SUMMARY<\/strong><\/p>\n It is natural to want to succeed on the material and social levels. It is even often an opportunity to develop a sense of effort.<\/p>\n But simple observation shows that if our happiness depends only on outside circumstances, we also risk experiencing suffering and disillusionment.<\/p>\n This leads us to question the notion of success, brings us back to what is essential and leads us to understand that “our life has a purpose and a plan” (Swami Sivananda).<\/p>\n “The true great goal of life must be the conquest of High Wisdom and Spiritual Liberation”<\/em>, writes His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH.<\/p>\n He gives us the means to set out towards the Goal, some of which will be discussed during this Symposium. This journey brings lasting happiness, an inner peace that spreads to planetary peace.<\/p>\n TALK<\/strong><\/p>\n “Succeeding in life and making a success of one’s life”: is this an advertising slogan? Or is it a formula that invites us, following in the footsteps of the Ancients, to reflect seriously on the new situation of planet Earth at the dawn of the third millennium?<\/p>\n On this subject, Lord HAMSAH MANARAH, taking stock without complacency, writes: “Nowadays, crimes and offences of every kind are rising every year, whatever the type of society in place: the bankruptcy of moral and spiritual values, rejected by a youth in love with freedom, is responsible for this state of affairs. Today, young and not so young turn away from life, preferring to kill the body rather than having to answer the thousands of question marks clashing in their fragile minds. Why life, death, and what comes after? What is the point of living in a society without justice (…), one that has favoured the sources of pleasure, sex, drugs, violence, television, cinema, tobacco, etc.?”<\/em> (Le Flambeau d’Unit\u00e9<\/em>, p. 220).<\/p>\n Bantu wisdom teaches: “There exists in the Universe a power that works ‘miracles’, which resides in every being: each and every one of us can use it to create harmony and lasting happiness within and around ourselves.” Why then do Westerners sometimes go as far as suicide, even though they enjoy a high standard of living? This question leads us to reflect on two notions: “succeeding in life” and “making a success of one’s life”.<\/p>\n We will try to take stock by developing the following two themes:<\/p>\n 1. Success according to the world<\/strong><\/p>\n 2. The price of success<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. What is the purpose of life?<\/strong><\/p>\n 2. Reaching inner happiness?<\/strong><\/p>\n To reach one’s objective (titles, honours, fortune, etc.), one must show a certain number of qualities, such as will, courage and tenacity, which make it possible to overcome the trials encountered. One may be legitimately satisfied with the result obtained, but is one truly happy? Has one really made a success of one’s life?<\/p>\n Most people usually rely on outward signs to judge the success of others. Could it be otherwise?<\/p>\n In his book Qu’est-ce qu’une vie r\u00e9ussie?<\/em> (What is a successful life?), the philosopher Luc Ferry writes: “The contemporary world, for reasons that should not be evaded, encourages daydreaming on every side. Its impressive procession of stars and glitter, its culture of servility towards the powerful and its immoderate love of money tend to present it to us, quite literally, as a model of life. Everything today combines to make success as such, whatever the field of reference, an absolute ideal. Sport, the arts, science, politics, business, love: everything is included, without distinction of rank or hierarchy of values. It matters little, in the end, whether it (success) is that of a gangster or a doctor, a footballer or a musician. So much so that the imperative of success takes on the appearance of a new way of making individuals feel guilty: the ‘failures’ remain anonymous.”<\/p>\n Let us ask ourselves: “Do these privileged members of our society, these wealthy people, these celebrities… always display the most beautiful flowers of the inner garden?” Alas! We must acknowledge that social success does not exclude hatred, jealousy, selfishness, greed, cruelty, dishonesty, and so on.<\/p>\n “The competition of the world does not bring together only the virtuous. Ramakrishna points out:<\/p>\n ‘Just as a mask can be worn by different people, so the garment of humanity clothes a variety of creatures. Although they all look like human beings, some are devouring wolves, others ferocious bears, and others still cunning foxes or venomous snakes.'”