CHAPTER XII: Providing The Basis For Universal Human Values And Ethical Human Conduct 

HUMAN VALUES AND PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

LECTURE NOTES

UNIT –V : CHAPTER XII 

               VALUES IN DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF HUMAN LIVING

The participation of human beings at different levels in the larger order is our “Value”. This participation is seen in two forms: Behaviour and Work.

VALUES PERTAINING TO BEHAVIOUR

These are the nine values in a relationship namely trust, respect, care, affection,guidance, reverence, glory and love.

VALUES IN THE INTERACTION OF HUMAN BEINGS WITH MATERIAL THINGS

Material Things have two Values:

1.       Utility Value (Upayogita Mulya) and

2.       Artistic Value (Kala Mulya)

Anything useful to us has utility value like a shirt, pen etc. The way these things are designed for convenience, attractive look etc. constitutes their Artistic Value.

Universal Values Naturally Emerging from the Right Understanding

 There is an innate harmony and orderliness in the existence. Human beings just need to understand it (not create). This Right Understanding of the harmony helps in inculcating the universal values.  The Universal Values are the truths of existence and are always there. They should not be enforced through fear, greed or blind faith/belief. The values are naturally acceptable and there is no need for imposition or enforcement.

ETHICAL HUMAN CONDUCT

Values: desirable or useful qualities in a person

Morals : knowing what is right and what is wrong after reading/observing/experiencing something

Moral Values: the relative values that give us protection and respect if used correctly.

Example: courage, commitment etc.

Ethics = moral values in action

(knowing the difference between right/ wrong usage of morals and doing the right thing even if it is risky or painful)

Ethical Human Conduct = Behaviour which is ethically correct. It is  self-satisfying, people-friendly, eco-friendly and universal.

Examples of Ethical Values = eg. Keeping promise,  honesty, loyalty, fairness, concern for others, commitment, abiding by law etc.

Good Professional = A person having Ethical Human Conduct + requisite Professional Skills

Professional Ethics = The personal, official or business rules that govern our behaviour within the context of a particular situation

Eg. Ethics in border security, lawyers, doctors in the gender testing of the foetus etc

The Right Understanding gained through Self Exploration enables us to identify the definitiveness of human conduct, also called, the Ethical Human Conduct.  

DEFINITIVENESS OF ETHICAL HUMAN CONDUCT

            
 The definitiveness of ethical human conduct is understood in terms of definiteness of              

               values, policies and character and it is universal.

1.       Values(Mulya) – they are part of our Ethical conduct and are the outcome of our realization and understanding. They are always definite(30 in number).

There are 30 Values in all for a human being:

·         Within the Self (in “I”) – 4 Values

Sukha(Happiness), Santi(Peace), Santosa(Satisfiction), Ananda(bliss)

·         As a human being, in participation in the universal order – 6 Values

Perseverance( Dhirata), Bravery( Virata), Generosity( Udarata), Kindness( Daya), Beneficience( Kripa), Compassion( Karuna)

·         In human relationships with other human beings – 18 Values

Trust( Viswasa), Respect( Sammana), Affection( Sneha), Care( Mamata), Guidance(Vatsalya), Reverence( Shraddha), Glory( Gaurava), Gratitude( Kritagyata), Love( Prema), Complimentariness( Soujanyata), Compliance (Souhardra), Commitment (Nista), Generosity(Udarata), Spontaniety( Sahajata), Obedience(Pujyata), Ease( Saralata), Self-restraint( Saumyata), Unanimity( Ananyata)

·         Human beings in interaction with rest of the nature – 2 Values

Utility Value( Upayogita mulya), Artistic Value( Kala mulya)

2.       Policy(Neethi) – It refers to developing an ethical sense in all our pursuits and think, behave and work towards nurturing this harmony. It is a manifestation of right understanding in deciding upon the enrichment, protection and right utilization of the three resources namely, Mana (mind), Tana (body) and Dhana (wealth).( 3 in number)

·         Economic Policy (Artha niti) – policy for enrichment of wealth

·         Political Policy (Rajya niti) – policy for protection of body and wealth

·         Policy for Universal Human Order (Dharma niti) – policy for the right utilization of mind, body and wealth.

