Lack of discretion and humility is what stops us from being a good human being.
In Today’s Families, the Root of All Burning Questions Is This Lack of Discretion and HumilityrnWhen not an iota of discretion and humility can be seen in our speech and conduct, from this we can understand what kind of values we have and what kind of essence is in us.
‘Discretion and humility amongst family members is actually our family’s reputation.’ This is a worldly essence. But at home and outside, we experience divisiveness with people on account of difference of opinions, our strong sense of, ‘this is mine v/s this is yours’, and stubbornness. Yet, we believe ourselves to be intelligent. Isn’t that strange?!
Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan, an Enlightened being, describes how intelligent people are:
“One who is intelligent seeks ways to increase happiness for everyone using his discretion; he does not seek ways through which happiness decreases.
After deciding, ‘I do not want to get into conflict at home,’ even if you get into problems with others, there will not be any divisiveness in spite of there being a difference of opinion! Because one does things without even setting this key that the problems arise. We set this key first and thereafter do things.
However, this is Dushamkaal (an era of moral and spiritual decline). That is why peace does not prevail. Only when one who’s burning from inside burns another, does he feel at peace. He does not like it if someone is happy. Therefore, he ignites the firearms (invokes the other person) before he leaves; that is when he experiences peace; such is the nature of the world. It is because people have no discretion, nowadays!
What Does Discretion Mean?rnWorldly interactions are said to be carried out with discretion when they are done thoughtfully such that others are not hurt; precise settings are made to this effect.
Appropriate Discretion Means Interacting With Every Living Being With A PurposernDiscretion of, ‘This may cause hurt’ is to be always maintained. This is because every living being lives with a desire for happiness. They are searching for happiness; they do not like unhappiness.
When it is done for the sake of the Self, it is considered appropriate discretion - for the sake of one’s next life, for the Self - that is appropriate discretion.
Gnani, the Enlightened One, explains:
“If someone hurts me, and I hurt the person in return, then I will receive double the hurt. So, I can’t do this. If I quarrel with someone, it will harm my own self” – such discretion of what is beneficial and what is harmful has arisen in a discrete person.
In the mind of such a person, not only the present, but the future birth also is in awareness, ‘if I do any bad deed, my next birth gets spoilt. I myself will have to bear the punishment. Therefore, I must not do any bad deed.’ And when one happens to, the person repents heavily that, “Oh God, why do such wrong things happen by me?!’
This awareness is called discretion of what is beneficial and what is harmful!rnDevelop Awareness for the Goal of LifernNo one should complain about our worldly interactions. And in worldly interactions when discretion between what is beneficial and harmful happens, that indeed is the start of spirituality.
What’s the essence of human life - that itself has been forgotten by us, and therefore, we continue to wander life after life. The essence of human life is to attain liberation (moksha).
For Worldly Things Discretion Is Needed and For Final Liberation (Moksha) Humility Is NeededrnIt is after coming into religion that humility begins. Humility is for the Self (the Soul), for spirituality, whereas discretion is for worldly interactions.rnDiscretion means to decipher between wrong and right. rnAppropriate discretion is that which makes one accept the good.
Humility is for religion. Humility means to abide by religion. rnAnd Absolute humility develops after the direct light of the Self (the Soul) arises.
Discretion and Humility are Through Intellect, Absolute Humility is Through GnanrnAbsolute humility is not the respect that is towards the visible, but it is the respect towards that which is not visible i.e. the Soul residing within every living being!
While discretion and humility are from the light of the intellect, Absolute humility is from the light of the Knowledge of the Self (Gnan prakash). For Gnan prakash, we need to come to a Gnani Purush (One who is Self-Realized and has the divine powers to do the same for others) and maintain in our attentive awareness that, ‘I want to attain Self-Realization.’
“You should come prepared for that. Even when a boy is to receive an award in school, he goes there, making so many preparations for it! He goes with decorum, with so much humility, with so much discretion to collect the award! So, are there any advance preparations for Self-Realization? rnThere should be the intention to attain Self-Realization and all such awareness should arise. When a child is told, “You have won a prize,” then all the children become so excited! And here, it is a matter of giving you something that is invaluable!” says Param Pujya Dadashri.
Yes, Self-Realization is indeed the most valuable gift that our Soul can receive in this life!rnSo come, let’s go to Gnani and collect our gift so that we too can complete our path of liberation (moksha), by progressingrnfrom discretion to appropriate discretion, rnfrom appropriate discretion to humility, rnfrom humility to absolute humility and rnfrom absolute humility to Moksha!
To know more please visit:
https://www.dadabhagwan.org/path-to-happiness/spiritual-science/what-is-a-soul/