Teachings of Swami Vivekananda - part 1

Swami Vivekananda’s teachings can be summarized in this manner – Human life is a journey from an animal state to a divine state. Each state has a spectrum where the manifestation of that state varies in degree. The entire state of journey itself is a spectrum, the variation being in the degree of manifestation of the Shakti or the divine energy within us. At the highest end a human may attend the state of Advaita or Oneness with God, which Swamiji calls as “Christ Man” or “Buddha Man.”. 

At the lowest state is the brute who is no better than the lowest animal, who takes great pleasure only in the senses, through eating, sleeping, enjoyment and in sexual intercourse. 

In between we have the human state where compassion, kindness, love and intellectual pursuits are the chief characteristics and these dominate over the animal instincts. The pleasure is now in higher and nobler pursuits like literary  art, culture, music, intellectual discussions, poetry, philosophy and other creative courses. However there is still emphasis on the selfishness and one’s own interests dominate. 

In the divine state a man is no longer attracted by mere intellectual pursuits but something higher beckons him. The compassion, love and kindness which are seen in the human state are magnified and he tends to become more and more selfless. A purity of mind and knowledge are the chief characteristics of this stage. In the end, the man attains the state of perfect divinity, oneness with every being and realizes his supreme place in the universe. He transcends all sorrows and miseries of the world life and become liberated. Achieving this highest state is the goal of every human being. 

Note that these states are so similar to the three gunas or qualities of nature, at the animal end we have a predominance of tamas or darkness characterized by laziness, sleep, delusion and ignorance, at the human state the rajas or the state of activity and passion which helps in creativity and urge to indulge in selfish pursuits of happiness and pleasure .At the divine end Sattvam or the quality of knowledge predominates. The highest state or the goal is however transcending the three gunas as stated in Gita. These states are in effect an evolution from one spiritual state to another. Since every person will go through this path and will reach the final goal, it means that the brute animal state is really the involved Christ and Buddha. Involution follows evolution till liberation or emancipation is attained, just as a huge banyan tree is involved in a tiny seed and the tree is the evolved form of the seed.