3.       Character( Charitra) – definiteness of our living and character(3 in number)

·         Chastity in Conjugal relationship( husband-wife relationship)

·         Rightful production, acquisition and utilization of wealth

·         Humane behaviour and work with kindness

              

This definitiveness of human conduct in  terms of values, policies and character is termed as Ethics.

A human being with ethical human conduct coupled with requisite professional skills becomes a good professional like a good doctor, a good teacher etc.

·         Ethical conduct should be naturally acceptable to us and should not give rise to conflicts within.

·         It should be in consonance with the right understanding of the reality.

·         It should lead to mutual fulfilment with other people and mutual enrichment with rest of the nature.

·         It should be self-satisfying, people-friendly, eco-friendly and universal.

IDENTIFICATION OF SVATVA LEADING TO SVATANTRATA AND SVARAJYA

The process of Self Exploration which starts as a dialogue within us, helps us in getting rid of our preconceived notions, dilemmas, contradictions, compulsions, both internal and external. This helps us to explore our Svatva( Natural Acceptance) at different levels of our living. Living according to our Svatva, we become Svatantra. When we are able to live in harmony with others, we participate in Svarajya.

 DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS

                Right understanding helps the human beings to transform from animal consciousness to human consciousness. Self exploration leads to a development in our consciousness and brings about a change in our goals , priorities and selection criteria. This brings about positive changes in the lives of human beings at the levels of individual, family, society and nature.

IMPLICATIONS OF VALUE-BASED LIVING

1.       At the level of Individual: Getting rid of frustration, depression, conflicts etc. and developing good health, happiness and prosperity

2.       At the level of Family: reduced family feuds, feeling of togetherness,  the feeling to nurture others, living on the basis of human consciousness and not on the basis of animal consciousness.

3.       At the level of Society: relationships get higher priority over physical facilities leading to increase in fearlessness and mutual trust, differentiations based on the body, physical facilities, beliefs will get reduced, conflicts between communities, nations, races etc. will get reduced, problems of naxalism, terrorism, war etc. will be solved, feeling of undividedness will be developed leading to the fulfilment of the common  human goal.

4.       At the level of Nature: Problems of pollution, resource depletion, ecological imbalance etc. will be solved, better methods of farming and production will be found, afforestation will be done and animals will be protected from being extinct.

        

CHAPTER XI: Harmony In Existence - Understanding Existence As Co-existence 

HUMAN VALUES AND PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

LECTURE NOTES

UNIT –IV : CHAPTER XI 

               

UNIT (ikai) : All the things in nature are called units. All units big or very small are limited in size.

For Example, a small blade of hair to the large galaxies (each unit occupies limited amount of space and has a boundary and is countable).

SPACE(Sunya/Shoonya) = empty space found everywhere

For example : What is there between you and your book? Nothing. This “Nothing” or empty space is called Shoonya or Space.

Space is not a unit. It can’t be touched, smelled or seen. We can just see through it. Space exists everywhere.

EXISTENCE

All the units of all orders in nature, along with the empty space constitute

the Existence. Hence,

 Existence = Space + Units (in space)

We can also say that all the units of all the orders ‘exist in space’, ‘are in space’ and ‘submerged in space’.

Therefore Existence = Nature submerged in space

Nature = Four Orders

Being in space, all the units in nature, lead to the Complete Existential Order (Samagra Vyavastha)

Existence = Co-existence = Units submerged in space

DIAGRAM SHOWING VARIOUS ATTRIBUTES OF UNITS AND SPACE:

·         All nature is submerged in space. Nature has four orders and there are units in each order.

·         Each order is limited in size from being as small as an atom to as large as a galaxy. Space, on the other hand is unlimited. Space has no size like the units and it is not bounded.

·         Each unit is dynamic and active whether it is a physical activity or physic-chemical activity or sentient/conscious activity. Space on the other hand, doesn’t have any activity.

·         All the units are active and hence, energised. There is a transfer of energy from one form to another. Since space has no activity on its own, it is not energized. But all the units are energised in space. Hence, “Space is energy in Equilibrium” or it is Constant Energy. This energy is available to all the units.

