SATSANG – Seeking Together – Helping to Create – A Planetary Vision – A Universal Heart

CLOSED MINDS or OPEN DOORS?

‘The one that sees only the diversity
and not the underlying unity,
wanders on from death to death’
Hindu Scripture

The quotation (above) from the Hindu Upanishads sprang to mind during my
reflections on a talk by Ishpriya on the urgent need to counter the tendency in our
world community to increasingly close doors on each other. She was addressing the
importance of being able to ‘speak across different religious languages’ and
suggested that this required mindfulness and the need to re-energise our inner life
and to keep this in focus.

Our world is beginning to close its doors and this tendency seems to have increased
in the past 10 to 20 years. Fundamentalism, in all its aspects, is on the increase. We
see this particularly in many of the great Faith Traditions. We are familiar with
fundamental Christians and Muslims, but the fundamental tendency has recently
spread to Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. In addition, we know that
fundamentalists of all persuasions have a tendency to slam shut the doors between
peoples, ideas and cultures.

This growing tendency to close doors, to refuse to listen to each others point of view
and to cling to our own ideas are all signs of fear and anxiety . There are many
complex reasons for this. Some of these are, selfishness, ignorance about the
situation of others, fear of the unknown, the many filters of our culture and last but
not least, our growing culture of dis-connection from our environment, from people
and even ourselves.

Gandhiji, before India was granted independence, was very aware of the tendency of
fundamentalists to shut doors and build barriers between peoples. He is quoted as
saying ‘. No, open the doors and windows wide. I want the wind of every
culture and language to flow freely throughout this house’. Gandhiji certainly
knew the importance and value of open doors and a free exchange between peoples
and he clearly understood the dangers of having a closed mind. Unfortunately, he
was proved right and the subsequent partition of India has led to tensions between
Hindus and Muslims

In commenting on the tendency to close doors, Ishpriya stressed that this was mainly
based on fear and lack of trust. We know that fear is so often based on ignorance.
We can often fear what we do not know or what we do not understand. Ishpriya went
on to reminded us, that in the Christian tradition, the disciples hide behind closed
doors at Pentecost (This occurred before they had a life changing experience when ,
as they recounted, they received the Holy Spirit).

SATSANG – Seeking Together – Helping to Create – A Planetary Vision – A Universal Heart

SATSANG – Seeking Together – Helping to Create – A Planetary Vision – A Universal Heart

So this growing tendency to close doors requires us all, as Members of the

International Satsang Association (ISA) to explore how our Satsang Commitment
could help us to find ways of opening doors. ( for further details of the ISA go to
www.international-satsang.org and for details, and a printable PDF file on the Triple
Commitment, go to the Resources page of www.satsang-companionship.org.uk
However, it is important to outline the main elements of the ISA Triple Commitment.

ISA Triple Commitment Members of the ISA undertake to seriously commit to:

1. Their own growth in Spiritual Awareness. They do so by seriously committing

to the development and practice of their own Sadhana ( Spiritual Practice)

2. To undertake to break down the many barriers that are erected between
peoples and between them and their environment. These can be barriers such
as those of race, ethnicity, gender, language , culture, economic differences
and Faith.

3. To build up relationships of compassion across the boundaries of race,

ethnicity, gender, language, economic differences and Faith

For me, this is a life long task and one that requires discipline, humility and a
willingness to learn from my own experiences and from others. As previously stated,
it is fear and ignorance that can form the biggest block and can lead to me closing
my mind and closing doors.

The fear and mistrust that underpin the closed door syndrome is one of the main
causes of the growing depression, anxiety and fear that can, lead to ‘neurotic
isolationalism’. We can see this is the growing movements of nationalism,
fundamentalism and extreme political parties. Increasingly, people tend to give too
much weight to the negative. Modern Neuro-Science confirms what the ancient
mystics and ancient wisdom has always intuited. Our brains are wired by evolution to
respond in a ‘knee jerk’ manner to negativity. We have a propensity towards ‘ Flight
or Fight’. Yet , our more considered consciousness knows that this can be wrong in
many instances. Our ‘higher’ modes of consciousness operate at a more rational and
compassionate level.

Ishpriya suggested that our task in the Satsang (ISA) was to reflect, face our own
fears and ask ourselves, ‘Where are my doors closing’? Because wherever and
whenever doors close there is a breakdown in communication. This was, she
suggested, a paradox in this digital age, an age where communication is so much
easier. But paradox is at the heart of the most important issues we face as a human
family. This has long been known . The Hindu Scriptures have reflected on the
paradox of our human uniqueness ( diversity) and our underlying inter-
connectedness ( unity) . See the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishshads.

SATSANG – Seeking Together – Helping to Create – A Planetary Vision – A Universal Heart

SATSANG – Seeking Together – Helping to Create – A Planetary Vision – A Universal Heart

To counteract this tendency towards fear, prejudice and disharmony, we need to

become fully human. And in order to become fully human we need each other. We
cannot live totally independent lives. This is one of the main errors we have made.
When we look back on the past few centuries we can see that the 19th Century was
dominated by a spirit of dependency. The 20th century encouraged a sense of
independency. What is urgently needed in the 21st century is the realisation of our
inter-dependency.

