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I'm a truth seeker and because Hinduism has brought me closer to the truth I'd like to ask a question that is important to me. My being is calmer with yoga and meditation, but a question has popped from my head and I can't answer it fully.

If you calm your being, no pain can hurt you, so no matter what others do to you... you are complete. But what is stopping YOU from hurting others? If you are complete and you hurt others, it will not hurt you. I know its a horrible question but if I want to go further with yoga I must clear all my doubts.

When I meditate and am doing yoga with all my being, I feel that I am somehow isolated from others happiness and sadness; and, as a result, I'm now afraid to go further.

When I was young I did things like every normal kid has done; like saying stupid things which were hurtful to people around me. But now that I'm more aware, it hurts me to think about how I may have hurt others...and I don't want to hurt me or others...I think you know where I'm pointing to :) So this is kinda my answer. I want to become aware of others pain, so there will be no question for me to ever hurt anyone.

I think you can never become independent of others feeling, because if you are independent there is no difference in hurting or loving others. So it seems that even when you reach the highest level of awareness you can never completely isolate yourself from other feelings if they are true. I think that when you become fully aware you will feel even more the feelings of others (their true feelings).

I'm afraid that if I were to develop some strange anger energy while being in this isolated mode that I would do things which I would regret after this life finishes. But this should not happen if I can feel the pain and happiness of others.

So how can I in my lifetime achieve a higher state of awareness of others pain and happiness while meditating - so that if I live for another 10000 years, I will only want to bring people happiness and no pain or suffering?

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  • its a good question. I dont have a good answer for it. But I can say that this is a common problem faced by yogis and other sadhakas in the road to Enlightenment. It is better, not to have any powers, and not harm anyone, rather than to have many many powers and exploit it. That's why most of the saints say that obtaining occult powers is not the goal. It is realization of the Self which leads to that realization of the Oneness. With effort you will get there sir. All the best!!
    – Sai
    Commented May 4, 2015 at 15:01
  • You know I want to bring people happiness while trying to get this goal into my experience. But sometimes it feels that I'm doing this because how people teach me, this is good and this is bad. How can I get to see for my self that to bring pain to the other is really something that I would not do never ever. And to reallize that bringing happynes to the other is really the only thing that I should be doing in the mean time while trying to reallize this goal whitch you told me. Now I'm trying to give happynes to the other blindly whithout to have realization that this is what I really wants.
    – user2578
    Commented May 4, 2015 at 16:29
  • that is a tough question sir. But the answer does not lie in causing pain, and then finding out that it leads to one's own downfall. Just as how you trusted (initially it was done blindly perhaps) the wisdom of the sages (of Yoga) to lead you to this current state of happiness. You could once again trust in the wisdom of the sages (to do good) until you attain your next goal, which would be realization. I understand that initially you may be helping others only because of a notion of right/wrong told by your elders, but eventually that blind act would become heartfelt sir. All the best sir
    – Sai
    Commented May 4, 2015 at 16:36
  • Yes I was thinking obout the same thing, If I trust the words of 1000 and more year of experience religion, I shall trust blindly that bringing pain to the other will create distance from realization, and other way around if I have acts of kindness. Thank you Sai it kinda calmed me down :)
    – user2578
    Commented May 4, 2015 at 16:57
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    Hahaha :D day became so much nicer, I wish I could share my hapynes in persone with you since this burden of thought is disappearing :D I want to give you as a gratitude my favorite music that calm me the most :) reiki music hope you will like it :D
    – user2578
    Commented May 4, 2015 at 17:30

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In his book Adventures in Religious Life, Swami Yatiswarananda says:

According to the universalist, the goal to be reached is the happiness not only of the individual but also of the community...the universalist holds that no individual must count as more than one, and the happiness aimed at should be the greatest to the greatest number.

Altruistic eudaemonism, or pursuit of the happiness of others even at the expense of one's own, is another attitude. Self-denial leads to self-fulfillment on a higher plane. Through self-sacrifice, the doer of good comes to attain inner happiness. When the mind becomes pure, it reflects the individual's inner light and bliss. This type of inner happiness, which is still egocentric, springs from the Ananda-mayakosa "sheath of bliss" which individualizes consciousness and makes the soul feel distinct from others. According to Vedanta, the soul is part, or better, a reflection of the Infinite Spirit, Sat-Chit-Ananda, Infinite Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. The individual soul, as distinct from the body, senses, and mind, possesses its own bliss, limited though it is. As we shall see later, the highest form of happiness is that which comes from perfect desirelessness and spiritual experience.

Krishna says in the Gita (VI. 32.) -

Him I hold to be a supreme yogi, O Arjuna, who looks on the pleasure and pain of all beings as he looks on them in himself.

But to have as your goal the happiness of other beings, is an egotistic goal. To realize th highest, one must go beyond pleasure and pain, happiness and misery. All pairs of opposites only exist in maya; and maya always was and always will be. Thus the Katha Upanishad (V. 12.) says:

That one Supreme Ruler, the Self of all beings, who makes His form manifold -- those wise ones who perceive Him as existing in their own soul, to them belongs eternal happiness and to none else.

See also Gita (V. 21-22 and 24.)

True happiness consists of realizing your oneness with Brahman. One should see oneself in others and treat others as oneself, but to hold this as the highest goal is another form of egoism. One must go beyond all feelings of happiness and pain. The pairs of opposites exist in maya only, they do not exist in Brahman.

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  • Can you elaborate on "But to have as your goal the happiness of other beings, is an egotistic goal." You kinda lost me here :) . You say that "True happiness consists of realizing your oneness with Brahman." Well in the mean time you must do something while trying to get this goal into your experience. So I think that in the mean time I should have in my conscious drive to bring people only happynes, because now I'm doing it blindly, and I don't like it this way. What you suggest that I should be doing in the mean time in relate to my question, I'm really confused.
    – user2578
    Commented May 4, 2015 at 16:18
  • @urosjarc To work you have the right but not the fruits thereof. Work for the happiness of others but do not do so for your own happiness (the happiness of your individual ego). Work as a way of worshiping God. Work, if good comes, so be it. If bad comes, so be it. Be unattached to it. To do the work to gain a feeling of egoistic happiness is to do the work for your own ego and not for God.
    – Swami Vishwananda
    Commented May 5, 2015 at 4:29

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