Spirituality by Eric EH Buddhadharma - HTML preview

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3.Man compared to animals and so called angels.

Man is man and not a graft from some other species. Man is very similar to ape but man is definitely not ancestors to ape.  The evolution of man must have begun in more refined conditions than apes due to which man is much superior in his abilities than any ape. Man has the ability to deal with complex situations and find reasons to perform certain acts. We do not find, or rather we are unable to locate such intellect and reasoning amongst the sentient beings we know.  This makes man superior and formidable to animals, of course materially. 

If we track the history of mankind we will see that man has always been at the receiving end of most advantages in this world. Man took advantage of this earth and its other members, living and non-living for his benefit and commercialized his activities for his benefits materially.

With superior intellect and with the power of using his limbs to his advantage, man could research into different branches of science and monopolized this world to his advantage.

While animals have a very simple lifestyle and there is hardly any development in their way of life, they hunt and sleep from an early age till death. They do not gather food for the next meal and depend upon their ability to hunt on demand. Only a handful of creatures store food for themselves, like farm rats and ants, this is rare and need not be considered here.  With simple lifestyle, animals remain satiated with their food as well as their lifestyle.  They have no complain in leading a stereotype life.  In contrast, man uses his intellect and body to perform and undertake herculean tasks that can never be performed by any animal.  Materially, man has been able to change the course of his lifestyle and ways in a way that maybe, even God never thought of.  Using his mind, man created endless ways to improve himself materially; homes, cars, communication, medicines, provisions, entertainments, and what not.  All these, even though contributed to the refined lifestyle of mankind, nevertheless contributed to the ills of the society in the form of polluted air in the manufacture of such products and in industrialization. Obesity, diabetes and other related diseases are inherent to sedentary and modern living.  Man invented articles of comfort and luxury for material benefits but unfortunately, man could not invent any article of happiness and spiritual strength. 

When you compare man to the so called angels, you will first observe that man himself created this character of angels. Man, therefore, knows that a character like an angel is closer to God and cannot commit any sin. Man also looks upon angels with awe and respect.  Angels are regarded as a symbol of truth and purity. Angels are man’s role model.  In the heart of hearts, man is aware that each one of us should behave like an angel and perform acts befitting an angel.  Stories from religious sources impress upon mankind about the benefit of not committing sin and the closeness of angels to the Almighty God.  Man will remain man.  In spite of learning all about the angels and the power of self-sacrifice, man turns his back to all the things, noble and humble.  Man will opt for ways and means to commit all sorts of sin and crime to get his way.  He can conveniently block his mind to all things noble and humble and let his soul barter it for material gains, no matter if it could hurt others in the process.  Even though man created the character of an angel in his scriptures, due to his nature, man cannot put angelic acts into practice in his daily life for the fear of not being able to earn enough to survive the cruel world where money is needed in every step for his survival.  From the initial stage of commercialization of this world, man was compelled to think in material terms rather than spiritual.  Gradually, man faced stiff competition and therefore, became more materialistic and cruel in his approach towards life.  Only when he amasses sufficient wealth, does man consider parting with his wealth, becoming a philanthropist.  So long, man is short of the means for his survival he will remain selfish, materialistic, and cruel in his approach to life.  The moment man becomes successful in earning money and wealth, creating sufficient wealth balance, enabling him to survive his lifetime, man will only then part with his wealth and try posing as angels to people.

Had man kept his way of life simple and ensured food and clothes for all, maybe man would not have turned so hostile and cruel against one another.  Self-sacrifice would have been the household word and each one of us would have had a secured life.  We would have been more humane and considerate in our approach in solving the problem of others and looking at life, had we, from the beginning, inculcated brotherhood and non-violence amongst our people.