What is an ism? An ism develops when there is correlated physical and psychic parallelism among time, space and person. An ism cannot thrive in the absence of parallelism among time, space and person. A particular ism may be appropriate for some people or for some country, but it cannot be accepted by all people for all time to come.

Ism and the Nature of Movement

Nothing is static in this universe – everything is progressing, everything is moving on. The relative truth of all these changing realities appears to us as the truth from the perspective of a particular relative time, space and person. In spite of their relative nature, we accept these changing realities as true. In the material world forward movement and inertia come directly from the creative will of the Macrocosm, although there is nothing absolutely inert in this manifest universe. If anything inert or completely lacking in momentum exists, it will be obvious that the Macrocosmic creative will has ceased to function. The Macrocosmic creative will is the prime factor in creation, and its absence would indicate absolute cessation. Movement is all-pervading and multidirectional. It can flow in any direction. The universe can move in any direction according to the will of the Macrocosm, but under no circumstances can the universe be static, because there is nothing static in the Macrocosm.

Wherever there is movement it is related to time, space and person. A particular movement related to a specific time, space and person cannot tally with another movement belonging to a different time, space and person. When the movement of a particular time, space and person maintains parallelism of similar movement related to a particular physical and mental wave, the resultant is called an "ism". Therefore, when there is a change in either the physical or mental wave or both, the validity of a particular ism is lost due to the change in the time, space or person in which it was accepted. An ism may be accepted in a particular mental wave, but if due to a change in the physical wave the mental wave fails to maintain parallelism, the result will be that that particular ism will be considered [obsolete]. If anybody tries to re-establish an old political, economic or religious theory of two thousand years ago – a theory or ism based on past time, space or person – using whatever type of psychology, sentiment or adroit propaganda, it will not be possible to correlate it with the existing physical waves. Once lost the parallelism between the ism and the physical wave cannot be restored, even if the old mental environment is re-created. We perceive the change not only in the physical wave but also in the mental wave. No amount of scientific effort will make it possible to restore the mental wave of the past. There was a time when kings were worshipped as the incarnations of God, but today if anybody tries to reintroduce this antiquated practice using psychological propaganda, it will be impossible for people to accept it.

Movement always expresses itself through waves. If in a given situation a particular wave is accelerated with excessive exuberance and as a result the next crest cannot be formed, expansion and contraction will still occur, although this movement falls outside the range of perception of the sensory organs. In order to accelerate the speed of a mental or physical wave, it is necessary to straighten it. Once the wave becomes maximally straight, the [acceleration] appears to be static. The straightness increases the velocity of the movement. From the curvature of the waves we try to determine the speed, pause [and] straightness [of] a uni-directional wave.

[The speed varies with variation in the curvature of the wave. The speed varies inversely with the curvature.] That is, when the [curvature of the wave increases (the crest becomes higher)] the velocity decreases, and when the curvature becomes straighter the velocity increases. An ism or superstition cannot take form in the presence of a mental wave which is increasing in speed. Superstition can only be injected when the mental speed is reduced. It is easy to catch hold of a static object, but catching a moving object is an altogether different matter. Therefore, to be free from the shackles of superstition one has to keep moving ahead, otherwise it will not be possible to progress. To free oneself from the bondage of superstition it is essential to accelerate the mental speed, and one has to repeat the process progressively.

In general urban people are immune to superstition or less superstitious than others because they have to face comparatively more intellectual struggle. So they are intellectually more alert. Superstition takes deep root where there is staticity, but it is very difficult to inject superstition into scientifically-oriented minds because they are moving with comparatively greater velocity.

Isms and the Eight Fetters

The sentient, mutative and static forces are equally active in the contraction and expansion of movement. The ascending part of a wave is dominated by the mutative force and the descending part is dominated by the static force. At the optimum point of expansion and the optimum point of contraction the sentient force and the static force respectively dominate. The final [trough] of contraction brings with it the extreme static pause, [and the final crest of expansion brings with it the extreme sentient pause.]