·         Each unit recognises and fulfils its relation with other units. For instance, the air recognises its relationship with the soil, the soil with the water, the water and soil with the tree etc. this is called living in harmony with all the four orders.

The space on the other hand, is reflecting. Every unit is reflected in the other units in space. This is why human being feel related to one another and to the units of the other orders. Space is also transparent. There is no obstruction in space. Thus it is reflecting, helping all the units to recognise each other.

·         Every unit is an organization. Smaller units such as atoms, molecules, cells etc. combine to form bigger organizations. All these units are self organised.  No one is supplying this organization externally. Since all the units exist in space,  we say that Self-organization is available in space.

The following figure depicts how all the four orders co-exist in space. The units are of two kinds – Material and Conscious(I). Material units are the ones that are recognising and fulfilling while the Conscious units also have the activities of knowing and assuming along with recognising and fulfilling.

Realization and understanding ensure harmony in desires, thoughts, expectations.

·         Understanding the Self(I), the activities in the I and their interrelation, understanding the reality of ‘I’ as distinct from the body is called KNOWLEDGE OF SELF ( JIVANA GYANA)

·         Understanding the harmony at all the levels of Existence is called KNOWLEDGE OF EXISTENCE (ASTITVA DARSHANA GYANA)

·         Understanding our relationship with every unit in Existence and fulfil it is called KNOWLEDGE OF HUMAN(E) CONDUCT (MANAVIYATA PURNA ACHARANA GYANA)

The knowledge of all the above three is called right understanding. With this right understanding, we develop realization and understanding, and we call this as ACTIVITY COMPLETENESS or KRIYA PURNATA.

When there is completeness in the ability of ‘I’ to live with right understanding at the four levels, leading to mutual fulfilment, it is called, CONDUCT COMPLETENESS or ACHARANA PURNATA.

Our role in this existence is to understand the co-existence to reach the state of KRIYA PURNATA and live accordingly to attain ACHARANA PURNATA.

Right Understanding =

Understanding of Existence + Understanding of Self + Understanding of Human(e) conduct

= same as Harmony at 4 levels

              The following diagrams help us to understand  the three questions:

What are we doing today?

Where we are?

Where we really want to be?

                                                                   DIAGRAM 1

                                                                             DIAGRAM 2

DIAGRAM 3

With lack of understanding, we are investing ourselves in growing things that do not grow and trying to stop what anyways grows. We are trying to develop what is already cyclical in nature and not trying to develop what is not cyclic.

We need to work on the material order for composition and construction, on plant order for growth and development. We need to work for right understanding. This is where we really want to be.

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CHAPTER X: Harmony In Nature - Understanding The Interconnectedness And Mutual Fulfilment 

HUMAN VALUES AND PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

LECTURE NOTES

UNIT –IV : CHAPTER X 

Nature: Natural/ Physical / Material world (or) entire Universe

Four orders in Nature:

Everything around us can be placed under the following 4 orders –

1.       Material order – Padartha / Vastu avastha

It includes the soil, metals, compounds, liquids, gases etc (on earth) and the stars, planets, moon etc(beyond earth)

2.       Plant/ Bio order – Prana avastha

It includes all flora such as grass, trees, seeds, fruits, flowers, parasitic plants, carnivorous plants

3.       Animal order – Jiva order

It includes all the animals, birds and insects (from unicellular to complex animals)

4.       Human / Knowledge order – Gyana avastha

It includes all the human beings (Body + I)

Interconnectedness and Mutual fulfilment between the four Orders ( Parasparata and Paraspara Purakata):

Material Order, Plant Order, Animal Order:

Material Order helps the Plant and Animal Order by providing soil, water, oxygen, sunlight, nutrients, minerals etc. and also provides the basis for movement.

Plant Order helps the Material Order by preventing soil erosion, producing Oxygen, absorbing CO2 etc. It helps the Animal Order by providing food.

Animal Order helps the Material Order by enriching the soil through excreta. It helps the Plant Order in Pollination.

Thus all the three orders are mutually interdependent and co-exist with mutual fulfilment.

Material Order, Plant Order, Animal Order, Human Order:

All the first three orders help the Human Order to have the Natural Acceptance to be mutually fulfilling with the three orders. But human beings are not able to ensure this fulfilment.

