SELFISHNESS

The relatives, friends and siblings of the world that you see,
O my mind, all meet (seek your company, associate, etc.)
with you for their own selfishness (self-interests, purposes, etc.).
And that day, when their self-interests are not served,
on that day, they will not come near you (sggs 860).
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Selfishness is the source of evil in the world. The Gurbani (SGGS) declares that whosoever has belly is Maya stricken — ignorant, illusioned, deluded, enveloped in material consciousness, etc. In turn, whosoever is Maya stricken is afflicted with the disease of false ego-sense (Haume). In turn, false ego-sense begets selfishness. Thus, selfishness is nothing but one of the perverted children of the man's physical ego. In truth, the majority of us are selfish. Under the spell of this ignoble or demon-mind quality, one is concerned excessively or exclusively with himself — seeking or concentrating on one's own selfish ideas and agenda. The Gurbani urges us not to associate with selfish individuals.

In the flux of thoughts, our mind is ever flickering. Diseases of such turbulent mind are subtle, thereby invisible to our material eyes. The foremost of these diseases is the psychological ego (Haumai). The projection of this false ego include selfishness, lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride, jealousy, enviousness, hatred, animosity, duality, fear, quarrel, slandering of others, lower quality thoughts, aggressiveness, cruelty, wickedness, prejudices, cheating, lie, hypocrisy, deceptiveness, and so on.

While attached to Maya, the majority of us in this world are selfish. This is the edict of not only the Gurbani, but also other holy texts. Worldly love or emotional attachment to mother, father, sibling, children, spouse, friends, body, material possessions, and so on, is based on selfishness or self-interests; which is all just an illusion or deception.

All types of selfish feelings can be summed up in two groups as follows:

Material Selfishness

The root of man's suffering is his selfishness (worldly love or attachment- Maya). Man's selfish desires originate from ignorance of his True Nature (Joti-Svaroopa). Fulfillment of each desire leads to further greed, and non-fulfillment to anger. Hence, actions performed in material bondage do not result in purifying the mind at all. In other words, neither selfish nor ritualistic actions (Karamkaands) are cure to the man's mental diseases or suffering.

While engrossed in bondage (lust, greed, selfishness, etc.), people generally affirm to their spouse and children: "I labor day in and day out for the sake of your happiness. If I practice lie, cheating, stealing, and deception, I only do it to satisfy your needs. In order to give you better life and status in the society, I take bribe and deal underhandedly. I hurt others (sometime murder), push people aside on my way up, and play dirty so that I can get ahead for the benefit of you. I deal in illegal and corrupt ways for amassing material wealth and property to secure better future for all of you. This little empire I have built in my life is exclusively for your enjoyment. My every deed, word, and thought only seek for you happiness, because I love you.....".

According to the Gurbani, this is one of the greatest lies on the earth. The Gurbani roars that under the spell of deceptive Maya (illusion), nobody does anything for anybody else's happiness! The reality of the matter is that whatever a person claims to do for the happiness of others is in fact for his own happiness! Behind every act, thought, and word there is his or her own selfishness disguised. Our false ego-sense (Haume) may not admit this fact, but that does not change the truth. The Gurbani and other scriptures thunder forth the following declarations:

Thus, the worldly love (Moha or emotional attachment) is none other than a naked show of selfishness. This is the unshakable truth. We generally love each other out of mere selfish desires and related fears. We have no true relations because our relatives also love us to fulfill their own needs.

A little story may help to soak this truth in. The name of sage Vaalmeeki repeatedly appears in the Gurbani. Before he became a sage, he was a cold blooded murderer known as Daakoo (bandit) Ratnaakar. His daily routine was to hide in the nearby jungle, round off any travelers passing through that area, strip them off their belongings, and then kill them right there. This unenlightened existence of Ratnaakar brought terror and panic in the hearts of people living in the region.

In illusion, Ratnaakar also thought he was doing it for the happiness of his family. In this ignorance he believed that, in return, all his family members would do anything for his happiness as well. It so happened that one day a saint fell into his hands. Before he killed him, the saint asked Ratnaakar as to why he was committing such horrible sins everyday. "For my family", replied the Daakoo (bandit). "Sir, but would they share in the sins you commit everyday?", quizzed the saint. "Off course they will; for I do all this for their happiness!", said Ratnaakar.

The saint roars: "You fool, this is your illusion to think that people love and do things for the sake of other's happiness. Your wife and family cannot partake of your sins; your Soul alone will have to answer for its account. If you do not believe me, go and ask them."

