Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati in ‘The Value of Values’

What is a value?

A ‘value’ indicates  the regard for a thing, situation, or attitude which for some reason is esteemed or prized by the value-holder.

A psychologically or spiritually conscious person acts from a consistent – though always evolving – sense of values. To value is to esteem the worth of something, to declare that it has meaning for us.

In a spiritual context, ethical values can be classified as dharma. Dharma is the standard or norm of conduct derived from the way in which I wish others to view or treat me.  What I expect or want from others becomes my standard of dharma, right behaviour; what I do not want others to do is adharma, wrong behavior.

I want others to speak truth to me.
I do not want others to lie to me.

Truth-speaking is dharma for me.
Non-truth-speaking is adharma for me.

Scriptures confirm truth-speaking as good behaviour.
Scriptures condemn non-truth-speaking as bad behavior.

          
Other behaviour norms such as non-injury, humility, charitableness are all based upon the same consideration of how I would like others to treat me. These ethical standards are natural and universal.

Ethical Values are Universal in Content and Relative in application.

Though the codes of acceptable conduct are universal, these standard are not absolute. There are situations where what is considered ethical becomes unethical; depending upon the context. Again that a standard may be  relative does not mean that it is purely subjective. Why? Because there is a similarity in everyone’s reaction to being hurt, cheated, lied to and bullied.

Ethical standards are based on a human consensus regarding what is the acceptable conduct: this consensus is not negated by the fact that the norms may be subject to interpretation is some situations.

Usually I have a great value for self non-injury – yet I set it aside and willingly submit to the surgeon’s knife when required! This suspension of my value for non-injury to myself does not affect my basic value for non-injury to myself or to all beings.

What happens sometimes  is that while I am likely to apply a value for truthfulness very consistently and absolutely to the words of others; I apply the same value to truthfulness  to my won words,  much less consistently and relative to the situation! So in this way my interpretation of these values is highly subjective.

Can I dismiss a concern for values?

Values cannot be dismissed, nor can they be defied with impunity.  Failure to meet a value puts me in conflict with myself. When I perform an action that is a non-value for me,  I create a seed of guilt which creates sleeplessness, fear and conflict.

How Values create conflict?

When I have a value and something interferes with my expression of that value, I am in conflict with myself. What interferes with my expression of my general values? Individual situational values, linked with some highly desired personal end.

For example:
Value:              Speak truth!

                        I want others to speak truth to me (universal source)
                        Authorities tell me to speak truth (obligatory source)
                                    Parents say speak the truth.
                                    Society says speak the truth.
                                    Religion says speak the truth.
                        Speaking truth is a part of my value system.

Assimilation:  
                        The value of others truthfulness is immediately clear
                        I can see that false information given to me can be
                           Inconvenient or harmful to me.
                        My value of truthfulness of others to me is personal
                        and assimilated.

                        The value of my truthfulness is not immediately clear
                        I do not see what I get out of being truthful
                        My value for being truthful is obligatory.
                        My truthfulness obliges my parents.
                        My truthfulness obliges my society
                        My truthfulness obliges my religious code.

Result:            I have a split value: one half personal and one half
                       obligatory

Half-Value: More Irritant than Behaviour Norm

There is always potential for conflict when a universal value is split into two halves – a personal value for what I expect from others and an obligatory value for what I expect from myself.

A personal value is observed for its own sake. Whereas a obligatory value is subject to compromise when it obstructs a highly desired individual end. Whenever I compromise, the half-value does not go away. It stays there in my heart as an irritant. Then I cannot be fully comfortable with myself and I have the knower-doer split in me.
….
Your values have been consciously chosen from a variety of alternatives. To know your values is to know yourself, since your choices reveal you.

Your values are revealed to others by your words and actions. Your behaviour is the final determinant of your values. This is how people come to trust you. They can see your consistency. You act on your inner choices. This is so very important in one’s life that, one is totally in touch with what is important to oneself and one acts out of those values. While I am not insensitive to the opinion of others, and I consider them, I am not ruled by the need for the approval of others, or by the opinions of others. When my inner choices reflect  values which are in keeping with dharma – the norms of  behaviour dictated by what I expect from others towards me, then I am together as a person. 

When I see clearly that a particular choice will make me suffer, I do not make that choice. When I become thoroughly convinced that acting contrary to a general value will result in suffering for me, my compliance with that value becomes choiceless. If speaking truth is a value for me, and I am convinced completely that non-truth brings suffering, there is no choice but to speak truth. Speaking truth then becomes natural, spontaneous, my personal, assimilated value.

As your values become more and more conscious, you are more and more apt to proclaim them – even at great cost to your own comfort and ambitions. People may respect this integrity and admire or appreciate you. This gratifies you though it does not motivate you.

