Lord Buddha said, samyak karmánta. There are subtle instructions which have cardinal human value. Lord Buddha’s instruction to common people, one and all, was that everybody should follow eight such principles.

You know buddha means “he who has deep spiritual knowledge”, “he who is guided by intuition”.

The common man is guided by intellect or experience or by inborn instincts or inborn faculties. The octopus knows that the crab is its food. This knowledge it acquires from whom? From experience? No. From books? No. It is inborn instinct. The peacock knows that the snake is its enemy. The snake knows the peacock is its enemy. These things are not book knowledge or knowledge acquired through experience or clashes or cohesions. These are all inborn instincts, or you may say inborn rights. In case of some developed animals, they acquire some knowledge through experience – clashes and cohesions. In the case of some more-developed animals, they acquire some training – they acquire knowledge through training. They undergo certain training. That is like dogs, monkeys. And in the case of man, there is a subtler knowledge, [[rather the subtlest]] knowledge, and that knowledge is intuitional knowledge.

The man who has acquired intuitional knowledge is called “Buddha” in Sanskrit. His instruction to the common man, this eight-fold path, is known as Aśt́áuṋga Mágga.

Aśt́áuṋga means “a collection of eight”, and [[mágga]] comes from the Sanskrit word márga, as in “Ánanda Márga”. (Márga means “path” in Sanskrit, and during Buddha’s time the Sanskrit language ceased to exist, and the people’s language was a daughter of Sanskrit known as Prákrta. In that Prákrta márga became mágga.)

This past instruction was – the eight instructions are – samyak darshana, samyak saḿkalpa, samyak vák, samyak ájiiva, samyak vyáyáma, samyak karmánta, samyak smrti, and samyak samádhi. These are the Eight-Fold Path.

What is samyak darshana? In Sanskrit and Prákrta – the Sanskrit language was spoken by the Aryan people from 15,000 years ago to 5,000 years ago, for a long range of 10,000 years, and Prákrta from 5,000 years ago to 2,000 years ago, that is, for a period of about 3,000 years. In Lord Buddha’s period, distorted Prákrta was the common mass language, that is, the people’s language. In the later Sanskrit, you may say Demi-Sanskrit – it is another system, that is, a daughter of Vedic Sanskrit.⁽¹⁾

([[And Latin has]] two offshoots: one is Oriento-demi-Latin, and the other Occidento-demi-Latin. Oriento-demi-Latin languages are French and Italian, and Occidento-demi-Latin are Spanish and Portuguese. Latin is the source – was the source. Similarly in Lord Buddha’s time the language was Demi-Prakrta.)

Now in pure Sanskrit the word darshana has two meanings, two imports. One meaning is “to see”, as a man sees, “to see”; and another meaning, the meaning found in Prákrta, is “to see with intuition”, that is, inner seeing, inner vision. Suppose you see, and you are thinking, that a man steals; but if you apply intuition, you will see that the man was hungry for four days. Now he steals. If you see externally, you will see that the man is stealing. He should be punished. Shouldn’t [[a thief]] be punished? Yes, he should be punished. It is ordinary seeing. But if you apply your inner vision, that is, intuitional seeing, you see that the man was without food for four days, and so under pressure of circumstances he had to steal. So after this inner seeing or inner vision, you will come to the decision that you will remodel the socio-economic structure so that never again will he be compelled to steal under pressure of circumstances, from being hungry for several days. I think you have fully understood the difference between the two seeings.

Now when I started Ananda Marga, I wanted all humanity to stand upon the strict code of cardinal principles, human values, and spirituality; and when I saw everything internally I came to the decision that there are so many loopholes in human society. Human beings came here about ten lakhs of years ago, but they have not yet been able to form a well-knit social order. We require a strong social order. That’s why I had to create another branch of philosophy, known as Prout,⁽²⁾ through which we are to remodel the social order so that nobody is compelled to do anything, nobody is compelled to resort to immorality, for want of food or clothes or other necessaries of life.

