Very often we say that a particular individual or a particular community of people is badly exploited. Then, what we mean by “exploited” is this, that they are exploited in the economic stratum. But if we penetrate deeply into the matter, we shall discover that the exploitation has not been only in the economic stratum, but also in the other strata of human existence, in different forms, on various pretexts.

When there is exploitation on the physical level, it is not necessarily economic in nature in all cases; it is mostly social. For instance, the vested interests inject, at a certain stage, inferiority or superiority complexes in the public mind and at a much later stage, use those psychic complexes for social or economic exploitation. This exploitation on the psychic level is mostly perpetrated, in the first phase, through dogma.

What is dogma?

Dogma is an idea with a rigid boundary line, which won’t allow you to go beyond the periphery of that boundary line. Thus dogma goes against the fundamental spirit of the human mind. The human mind won’t tolerate anything rigid. It wants movement – not only movement, but accelerated movement. Humans want unbarred psychic progress, intellectual progress, without obstacles.

Present-day humanity has, no doubt, made considerable intellectual progress. But in the external world, there is a lack of adjustment. This is the reason that among the educated people of today the number of people suffering from psychic disorders is on the increase: because there is no adjustment in the speeds of the inner and outer worlds.

Not only is there maladjustment in speed but also in rhythm; that is, the pattern of internal psychic rhythm is altogether different from the external rhythm of the objective world. Obviously, clash is inevitable and the impact of this clash is felt much more in the psychic realm than in the physical sphere. As a result, human beings lose their mental adjustment.

Many theories, sounding somewhat pleasing to the ear, have spoken glibly of human equality; but upon application people discovered the ineffectiveness of these theories, because the fundamental principles of these philosophies were contrary to the basic realities of the world. “Diversity, not identity, is the law of nature”. The world is full of diversities – a panorama of variegated forms and rhythms. One must never forget it.

Sometimes the superficial display of these theories has dazzled the eyes of the onlooker, but actually they contained no dynamism. In the end they have only flung humanity into the quagmire of dogmatism. They did not contribute to the welfare of any human being.

The devotional sentiment is the highest and most valuable treasure of humanity. Because it is such a tender inner asset, to preserve it from the onslaughts of materialism, one must build a protective fence around it, just as people put up a guard-rail around a small tender plant. Now the question is, what is this protective fence? It is a proper philosophy which will establish the correct harmony between the spiritual and material worlds, and be a perennial source of inspiration for the onward movement of society.

Action in the spiritual sphere involves a constant effort:

“I don’t care about any material or worldly bondage; I will keep moving towards success, crushing the pebbles of obstacles and hindrances beneath my feet.

I won’t admit any mental confusion; I will move like a meteor towards supreme fulfilment, crushing and rending asunder all negative thoughts in me.

If an obstacle becomes as high as the mighty Himalayas, I will laughingly shatter that also; and the small hillocks I will stride easily across.

And in the spiritual sphere, I will jump over the philosophical defects in the form of dogmas that are scattered here and there like holes in the ground, and become one with the Supreme Divinity.”

Almost every religion has claimed that only its followers are God’s chosen people and that the rest of humanity is cursed and bound by the chains of Satan. One religion has declared, “Our prophet is the only saviour. There is no escape from mundane sufferings except by taking refuge in him.”

Another religion has declared, “I am the last prophet. Prayers must be said before God a specific number of times in a certain manner each day. Special animals must be sacrificed on particular days. These are the wishes of merciful God. Those who follow these injunctions will attain heaven on the Day of Judgement.”

Yet another religion says, “Know ye, my son, thy God is the only God. All other gods are false gods.”

Just imagine, all these religions preach universal fraternity, and yet this universal fraternity is kept within the confines of their own community. Humanity gasps for breath at such preposterous claims.

So many scriptures say so many things, and they are sometimes contradictory to one another. Now what to do? What is an ordinary man to do? Whom to follow and whom not to follow?

There are so many social codes in the world. And amongst intellectuals there are so many diversities of opinion. One intellectual doesn’t express, doesn’t recommend, doesn’t support, the views of others. And it is the greatest weakness of intellectuals that they always encourage disunity. They always support heterogeneity.

Then where lies the secret of Dharma? Dharma means spirituality – not spiritualism, but spirituality.

Now the Supreme Entity, the Controlling Entity, the final stance of Dharma, lies covert within one’s own ‘I’ feeling. That is, you are to search internally and not externally. Everything is within you, because the Parama Purus’a always remains with you, within the very core of your heart. So search within, O spiritual aspirant, not without, but within – within your very existence.

Your only object of ideation is that Parama Purus’a, and not any dogmas, not any scriptures.

- 13 May 1979, Fiesch, Switzerland