But according Sarkar
this is not progress at all. He says there is no real progress in
physical and intellectual level, because scientific discoveries
create always new problems. You see how traveling is now fast and
comfortable, but at same time pollution is created and accidents are
more disastrous. Cancer and other diseases are consequences of
pollution and chemicals. What comes to intellectual progress, people
get more stressed out, nervous and strained with constant thinking
and speculating. It creates i.e heart and blood pressure problems.
The ancient tribes seldom had any mental diseases or mental break
downs.
The
more advanced technology gets the more serious the side
effects are. Nuclear power
gives huge forces of energy, but so do
also its destructive forces. Solar energy could be more cheap and
“natural”, but we might not know its side effects yet, usually
the consequences come only after. One example; in
US an invention
was made which reduced
99 % of smoke particles, but the scientists now report, that these
smokestacks release invisible thunderstorms of highly charged
electrical particles, which reduce the rain fall in the area. Because
the nature of universe is vibrational, so are the consequences first
vibrational before they manifest in physical realm.
So
should be go back to stone age in order to avoid creating negative
forces? No way, we just need to learn the nature of inventions and
how to counterbalance them.
And what is
the real progress then? Only in the spiritual realm
there is permanent progress. And when we apply spirituality to all
physical and intellectual endeavors we become more progressive in
those areas too. Negative and positive forces that operate in the
universe create balanced flow. Thus we have to also counterbalance
the positive flow with negative in order to progress, if not, any
pleasurable invention will attract uncontrollable negative
consequences.
When we invent new
technology i.e robots, we have to also invent means to control and
channelize the side effects that are created in the process. We have
to create work for those loosing their jobs due to robots. We need to
be aware, responsible and think in terms of benefit for all.
Same with
intellectual and mental level, the pleasure follows with pain.
You get happy with new boy friend until he is gone. We make
scientific study and get nervous agitation and can't sleep. The more
pleasure the more stress! The need of psychiatrists has increased in
intellectual western society.
So how to balance
scientific discovery without loosing night sleep? Human
being has three levels of existence: physical, psychic and spiritual.
Only in spiritual level there is permanent progress; increased
feeling of peace and happiness is not neutralized by increased misery
and pain. Spiritual progress means that individual mind is coming
into closer contact with its own witnessing entity. Only human beings
have feeling of I, and more or less awareness of the witnessing soul,
which has connection to and is part of cosmic witnessing entity, the
God, or what ever you might call it. So are the other people also
part of the same witnessing cosmic consciousness, the God, although
they might not be aware of it.
The goal in
spiritual realm is not finite but infinite; to achieve the
awareness of our infinite witnessing soul, and awareness of the
cosmic infinite witnessing consciousness, thus expanding our mind.
Spiritual happiness is permanent, coming from endless source, that's
why it is not followed by pain and suffering, while intellectual and
physical pleasure has its limits and time frame, due to nature of its
finiteness.
Besides meditation,
spiritual practices include taking care of ones
body (proper food, asanas) and mind (self discipline, behavior) as a
base for sound mind. It also includes service aspect due to
fact that one becomes more broad minded and realizes that suffering
of others consist part of ones well being. Our mind would be
disturbed to do mediation, if tolerating others pain without doing
anything. Even death of one ant has its effect on the entire
universe. And helping others to make their life suitable for higher
realizations, it uplifts the spiritual flow in this earth. There is
no scope for selfishness in spirituality.
The society,
where people practice spirituality commonly and end up sharing
and doing social service, can be considered progressive, where
happiness increases without corresponding pain. In that kind of
atmosphere also the physical and intellectual achievements can become
progressive in nature – spiritualized.
It can be also
explained that meditation makes the mind to function in a more
impersonal way without attachment. Then we don't experience so
much pleasure and pain, ups and downs, but rather enjoy lasting
happiness, peace and harmony. We can also see how karma plays
its role in both physical and mental actions. We might get pleasure,
comforts and fame, but if that is purely selfish while neglecting
others, we also end up getting reactions on the opposite side,
hardships, pain and misery. All this can be avoided by meditation and
its effects on our actions and thinking.
In 20 th century
after religious rebellion people have not found anything to
replace religious ardor, so people have degenerated even lower level
than in religiously somewhat pious environment. Thus all countless
scientific inventions are done without spiritual consideration. The
result is shocking; more destructive wars, tremendous pollution,
(emissions of “progress”), break down of biodiversity, moral
degeneration, climate change etc. The so called “progress” in
physical and mental level without spirituality is ultimately self
destructive.
In economics, lack
of spiritual base has lead to exploitation which has created huge
cap between rich and poor. Selfishness and greediness are rampant.
When we consider how the economy should be organized we come to
Progressive Utilization Theory – Prout, which is based on
spirituality. Its each and every aspect has been considered by
taking care of the nature of universe; pleasure will create pain, if
not counterbalanced in controlled way. I.e the inventions has to be
such that they lessen the risk of polluting the earth.