In fact, the sentient pause is no pause at all. As it is beyond the scope of sensory perception, the speed appears to be a state of pause. The expansive movement indicates progress towards optimum expression of the sentient force. It is therefore dominated by Vidyá [introversial force], and its extreme speed is embedded in the Macrocosm. In the same way, contractive movement is dominated by Avidyá [extroversial force], and at its extreme limit it is embedded in the ultimate static point.

The contractive movement at its extreme point or point of apparent pause is expressed by the aśt́a pásha [eight fetters]: ghrńá [hatred], shauṋká [doubt], bhaya [fear], lajjá [shyness], jugupśa [dissemblance], kula [vanity of lineage], shiila [cultural superiority complex] and mána [egotism]. These eight fetters are created by the static state of mind, and [subsequently] the mind depends on these fetters in the course of its expansion.

These eight fetters supply the vital energy to isms or superstition. Isms, such as nationalism, casteism, provincialism, communalism, etc., create hatred and destroy human integrity.

The eight fetters also generate dissonance [doubt] and suspicion in the subtle layers of the mind, although they are not generally expressed in external behaviour.

It is isms which are responsible for creating distrust [fear] between social groups. Hindus generally do not trust Muslims and vice versa, as both believe in their respective isms.

Shyness is also closely associated with isms. When a particular nation, caste, province or group is afraid of losing its prestige, the people in the group feel ashamed, and in that state of mind they do not hesitate to resort to ignoble means in order to save the prestige of their nation, caste, group, etc. People also behave in artificial ways for the sake of the prestige of an ism – ways that do not correspond to their internal feelings. Isms have such an influence over the human mind that even if a person has been defeated through logic or reason, he or she refuses to accept the defeat. People therefore have to wrench their minds free from the serpentine shackles of isms.

Dissemblance is merely the endeavour to prevent an internal urge from gaining external expression. If a Vaishnava, who is supposed to be a strict vegetarian, is tempted to eat meat, he or she will try to suppress his or her desire in order to maintain the prestige of Vaishnavism. He or she adopts an expression [as if he or she is] unwilling to eat meat.

Isms are also created around vanity of lineage. This is perhaps exemplified by the caste supremacy of the Brahmans, Saiyads and Pathans.

The vanity of lineage is associated with the cultural superiority complex also. That is, the supremacy of any particular culture is dependent on an ism. Although according to perfect logic the culture of all humanity is one and indivisible, the exponents of isms do not understand this. They prefer to assert that the different sets of script and language, behaviour and habit, and local variations in expression, are actually the constituents of human culture.

The supporters of political isms do not even hesitate to commit heinous acts for the sake of their ism. In the medieval period communalism dragged humanity to the nadir of degradation. Incredibly, a few people in the twentieth century still try to revive medieval communal feelings. Today people who make a habit of delivering high-sounding lectures do not hesitate to form unholy alliances with antisocial elements for the sake of their ism. We can therefore say without any doubt that they are under the evil influence of the static force.

The Supreme Ideology

So, what is people’s duty? The existence of the physical body is relative because it is made of paiṋcabhúta [the five fundamental factors]. The protoplasmic cells of the body are in a constant state of flux of birth and death, so how can we say that the physical body is a permanent structure? The mundane universe is as relative as the physical body. The ultimate reality is Brahma [the Supreme Entity], but one has to maintain adjustment with the mundane universe. The pursuit of mundane experiences cannot be the goal of one’s life; if it is, it will definitely vitiate one’s value as a human being. We cannot take a comet or a meteor as the goal of life; if by chance somebody does, the comet or meteor will go out of sight within a short span of time because its relative velocity is greater than that of the earth. That is, it will no longer remain the goal of that person’s life. If somebody says that the place where the cows are grazing is to the north, what will happen if those cows move to the east? Are we to accept the east as north? From this it is clear that no changing reality can be accepted as the goal of one’s life. To recognize north we have to know the position of the polestar, because although the polestar changes its place, it always appears to be in the north in relation to the earth. So no changing reality can be taken as being the ideology of one’s life, because it falls within the scope of time, space and person.

