HYPOCRISY (દંભ) IS A MAJOR BAD QUALITY (દુર્ગુણ)

You wrote me about some of your bad qualities and mentioned about hypocrisy and anger as the major bad qualities. These bad qualities are usually present in most people. Lots of people have this disease of claiming to know a lot when actually they know very little. Some people have this habit of projecting themselves in a way that is not the truthful projection of themselves. Compared to anger hypocrisy is such a major bad quality that it will not let you progress in spirituality unless you tear the curtain of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy keeps its grip on you the most. Hypocrisy creates a curtain that prevents you from seeing clearly the difference between who you are and how you project yourself. In its own subtle way it makes you take a stand on both sides of the issue preventing you from getting the clear view of the real issue. In a true sense hypocrisy is nature's very strong grip on us. When we try to progress in spirituality with real enthusiasm, hypocrisy tends to hold us down by taking variety of new forms. We will never have the love and devotion to God without first knowing, exposing and going above our nature. In this way hypocrisy is the biggest enemy in the path of spirituality.

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan Mandaan
Edition 3; page 203.

MANAGING ANGER

When someone is very upset and angry at the other person for certain kind of behavior, he may decide to keep calm and internalize the anger. He assumes the calm demeanor on the outside and does not express his real anger towards the other person. I do not consider this (not expressing the anger outside) as hypocrisy. I think this is a better way than expressing the anger. He may get perplexed and upset in his mind for doing so. He may get all kinds of thoughts in his mind. He may justify the reasons for being angry in his mind. I do not consider this method as hypocrisy if he does not get angry in spite of having enough reason to justify his anger in his own mind. Sadhak needs to identify, resolve and remove these conflicting thoughts from his mind over a period of time. In the end he must reach a state where there is no anger to start with and there is no need to work at it at a later time.

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan Mandaan
Edition 3; page 207.

My two cents -- This was written in a letter to a devotee who thought that getting angry and not expressing it is a hypocrisy. Pujya Shree Mota explains this stage as a beginning in managing the anger. The aim here is to see that the anger does not appear in the first place. 

SADHAK'S BEHAVIOR TOWARDS ELDERS

It must mean something when we have or develop the heartfelt respect for the elders in our lives. Elders in our lives must become the symbols of God if and when we develop love and devotion towards the God. What is the use of our sadhana of the divine if we fail to develop such love and devotion towards them? They must have an element of God if He is all pervading. If we accept this premise then we must express our Bhakti (love and devotion) towards our elders. Sadhak's view point is not the same as the view point of worldly person. We must realize that it is extraordinarily different. Bhavna is produced by the constant and permanent efforts and its practice by the sadhak. Sadhak must express the purpose of this bhavna concretely in real world and shape it while expressing it. Then only this expression of love and devotion will excel and shine. When that happens there is a possibility of seeing the spark of God residing within the hearts of all.

What it means is that the bhavna must get concentrated and mature in the sadhak first and then it is expressed and expanded outwards. This process should keep on going. Sadhak must be keenly aware of the fact that all this happenings is for the development of his sadhana and he should offer all the fruits to the divine. Only then it is possible to carry on this lively expression with wisdom and bhakti.

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan sandesh
Edition 3; pages 11 - 12.

PRACTICING MONISM ( અભેદ ) -- (2)

Sadhak must express bhavna in all of his deeds. Sadhana means synthesis of the ways of Bhakti (devotion and love), Gnyaan (knowledge and wisdom), Dhyan (meditation) and karma. Bhakti is the flood of Bhavna, Gnyaan is the purpose and Dhyan is the focus and attention. Karma is the channel to express all these in appropriate and harmonious way. As the strength, bhavna and inspiration are gained from the sadhana it needs to be expressed in our deeds e.g when the bhakti gathers the strength sadhak must experience the bhava of devotion and love. At the same time he must expand this love and devotion in the people who have come in his contact due to circumstances, destiny, with or without any purpose. Then only he will experience the measure of the strength of the effectiveness and liveliness of this love and devotion. Sadhak cannot be satisfied with the partial and incomplete achievement. He has undertaken the task of expressing the universal and all pervading God almighty within him. If he wants to touch the expressions of the divine he will have to proceed with flooding of the bhavna that has developed from his sadhana in the people, who have come in his contact due to destiny. It means he should not keep the inborn way of looking at the family, although it is always there. He needs to embrace them in the much higher plane and be absorbed in the devotion to the divine at the same time. Not only that, he needs to keep his attention that his main intention behind all these is his own development of sadhana. He needs to act in bhakti, knowledge, meditation and actions with the sole purpose of his own development and achieving the goal of his life. He does not need to act for others. With this attitude there is no chance of any disappointment. He will always look for the reason within him whenever there is disappointment or unpleasant event. This is practicing monism. Eventually sadhak has the experience that the root cause of the universe is within him. Sadhak feels as if he has no time to see the actions of others. This happens only when he stays focused in the bhavna of his sadhana.

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan sandesh
Edition 3; pages 10 -- 11.