Swami Vivekananda on Chivalry..

[Guest guest]

Hi,

 

To comment on the beauty of a person is to consider the person as

a physical being, and is an insult to the mind and spirit within.

 

We see the world as we see ourselves. If we consider ourselves as

essentially physical beings, then we see the sex, age, physical

abilities and disabilities, etc of others. As we all know, calling

a blind man " blind " is an insult in modern society. This basically

says that the society does not consider people to be physical beings.

Considering one's self and others as physical beings is being in

the animal level. The next level - the human level - is to consider

one's self and others as mental beings. The intellect, emotions and

skill are given more importance than the physical abilities. This

is the minimum expected from any member of a modern society. The

next level is to consider one's self and others as the infinite

Spirit. This is the level of the saints, who do not distinguish

between different people of different capacities and other living

and non-living things also. This is the level to which we have to

strive for.

 

It is because of our animal tendencies that we notice and are

attracted to physical beauty. The moment we consider the mind behind

that physical sheath as more important than the physical appearance

itself, we are at the human level. From personal introspection, I

have found that when I think of a person whom I know very well, it

is the mental constitution of the person that I am thinking of and

not the physical. But with a stranger with whom I have had no mental

interaction, the physical image dominates the mental image. This

happens more so if the person is exceedingly beautiful or exceedingly

repulsive. Often the physical image dominates the mental one in case of

familiar people who are very beautiful too. This is obviously a defect,

which has to be overcome. I wish to interact with everyone at the

mental level and not at the physical level at all. If anyone has any

experience in what I am striving for, please let me know. I am seeking

sadhaks who have done enough introspection, tried out some practices

and found good results. I feel this defect has to be overcome before

I strive for the next level.

 

With love,

Gomu.

 

 

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