SYMPOSIUMS
LECTURE
No. 2 – NON-VIOLENCE TOWARDS ONESELF
NON-VIOLENCE TOWARDS ONESELF
SUMMARY
“What is non-violence towards oneself?” We have duties towards ourselves, because our body and mind bear the good or bad consequences of our daily choices. The aim is to preserve our physical and psychological balance, which is necessary for non-violent behaviour. It is also important to accept the Divine present within us and to develop it: we will then be able to learn to respect it in our fellow human beings in thought, word and deed.
TALK
Introduction
Among the great principles underlying the teaching of His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH, one is of fundamental importance: non-violence. On the path that leads humanity in its quest for happiness and perfection, it takes an important place as soon as we seek to improve our relations with our environment and with all living beings, but also when we face ourselves, often more self-destructive than ever. Saying no to violence means first of all recognising it in oneself, in order to begin a path of personal transformation. Non-violence towards oneself is therefore legitimate for at least two good reasons. The first is that we all want to live happily and long, hence the need for excellent physical and moral health. The second is that we owe respect to the whole of creation, beginning with ourselves, and to its Creator, hence the need to cultivate unity with the Divine. The purpose of the following talk is to show how important it is not to subject oneself to personal violence.
Our talk will therefore be structured as follows:
I – PHYSICAL NON-VIOLENCE TOWARDS ONESELF
II – MENTAL NON-VIOLENCE TOWARDS ONESELF
III – THE NEED FOR EFFORT AND FOR THE SEARCH FOR THE DIVINE WITHIN, the guarantee of lasting happiness
I – PHYSICAL NON-VIOLENCE TOWARDS ONESELF
As a first approach, the act of non-violence that each of us can conceive and apply towards ourselves is to pay particular attention to the preservation and proper functioning of our body of flesh. In daily life it is sometimes astonishing to see how regularly, or simply out of ignorance, we persist in putting ourselves in uncomfortable or even dangerous situations, thus endangering the fragile balance of our life. Perhaps some people find advantages in practising extreme sports or in trying to set some record or other. Perhaps they even learn something from it. But most often this endangers their physical integrity and, in many cases, compromises it for the rest of their days. Is it really worth it?
Putting one’s physical integrity at risk may, if one succeeds, flatter the ego and bring its share of satisfaction, but does one take that risk with full lucidity? A sport, even a demanding one, practised in a balanced way does not prevent respect for one’s own body, which one will know how to spare wisely.
His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH teaches us that “the body is a necessary instrument of work whose life potential must be preserved at all costs and for as long as possible” (Vers un Âge d’Or d’Unité, p. 410). His Holiness teaches us the virtues of hatha yoga and pranayama and their beneficial influence. At every moment of our life, we must keep in mind as often as possible the many factors that will foster the full development of our body and prolong its existence in the best possible conditions. Likewise, when it comes to our food, we really should adopt an attitude of balance and self-respect, and regard the foods that keep us alive as so many opportunities to show our body that we take care of it. Thus, overeating by a person who cannot restrain himself will eventually cause serious health problems, just as surely as in someone who has decided to stop eating in order to bow to the whims of a very tyrannical fashion. Appropriate dietary habits are a sign of self-respect. So let us give up the bad eating habits imposed on us by a hectic, uncontrolled life.
The Lord tells us: “If man aspires to harmonious development and fulfilment, he must pay particular attention to the study of his diet.” (L’Aumisme, la Doctrine de l’Âge d’Or, p. 212)
More acute than the problem of food is that of drugs, which the body can no longer do without. Their use is a very serious attack on the physical integrity of the person, who makes them as vital as the air he breathes; he even forgets to eat and drink, functions which, as we have just seen, must be watched carefully if we wish to preserve our earthly life potential.
In addressing the subject of drug use, Lord HAMSAH MANARAH places humanity, so eager for happiness, before its responsibilities. He “spurs” our consciences with the following question: “Who can find lasting happiness when he has a body of flesh with which to lead a happy life, and he is slowly killing it with chemical substances?” (Périple d’un Yogi et Initié d’Occident, p. 78). The same applies to other “addictions” such as alcohol or tobacco, which truly promote fatal diseases when consumed to excess. Non-violence towards one’s body therefore also means knowing how to say “no” to any form of drug that could, sooner or later, cut one’s life short. His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH “solemnly calls on the incarnate souls of this Earth to renounce for ever the use of any drug, to renounce for ever the flight into ephemeral and self-destructive ecstasy” (La Loi d’Évolution des Âmes, p. 101).