In the Bhagavad-Gita Lord Krishna talks about what we may call as values in the 13th chapter. Other chapters too contain much on values and attitudes to living. We will discuss some of those values and others, which in my opinion are a part growing up to be truly alive.

 Before we explore further, we need to see that  the values that allow us to fully emerge into our own wholeness, our completeness, in fact reflect that wholeness.  Living a life of dharma is meant to invoke the wholeness, the fullness that is our intrinsic nature. IN the wake of recognition of our wholeness, all these values are a spontaneous expression of ourselves. There is no effort involved.  So as a seeker, in pursuit of knowledge, there is effort involved – the process of growth has to be initiated.
When is this growth possible?

When there is flexibility and an open-mind. This is interesting to see – ‘I’ is consciousness – conscious of thinking and emoting, distinct from thinking and emoting. So supposing currently I am subscribing to  a way of thinking that is limiting me – I don’t lose anything at all in changing my way of thinking, which will eventually change the way I feel. Once I understand this, I become very, very flexible and am ready to reshuffle my ideas if I can see that they are not valuable to me.

I will be able to see this very clearly, after adequate practice of spending a few minutes with myself and allowing myself to just watch the movement of thoughts in my mind, without reacting to it. We will see this under relaxation and meditation.

The values we will look at quickly are:

• Honesty
• Respect
• Love
• Accommodation, acceptence
• Non-violence
• Responsibility
• Humilty
• Co-operation
• Saucam
•  Discipline
•  Cheerfulness – sameness of mind
•  Viveka
• Mastery over the ways of one’s thinking
•  A  value for not losing sight of the knowledge of truth
•  A value for constancy in the study of the Upanishads and other texts of Vedanta

Life Expression Comes From Value Structure

 The expression of my life is just the expression of my well-assimilated value structure. What I do is but an expression of what is valuable to me. I follow other people’s value when it is convenient for me. However if I have not assimilated these values, then they are only obligatory values and I will have a tendency to compromise them. Obligatory values are not a part of my value –structure. Only assimilated values are my personal values. And they reflect what is valuable to me, and require no choice on my part.

When I want certain unassimilated values to become a part of my value-structure, I  have to be alert, and deliberately pursue them, until I am conscious of their value to me. Once I am convinced of the value of a value it becomes  a spontaneous expression of myself.

• Honesty means there are no contradictions or discrepancies in thoughts, words, or actions
• Honesty is to never misuse that which is given in trust.
• To be honest to one’s real self and the purpose of a task earns trust and inspires faith.

Honesty is the awareness of what is right and appropriate in:

• one’s role
• one’s behaviour
• one’s relationship.

With honesty there is no hypocrisy or artificiality which create confusion and mistrust in the minds and lives of others. Honesty makes for a life of integrity because the inner and outer selves are a mirror image.

Honesty is to speak that which is thought and to do that which is spoken. There is no contradictions or discrepancies in thoughts, words, or actions. Such integration provides clarity and example to others. Honesty is visible in one’s actions.

A caution about the spoken word. We have a saying satyam vada, hitam vada, priyam vada.  Speak truth – and let that truth you speak be beneficial to the other person. A beneficial truth, say it in as non-hurting a manner as possible.

Without honesty there can be no internal growth. Honesty is the very first requirement of growth. As honesty grows, denial and projection both reduce.  When you allow yourself to be honest, you become aware of hidden personal agendas, irrational feelings and wrong or inappropriate habits. Once you become aware of them consciously, you have the choice of changing them. Otherwise staying hidden, they just control you.

Allowing yourself to watch your thoughts non-judgmentally  when you are relaxed, is a very useful tool which allows you to be honest with yourself.

Honesty fosters trust. Trust fosters closeness. Without these principles neither individuals nor societies can be functional.

What prevents honesty? Low self-esteem prevents honesty, or self-esteem which is dependent upon too many external factors, prevents honesty.

Honesty also involves acknowledging one’s interconnectedness to the world – so one does not misuse, abuse or waste the wealth of resources provided for the well-being of humanity. Honesty also means not to take for granted ones resources such as the mind, body, wealth, time, talents or knowledge. Honesty means never to misuse that which is given in trust. There would always be the concern resources be used in a worthwhile way – for the basic human, moral and spiritual needs of all people. Well-used resources create well-being and are a means for those very resources to multiply. The individual who is deeply committed to development and progress keeps honesty as a constant principle in building a world of peace and plenty, a world of less expenditure and great  abundance.

Respect

Respect is an acknowledgment of the inherent worth and innate rights  of the individual and the collective.

