Man is an image of God and as such possesses a real potential not only to represent the Creator but also become One. There lies the beauty of Creation as well. Pleasures or joys of life are natural since they are built into creation. However we find that lower pleasures do cause pain and agony. Some of our ancestors, sages and saints, having experienced these perishable pleasures, came to conclusions that there must be a better way to realize the unending joys of life.

As always, man has suffered due to his own misdeeds out of the ignorance of nature's laws. A human life, a crown jewel, is not achieved by accident but after many grueling phases of lower lives. Previous births are spent aimlessly for routine pleasures like eating, sleeping, and breeding, not to mention the grief associated with aging, sickness and death. A human birth provides a unique opportunity to seek the Real Self, which is beyond body, senses, energy, intellect and ego, as well as temporary joys experienced during deep sleep.

Consciousness has several layers. Even animals have a conscious, but our concern extends to the inner conscious identified by purity of mind and intellect. This itself calls for a life of high moral and ethical values. Even anti-social elements have some form of consciousness, but here the emphasis is on a conscious that is pure and would ultimately lead to the absolute Conscious (Chit), i.e. God or Self-Realization.

Living for lower physical, mental, intellectual and religious pleasures often means succumbing to a worthless bargain. "Human life should not be wasted as such," prophets and saints have repeatedly stated. If we just listen to them, watch our own experiences, or just observe nature, we will reach a universal conclusion that physical pleasures last only for a short while followed by inevitable bouts of miseries. This roller-coaster ride between joys and miseries never seems to end.

When confronted with sufferings like depression, disease and death, we crave for a remedy -- not a temporary one but an eternal remedy. The more we search, the more we realize that our own joy transcends from an order that is simple, basic, and natural. Our modern civilization and values (education, science, technology, social structures, politics, business, commerce, art, etc.) appear to harp only on one aim: How to get the best out of this physical, mental and intellectual life. It does not have any regard for our Real-Self (Atman), which alone can provide true pleasures or joy.

Naturally, the more we acquire, the more we desire and complicate our lives with more anxiety, insecurity and irritations. We lose our temper at small incidents, raise our false pride for national interests, become fanatic about our religious beliefs, and conflict with others on petty issues. We hardly learn from history and our surroundings. It has been a universal observation that most people, regardless of their culture, nation or religion, are interested only in one thing: safeguarding their own whims, beliefs and traditions. Their interest is served best by keeping the masses in ignorance, as noted by the sage, Katha. He compared this to "the blind leading the blind."

Spiritual experiences show that there is a definite way and out of misery to eternal joy. This has been stated by so many saints spanning from various periods of time and cultures. Some of these notables are Lord Buddha, Krishna, and Jesus. A society oriented toward rewards becomes selfish, greedy, and miserable regardless of new achievements on scientific or technological fronts. Unfortunately, today we find the same traits even in the fields of religion and spirituality. It, therefore, becomes very complicated for an ordinary man to distinguish between the right and the wrong.

In order to stay on the right course, we must rely upon pure consciousness based on morality and ethics and then study, listen,  and practice the teachings of prophets and saints. We must do so with perfect discrimination and not blindly. It is perfectly all right to question their teachings and their applicability in today's environment. Truth will stand on its own and untruth will never survive. This is the Law as we see it.

There is a greater abundance of light than darkness, treasures of knowledge than ignorance, boundless love than hatred, and more of everything we really need. An Infinitely Loving Creator cannot be short of provisions for such an infinitely small community of men and women on this earth, and we still worry about our security.

To enjoy pleasures without pure consciousness is no better than living a dead life. A human life is not meant for mere breathing and breeding but for a far greater purpose. Spirit is but One, and we are all a part and parcel of that Great Spirit. We must learn to live in peace with others, but this will be possible only when our physical pleasures are transcended to super-natural forms. We all have that potential. Self-Realization is the Ultimate Pleasure ... Pleasure of all pleasures ... Beauty of all beauties.

--Swami Radhanandaji