Free to be me
How might our own personal philosophies interact with our daily practice?
South Asian Heritage month takes place from 17 July–18 August every year. The theme for 2024 is “Free to be me”, which resonates deeply with me since I embarked upon a profound journey during the pandemic of learning more about my religion, Hinduism and more particularly the philosophy of Vedanta (700-500 BCE), whose lessons are reinforced in one of our sacred texts “The Bhagavad Gita”.
The Bhagavad Gita uses warfare as a metaphor for our personal struggle with the challenges of life. The Gita’s message is simple and profound. Our native state is freedom.
What we want is peace of mind, free from mental compulsions that keep us from living in peace, with ourselves, others, and the environment. Lord Krishna, the personification of our consciousness, outlines battle plans, gives road maps, tools and the necessary strategy to win.
True religion is about putting the philosophy into daily practice. As a result my perception of the world and my own interactions with the world has changed and continues to change as I delve deeper into my studies and the growing awareness of the importance of separating who we are, from the equipment we have been given such as our body, mind (thoughts) and intellect (ideas) to transact with the world.
In living with authenticity, there are values that I cherish in my personal and professional life interactions:
- Ahimsa – not harming in thought, word, or deed. This aligns with trying to find the best solutions for clients and their family, and with the Resolution Code of Practice: the child-focused, non-confrontational and constructive approach. Personally, I have also become a vegan.
- Satyam – truthfulness and living a life of integrity, keeping our values and convictions in place despite external challenges.
- Karma yoga (union with work) – having the right intention when acting for clients for their and their children’s welfare rather than personal gain, giving 100 per cent of the best I can and not being attached to the outcome but offering the outcome as an offering to the universe/God/consciousness. Acceptance of the outcome as either a blessing or a learning.
- Brahmacarya – control of the senses – both in the work environment and personal relationships to not letting my emotions and feelings (mind) control my reactions to people, events. Being self disciplined and focused on the task in hand.
Advaita or non-dualism is based on the principle of recognising that everything external changes. We are not the body (size, weight, shape, cells are renewed every few years), we are not the mind, our thoughts, and feelings as the moods of the mind change, nor our intellect as our intellectual capacities and opinions change. People, situations, and relationships change and so do the economic, political, and social circumstances. Everything is changing, including our environment. From the subatomic to the cosmic level, everything is in a state of flux. Things come and go, staying only for a little while. Nothing lasts for forever, however much we want it to be.
The question then arises, what is permanent? It must be eternal beyond time and space, and this is the eternal factor – Brahman – the reality in scriptures and the one eternal source/pure consciousness in all forms. We are all one consciousness and interconnected.
For me, the true essence of EDI and my interest in being on the Resolution EDI committee stems from this. I want to learn about diversity and understand people’s perspectives. How to stop my assumptions, and judgments and unconscious bias rising from my own life experiences and conditioning, often by our parents and others, that solidify as beliefs. Like a computer programming of our brains. Treating others as I would wish to be treated equally and inclusively.
The purpose of life for Hindus is to gain freedom from the cycle of life and death (Moksha/Mukti) when we see the oneness in all life forms including humans. Living lives of integrity and authenticity. Coming to know our pure nature, Brahman, are the key outcomes of a spiritual path. Self realisation or freedom from the flights of fancy of our minds and our minds becoming stable and clear from external dependency for happiness, freedom from the opinions and actions from others. Spiritual practices such as meditation, mindfulness, being focused on the task in hand, right contact, right thinking develops the subtlety of one’s inner mind and intellect for experiencing the world as it is, uncoloured by our personal prejudices, attachments, likes or dislikes in perfect detachment and discrimination.