What we sometimes call The Golden Rule is a great ethical principle, common to every religion of the world. In the Jewish tradition, we tell the story of a non-Jewish man who came scornfully to the revered Rabbi Hillel and challenged him, “Can you teach me your Torah while I stand on one foot?” Hillel replied without hesitation, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah, the rest is the explanation. Now go and learn.”
The positive form of this principle is, strictly speaking, the actual Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” Until recently, I’d have said that these words, so time-honored, so universal, so self-evident, were unsurpassed as a basic ethical principle. But in Gainesville, on September 21, Maharaji surpassed them. I was there. I heard it with passionate admiration, I've been wanting to quote it since then, and now I have the recording. Here is the amazing thing he said, with the context that leads up to it:
Where is the humanity in the humans?
There needs to be a clearer understanding that we are the people of this earth. Of this earth. And we all need elbow space. That’s all. Whatever religion we want, we should be able to practice. Nobody to come and boink it on our heads, “You must be this.” No, whatever it is. If somebody wants to be a Muslim, if somebody wants to be a Hindu, it’s OK, It doesn’t change us fundamentally as people. It doesn’t. We’re still human beings. We’re still human beings.
And we as human beings need to have the biggest faith in our selves. If human beings lose faith in human beings, what species will you turn to? We need to keep our faith intact in ourselves. And it behooves everyone to become worthy of that faith of the person next to them. And that is being a good neighbor.
To me, this is a step beyond the Golden Rule. It’s more than refraining from hateful actions. It’s more than doing good deeds. To try to be worthy of the faith of others. Wow. That's saying a lot! What would that take? Have I ever even thought about it that way? As much as I have longed to find others to trust in my life, as many disappointments as I have had, have I ever really considered how I could become a trustworthy one for others?
And why? That's important, too. Not from fear of punishment. But because you consciously recognize what Maharaji is pointing out, that the ability to have faith in each other is the categorical imperative of our well being as human beings together on this earth.
I can complain endlessly about what everyone else is doing, but am I making the effort I need to make to be worthy of the faith of others? I know that I can do more. And if everyone was looking at life that way, what kind of world would this be? In my opinion, nothing simpler and nothing higher has ever been formulated in words.
Without further comment, I urge you to read these words again and again, especially that last paragraph, think about them, and let their wisdom and power touch your being.
Philosophers have discussed and debated the subject of goodness for as long as philosophers have existed. I’m not an expert on Plato and Socrates, but I do know that one of their main subjects was “What is good?”
Why do human beings ask this question? What makes us think there is such a thing as “good” to wonder about?
There seems to be a built-in compass of some kind. Few would disagree that love is good. Well, not the jealous, possessive, controlling kind, but certainly the caring, protecting, compassionate kind. Few would disagree that peace is good. Contentment. Kindness. Generosity. Most of us agree that they are all good. But what IS good?
In keeping with my overall subject of passionate admiration, I’m going to suggest there is a thing that automatically evokes the feelings of admiration and gratitude within a human being. It does not matter what we call this thing. The sun provides light and warmth, whatever its name. It isn’t the word “sun” that does it. It’s the thing itself. Similarly, something evokes admiration and gratitude. It doesn’t matter what we call it. What matters is the feeling. But that something does have a name, and that name, in English, is “goodness.”
When I spend a little time with Maharaji, I am often overwhelmed with admiration and gratitude. There might be logical reasons to admire him. But logic is a very small part of this. Mostly, it simply happens. There is a certain reality, and my nature is to respond to that reality in a certain way. It doesn’t much matter what I think about it. The reality exists, and my response happens.
The word that comes to mind to talk about this reality is “goodness.” Maharaji is so deeply imbued with goodness that he radiates it. The familiar phrase “moral compass” takes on a new level of meaning in this light. A compass works because there is a magnetic north pole that attracts the needle in its direction. Similarly, there is a magnetic north pole of goodness that attracts the internal needle of my heart, and gives me a sense of direction in life, an ability to know what is good, and to move in a good direction.
To carry the analogy one step further, even if you have a compass in your pocket, it only helps you when you take it out of your pocket and look at it. Practicing the Knowledge that Maharaji gives is like taking the compass out of your pocket. Knowledge bestows many gifts, but arguably its greatest gift is the ability to focus on that compass.
Happy Birthday, Maharaji!
