God Consciousness
vs. Society Consciousness
vs. Society Consciousness
from "Sri Guru and His Grace," by Bhakti Rakshaka Shridhar Dev Goswami
Student: In the quest for spiritual truth one may join a religious mission to advance towards the ultimate goal of life.
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| Heretics burned at the stake in "Auto de fe" 16th Century Engraving |
After some time, however, sectarian policies may appear to bar the path of progress. He may see that within the society, pragmatic concerns take precedence over spiritual ideals. If one feels the necessity to look elsewhere, his authorities may tell him that there are no higher truths to be found. One may also be warned that if he leaves the society, he will suffer serious repercussions.
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| Heretics and Priests |
He may become an outcaste, branded as a heretic for pursuing what he sincerely feels to be the ideal upon which the society was founded. Should he risk leaving the society, ignoring the advice of his immediate authorities, or should he try to remain within the society?
Relative vs. Absolute
Śrīla Śrīdhar Mahārāj: Progress means elimination and new acceptance. So, when there is a clash between the relative and the absolute standpoint, the relative must be left aside, and the absolute should be accepted. Suppose you are American, but at heart you are a socialist.
| Che Guevara, Socialist leader |
In your general practices, you will live harmoniously as an American, but when there is a conflict between the capitalists and the socialists, which side will you accept: socialist or capitalist?
Your creed is that of a socialist. You live in a country where the majority are capitalists.
| Socialist version of American flag, by unkown artist |
When there is no difference between the two parties, there is no conflict, but when there is a clash, which side will you side with? Internally you may identify yourself as a socialist, but for the sake of peace, and for the good of the country, you may not express it externally. But suppose you are an out-and-out socialist. You will try to keep your creed, the purity of your faith for the socialists. You will try to leave the country and join the socialists.
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| Martin Luther King, addressing crowd at Washington Monument, 1960s. |
So, the absolute and the relative are two different classes of interest.
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| Different classes of interests |
And we find more importance in the absolute interest.
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| Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his followers chanting the holy name. |
We must be sincere to our own creed.
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| "We must be sincere to our own creed." |
Sometimes we have to leave our paraphernalia if it does not suit us. So also, even in the conception of purity of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, in the Vaiṣṇava creed there is purity and form.
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| Aroti |
The form is necessary to help me in a general way to maintain my present position. At the same time, my conception of the higher ideal will always goad me to advance, to go forward, and wherever I go, I must follow the greater model, the greater ideal.
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| "Spiritual life is progressive, not stagnant." |
Spiritual life is progressive, not stagnant.
Do you follow?
