THE TRUE SECULARISM

A society that sees humans as soulless is a society that sees human
beings as being of no more worth than machines. And machines are
simply tools to be used for the benefit of the state. For the
Radical Egalitarian, the human being is no more than a means to an
end, an object for their own use, rather than a subject worthy of all
the dignity, appreciation, and respect that a unique human person
deserves.

The Dharmic view of equality and the human person is considerably
more sophisticated, compassionate, and thus ethical, than the
materialist egalitarian approach. For the conscious and sincere
follower of Sanatana Dharma, the human person consists of infinitely
more than the mere bodily surface appearance. The old adage that one
cannot judge a book by its cover comes to mind when we examine the
wisdom of the Dharmic approach.

Rather than simplistically attempting to reduce a human person to
being merely the visible material body that one can immediately
detect with the senses, Dharma teaches us that the typical human
being is actually a multi-faceted and multi-dimensional being, with a
material dimension, a causal dimension, and ultimately a spiritual
dimension that is not always clearly visible to the untrained eye.
The human person consists of a) deha (physical body), b) manas (mind
substance, including impressionistic data, memory, etc.), c) buddhi
(the rational faculties), d) ahamkara (false, individuating ego), and
most importantly e) atman (the true, spiritual self).

According to the Dharma world-view, we certainly are beings who
possess bodies – no sane person would deny this immediate empirical
fact. Indeed, contrary to the unnatural and illogical conclusions
that the Radical Egalitarian draws from this simple fact, from a
purely physical perspective, there is actually an almost infinitely
great degree of diversity and inequality that is clearly empirically
seen. Physically speaking, no two people in the world are really the
same. Some are tall, others short. One person is strong, another
weak. Some need glasses, hearing aids, or other devices to "even out
the playing field" (i.e., pretend that we are all physically equal!),
other people are free from physical defects altogether. The
diversity we find in physical bodies is endless. That is common
sense. By extension, when looking at the minds and the intellectual
capacities of various individuals, we clearly see that some are more
intelligent than others. Some are more naturally artistic and
creative, whereas some are more analytical and cerebral. Some people
will have mental or emotional challenges, such as psychosis, bipolar
disorder, or retardation, others have minds so healthy as to allow
them to view reality with tremendous clarity.

Egoic desires, preferences and goals, too, are as diverse in content
and quantity as are the numerous people we see around us. Some
aspire to become great world leaders. Others desire wealth, or fame,
or romantic love. Some people, by contrast, seem to have a profound
yearning to know God, and serve their fellow beings with humility,
simplicity, deep compassion, and quiet determination. We are all
different from one another. Thus, we are all in so many ways unequal
in our appearance, our abilities, our preferences, and our desires.

Rather than attempting to lie to ourselves and artificially fly in
the face of clearly discernable empirical facts, Sanatana Dharma
encourages all human beings to respect each other, honor our
differences, and work together in compassion, dignity and harmony,
despite our undeniable recognition of all our many differences.
Sanatana Dharma (the Eternal Natural Way), thus gives us the
empowerment to live in accordance with the natural order of the
universe in a manner that is beneficial to all.

For Dharma, the realm of true equality lies not on the physical,
mental, intellectual, or egoic planes, but in the realm of spirit.
Having God as our sole source, sustainer, and ultimate destiny, we
all share in the same parent. From a spiritual perspective, then, in
the deepest essence of who we are as pure spiritual beings (atman),
we are all equally the children of God.

Your true, spiritual self (atman) does not have color, nor dimension,
nor race, nor class, nor gender. In spirit, you are neither a
capitalist, nor a communist. You are neither Indian, nor Black, nor
White nor Latin. Rather, your true self is the eternal, perfect,
blissful spiritual center of your everyday existence: Atman.

Transcending both the bodily dimensions of life and all limited
materiality, your true self finds itself currently situated in your
body due only to your own free-will desires, motivations,
consciousness, and actions of the past. Karma is the causal
antecedent of all the diverse material bodies that we see around us.
While our bodies and minds are all radically different, however, the
souls of every living being are all equally held in the compassionate
glance of God's merciful and loving gaze. To God, we are all equally
His children, temporarily separated from Him, but all destined to one
day again be in His loving embrace.

Equality is an exceedingly important goal toward which we should all
aspire. In the political realm, Dharma calls upon each of us to
always be compassionate, just, and fair to all we encounter, no
matter how different they may seem to us in physical appearance. The
only truly pure equality that exists, however, is that equality that
exists on the spiritual realm. Thus, in the transcendental eyes of
the yogi, or pure sage, all living being are seen with equal vision
(sama darshina).