To know one’s own worth and to honor the worth of others.

Both must be recognised as the central focus to draw from oneself and from people a commitment to a higher purpose in life.

The source of  self-respect is the self alone. The self is a spiritual being, unique, sat-cit-ananda  (satyam – existence which can never be negated and which is the independent truth of this entire universe, jnanam or cit – conscious (not inert),  anantam or ananda-  limitless, which has not a trace of sorrow). The recognition of oneself as a spiritual being, is the basis of true self-respect.

In the context of our Sastra I must mention, that I do not see respect mentioned specifically as a value. This is because a person who follows a life of values ( dharma) would necessarily have self-respect, because a life of values invokes those values which are a manifestation of the whole self.

However we can mention respect specifically here, so that it becomes very clear that life is sacred, and  every being is sacred and worthy of respect. Certain behaviours do not evoke one’s respect, but still one does not dismiss the purusha the person who is the spiritual being in every being. This is again interesting to note, that any behaviour is born of a pattern of thinking, to which the person subscribes. The pattern of thinking can always be changed, so one never disrespects a person – one only disapproves of patterns of thinking and behaving.

Once basic self-respect for every being as a spiritual being is the basis of interaction, one can evoke the inherent goodness of the self which is there in everybody. The pattern of thinking, of behaving is not changed, one still does not disrespect the person, the purusha there. One continues prayerfully to work for change, evoking the best in the person. This respect for the person also does not mean that one does not take punitive action if necessary. But internally one does not get disturbed. One never loses self-respect for oneself or others.

If one is dependent for respect on external forces one measure respect in terms of physical and material factors such as power, wealth, caste, race, religion….popularity ..
The more respect is measured on the basis of  something external, the greater the desire for recognition from others. The greater the desire for recognition from the others, the greater is one’s dependence on the approval and opinion of others. One is unable to take an independent decision or even value one’s own conscience. The problem of manitvam (pride) is also born of this dependence for self-respect on external forces. When things are going well with you, you succeed at what you are doing, people’s support is there with you – you become proud. Pride grows because of  the refusal to acknowledge all the other factors, the infrastructure around you,  that goes into making your life a success. Nobody is independent. We are related to the world and related we grow. For me to succeed in any given venture I have to have knowledge, skill and the co-operation of so many forces, not all of which are in my control. Whatever I am today is because of so many people -  whatever knowledge I have got is because of  all the teachers I had, because my parents put me  through school, because …. My debt to the world is endless. When there is success for me in any venture, I acknowledge all that went into it – then there will be no pride. I recognise, who is the ultimate owner then there will be no pride. Self-worth, self-esteem is fine, but pride is result of the neurotic ego.

To develop the value of respect from within the self  and to give it practical expression in daily life is a challenge. The challenge is to value the opinions of significant others, to give them due consideration, yet have the ability and self-confidence to make independent decisions  based on what one values and considers right. In situations when all support seems to have vanished, one’s own capacity to be self-reliant internally is all that stays with one. A self-reliant person is free.

Respectful Environment

When self-respect is there, one can establish a respectful environment in which one can pay attention to the quality of intentions, attitude, behaviour, thoughts words, actions in oneself, and choose to change if necessary. 

Where there is self-respect and humility, one is free of arrogance and narrow-mindedness. Arrogance damages  or destroys the uniqueness of others and violates their fundamental rights. Such a temperament hurts the violater as well.  For example the tendencies to impress others, dominate them or limit their freedom are each done with the aim of asserting the self by at the expenses of inner worth, dignity and peace of mind. Self-respect based purely upon innate fullness of the self,   becomes subservient to what we can call as artificial respect.

Thus, attempting to win respect without remaining conscious of one’s intrinsic worth and honour, becomes the very method to lose self-respect. To know oneself and others as intrinsically worthy earns respect, because others instinctively sense how  authentic and sincere  this regard is.  In the vision of equality there is shared spirituality. Sharing creates a sense of belonging, a feeling of family.

That sense of honour and worth can extend to a healthy respect of one’s environment. We cause ecological imbalances and are instrumental in causing natural calamities when we disrespect and war against the laws of the environment. As we sow, so do we reap. When we respect and revere our environment, the laws of nature  blesses us with abundance. This is very clearly brought out in the Bhagavad-Gita when yajna is discussed in chapter 3.

Respect is an acknowledgment of the inherent worth and innate rights of the individual and the collective. By innate rights, we are referring to  the fact that the purusha is present in everyone, and every human being has a right to the joy of living with respect and dignity. To draw from people a commitment to a higher purpose in life, these have to be recognised as central to the person.

Again international respect and recognition for intellectual rights and originality of ideas must be observed without discrimination.