THE SEVEN MIGHTY PRINCIPLES
Trainer: “In the last session, we discussed the 12th verse of Bhaja Govindam, which talks about the alternating dawn and dusk, day and night, summer and winter, etc., and the ebbing of life through this never-ending process of oscillation, to which the passing time stands perpetual witness. In this context, it would be enlightening to examine ‘The Seven Mighty Principles’ as they explain much of what Sri Sankara expounded in the illustrious poem.
Hermeticism is a mystical philosophy based on the writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, hailed as the father of science and founder of alchemy; alchemy ultimately became the art of chemistry, medicine, and virtually all of the modern sciences. Hermeticism offers profound insights into personal transformation and spiritual enlightenment.
Some Christian writers consider Hermes Trismegistus to be a wise pagan prophet who saw the coming of Christianity, while the Islamic tradition regards the Prophet to be a direct descendant of Hermes Trismegistus. Hermes, considered a contemporary of Abraham, developed much of what later became the basis for all esoteric teachings. “Hermetic Principles” can be found in both the most ancient of the Indian teachings and the scrolls of the ancient Egyptians.
Today much is written about Hermes, especially the Seven Principles he posited, which form the cornerstone of all knowledge. For more than a millennium, his teachings remained hidden. Their rediscovery by scholars who unearthed ancient manuscripts in the quest for age-old wisdom revived widespread interest in them, in the recent past.
The Seven Principles influence everything in the universe and are immutable. They are not subject to change, nor be questioned, modified, or destroyed. As Jose Silva of Mental Dynamics fame observed, they are like the rules of the road. Thanks to their universal application, they govern everything, from the smallest particle to the expanding universe. One can say that these principles are the rules of life.
Let’s look at these Mighty Principles and see how Sankara’s teachings have a bearing on them.
1. The Principle of Mentalism
The principle of mentalism states that the universe is a creation of God. It asserts that all is mind; the universe is mental. For anything to exist, a thought has to arise first, which then gets transformed into a physical reality or manifestation. This hypothesis gave rise to the theory of two creations propounded by modern management experts like Stephen R. Covey. ‘Begin with the end in mind,’ one of the seven habits of highly effective people evolved by Covey, is based on the principle that all things are created twice. There is a mental or first creation and a physical or second creation to all things.
Whether it is the construction of a home or starting a business, it is first created in the mind of the owner or entrepreneur, with every detail in proper perspective. Thereafter it gets reduced to a blueprint, and the construction plans or business plans are chalked out. The carpenter’s rule “measure twice, cut once” is highly applicable in the first creation. You have to recheck and make sure that the blueprint, the first creation, is exactly what you want to achieve, or else it will cost you dearly during the second creation when the construction of the house starts or the business enterprise begins.
In Sanskrit, there is a saying: “yadh bhavam, thadh bhavati”. It means that whatever is conceived mentally, will get manifested physically. In other words, what we think, we shall become. You do not attract what you want, but what you are. You get what you earn, not what you yearn for. Prayers are answered only when they are in harmony with your thoughts and deeds.
You cannot choose your circumstance or situation, but you can choose your thoughts and influence your circumstance or situation surely enough, albeit indirectly. If we have the right thoughts, the right action will follow.
‘CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS AND YOU WILL CHANGE YOUR WORLD’
“Just as the characters in a novel are the creation of the novelist, we and everything else in the universe are a part of the Creator. We are parts of the totality of creation. Just as we are relative to God, so is our universe relative to us,” observes Jose Silva.
Your world is the projection of your thoughts and is very much yours, just as my world is a mental creation of mine and is different from yours.
This principle can help us understand our minds better, and the modus operandi of its working. In Bhaja Govindam, Adi Sankara, directly and indirectly, emphasizes that the universe is a mental creation of God and that He alone is worthy of our glorification. Hence the Acharya emphasizes: “Bhaja Govindam…….muda mate…..”
1. Principle of Correspondence
The second mighty principle states: “As above, so below; as below, so above.” All things exist in the physical, mental, and spiritual planes. As is on the physical plane, so is on the mental plane; as is on the mental plane, so is on the spiritual plane. Just as the universe is a mental creation of God, so is your world a mental creation of your own.
