Son of Kuvera

Lately I have been reading about the development of virtuous character. I have been living in an ashram (monastery) with 8 ordained monks, although, I myself, am not a monk.

The monks I live with or Brahmacaris (celibate students) as they are known in the Sanskrit language of ancient India are modern day examples of people possessing virtuous character. Actually, living with them is like being transported back in time thousands of years ago when, according to the histories of many ancient cultures, wise men and saints were in abundance and regularly interacted with everyday people to benefit them with genuine spiritual understanding.

The needs and interests of these Brahmacaris can be counted on one hand. Their needs are healthy vegetarian food, clean clothes and a warm, clean place to sleep. Their interests are sadhana (spiritual practice), and distributing knowledge of spiritual life to others.

Back in the day my old homiez and I never contemplated such subjects or lifestyles. Life for us was about acquisition. Acquiring wealth, power, fame, respect and women.

If one honestly looks at today’s society it is easy to see that what my friends and I once valued are a common pursuit for most young people. Just watch any music video channel on your idiot box. Yet despite the glamour of such meagre attainments and the current ease of achieving them society is full of ills and woes. Divorce and suicide are sky rocketing, along with the numbers of people who need medication just to face the world. There are statistics for days on how people are freaking out in various ways.

Meanwhile, back at the ashram I reside in, there is not the slightest problem. Although these monks possess next to nothing and although they lead very busy, demanding and disciplined lifestyles, they are the most cheerful and down to earth people I have ever known.

Someone may say 'yeah, but they're monks they don’t have anything to worry about, they don’t have the same pressures as us in the real world'.

It would be worthwhile knowing if it is possible to reap the same benefits as a monk, in terms of the inner fulfilment and groundedness derived from living a virtuous life, without having to become an actual monk.

I his book 'Leadership for an Higher Age of Consciousness', Bhakti Tirtha Swami discusses the real wealth of an advanced person.

"We can say that compassion and humility are the mothers of virtue, but character, competence and courage are the fathers of virtue, particularly character. With character one can get what money cannot buy.

"You can buy a bed but not sleep. You can buy a book but not brains. You can buy clothes but not beauty. You can buy medicine but not good health. You can buy a house but not a home. You can buy people but not friends. you can buy a Temple but not God. You can buy a reputation but not character".

So what is character? The dictionary defines character as "the aggregate of features or traits that form the individual nature of a person or thing;...moral or ethical quality; qualities of honesty, fortitude, integrity etc."

One US congressman told Bhakti Tirtha Swami that we are "slowly becoming a culture that says that the only right thing is to get by, the only wrong thing is to get caught. If it feels good, do it and if you don’t want to do it, don’t. If you don’t like it anymore then divorce it. If it becomes inconvenient, divorce it. If you can’t handle it, drink and drug your problems away." Bhakti Tirtha Swami explains "this is true because people have no cohesive sense of morality to guide them in their actions. Therefore, they are left only with their sensual desires."

You see, it’s a common mistake for people to confuse temporary pleasure and enduring happiness. Most people want quick fix, bursts of happiness with minimal effort. However, such fleeting pleasures often leave us longing for some deeper fulfilment. Whereas enduring happiness is just that, the enduring and constant experience of happiness in ones life.

As Bhakti Tirtha Swami explains "pleasure is an event; enduring happiness is a process....pleasure often means doing what feels good right now; genuine happiness is based on doing what is morally proper. Nowadays, too many people go about trying to feel good without doing good."

That is the illusion of our times; that one can do bad or questionable activities and still expect happiness. True enduring happiness is the result of right action.

So taking all this into account how do we, the everyday peops from the urban jungle develop such personal qualities that lead to enduring happiness? What can we do that the monks and wise men do without having to become one of those orange robed, bald headed renunciants?

Well the start of it, according to them, is to associate with people who have those qualities, study and observe them. They also suggest to start reading the abundant wisdom literature from spiritual traditions. An easy first book to read is 'Bhagavad-gita as it is' by A.C Bhakitvedanta Swami Prabhupada.

The point is we have to be proactive. We have to stop being sheep and instead start inquiring into how to be the change that we expect to see in others.

More soon.

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