Ratnaakar took the challenge. To make sure the saint does not escape, he tied him to the tree and then left for home. He asked his wife, children, parents and other family member if they would partake of the sins he daily commits for the sake of their happiness. "Are you crazy? We cannot share your sins. Your Soul alone has to atone for your sinful ways", replied each family member and instead asked him to provide for them within the confines of virtuous living. To cut the long story short, Ratnaakar's ears could not believe when he heard all this from his family members.

He was disillusioned. His mind was awakened. This was the turning point in his life. Thereafter he gave up Mayaic efforts and embraced the Spiritual Life. He subsequently became the Rishee Vaalmeeki and authored the famous Ramaayana. The Gurbani asks us to learn lesson from his life.

For his own selfish motives, man forms all sorts alliances, factions, or conflicts in the world. Instigated by his inner enemies (lust, anger, greed, attachment, self-conceit, stubborn mindedness, and enviousness), he forms alliances with friends, children, siblings, relatives, chiefs, leaders, groups, organizations, and so on. As repeatedly indicated in the Gurbani, all these alliances, factions, or conflicts are false because all of them are mere extensions of the love of Maya, falsehood or selfishness.

Material selfishness is the sense of separateness between his Mool (Source...) and man. And the one who is separated from his Mool is called Manmukh in the Gurbani. Thus, the Manmukh and selfishness are one and the same. As Manmukhs, we are neither interested in the intuitive understanding of the Shabad nor Bhagti. Consequently, we remain engrossed in material wealth and false efforts to acquire it. Because of selfishness, unsoftened consciousness, and insipid speech we are unable to develop liking for the Dharma.

Everyone in his life is either a servant of Maya or a servant of Parameshar. Simply put: Those who serve Maya are called Manmukhs. The Gurbani has provided us with numerous symptoms of Manmukhs. By using the Touchstone of the Gurbani, one can read the barometer of his own selfishness or Manmukhtaa. Because of selfishness, a Manmukh's life is dominated by his strong bondage to material consciousness, far and far away from Spiritual Path (Aatam-Maarag).

A life full of material selfishness means a lifestyle void of humility, contentment, compassion, and spiritual wisdom. Such lifestyle exhibits nothing but undesirable qualities in a person. Consequently, the friendship of such person is Kusang, bad association. To make us aware, the Gurbani has provided us with numerous other symptoms of such material beings caught in the vertex of unenlightened existence. Some of the other attributes of such person are as follows: egoism, ignorance, selfishness, duality, bondage, evil-mindedness, falsehood, violence, untruthfulness, doubts, superstitions, uncontrolled senses, identification with the feeling of "I, me, mine, your", lust, anger, greed, attachment, self pride, self-conceit; jealousy and enviousness, stubborn mindedness, hatred, fanaticism, conflicts, lack of contentment, material hankering and lamentation, lack of mental control and inner peace, self-centered, full of quarrel and contentions, lack of faith, extrovertedness, ritualistic, unhappy, always interested in taking instead of giving, affinity for bad association, lack of self-discipline, mental agitation, unceasing wandering (rat-race), begging material things from God, complaining, finding faults in others, unable to bear pains and sorrows of life, love for material world instead of the Self within, corruption, fraud, larceny and swindling, bribery, cheating, lying, plundering, stealing, fond of mental speculations and material logic, attachment to material world, deceitful nature, fearful, unceasing desire for sense objects, cynicism, hypocrisy, always wanting to control the world, always wanting to be appreciated, unceasing hunger for name and fame, love for titles and honor, divisiveness, prejudices, cruelty, bigotry, unnatural diet, indulgence in worldly pleasures, illusion, delusion, wrong identity, stupor, obstinate error, love of Maya or worldliness, crookedness, animosity, and so on. Opposite to these are the attributes of Gurmukhs (Spiritual Beings).

Spiritual Selfishness

Only those actions (Mayaic efforts) performed with the attachment of the mind bear reactions (rewards, effects or fruits). Accordingly, the Gurbani urges us to attach the mind to the Truth (ਸਚ, Shabad-Vichaar...), whilst the body in work. The implication is that when the mind is attached to Higher Purpose, there will be no reaction to one's Karma, because the mind is detached from it. In other words, when the mind is absorbed in the Love of the Pure Consciousness, it will harbor only immaculate thoughts or actions! As a result, there will be no question of material bondage at all.

The material selfishness is rooted in the idea of 'I-ness' and 'my-ness'. On the other hand, the Spiritual selfishness is in foregoing everything but the Mool, Divine Name or Shabad (Aatam Giaan). When one loves Mool within and nothing else, he goes beyond the selfishness and unselfishness!