Understanding this principle will help us unlock and tackle many emotions — positive and negative. Imagine that you have a victim’s personality. When you go to a restaurant and are led to a table next to a swinging toilet door, or next to a person smoking a cigar, or a screaming baby, what do you do? If you take the seat grumbling something like, “There it is again; it’s always like this for me,” and such experiences happen to you more often than not, whether it be in a restaurant, department store, or a cinema theatre, you exhibit a victim’s personality.
Is it possible to efface a victim’s personality, and if so, how? Jose Silva says that we can, by applying the principle of correspondence. We can unlock the entire chain of victimization by working on the low end to unlock the high. Generally, a person who gets victimized in a minor way is the same person who gets victimized in a major way also. And the person who meekly accepts the unwanted seat at a restaurant is the same type of person who gets his or her house robbed. If we can end victimization in the simpler areas of life, we’re well on the way to ending it in the more complex ones.
How to get over one’s victimization? You go into a restaurant and you’re led to a table you don’t like. You call the host or hostess over and say, “Look. I do not like this table. Please let me have another.” Chances are that in most instances, you’ll get a better table. And, you are no longer a victim.
You go to a department store and purchase something that comes in a crushed box. You state, “Sorry, I don’t like this box, it’s damaged.” In all likelihood, you will receive another good box.
But what if you don’t get another table in the restaurant or a good box in the department store? You’re still not a victim because you have asserted yourself. You have taken appropriate action rather than passively accepting the unacceptable. By asking for a better table or a good box, you have set yourself up for a choice.
You can remain in the restaurant or leave it, and the choice is yours only. You can accept the box at the department store or reject it, and again the choice is yours alone. If you are an assertive person, you might say something like, “Let me speak to your superior,” and go on to the next echelon of customer service personnel. Look at the power of choice and assertiveness of doing so. Almost invariably, you will be able to speak with the person’s immediate superior, and generally, if you have a genuine grievance, you will get things done the way you want.”
Supriya: “Sir, one doubt. A person who has a victim’s personality generally will not dare to question the decision of the restaurant or the department store in providing a lousy service. How then can he be expected to exercise his choice and confront the service provider by being assertive?”
Anandavardhan: “Assertive behavior does not mean that you bang on the table at the restaurant or pick up a quarrel at the department store. If you do that, it’s called aggressive behavior, not assertive. The difference between the two is that assertive behavior assumes the life position: ‘I’m O.K, you’re O.K.,’ which shows mutual respect and acceptance. Per contrast, aggressive behavior takes the assumption: ‘I’m O.K., you are not O.K.’ which attracts confrontation in the interaction.
An assertive person makes his demand courteously and with a smile and induces the other party to oblige the request. Although modest in words and actions, his demeanor conveys that he is conscious of his right to get proper service. With such a mindset, even a person with victim-personality also can exercise his choice and be assertive without any difficulty.
Once you use these methods for quite some time in daily life, you’ll find that it’s both refreshing and rewarding. When you realize that all people are operating in the same way — that is from their points of view — you begin to understand that everyone is right, as the first principle of mentalism expounds. Others are right because they believe they are right and for valid reasons from their perspective. But you know that you also are right from your viewpoint. When both are O.K. where is the scope to be angry or resentful about?
When this is understood, even a timid victim can turn to be assertive. This is because he knows that he is right and from that awareness, he draws a feeling of legitimacy that allows him to assert himself. At the same time, his awareness that others also consider themselves right allows him to be assertive without getting angry. And taking appropriate action when you feel you’re about to be victimized makes you proactive, not reactive, and that helps to boost your self-image as well.
MAJOR TAKEAWAYS
· Hermeticism is a mystical philosophy based on the writings of Hermes Trismegistus. It offers deep insights for personal transformation and spiritual enlightenment.
· Known as the seven mighty principles, these are immutable rules of life.
· The first principle states that the universe is a mental creation of God. Everything is created twice — the first is mental and the second is physical.
· What we think, we shall become.
· You get what you earn, not what you yearn for.
· The second mighty principle states: “As above, so below; as below, so above”.
· Understanding this principle helps one unlock many emotions, both negative and positive. By applying it and adopting assertive behavior, one can overcome the victim mindset.
· Circumstances and situations may be beyond your control, but how to deal with them is within your control. You can exercise your choice and refuse to be a victim.
Dr. K R S Nair
https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Indian-Simplified-UNBURDEN-YOURSELF-ebook/dp/B0CTQTDWGK/ref