<\/em> (Le Yoga de la Vie Pratique<\/em>, p. 206)<\/p>\n All too often, anything goes in the name of success for its own sake, in the name of power, in the name of money. The law has become: “Get out of the way so that I can take your place.”<\/p>\n “However,”<\/em><\/strong> says the Lord,<\/em> “the qualities opposed to the faults listed are sometimes the prerogative of the winners of the world’s competition”<\/em><\/strong> (Le Yoga de la Vie Pratique<\/em>, p. 206). Unfortunately, they make up a tiny minority.<\/p>\n “Generally, certain drawbacks accompany any brilliant success on the material and social level. It is the shadow that accompanies the light, the other side of the coin. Any success in the outer world that is not accompanied by moral progress and progress in self-mastery and self-conquest is paid for with dissatisfaction and disappointment (…): the instrument of liberation carries within it the keys of servitude in one direction or another:<\/p>\n Let us add that the gold digger, once the object of his tedious searching is in his hands, cannot sleep soundly: the fear that his treasure will be stolen gives him ulcers and fills his head with nightmares and migraines!<\/p>\n “Social and material success always has a price whose costs are sometimes hard to bear. The Prince comes to envy the charcoal burner, the financier envies the cobbler (…). One should never be vain about anything. No situation is acquired for ever. One is at the mercy of a reversal of fortune, a catastrophe, an accident. Even friendships are uncertain. Jealousy intervenes to distort relationships. (…) Napoleon Bonaparte maintained that ‘man has no friends; it is his good fortune that has them.'”<\/em> (Le Yoga de la Vie Pratique<\/em>, p. 207).<\/p>\n Observing the fluctuations of existence, the Buddha concluded: “Birth is suffering, old age is suffering, […], separation from what one loves is suffering, not obtaining what one desires is suffering, all objects of attachment are suffering.”<\/p>\n Moreover, the very idea of “success” seems highly debatable. Is it not inadequate, even misleading, when it comes to judging an existence as a whole? Is it not the effect of excessive pretension to suggest that we can make a success of our life the way we make a success of a souffl\u00e9 or a beef stew? Is it not as naive as it is mistaken to want to think of life in terms of a category better suited to an exam than to the building of a wisdom that would bring serenity and happiness, the moral security so dear to every being?<\/p>\n Let us affirm with Bergson that “joy is the sign that life has succeeded”, and turn towards Wisdom.<\/p>\n This brings us to the second part.<\/p>\n It is not a matter of renouncing all pursuit of material happiness, or of preventing anyone from wanting to succeed in the world. Renunciation is a choice, or even a stage, for a minority of souls who have travelled far along the path and are truly ready.<\/p>\n Aumists pray that all peoples may know abundance and prosperity. What matters is the right attitude, which protects us from slavery:<\/p>\n “The candidate for happiness who has the privilege of possessing wealth must apply himself to enjoying it without attachment. It is enough for him to consider himself the temporary steward of the goods acquired. He will thus learn to leave his selfishness behind by helping, with discernment, those who deserve it.” (Le Yoga de la Vie Pratique<\/em>, p. 236).<\/p>\n “If success is coupled with a true conquest of oneself, expressed through an improvement in moral worth, greater self-mastery, serenity, a development of the sense of humanity, and an awareness of a plane concerning the superconscious, then it is complete.”<\/em> (Le Yoga de la Vie Pratique<\/em>, p. 208).<\/p>\n Man has the right to complete and lasting happiness, not subject to fluctuations that cause suffering. Knowing the purpose of life enables him to conquer it.<\/p>\n 1. What is the purpose of life?<\/strong><\/p>\n “The only lasting happiness can come only from the effort to realise God and from the harvest of this fruit,”<\/em> says His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH (La R\u00e9int\u00e9gration Divine par le Yoga<\/em>, p. 16).<\/p>\n This is possible for all, because “man is divine in essence”.<\/p>\n “The process of divinisation does not consist in bringing down or introducing into man something that was not there.”