Sarkar was aware of
the future pollution already centuries back. International and
national research and clean up
should be done with new technologies, which not only clean up
effectively, but also could destroy each others emissions. Diamonds
cut diamonds, why not emissions cutting emissions? Sarkar didn't
accept profit motivation - especially the private profiteering - and
not also the individual scientific research. Individuals while
seeking only profit are often irresponsible; polluting and wasting,
and also then in researching such things.
Sarkar has given
many other principles, which also reduce pollution indirectly;
maximum utilization means also utilizing things with its full
potential and without wasting. He also calls for simple life style,
which not only reduces the environmental pollution, but reduces also
the mental pollution. The less you engage your mind with unnecessary
physical and psychic matters and enjoyment/misery the more you have
time and freedom to concentrate on searching for more lasting
happiness. This planet is finite, limited, but if the amount of human
beings increase, they can also move to other planets.
In agriculture
almost everything can be recycled, thus when Sarkar calls more
people to work in farms, instead of increasing population in mega
cities as today in many western countries, then less rubbish would
come for dumping around the cities. However spiritual progress
doesn't force anyone to excessive austerity, but it promises maximum
amenities and it adores new inventions.
…....................
Sarkar about
progress: There cannot be any
progress in the physical stratum, or the physico-psychic stratum, or
even in the psychic stratum. Whatever is known as progress is
actually change of place and nothing more. A bullock tied to an oil
mill may trudge along for a hundred miles [in a circle], but not even
a step of that distance will signify real progress...
Any economic
progress? ...Government accepting the recommendations of a
commission to increase the pay scale of the employees and to recover
the increased expenditure through higher taxation, will this be
called economic progress? Certainly not, for it fails to increase
purchasing power. The acceptance of progress in the physical field is
only wrong mathematics... the pluses and minuses there cancel each
other out...
The speed of progress
will go on accelerating by clash and cohesion...If human beings
themselves are still stuck at the same place where they initially
started their journey, what progress has been made? By building a
road one does not advance along the path of progress – one will
have to move along the road.
Similar is the
condition in the intellectual sphere. The so-called
intellectual progress is
termed Artha. . Nowadays science means creating new weapons –
strengthening the hands of warmongers; but the spirit of science
should not be like this.(Man is not helpless, he has an intellect;
and having the intellect can track spirituality)
However, human beings
will continue their endless efforts for progress...Nothing in this
universe stagnates, all entities are on the move...But because
everything in these realms is limited, the hunger of human beings
remains unsatisfied. The progress in the psycho-spiritual field is
termed Dharma.
And pure spiritual
progress, which is progress in the real sense, is called Mokśa
in Saḿskrta...So, this progress...Mokśa, is not a very difficult
path....In the absence of negative speed, every movement is progress.
Thus, there is no question of minuses; there are only pluses. This is
a movement from negativity to positivity and this, therefore, is the
real form of progress.
In the spiritual field,
due to the absence of the reactive momenta (karma), there is no
retardation, there is only movement forward. This is the nature of
true progress. Spiritual progress can only be attained on a firm
physical, mental base. Therefore, this physical and intellectual base
has to be progressively adjusted to the changing conditions of time
and space.
Here you must remember
that salvation does not mean salvation in the spiritual
stratum only. Humanity must get salvation in all spheres of life, in
all strata of life, without any exception. All humanity wants
salvation in the social sphere, they want salvation in economic
strata, they want salvation in the realm of intellectual liberty, and
they want salvation in the spiritual sphere. For progress in the
spiritual realm, one must not ignore the psychic realm or the mundane
external sphere.
As human beings
progress towards the realm of spirituality, they are helped on the
one hand by PROUT, which guarantees minimum requirements and
maximum amenities, and on the other hand by Neo-Humanistic
outlook, which removes disparities... There cannot be any stop
in the march of human progress. And not only in human progress, but
in the physical and psychic worlds also... in every sphere of life
there must be an ongoing effort to progress from imperfection to
perfection. This effort will, if only indirectly, make social
progress and all-round welfare more accessible to the human race.
One will move
steadily in the spiritual sphere, and the rjutá
[straightforwardness], sáhas [courage] and satyaniśt́há [love
of truth] that grow as one progresses in the spiritual sphere will be
utilized for the mental welfare of the entire world. As you have got
a human body, utilize it at every moment. Let there be maximum
utilization of your very existence. Make your existence great by dint
of your extraordinary action. Your life will become more and more
meaningful if you do more and more work and more and more
meditation...
The wise,
remembering that the goal of life is the subtlest goal, will make
efforts to reach supreme blessedness. The more human beings
advance... the more their existence radiates the divine effulgence...
and the more they expand. This is the only way to progress. There is
no other way.
Source: Ravi Batra and his books
Didi Annapurna