The supreme ideology is that which is impersonal and beyond the scope of time and space. It is not something personal like Ram, Shyam, Jadu, Madhu, etc. The Impersonal Entity is the supreme ideology. Only those who accept this Entity as their object of ideation can escape the inevitable consequences of degradation.

No social, political or economic ism can solve people’s problems for an indefinite period of time, because there may be conflicting isms in the same place under varying conditions of time and person. Similarly, it is not prudent to presume that an ism which is successful in any one country at a particular time will be applauded by the people of some other country at the same time. Thus we see that no ism, but rather only the Supreme Reality, can be the ideology of human beings. The endeavour of humanity should be the achievement of the supreme ideology.

The unit mind is also a changing entity, so it cannot be the object of ideation either. If people take any entity except the Supreme Reality as their object of ideation, we can take it for granted that people are giving indulgence to an ism.

Many people worship their motherland as a goddess, and sometimes they even erect an idol of their motherland, but one should have sufficient wisdom to understand that service to the motherland cannot be the supreme goal of human life because the concept of the motherland is a changing reality. The motherland of today may be submerged under the sea tomorrow. For example, in the prehistoric past Gondwanaland became submerged under the Indian Ocean. So, the territorial jurisdiction of a country, province or district may change in the future. Therefore the worship of the motherland is not the worship of the Supreme Reality, and it is unwise to fight a violent war on the issue of territorial jurisdiction and thus disturb the peace. The inhabitants of the countries involved should, in a better way, find a mutual settlement of such issues.

Service should always be for the sake of service [i.e., should be selfless]. It should be a part of Brahma sádhaná, Cosmic ideation. As long as people live in the country of their birth] they should serve that country, because when they have a direct relationship with the land [they have a great opportunity to do maximum service]. But this should not be misconstrued to mean that they should only serve their motherland and not other countries. If people go to another country, they may get more scope to render service in that new country, and may not get as much chance to serve their original country as they would have if they had remained there. In this connection let me repeat once again that service itself is not an ideology – Brahma sádhaná is the real ideology. Service to humanity is a part of Brahma sádhaná. I am also of the opinion that no ism can save humanity.

Wise people regard the Supreme Entity as the supreme ideology and march ahead maintaining adjustment with time, space and person. They always think that Parama Puruśa [Supreme Consciousness] is their Father, Paramá Prakrti [Supreme Operative Principle] is their Mother, and the entire universe is their homeland. It is not bad to love the land of one’s birth or to feel grateful that one was born in a particular country. But if, under the influence of any ism, one feels hatred for others, this type of patriotism is definitely harmful.

Consciousness is the fundamental subjectivity. It cannot be the object of human beings. It is the multiple of all the multiplicities, the collective of all the collectivities. To be one with Parama Puruśa means to convert oneself into His object, to surrender one’s subjectivity into His subjectivity. On this path one has to transform the five fundamental factors into the objective mind, convert the objective mind into the subjective mind, and finally surrender the subjective mind into the Supreme Consciousness.

The supporters of isms do not believe in the Supreme Consciousness; therefore they can be correctly termed heretics. Those who do not accept Him act out of ignorance. They do not understand that the universe is His crude manifestation. Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, the so-called untouchables, ants and the totality of human beings are all His manifestations. The followers of isms foolishly consider themselves to be God’s chosen people [because of their mental fetters], and they do not hesitate to brand others as non-Aryans, kafirs [infidels] or heathens, in utter [rejection]. They think that the Supreme Father bestows His grace only on them, not on the rest of creation. They are not prepared to understand that those they call non-Aryans, kafirs, heathens or mlecchas are also part of His manifestation.

For those who have taken the Supreme Consciousness as their only object of ideation, the whole creation appears to be His manifestation. They feel that if they do not regard all other human beings as their brothers and sisters, they will be disregarding the Father, and when the Father is not respected, the relation between the members of the family will break down. So people will have to believe in universal fraternity before they can fully accept the Supreme Consciousness.⁽¹⁾

Footnotes

(1) For further discussion on progress, see “Human Progress” and “The Human Search for Real Progress” in Volume 2. –Eds.