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Attitude Adjustment: The Best Reflection of Tolerance in the Sanatana Dharma -Professor Dr. Ravindra Kumar
“One has to learn tolerance in
the face of dualities such as happiness and distress, or cold and warmth, and
by tolerating such dualities become free from anxieties regarding gain and
loss.” –The Shrimadbhagavad Gita [2.45]
Since
ancient times India has been a country of rich philosophical traditions.
Spiritual discoveries, one after the other, remained the foremost objective of
life of the great Rishis, sage,
saints and scholars of India. On the basis of its unique philosophical
traditions and spiritual discoveries India has been for thousands of years a
land of attraction, mystery and curiosity for people around the globe, and it
has also been respected by the world as the Vishwa
Guru.
Despite
a significant contribution of various other schools of thoughts, indigenous in
particular, in the development of Indian philosophical traditions and spiritual
thinking, the Santana Dharma, which
is indeed directed by the Vedic
[Hindu] way of life, remained the leading guiding force of it.
The
Sanatana Dharma calls for maintaining
forbearance and tolerance, the two basic elements of Ahimsa, in day-to-day practices; in other words, adopting these two
in thought and action.
The
first, forbearance, is a quality highly developed in a human being
incorporating patience, love and benevolence. Further, it is the restraint in
the face of provocation reflecting contentment and prudence. Being an
expression of Ahimsa, it is not a
sign of cowardice or an indication of bowing before injustice. Rather, it is a
sign of inner strength and rock solid spirits, a developed stage of one’s
personality.
Tolerance,
synonymous to forbearance to a large extent as expressing patience, liberality
and quietness, is such a willingness to embrace others by thought, utterance
and action. It approves opinion and practices of others without prejudices.
Thus, a tolerant, despite having difference of opinion and method of working,
honours others’ views and the pathway. He gets himself ready for sacrifice to
ascertain others’ freedom as he wishes for self, and, therefore, prepares a
ground for co-operation and harmony.
Hence,
these two expressions, i.e., forbearance and tolerance, which are supplementary
and synonymous to each other, emerge as the nitty-gritty in the Sanatana Hindu Dharma and occupy indeed
an important place in the Vedic way
of life. Further, as tolerance, which strengthens one’s willpower to such a
degree at which he gets himself ready
to accept others’ outlook and recognizes
others’ pathway, and steps forward firmly to ascertain others’ freedom that
dwells in the core of Hinduism, the scope of the Sanatana Dharma becomes all-inclusive, comprehensive and acceptable
to one and all. It opens door for everyone within its ambit and this remained
the reason that Mahatma Gandhi, a great humanist and an ardent advocate of Sarva Dharma Sambhav wrote in the
columns of Young India on October 20, 1927, “I have found Hinduism to be the
most tolerant of all religions known to me. Its freedom from dogma makes a
forcible appeal to me in as much as it gives the votary the largest scope for
self expression.”
Not
only this, it is also because of predominant place of tolerance in Hinduism and
also its being the best expression of non-violence, the Mahatma went to the
extent of saying, “Non-violence found the highest expression and application in Hinduism
[I do not regard Jainism or Buddhism as separate from Hinduism].”
Now
what the Sanatana Dharma suggests as
the best way to develop tolerance effectively and appropriately in one’s
persona is the attitude adjustment.
Attitude
[Abhivritti in Indian term] signifies
in fact the manner of thinking, or disposition, feeling or position with regard
to a person or a thing. It is, can be said, an impression or a notion,
orientation or tendency of mind in this regard. Therefore, it is not necessary
that the mind-created state or imagination is certainly based on reality. It
may be true, or may not be. Even during the course of choosing the right, mind
faces duality, remains in the state of uncertainty. That is why; Lord Krishna
explains Mana Sthiti at length in the
Shrimadbhagavad-Gita. The Lord
particularly discusses the matter of duality and deformation in mind, and
selfishness persisting therein. Moreover, if there is a wish to arrive at the
state of welfare of one and all, the Lord elucidates, one necessarily needs to
control his mind to overcome the situation of duality by the way of Abhivritti Saamanjasya, attitude
adjustment. The forty-fifth Shloka of
the chapter two quoted from the Gita
at the commencement of discussion in hand, which says, “One has to learn tolerance in the
face of dualities such as happiness and distress, or cold and warmth, and by
tolerating such dualities become free from anxieties regarding gain and loss”, could also be
viewed in this very context.
The
Santana Dharma is committed to
tolerance. Tolerance is one of its basics. Attitude adjustment may have come
into limelight, or it may have defined in the West in cotemporary-modern
periods, but it remained the best expression along with its being the acid test
of tolerance persisted in the Sanatana
Dharma for thousands of years.
The
Sanatana Dharma expects a Vaisnava [a Hindu or a follower of the Sanatana Dharma] personally to be
tolerant for the welfare of others. When a follower of the Sanatana Dharma, a true Hindu, does not show his prowess, this does
not mean that he is lacking in strength. Rather, it is an indication that he is
tolerant for the welfare of the entire human society having the spirit of
attitude adjustment as the nucleus.
The world today
is rapidly shrinking into a global village as per the ancient Indian dictum of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. All
accomplishments and achievements from all spheres, cultural, economic,
educational, science and technology have now become common. Unprecedented
advancement, particularly in the fields of communication, science and
technology has brought people of the world closer. Inter-dependence on one
one-another has increased to such a level that going forward together is now
becoming indispensable. Indifference to this reality can only cause to fall in
the state isolation. Therefore, working together for common welfare is the call
of the hour now. To ascertain co-ordination and co-operation for the purpose
the development of spirit of tolerance is needed and for this attitude
adjustment is the best and the most effective way as urged by the Sanatana Dharma.
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