The Material Order helps the Human Order by providing soil, minerals, metals, oxygen etc. but Human beings in return are polluting the Material Order and depleting the fossil fuels.

The Plant order helps the Human order by proving food, oxygen and by absorbing Carbondioxide. In return, the Human beings are destroying forests and many species of plants and herbs.

The Animal order provides the Human order with food, wool, leather, means of labour and transport etc. The Human beings in return have made several species of animals extinct.

Thus, except the Human order, all the other three orders are in harmony with each other and are also fulfilling the Human order. It is high time that the human beings learn to live in harmony with the other three orders.

Recyclability and Self-regulation in Nature:           

Cyclical/Recyclability and Self-regulation are the two characteristics of Nature.

Cycles such as Food chain, Water cycle, Nitrogen and Carbon cycles help in regulating –

·      
   pollution (through decomposition of dead organisms in forests etc)

·         changes in seasons to promote birth and death and regulate overgrowth of plants etc.

·         food chain controls over population of plants as well as animals

·         balance in male and and female species disturbed by the Human Order

·         compensating for the loss of nutrients from soil through decomposed matter.

Salient aspects of the Four Orders:

ORDER	MATERIAL	PLANT/BIO	ANIMAL	HUMAN
Things (Vastu)	Soil, Air, Water	Plant Body	Animal Body + “I”	Human Body + “I”
Activity (Kriya)	Composition/ Decomposition	(Composition/ Decomposition + Respiration) in Body	(Composition/ Decomposition + Respiration) in Body + (Selection) in “I”	(Composition/ Decomposition + Respiration) in Body + (Selection, Thought, Desire) in “I” + (Need for Realization & Understanding)
Innateness (Dharana)	Existence	(Existence + Growth) in Body	(Existence + Growth) in Body + (Will to Live) in “I”	(Existence + Growth) in Body + (Will to Live with Happiness) in “I”
Natural Characteristic (Svabhava)	Composition/ Decomposition	(Composition/ Decomposition + Nurture/Worsen) in Body	(Composition/ Decomposition + Nurture/Worsen) in Body + (Non-cruelty/Cruelty) in “I”	(Composition/ Decomposition + Nurture/Worsen) in Body + (Perseverance, Bravery, Generosity ) in “I”
Basic Activity (Kriya)	Recognising, Fulfilment	Recognising, Fulfilment	(Recognising, Fulfilment) in Body + (Assuming, Recognising, Fulfilment) in “I”	(Recognising, Fulfilment) in Body + (Knowing, Assuming, Recognising, Fulfilment) in “I”
Conformance (Anu-sangita)	Constitution conformance	Seed conformance	Breed conformance	Right Values conformance

The above table explains the following salient aspects in each of the four orders:

A.      Things (Vastu):

1.       Material order – Padartha / Vastu avastha

It includes the soil, metals, compounds, liquids, gases etc (on earth) and the stars, planets, moon etc(beyond earth)

2.       Plant/ Bio order – Prana avastha

It includes all flora such as grass, trees, seeds, fruits, flowers, parasitic plants, carnivorous and aquatic plants

3.       Animal order – Jiva order

It includes all the animals, birds and insects from unicellular to complex animals(Body+I)

4.       Human / Knowledge order – Gyana avastha

It includes all the human beings (Body + I)

B.      Activity (Kriya):

The Material order consists of lifeless things. Hence, the activities involved in the Material order are only Composition and Decomposition while in the Plant order and the other two orders, another activity called Respiration is also involved in the body. In Animal order, Selection occurs in “I”, while in Human order, Selection, Thought and Desire occur in “I” along with the need for Realization and Understanding.

C.      Innateness (Dharana):

While Innateness consists of mere ‘Existence’ in the Material order and ‘Existence+Growth’ in the Plant order, it consists of ‘Existence+Growth’ in the Body and ‘Will to live’ in the “I” in Animals and ‘Will to live with happiness’ in the “I” in Humans.

D.      Natural Characteristic (Svabhava):

The Natural Characteristics of the Material order are Composition and Decomposition and of the Plant order is Composition/Decomposition and Nurture/Worsen in the Body. The Animal order also has the  same natural characteristics in the body along with non-cruelty or cruelty in the “I”. In the Human order, the cruelty/non-cruelty of animals is replaced by Perseverance, Bravery and Generosity.