Are you able to follow me? Samyak darshana means not only seeing externally with these crude eyes, or rather, with the help of your [[optical]] power only; inner darshana means seeing with your inner ocular force; and this is the difference between “optical” and “ocular”. “Optical” is always physical, and “ocular” is physico-psychic and at the same time psycho-physical.

Now samyak darshana means that whenever you are to see anything, your vision should be inner vision, that is, ocular vision also. You must not say that somebody is a sinner. Just find the reason, the causal factor, that made him a sinner. This is what is called samyak darshana, the first item – “to see properly”. Samyak means “to do properly”, in proper style.

Then samyak saḿkalpa. Philosophers and logicians of the past used to say that man is a rational animal; that is, man is also an animal, but this animal is guided by rationality. But as per Ananda Marga, man is not an animal. Plants have got lives, but plants are not animals, because there is no mobility in them.

Animals can move and the mental faculty is also a bit developed. Man also can move and the mental faculty is still more developed. But the difference between man and animal, the fundamental difference between man and animal, is that [[human life is an ideological flow – man]] moves towards spirituality, and for an animal there is no spirituality – only eating, drinking, sleeping and dying. Human life is an ideological flow, and there lies the fundamental difference between man and animal. So what should a man do? A man should decide at an early stage of his life what he is to do, what his mission in life is. The sooner it is done, the better it is, because you will get more chance, you will get ample scope to do, to materialize, to translate this goal into the actional flow.

This is samyak saḿkalpa. A man should decide what to do – what should be his mission in life. “Mission” – the word “mission” comes from the root mit. Mit means “to do something worth doing”. To do something worth doing is a mission. “Mission” is the noun for the root verb mit – “submit”, “commit”, “omit”, “admit”. One’s mission in life – this is the second requisite factor, samyak saḿkalpa. In Sanskrit saḿkalpa means “firm determination”. “I must do it. I must be successful in my mission. I must adhere to the principles of my life.” This firm determination is the second requisite factor.

The third one is samyak vák. Vák means “expression of the motor organs” – hands, feet, tongue, etc. Expression of the motor organs, that is, whatever you do with the help of your motor organs, it should be for the welfare of living beings. An ant is moving. You may kill it, you may not kill it. Why should you kill it? You must not. [[This is]] proper use of your motor organs. You may use a bad word for a man – for an innocent man – you may not use a bad word. Why should you use a bad word? Do not use a bad word. Proper use of the vocal cord. So there should be proper use of all your motor organs, efferent organs.

Then the fourth one is samyak ájiiva, proper occupation. You may earn money by stealing, by doing so many – by engaging in so many antisocial activities, but it is not samyak ájiiva. Your occupation should be harmless. It must not go against the interest of any good people. This should be your occupation. But you know “occupation” actually means to keep your activity, to keep your vitality, engaged in the job. “Occupation”. But you know the occupation is not always physical. The occupation is psychic also, mental also. You may not steal physically but mentally you can steal. Physically you are not doing any harm to anybody, but mentally you may do harm to somebody. So that will be mental occupation. You should have a pure goal for your physicality and for your psychic faculty. That is, mentally also you must not do any harm to anybody. That is, you should – all your activities of sensory organs also should – be properly controlled. (In the case of samyak vák, I said that all expressions of your motor organs should be properly controlled. This is samyak ájiiva. Do you follow me?)

Then the fifth one is samyak vyáyáma. You see, for development of the physical body you undergo so many exercises – exercises with instruments, exercise without instruments – so many exercises, for development of the physical body. But one secret you should know, when the physical body is properly exercised for its development, and the mental body is neglected, those physically strong people will become a bit deficient intellectually. So in that respect it is a bit harmful. There should be an adjustment between physical development and psychic development; that is, along with physical exercise for development of the physical body there should be psychic exercises for development of the psychic body. And if physical exercises go on generation after generation, what will happen? The cranium itself will become smaller in size, as a result of which the brain will also be smaller and intellectual faculties will go on lessening. Do you follow me? There should be proper exercise of your physical body, of your psychic body, and also of your spiritual body. A man may be physically strong, and by dint of proper psychic exercise he may be psychically strong, but if there is no spiritual practice he will be no better than a plant, and such persons are called “satans” of the society – they are polished satans. They are, in common mass language, known as “hypocrites”. So there should be samyak vyáyáma, proper exercise of your physical body, your psychic body, and also of your spiritual body. This is the fifth item.

