Values and Tradition.  Technology is typically considered as something you do at office or in business, while Values and Tradition is something that you do at home or on holidays.  I worked in technology industry for a long time and had closely felt this dichotomy.  The corporations do pay lip service to values and tradition, but it is not very difficult to see that the core motive of corporations is profit.  The corporations are interested in technology only for making profit.  They don't do technology for the advancement of technology, nor do they have any vision for good of whole humankind.  Please see the top 10 technology companys mission statements in 2012.

In the following article we will try to understand these terms - Values, Tradition, and Technology - in the light of Madhyasth Darshan.

Values are acceptances or beliefs in human beings about realities in existence for the purpose of harmony in their behavior.  Unless the acceptances or beliefs of two or more human beings are common, or they have shared set of values, there cannot be any harmony in their behavior.  Religions (Idealism) prescribed the values - which they try to implement by use of faith (and sometimes by use of fear of hell and incentive of heaven).  Business corporations (Materialism) have their own values - which they try to implement by use of fear and incentive.  Have the religions (Idealism) succeeded in realizing harmony in their followers?  Have the corporations (Materialism) succeeded in realizing harmony in their employees?  The answer for both these questions is negative. We can conclude from this - having a shared set of values (acceptances or beliefs) is necessary but not enough for harmony in human beings.  Two thieves have common beliefs but that doesn't make them the harmonious lot!  If husband and wife are from the same religion and caste, that doesn't make them a harmonious couple.  We can have many illustrations of this point.  Madhyasth Darshan claims - Harmony in two human beings is in the form of Justice, which can be realized only when both of them recognize their relationship, fulfill values expected therein, do valuation, and evidence mutual fulfillment.  Here the key point is in recognition of relationship and not in accepting or believing in the shared set of values.  The fulfillment of values is a natural consequence if the relationship is recognized.  Recognition of relationship requires understanding of existence in the form of coexistence.  Universal human values can be realized only in human consciousness, godly consciousness and divine consciousness.  In this way, Jeevan Vidya (Madhyasth Darshan) is about value education with consciousness development.  Value education doesn't make any sense without consciousness development, according to Madhyasth Darshan. Idealism talks of values.  Materialism (or Science) doesn't talk of values.  So whatever "value education" is prevalent in schools today is essentially idealistic.

Tradition is the way values are carried forward from one generation to next generation in human beings.  Human made systems such as education, judiciary, economics are the bearers of tradition.  These systems are based on certain idealistic values.  Materialism doesn't give any basis of values, therefore it doesn't give any basis of tradition as well.  A materialist therefore dislikes everything traditional.  Madhyasth Darshan talks of values based on understanding of existence and tradition based on those values.  Madhyasth Darshan postulates universal understanding, universal values and in turn universal tradition for humankind.

Technology is the way of giving impetus to society's progress.  Idealism doesn't talk much about technology.  Materialism talks a great deal about technology, and uses it for its wanton pursuits of fun, excitement, war and other conflicts.  Madhyasth Darshan talks of the need of technology for giving impetus (speed) to the systems of tradition based on values.  In this way, the technology here gets anchored with human purpose, which is unlike materialism - where technology is purposeless and is devoted for making profits and exploitation.  Values, Tradition and Technology become mutually complementary in the light of Madhyasth Darshan.