E.       Basic Activity (Kriya):

The Basic activities in the Material as well as Plant order include Recognising and fulfilment. The same activities occur in the body in Animal and Human orders. Assuming, Recognising and Fulfillment occur in the “I” of both Animal order and Plant order along with Knowing in the Human order.

F.       Conformance (Anu-sangita):

The Conformance in the Material order is essentially Constitution Conformance  and in the Plant order it is Seed Conformance. In Animals it is Breed Conformance and in the Humans it is Right Values Conformance.

Conclusion:

All the things in the Material order are lifeless and are composed of smaller units(atoms) coming together to form bigger units. Such combining is referred to as Composition and the splitting up of these units is referred to as Decomposition.  The Material order simply Exists and has no Growth, Nurturing or Worsening. Its Conformance (continuity in nature) takes place through physical and Chemical processes.

The Plant order is made up of units called cells which have life. These cells are responsible for various Physico-chemical activities in the Body. Hence along with Composition/Decomposition, plants also Grow, Nurture/Worsen depending on the availability of nutrients, climatic conditions etc. However they don’t possess any Consciousnees or “I” as in Animals or Humans.

Difference between I and Body of Animals & Humans:

The Body of Animals and Humans have the same activities. However there is a great difference between  the conscious activities of the Self in both of them.

‘I’ of Animals Vs Humans:

 The “I” in the Animals is confined only to the Selection/taste process, Will to live and Characteristics such as cruelty/non-cruelty. For example, a cow is satisfied if it is given some fodder. It doesn’t think of where the fodder came from, who grew it etc. it needs food just to keep itself alive unlike the humans who crave for different tastes as they possess the will to live in happiness.

Animals have the faculty of Assuming, Recognising and Fulfilling, but they have no Reasoning/Knowing. A dog barks at a stranger assuming that he is a thief.  But it doesn’t bark at a person it sees daily irrespective of whether he is good or bad because it lacks reasoning/knowing power. 

Animals have the breed conformance ie they act according to their lineage. For instance, A puppy doesn’t behave like a cub. A calf doesn’t eat meat.

In Humans, the activities such as Desiring / Thinking / Selecting / Tasting occur leading to Understanding and Realization.  Like the Animals, the Humans possess the Will to live but the will to live in happiness. Instead of cruelty/non-cruelty, the humans possess the characteristics of Bravery, Perseverance and Generosity. They possess the reasoning skills and hence have an additional activity of Knowing which is absent in animals. A human beings’ Conformance is largely based upon his Values and not his breed as in animals.   A doctor’s son need not think or behave like his father.

Human Beings : Our State today

ORDER	ANIMAL	HUMAN
Things (Vastu)	Animal Body + “I”	Human Body + “I”
Innateness (Dharana)	(Existence + Growth) in Body + (Will to Live) in “I”	(Existence + Growth) in Body + (Will to Live with Happiness) in “I”
Natural Characteristic (Svabhava)	(Composition/ Decomposition + Nurture/Worsen) in Body + (Non-cruelty/Cruelty) in “I”	(Composition/ Decomposition + Nurture/Worsen) in Body + (Perseverance, Bravery, Generosity ) in “I”
Mode	Reaction	Response
Needs	Physical Facilities	Physical Facilities + Relationship + Right Understanding/ Knowledge

According to the above table, what is written for “I” on the right side marks the basic needs for us as human beings. Surviving alone is not sufficient for us, our need for continuous happiness is our innateness. We cannot live alone with cruelty or non-cruelty, we need to live with perseverance, bravery and generosity. Our basic need is not just physical facilities, we also need relationships and right understanding.

Unfortunately we as human beings are living as in the left side column (animal consciousness) in the above table. On the other hand, our Natural Acceptance implies that we should live according to right side column (Human consciousness) in the table. We are not making use of our knowledge to differentiate between the right and the wrong methods of living and are living in ignorance with animal consciousness forgetting that Human order means Knowledge order.

What is the way out?

It is high time that mankind moves from animal consciousness to human consciousness and develop the Right Understanding so that the human order becomes fulfilling to all the other orders of nature.