But the greatest violence one can commit against oneself is to take one’s own life. It is a duty to help the souls of people who have taken their own lives through prayer and thought. Thus respect for one’s own life goes hand in hand with the need to maintain one’s health by suitable means, not to inflict mortifications on oneself, and to refuse the temptation of destructive pleasures. It is therefore important, very early in life, to make children aware of the need to love and take care of their lifestyle. His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH reminds us: “From childhood, acquire good habits, including that of toning body and mind through the practice of a sport, a martial art and yoga.” (Une Loi pour Détruire le Mal, p. 333). And also: “Be firm with your body of flesh, but also know how to spare it, for being too rough with it risks overturning everything.” (Vers un Âge d’Or d’Unité, p. 59)
The harmonious development of the human being begins with respect for one’s own body.
II – MENTAL NON-VIOLENCE TOWARDS ONESELF
It is just as fundamental to look after one’s mental health as one’s physical health: body and mind are intimately linked. His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH warns us: “The body you possess is the result of what you have thought. Try not to forget this in your daily thoughts, which are preparing a happy or unhappy future.” (Le Flambeau d’Unité, p. 108). “What you think, you become.” (La Révolution du monde des vivants et des morts, p. 48)
The scene is set!
To strengthen our state of inner non-violence, let us apply ourselves to mastering our thoughts and to developing the qualities needed for this. Every one of the books written by Lord HAMSAH MANARAH reminds us of the need, for example, to:
– develop our inner strength to combat the harmful influence of the prevailing gloom, so as not to attach exaggerated importance to what we perceive of others, not to be thrown by the first difficulty we meet, “not to be treated as a doormat by others”, and not to fall into systematic “self-censorship” or systematic belittling of our own actions;
– master our imagination: we know that thought is creative, and so is imagination. A poorly controlled imagination often leads to a mistaken interpretation of other people’s acts and words. It is thus the cause of far too many inner conflicts and needless moral suffering;
– increase our serenity and master our emotions, which are also an integral part of the code of conduct of anyone who wants to be non-violent towards himself.
All this has the worthy aim of preserving as well as possible the moral and psychic potential that allows us to look forward to a happy and fulfilled life. To help us overcome the self-destructive tendencies that appear day after day, His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH places many tools at our disposal, among which we will mention:
- positive thinking, whose benefits are described in detail in the proceedings of the previous Aumism symposium (2004), to which I advise you to refer,
- the Triumphant Meditations, in the book entitled Le Flambeau d’Unité.
Now let us pause for a moment on a major cause of moral suffering that people are capable of imposing on themselves, and thus of violence towards themselves: the feeling of guilt that comes from a lack of forgiveness towards oneself.
The sixth Law of the Golden Age, which is precisely the “Law of Forgiveness”, says in its first principle: “Each day you shall forgive yourself the harm done to your neighbour in deeds, words and thoughts.” If we aspire to true happiness, let us remove the causes of “self-violence” that sometimes torture us, by accepting our limitations and our past mistakes, and by agreeing to forgive ourselves for all the actions and thoughts that may have harmed us and the rest of creation. Forgiving oneself is a primordial act of non-violence towards one’s soul, the divine part in every being.
The Lord tells us: “Do not ask God to have pity on you; simply have pity on yourself.” (L’Aumisme, la Doctrine de l’Âge d’Or, p. 212). Among the keys the Lord gives for overcoming the feeling of guilt and regaining one’s condition as a person freed from the burden of the past, there is one that we suggest you put into practice right away. It is taken from La Loi d’Évolution des Âmes. Here is an extract:
“When, gripped again by your dark memories,
You feel yourself slipping once more towards the abyss,
You will affirm:
I forgive myself the faults of the past,
I forgive myself the crimes of the past,
I forgive myself the pacts signed in error,
As I forgive all beings visible and invisible who have harmed me from life to life.
May all memories of a bygone past be erased from my mirror.
