ON DOING GOOD TO
OTHERS
An
aspirant abroad has sent a Question, an FAQ in fact, which is given below along
with Master's Answer:
Question : Through the
centuries, spiritual leaders have enjoined on us to do good to others. How are
we to go about the job in a systematic manner? Will not altruism inflate our
ego? If someone receiving our aid does not even thank us, how
to manage the resulting feeling of resentment?
Sage TGN :
As you are
doubtlessly aware, mankind in its present shape and form evolved from the
animal kind and that is why we display beastly qualities from time to time like
vengefulness and rioting and warring. There is much philosophy in English
poetry but very little of poetry in Western Philosophy which for the most part
is didactic and speculated! The English Poet Alfred Lord
Tennyson (1809-1892) came up to the finding that Man is "the roof and
crown of things" but it is only a halting point. Man has to process
himself further and acquire divine qualities. "Why Sir?",
do you ask. I will explain with a simple example of water vaporising from the
vast ocean-surface. It rises into the atmosphere to become cloud and pours as
rain on the Earth's surface to charge
the subsoil from where it springs as rivulets and rivers to march in the
direction of and merge with its source and origin fons
et origo in Latin which is the ocean. It is restless
till it completes its journey. Likewise the life-energy or soul of man is only
an agglomeration of energy-particles pervading the entire Universal Space, and
these particles originated from the
In
order to qualify for this Pilgrimage, we have to elevate our ourselves by adopting twin ingredients
as our way of life: (i) Not causing any harm or hurt
to any living being through our Thought, Word and Deed; and (ii) Going readily
to the succour of any living being in distress in whatever manner we can. This
second is what you refer to as "doing good" is your Question.
The
first ingredient, called "ozhukkam" (ஒழுக்கம்)
in Tamil philosophy
ensures that further adverse imprints do not accumulate on our soul. The second
is Eegai (ஈகை) which draws a favourable wave from the
being helped by us and this positive imprint adds to the voltage of our soul
which is enabled to throw off adverse imprints already acquired by heredity and
our own thoughtless deeds in the days of our Ignorance of the Law of Nature
which is synonymous with the Law of Action-and-Result.
Now
to your doubt as to whether charity would inflate the ego. The pleasure and
pain experiences due to us come only through the medium of a person or an
object, and relief also comes in the same route. When you help someone you are
only an instrument of Nature. A day earlier your aid would have been spurned;
and a day later that person would have already been freed from that misery by
someone other than you. By your act of help being accepted, the person to
benefit is only yourself and the other being has provided you with an
opportunity to get rid of an adverse imprint of yours. This Awareness would result
in humility when you go to help and so ego would only be attenuated and not boosted.
Remember that the society is not so poor as to be raised by you. Ramana Maharishi, when asked why social workers have not scored
much success through the ages, replied matter-of-factly :
"That is because they took credit for their work and thus nurtured their
ego!"
If
you feel resentment when a person does not even thank you for the help
received, it is again the ego in play. Anyone entertaining expectation of any
sort is only a mendicant; and it is an occupational hazard for a supplicant to
be snubbed and turned away from the door. We should only be Givers at all
times. J.Krishnamurti when talking about "do gooders" said once to a group. "Is it not a fact,
Ladies and gentlemen, that you extend your begging
bowl out because it is not full?" A Giver's status is supreme and it is
unbecoming of him to stoop in expectation.
*********************
Send this Answer to a friend!
Also Visit
www.tgnfoundation.org