Then the sixth one is samyak karmánta. Suppose you have started a particular work. Now you must not leave that work until that work is properly finished, till there is a happy finishing. Finishing should be done properly. This is called karmánta.

Now one ácárya was initiating a man, and I asked him, “Now go. Complete the work. [[Then]] come here.”

That is, there should be samyak karmánta. You have understood the spirit. You should remember this thing in your private life, family life, social life. In each and every stratum of your life there should be samyak karmánta. Each and every job should be properly complied with.

Then samyak smrti. What is smrti? The English term is “memory”. The Sanskrit, Anubhútaviśaya sampramośa smrti. Suppose you acquire a certain experience. You saw something. You came across an elephant. Now when you saw that elephant, what happened? There was an inner psychic projection of the elephant in your mind. After seeing that external elephant, another elephant was created within your mind as the internal psychic projection. Now after a few months, or three years, or thirty years, when you are able to recreate that elephant within your mind, it is called smrti, or “memory”. But when you are no longer able to recreate that elephant within your mind as per your own experience, then you will say, “I have forgotten. I do not remember.”

Now samyak smrti is remembering whatever is congenial to the spirit of never-ending human progress, and other items you may forget. Suppose a man unnecessarily wounded your sentiment. If you remember it you will be suffering from internal pain, mental agony. Try to forget it. It is better to forget it. If you want peace, you should forget it.⁽³⁾ But suppose you have learned something good. You should retain it. Those items coming within the second scope, that is, the scope of retention, are samyak smrti. And the best thing that you must always try to retain within the scope of your smrti, within the periphery of your smrti, is the name of Parama Puruśa, is the idea of Parama Puruśa. You must not forget it even for a single moment.

When you are established in such a faculty, that is, when you never forget the name of Parama Puruśa, it is called dhruvásmrti, that is, when one never forgets the fact that Parama Puruśa is with me, He is my Supreme Desideratum, such a mental condition, rather such a stance, is called dharmamegha samádhi. One must try one’s best to attain this supreme stance of dharmamegha samádhi by encouraging samyak smrti.

The last item is samyak samádhi. Samádhi means suspension of mind. If one always thinks, “I should earn money, money, money, money, money,”⁽⁴⁾ then that money becomes his mental object. His mind will be suspended on money, and a day is sure to come when he himself will be money⁽⁵⁾ and his very entity will be converted into money. When he always thinks about his enemy, then slowly he will acquire all the disqualifications of his enemy.⁽⁶⁾ How horrible it is! So one should always ascribe God-hood to each and every entity of the world, each and every objectivity of the world. And as a result of this ascription of God-hood, what will happen? Finally his mind will be suspended in God-hood. And finally, what will be the result? One will become one with his goal, one with God, one will be God, one will attain salvation, the goal of all humans. These points are the Aśt́áuṋga Márga. Each and every spiritual aspirant, each and every good man, should know it and do accordingly.⁽⁷⁾

Footnotes

(1) [[A few words here were unintelligible on the tape. –Eds.]]

(2) Progressive Utilization Theory – a socio-economic theory propounded by the author. –Eds.

(3) The foregoing two sentences have been transcribed from the original tape for this edition and incorporated here. –Eds.

(4) “. . . money, money, money, money . . .” – these words have been transcribed from the original tape for this edition and incorporated here. –Eds.

(5) “. . . a day is sure to come when he himself will be money . . .” – these words have been transcribed from the original tape for this edition and incorporated here. –Eds.

(6) The words “very entity” and “slowly” in the two foregoing sentences have been transcribed from the original tape for this edition and incorporated here. –Eds.

(7) The words “the goal of all humans”, “point”, “each and every” in the foregoing three sentences have been transcribed from the original tape for this edition and incorporated here. –Eds.