HUMAN
VALUES AND PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
LECTURE
NOTES
UNIT – II : CHAPTER V
Human being is more
than just a Body. He is a co-existence of both the Self(I/ Jivana) and the
Body. There is an exchange of information between the two. Our body acts
according to the suggestions given by our “Jivana”.
All the human feelings of happiness, sorrow, pain,
excitement etc. are all experienced by “I” and not the “Body”.
Having Physical Facilities ensures the fulfillment
of the needs of the body, but it does not fulfill the needs of the “I”.
Hence, for every human being, we need to fulfill the
needs of both:
·
Of “I” = Happiness (Sukha)
·
Of “Body” = Physical Facilities (Suvidha)
One of these cannot replace the other.
Understanding
the Activities in the Self and the Activities in the Body:
All human activities can be put under three
categories –
·
Activities that
are going on in the Self (Sentient
Activities)
·
Activities that
are going on in the Body (Material
Activities)
·
Activities
involving both the Self and the Body
Bodily functions
/ Activities in the Body:
·
The body is a
set of “Self-organized activities” that occur with my (I) consent but without
my(I) participation.
e.g.: the
functions like breathing, digestion, organ functions
However some of
these activities can be stopped by me (I) if I want.
e.g.: breathing
·
The activities
in the body can also be understood as the mutual interaction between two
material entities for “recognition” and “fulfillment” of their relationship.
e.g.: “Body”
recognizes its relation with “Water” and fulfills it (by absorbing the water we
drink, to the extent needed and uses it for the nourishment of various organs)
Activities in the Self / Jivana:
Since “Jivana”
is a conscious entity, in addition to “recognizing” and “fulfilling”, it also
carries out activities of “assuming” and “knowing”.
In “I”, the
activities take place in the following order:
“Knowing”
means we have the “Right Understanding”. As a result of “knowing”, we
understand the reality. When we lack “Right Understanding”, the faculty of
“knowing” is dormant; and we only operate on the basis of assumptions. Wrong
assumptions lead to wrong Recognition and wrong Fulfillment.
Examples of
Activities of the Body Vs Activities of the Self:
Example 1:
Activity of the
Body: If
a needle is pricked into your body, the needle goes inside if it is sharp and
does not go inside if it is blunt.
Activity of the
Self: If you (I) see the
needle being pricked into your body, you oppose it because you that it is a
needle and you assume that it is sharp. Your “Recognition” of this fact makes
you avoid it (Fulfillment of your Recognition).
But if you “know” that it is a syringe with a
needle, then you assume that it will cure you of your sickness. Then this
“Recognition” makes you allow the needle to be pricked into your body
(Fulfillment of your Recognition). Thus this different Recognition leads to a
different fulfillment.
Example 2:
If you see a snake and assume it to be a rope or
vice-versa, then these different assumptions will lead to different
recognitions and different fulfillments.
Understanding the Body as an instrument
of “I”:
(“I” being the Seer, Doer and
Enjoyer)
1.
“I” am. The
“Body” is.
·
“I” knows I
exist. I am a conscious / sentient entity.
·
The “Body”
doesn’t know. It is a material entity.
2.
“I” want to
live. The “Body” is my instrument.
·
“I” and my
“Body” co-exist with each other.
·
“I” takes
decisions and the “Body” acts accordingly.
3.
“I” want to live
in Continuous Happiness. For my happiness, the Body needs Physical Facilities.
·
For the “I” to
enjoy the feelings of Strength and Health, my body needs food.
·
To get the
feeling of protection, my body needs clothing and shelter.
·
To utilize my
Body (Right Utilization of the body), I need various instruments, equipments
etc. With the help of these, my body can make me feel happy.
4.
My (‘I’) program
for Continuous Happiness is to understand and to live in harmony at all the
four levels. To fulfill my(‘I’) program of achieving Continuous Happiness, the
Body is provided with Physical Facilities.
·
Ensuring
Physical Facilities to the body consists of Production, Protection and Right
Utilization.
Example: Producing Wheat, Protecting the wheat from extreme
climate and pests, Right Utilization through proper consumption like avoiding
wastage etc.
·
Today, we have
ignored the “I”, we know only of the existence of the “Body” and we are only
aiming at having more and more Physical Facilities. These facilities do not
ensure good health, happiness or the right understanding in “I”. Hence we
should all pay urgent attention to include the program for “I”.
5.
I am the Seer, I
am the Doer and I am the Enjoyer.
·
I am the Seer
Behind all our
activities of our Seeing, Understanding, Doing and Enjoying is a feeling of
“I-ness” with which we identify ourselves. Every human being actually
participates in a number of such activities everyday. In all these activities,
the body acts only as an instrument. It is the “I” that sees or understands
something.
For e.g.: Our eyes and
ears act as instruments which help us to see or listen anything. They do not
convey any any information. It is the “I” that understands what it has seen or
listened to.
“Seer” also means the
one who understands.
Hence I am the Seer (Drasta).
·
I am the Doer
Once I have seen and
understood something, I decide what I should/ should not do. I take the help of
my body parts to accomplish the task I want to do.
For e.g.: I use my
hands to write, my legs to walk etc. My body works as per the instructions
given by me. Hence I am the Doer and I express my actions via my body.
Doer means “one who
does” or “the one who takes decisions to do something”.
Hence I am the Doer
(Karta).
·
I am the Enjoyer
I use my body as an
instrument to perform various activities. It is I who enjoy the pleasure
derived out of those activities.
For e.g.: mouth helps
to chew and the tongue to taste, but I enjoy the taste and flavour. I am the
one feeling excited, angry, sad, happy etc. my body is only one instrument.
Enjoyer means “one who
enjoys”.
Hence I am the Enjoyer
(Bhokta).
7 comments:
What are the consequences of confusing between Sukh and suvidha
Sukh means happiness. It refers to the state of the mind which leads to our inner harmony. Suvidha on the other hand refers to the physical comforts or facilities which helps a man to lead comfortable life.
Often people get confused between sukh and suvidha. They run after accumulation of physical facilities and material possessions(suvidhas) thinking that sukh depends on suvidha and is directly proportional to it. It means that the more suvidhas we have, the more happy we will be. But it is a completely wrong notion.
Having material possessions may not always give us happiness and satisfaction.
Trying to achieve happiness and prosperity by maximizing accumulation and consumption of physical facilities is anti-ecological and anti-people, and poses a threat to human survival.
*Following consequences arise due to confusion between sukh and suvidha at various levels:*
**At the level of individual:* Rising problems of depression, psychological disorders, suicides, stress, insecurity, etc.
* *At the level of family:* Breaking of joint families, mistrust, conflict between older and younger generations, insecurity in relationships, divorce, dowry tortures, etc.
**At the level of society:* Growing incidence of terrorism and naxalism, rise in communalism, spreading of casteism, racial and ethnic struggles, wars between nations, etc.
**At the level of nature:* Global warming, pollution, depletion of minerals, mineral oils and other resources, etc.
Thank you
Great job Miss Sri Devi.
How human mind gets influenced or conditioned
finally a teacher that knows what they are talking about. or maybe everything was from a written book. but what do i know. thank you for the efforts in making this knowledge more accessible
This study material was purely prepared by me and even typed by me (not copied from anywhere). Please excuse me if there are any spelling or grammar mistakes as I completed the whole thing in a very short duration.
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