I affirm my total and complete freedom from the erased past.
And so, in a prayer sincerely affirmed with every particle of your being, you will be able in a few seconds to free yourselves entirely from the sometimes terrible weight of your past of hatred, crime and infernal slavery.” OM
If the absence of forgiveness leads to the unleashed violence of one’s own feelings against oneself, and so ultimately to self-destruction, accepting one’s past and future mistakes can only rid us of many difficulties and problems that we endlessly brood over in daily life, and so contribute to a happier existence and to regaining peace.
III – THE NEED FOR EFFORT AND FOR THE SEARCH FOR THE DIVINE WITHIN
Keeping one’s body healthy, mastering one’s mind and taming one’s personality so as to engrave on it the evolutionary principles of non-violence towards oneself are the essential steps towards conquering the Divine within. His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH teaches us that man is of divine essence. It is therefore vital not to sacrifice one’s spiritual dimension to the prevailing materialism. The noble goal proposed by Aumism is within the reach of every man and woman of goodwill who wishes to put an end to their own suffering and to know the happiness of a successful life.
The full expression of our inner Light requires effort and perseverance on our part.
Non-violence towards oneself is a philosophy of life, a culture, a way of living that consists in:
- forgiving, whatever the offence committed against us,
- silencing one’s ego, even when one sincerely thinks one is right,
- helping selflessly, without expecting anything in return,
- cultivating humility, despite the sometimes considerable distance already travelled,
- offering to God at every moment one’s daily acts and thoughts. It also means accepting one’s limits, but also rejoicing at the slightest success, at the smallest progress made on oneself.
This culture of surpassing oneself leads to inner peace, which also comes from the feeling of unity with the Divine, with one’s Supreme Self. And the contribution of the Aumist Religion is considerable when it comes to conquering one’s inner summits by resolutely taking the path of non-violence towards oneself. Lord HAMSAH MANARAH has given the world a multitude of tools and techniques suited to the needs and degree of progress of each person.
One of them holds a special place: the repetition of the sound OM which, as taught by the Lord, allows the greatest transformations of one’s being and enables a person to reconnect with the source of their inner God. Inner peace means freeing oneself from the fear that prevents us from moving forward; it means erasing any feeling of inner duality, of separateness from God. By repeating the OM, our body, our personality and our soul form one and the same instrument of non-violence in the service of God.
“The sound OM you shall recite,” we are reminded in Le Flambeau d’Unité, “to unite both your body and your soul in one same will for unity” (Le Flambeau d’Unité, p. 110).
The highest mark of respect and non-violence that a human being can show towards himself is to achieve the perfect marriage of physical and mental health and to let his soul of light, present in each of us, express itself. “Never forget that the best service you can render to the God within you, to the Spirit that cries out for Evolution in the golden mean, is to keep the health of your bodily cells in balance.” (La Loi d’Évolution des Âmes, p. 183)
Conclusion
To conclude this reflection on the necessary non-violence in our constant relationship with ourselves, let us listen together to the words of His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH: “I am convinced that everyone will understand the uselessness of all the gestures, acts, words and thoughts that unbalance and prematurely age the body, the precious body, the very precious body of matter, which is in fact nothing but the Light of condensed thoughts.” (La Loi d’Évolution des Âmes, pp. 187-188). Non-violence towards oneself leads us to open up to ourselves and to forgive ourselves the faults we have committed, and it gives each of us greater inner availability. It is an indispensable first step in developing one’s own happiness and surely contributes to a happy and harmonious life. And quite naturally, the resulting inner state of joy can only overflow onto those around us: “Thus the body is indeed the mirror that makes visible to all the mental state of the inner soul.” (La Loi d’Évolution des Âmes, p. 185).
Being non-violent towards oneself is therefore a duty. It is the necessary precondition for the gradual and irreversible removal of social violence; it means resolutely taking the path of universal love.
Bibliography (works in French):
– Books by His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH, Éditions du MANDAROM
Naturopathie et Yoga
Le Yoga de la Vie Pratique
Le Yoga de l’Amour dans la Force
L’Unité des Visages de Dieu
L’Aumisme, la Doctrine de l’Âge d’Or
La Loi d’Évolution des Âmes