<\/em> (Le Yoga de la Divinisation<\/em>, p. 18).<\/p>\n Admittedly, a relatively large number of people sense this intuitively or have read the Sacred texts:<\/p>\n But in a materialistic world, how many integrate this knowledge into their daily lives? How many strive to express the Divine within them?<\/p>\n His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH reveals to us the meaning of existence: “The true great goal of life must be the conquest of High Wisdom and Spiritual Liberation”<\/em> (L’Aumisme<\/em>, p. 141).<\/p>\n He gives us the example of this journey and the necessary methods in His 22 Books, which are accessible to all. Indeed, moving at one’s own pace towards Union with the Divine Consciousness, also called Fusion, Realisation, Spiritual Liberation or Divine Reintegration, is continuous work, a gradual evolution that leads us to discover inner happiness.<\/p>\n 2. Reaching inner happiness?<\/strong><\/p>\n The person who wants to make a success of their life is one who does not want to mistake the goal or waste their time. They respect the laws of their country and take on their social responsibilities, but in addition they work on their inner transformation and take charge of their own evolution and that of humanity.<\/p>\n For everyone, whatever the degree of their spiritual aspirations, whether believers or not, it is important to seek a stable and lasting happiness, and to begin by:<\/p>\n Whether one chooses to live with a family in the world or in a religious monastery, work on oneself is fundamentally indispensable. It makes thought, action and prayer more accurate and more effective.<\/p>\n His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH guides us step by step, and during this symposium we will have an overview of some of the Spiritual Techniques offered in His written Work. They help us to realise the Divine within ourselves, according to each person’s choices and pace.<\/p>\n “Become the God that you are”: this knowledge sheds deep light on the human condition and transforms it. The awakened person no longer mistakes illusion for reality, the transitory for the true, a lame duck for a white swan, a donkey for a racehorse; their perspectives change; they no longer endure their destiny; they take themselves in hand. They can better resist the outside pressures exerted on their life; they are freed from the opinion of the world. The awakened person is no longer afraid of death, which marks the natural evolution towards a higher state. Yet they do not seek it, for “the body is a necessary instrument of work whose life potential must be preserved at all costs and for as long as possible”<\/em> (Vers un Age d’Or d’Unit\u00e9<\/em>, p. 404).<\/p>\n Men and women who “think their life and live their thought”, according to the definition of philosophy proposed by Andr\u00e9 Comte-Sponville, develop an undeniable inner strength that brings true and lasting happiness, an inner peace that spreads to social and planetary peace.<\/p>\n In conclusion,<\/em><\/strong> His Holiness Lord HAMSAH MANARAH explains the path that leads from the desire for social success (succeeding in life) to the desire for inner happiness (making a success of one’s life).<\/em><\/p>\n The person who is not yet awakened is “absorbed by the competition for a place in the sun, in the most varied conditions (…). The struggle he wages forces him to develop certain qualities: will, courage, etc. But as these faculties are overly solicited by outer action, he comes to forget his Divine Essence. In the happiest case, he keeps his high aspirations on hold while awaiting the awakenings brought about by tribulations and suffering.” (Le Yoga de la Vie Pratique<\/em>, p. 14).<\/p>\n Those who become aware and accept to question themselves do not wait for trials to change their conception of success.<\/p>\n Thus, after experiencing “the Outward Path, where one measures oneself against others in order to surpass oneself”<\/em>, man is led to take “the Path of Return, where one measures oneself against oneself in order to realise oneself”<\/em> (Le Yoga de la Vie Pratique<\/em>, p. 12).<\/p>\nA. SOCIAL SUCCESS<\/h3>\n
B. SUCCESS ACCORDING TO WISDOM<\/h4>\n
A. SOCIAL SUCCESS<\/h4>\n
1. Success according to the world<\/h4>\n
2. The price of success<\/h4>\n
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B. SUCCESS ACCORDING TO WISDOM<\/h4>\n
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