As we can see, practicing true love and devotion to the Pure Being within and attachment to Maya are the two separate ways. In ignorance we fall in love with world instead of struggling with our deluded mind. In this conditioned state, we tear up our own roots, and become devoid of love and longing for Shabad-Vichaar. Simply put: Becoming unselfish is transcending Maya (ignorance or false ego).

Obviously, the selfishness is Maya's trickery. If we want to transcend Maya, then the Gurbani's advice is to seek the association of Sat (Truth) within and without. With the practice of Shabad -Vichaar, and keeping the Sanagat of the Gurmukh comes the Spiritual Wisdom. Then one understands that the selfishness is nothing but the vast expanse of Maya from which very rare one escapes. One way to escape Maya's expanse is to become Spiritually selfish — the right way! Not easy at all! For it demands transcending all that stands between you and the Mool (Source...) within; exerting self-effort (Uddam-Shabad-Vichaar), etc. Further, it demands knowing the difference between lust and love (lust is blind and love is wise); it demands laboring at annihilating the instinctive mind; having burning longing for Mool-realization, etc. Man alone can destroy in himself the roots of material selfishness. Pure self-efforts (Shabad-Vichaar) are indicated to be a must for Mool-understanding, which, in turn, leads one to reach the Truth and the acme of Self-perfection. Therefore, the Gurbani tells us that we must make self-effort to become a Gurmukh (Spiritual Being...) through engaging in the Shabad-Vichaar.

With the unbroken practice of Shabad-Vichaar (Spiritual Inquiry) arises true understanding, leading to unselfishness and Sahaj Avasthaa (natural state of Being). Those engaged in such Inner Inquiry always possess ethical virtues such as real understanding, humility, unselfishness, purity, mercy, fellow-feelings, truth, contentment, knowledge, etc.

The only aim and purpose of religion is to end ego (Haume), selfishness or conceit. Therefore, a true Sikh (Spiritual seeker) is he who strives to end his false ego-sense. That is to say, he labors to liquidate all his selfishness through surrender of his instinctive mind to his Mool (Source...) within. If this does not happen then all his religious activities or garbs are phony. Since the actions of true godly Beings (the Gurmukh) are devoid of false ego or selfishness, their Spiritual energies or powers spontaneously (Sahaj) work for the betterment of the mankind — to take people closer to their Mool (Source...), within. True Bhagti is in giving, not in taking. However, a selfish man in his madness tries to give nothing, but misappropriates all he can from the world for his own sense-gratification. Selfishness thus unwittingly breaks the harmony in the nature, and unnecessarily disturbs its balance. Thus, selfish people pollutes the society's environment and create hell for themselves, and for others to suffer and struggle in it. Any service performed unselfishly is the greatest Sevaa. Because such service demands that it be done spontaneously, silently, with true love, and without any expectation of gratitude or reward. One can perform such selfless service any place, any where, any time or occasion. With such unselfish service, our heart expands, and the seeker who contemplates through such heart alone can climb into the heights Within him. Therefore this attitude of unselfishness is a powerful means to purify onself. It makes one fit for earnest Shabad-Vichaar. In order to maintain the healthy attitude of unselfishness, true contentment (Sat Santokh) in all situations is must; which comes from the unbroken practice of self-restraint and discipline. In their absence comes the tide of discontentment and selfishness. The self-restraints and discipline include mastery over mind and physical senses, which leads to purity of mind, interiorization of the mind, and sincere devotion (Bhagti-attaining Gurmat-Aatam Giaan). By practicing self-discipline, one learns not to accept everything that is harmful to Spiritual Progress. Thus, with mastery over the mind, one gives up falsehood or crookedness and becomes God-centered. Unselfishness and Bhagti are the two rivers. In between these rivers is the shore of the Divinity or the Joti-Svaroopa. We are urged to endeavor to make that place our Home. For all humble servants of the Timeless Being search for the way to get to that Incomparable Place! At that Place there is no time, no birth or death, no names and forms, no ignorance or knowledge, no likes or dislikes: all is at all times, beyond the comprehension of the body-mind-intellect. Only Pure Awareness (Mool) exists there.

As clearly indicated by the Gurbani here, with our selfishness up and active, we cannot contemplate. And without its complete eradication, we cannot become one with our Mool (Source...) within.

— T. Singh
www.gurbani.org

Updated on Thursday, September 20, 2012 8:22 PM (PST)

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