This means that we need to inter-communicate more empathically, compassionately

and effectively. We need to realise that we are not self-created and our style and
method of communication is, of course, informed by our personality and personal
circumstances. We need to look at our personal areas of communication, with
friends, in other relationships and also our personal freedom and the choices we
made.

This is a responsibility that each and every member of the human family needs to
face and accept. We are all responsible for the future. Because when we become
aware of our common humanity, ‘communication with the other leads us to the
OTHER (The In-Dweller)’ She suggested that it seemed both Interfaith and
Ecumenical dialogue were stuck in a rut and that the doors were and are closing.
Therefore we need to urgently find ways to communicate more effectively.

I feel that we all need to bear in mind that our communication is ‘self-reflective’. The
way I communicate to you reveals something of me. The way I am willing to ‘open
doors’ , to inter-communicate and to play my part in reducing fear, defensiveness,
depression etc, helps others to do likewise. In short, we need to begin to be and
act responsibly.

My reflections left me with lots of questions and a challenge. I was struck by the
quotation from Gandhiji. It stands in stark contrast to the mood of our times. It is only
when we feel safe that we can then open wide our doors and windows and welcome
strangers.

The United States was founded on the principle of welcoming strangers and the
oppressed and poor. The quotation on the Statue of Liberty bears ample witness to
this. History seems to suggest that it was this willingness to accept the poor and
oppressed brought out the best in America. The dangers now for the USA is if it
forgets its past and its founding values and principles and, instead, gives in to fear
and prejudice; it will damage itself and others.

Britain is another country well known for its tolerance and ability to welcome the
oppressed. Successive waves of immigration, from the Huguenots, through to the
Jews and Irish, the West Indians and people from the sub-continent of India have
been successfully accepted and have brought a richness to the banquet of British
Diversity. It was these two countries ( Britain and the USA) , along with others who
have traditionally stood out against oppressors.

SATSANG – Seeking Together – Helping to Create – A Planetary Vision – A Universal Heart

SATSANG – Seeking Together – Helping to Create – A Planetary Vision – A Universal Heart

But now in the West we are beginning to pull down the shutters and close the doors.
The USA, post 9/11 is seemingly a less friendly and open society. In Europe we are
beginning to shut our borders and to use ‘labels’ to describe the oppressed and poor
members of the human family. We talk of ‘economic migrants’, ‘illegal immigrants’,
‘terrorists’ etc. All this is stated and printed in a derogatory and fearful way.
Throughout the world people are beginning to close their hearts and minds to true
dialogue, losing compassion and also sight of who we really are, made in the image
of the Source and all joined by an underlying unity.

That our human family and our planet are at a crucial point is seemingly self-evident.
Our scientists and cosmologists warn us of the dangers facing the planet. There is
serious doubt whether mankind, as a species, can survive much longer. It seems that
our planet may have no choice other than to ‘get rid of us’. The past 100 years have
arguably seen more wars, famines and disasters than in all the previous history of
mankind. In fact we urgently need to recognise that, in a sense, we are co-creators of
our world.

We ignore our environment at our peril. Most of the aboriginal peoples, and their
spirituality – including my roots in Celtic Spirituality, have stressed our need to
cherish and reverence our planet, nature and the environment. We have seemingly
ignored this ‘; wisdom of the ages’ and our planet is suffering. Because of the many
challenges of the modern era from Science etc. The great Faith Traditions are being
shaken and their ideas increasingly contested. One consequence seems to be that
the Faith Traditions and ideologies are seemingly being taken over be
fundamentalists whose ‘simplistic certainties’ counsel division and strife.

Now the mystics and sages of all the great Traditions have throughout the ages
warned us of the dangers of failing to see our underlying unity. They have tried to
help us to see that we are essentially ‘Spirit’ and therefore united through The
Source. Quantum Physics certainly agrees on the inter-connectedness of all creation,
although it does not necessarily agree about the underlying Spiritual basis. However,
as a person of ‘faith’ I do believe in an Ultimate Source.

In addition, as an individual and a member of the International Satsang Association ,

I have to seriously challenge myself to face my responsibilities. There is no sitting on
the fence, no waiting for further data before I make up my mind! I am either on the
side of life or by making no choice I really choose death. There is a theory of ‘the
critical/crucial mass. It seems to be borne out in nature and by evolution. If this is in
fact a ‘law’, which is highly likely, then, if sufficient people choose to side with life, to
side with the Planet, to side with the concept that we are all equal members of this
human family, then change will occur.

This will require me (and others) to make constant choices for life, for equality for
people and for the planet. Even our seemingly small choices make a difference. I,
like others, need to reach out to others across difference and to build bridges that
unite. This is a truly awesome and important task of the living out the Satsang
Commitment and thus playing my part in Seeking Together – Helping to Create – A
Planetary Vision – A Universal Heart
Peter Creagh
For further details on the International Satsang Association and its values see www.international-satsang.org

SATSANG – Seeking Together – Helping to Create – A Planetary Vision – A Universal Heart