This concept of spiritually- inspired equal vision is beautifully
explained to us by Lord Sri Krishna in His famous Bhagavad Gita (Song
of God). In the 18th verse of chapter 5, Lord Krishna instructs His
devotee Arjuna in the following way:


Vidya-vinaya- sampanne
Brahmane gavi hastini
Shuni caiva shvapake cha
Panditah sama-darshinah


"The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge,
sees with equal vision [sama-darshina]
the learned and gentle priest, a cow, an elephant,
a dog or an outcaste."


Indeed, because the humble sage views the diverse beings around him,
not as mere mechanistic bodies, but as all possessing a pure spirit
soul (atman), he does not even see the difference between different
species of life, what to speak of different kinds of human beings!
To the sage, the soul of the cow, and the dog, and the elephant is
just a worthy of dignity, respect, and spiritual equality as is the
soul contained in the human being. Sama Darshina, or equal spiritual
vision, is the highest form of equality toward which we can all
aspire – for it sees the inherent equality that exists in the
spiritual essence of all living beings. Seeing all beings as our
spiritual brothers and sisters, we will then, by natural extension,
offer all people our respect on the political, social, cultural, and
economic realms.

The truly equal society, then, is the Dharmic society, a society
comprised of citizens who aspire toward the finer and nobler
spiritual aspirations of life, and who thus view the world from a
spiritual perspective. That nation which will most justly serve the
interests of its people is the Dharma Nation. Make yourself a truly
worthy citizen of God's Dharma Nation by spiritualizing your own
vision and viewing your neighbors and fellow living beings as the
atmans they truly are. Begin the Dharma Revolution in your own life!

____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ______

Announcements:

1) Dr. Morales on the Radio

Dr. Morales has become a very popular regular guest on a Dallas area
Hindu radio show. On Thursday, February 15th, Dr. Morales was
interviewed again for 50 minutes on the topic "The Current Challenges
and Strengths of Hinduism Today" for a Hindu radio program in Dallas,
Texas. He'll be interviewed several more times in the coming two
weeks for future shows.

The radio program is called "Namaste Dallas" and airs live every
Saturday 7 am to 9 am (CST) on 104.9 FM Radio Salaam-Namaste. You can
listen by tuning to 104.9 FM or on the web at:
http://www.radiosal aamnamaste. com/live. html The show has an audience
of over 10,000 area Hindus.

2) New Dharma Store Service:

Dharma Central now has a new on-line Dharma store available for all
your Yoga and Hindu needs. We have many beautiful Om tee-shirts,
Yoga pants and clothing, mugs, bumper stickers and many other great
gift items. Please support the work of Dharma Central by purchasing
something fun for yourself or a loved one today! To see our many
uniquely beautiful products, please visit us at:
http://www.cafepres s.com/supportsto re All purchase donations go
directly to supporting the important work of Dharma Central. Thank
you!

3) New York Teaching Tour

Dr. Morales will be on a massive teaching tour of the New York City
area from February 22 - March 5th. Included on the itinerary are a
lecture at Columbia University, a satsangh for the ISKCON temple as
26 Second Avenue (the first temple established by Srila Prabhupada,
the founder of the Krishna Consciousness movement), an appearance on
local T.V., as well as 9 - 10 talks at local Hindu temples. For
further information on Dr. Morales' itinerary, please contact Ms.
Nandarani Sahadeo at: (718) 835-2269.

4) Rapid Growth of the "Dr. Frank Morales List":

The "Dr. Frank Morales List" Yahoo group, which includes Dharma
Journal, is now one of the largest groups on Hinduism on all of Yahoo
Groups! We've added 100 new members in just the last four weeks! Of
over 4200 different Hindu groups on Yahoo, Dr. Morales' list is
ranked #63 in size. If you know of anyone who would like to join
this list, please forward their email addresses to:
info@dharmacentral. com. Dr. Morales List:
http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/drmoralesl ist/

5) "The Shakti Principle" Website:

Dr. Morales' newest book, "The Shakti Principle: Encountering the
Feminine Power of God", is now available on-line. This is a must
read for anyone interested in personal spiritual growth, having
deeper meaning in their lives, or creating positive social change.
Please visit us on the web, and order your copy of this deeply
thought-provoking work today! Great as a gift for someone you love!
http://www.dharmace ntral.com/ Store/Shakti_ Principle. htm

6) Hinduamerica. com

Our good friend, Sri Vrindavan Parker, has started two new
informative websites: http://www.hinduame rica.com and
http://www.arisearj una.org/ Vrindavan Parker is an important American
Hindu leader and one of the most knowledgeable and active Hindu
activists in the nation. Please support his work.