Bhaktisandesam / Hinduism for Better Living

[Guest guest]

Hari-Om

=======

 

 

Hinduism

How to be a Better Person

 

 

The purpose of religion is certainly to make us a better human being.

It helps us manifest the god or goodness within us for the benefit of

oneself and the world.

 

The basic tenets of Hinduism highlight three qualities to groom the

physical, mental and intellectual facets of your personality. The

most fundamental of the eternal values can be classified into these

three disciplines:

 

Self control (Brahmacharya) — Regulates the physical personality

Non-injury (Ahimsa) — Regulates the mental personality

Truthfulness (Satyam) — Regulates the intellectual personality

 

The Bhagavad Gita has clearly defined the ascetic simplicities that

every individual should aim at — the austerity of body, speech and

mind:

 

" Worship of the Gods, the twice born, the teachers and the 'wise';

purity, straightforwardness, celibacy, and non-injury; these are

called the 'austerity of the body'. " (The Gita, Chapter XVII, 14)

 

" Speech which causes no excitement, and is truthful, pleasant and

beneficial, and the practice of the study of the Vedas, these

constitute the 'austerity of speech'. " (The Gita, Chapter XVII, 15)

 

" Serenity of mind, good heartedness, silence, self-control, purity of

nature — these are called the 'mental austerity'. " (The Gita, Chapter

XVII, 16)

 

The above verses show us the ways in which we can inculcate and

assimilate these fundamental eternal values. Here're eight things we

can do diligently to emerge as better persons:

 

1. Worship the God of your heart.

2. Maintain external cleanliness — Physical and Environmental.

3. Practice straightforwardness in dealing with others.

4. Live a life of self-control with respect to all your sense

enjoyments.

5. Avoid acts of injuring others from your emotional and intellectual

realms.

6. Speak only to express agreeable ideas of permanent value. When the

truth is disagreeable to others, maintain a discreet silence.

7. Maintain pure and serene motives.

8. Maintain a relationship of understanding, tolerance and love with

the world at large.

 

People who follow this steadily and with no desire of quick results

will attain eternal goodness. This is what the Gita says about

goodness: " This threefold austerity practiced by steadfast men with

utmost faith desiring no fruit, is called austerity of goodness. "

(The Gita, Chapter XVII, 17) And the good are those who refuse to

worry about the future because they know that the " future is the

resultant of the total path modified by the present

 

******************

 

 

 

Jai Shree Krishna !