By P.R. Sarkar
(1) Question: Suppose in a particular land there is no shortage of food and other physical necessities of life, but psychic structure moves within the four walls of a particular “ism” – there is no scope for free psychic movement. Can there be physical or psychic triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise (Pramátrikońa) in that land?
Answer: No. Even if nature is bountiful or human dexterity is bountiful in a particular country, there cannot be physical triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise if there is want or shortage in neighbouring countries.
In India, Punjab and Haryana are a bit affluent; Orissa, East UP and Bihar are extremely poor. Side by side light and darkness cannot remain. Naturally, political peace is sure to be disturbed. America is affluent, Mexico is poor.
In Africa, countries south of the Sahara are extremely poor; physical triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise is not possible in such countries. For physical triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise there must be sufficient food and other physical necessities for the entire world.
(2) Question: There are certain psychic diseases which have their origin in the physical sphere – they are physico-psychic diseases. Can there be a radical cure of these diseases if there is no free psychic movement?
Answer: There are certain diseases which have their origin in the psychic sphere – they come to the physical level from the psychic level. Microvita may create physico-psychic diseases also – diseases starting from the physical level and coming to the psychic level. If the psychic self is not properly balanced, a radical cure is not possible.
(3) Question: Suppose in a particular country people are very much moralist: there is no dearth of food and other physical necessities, and there is free psychic movement also – there is no bar in reading a particular book or coming in contact with a particular philosophy. Even in that case can there be spiritual triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise in that country?
Answer: For spiritual practice you are to create a spiritual urge. Therefore you are to create a proper system of education. Education should be imparted in a spiritual and psychic style. When they get proper education, a proper spiritual urge is created and then they will start Sádhaná. So we must start primary schools throughout the entire world to create a spiritual urge amongst the little pupils. I am not in favour of starting colleges; I am in favour of starting primary schools. In the entire world we have got one degree college at Ananda Nagar and thousands of kindergarten schools.
That is why it is desirable in the first phase to start many primary schools instead of colleges. Merely opening high schools and colleges without a proper system of education will not serve the purpose. Rather, thousands of kindergarten and primary schools must be started with this new system of education, to create a spiritual urge amongst children throughout the entire world.
(4)(a) Question: Suppose a particular country is very poor. There is no shortage of food, but there are other shortages in the realm of physicality. Can there be psychic or spiritual triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise there?
Answer: No. As the country suffers from shortages of physical necessities other than food, physical triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise is not possible. So the question of psychic or spiritual triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise does not arise.
(b) Question: Then what is that country to do? Should that country attack another affluent country to get its necessities of life?
Answer: No. Unless agricultural production is increased no triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise can be established in that country. To attack or think to attack another country to get sufficient necessities will cause political unrest in the region, and will undoubtedly increase economic instability. As a result no triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise can be established.
(c) Question: Suppose the country is densely populated. Then how is it to develop? Can the problem be solved through barter trade?
Answer: The problem can be solved through commercial transaction or barter trade. Say there is surplus food or hide or leather or jute in one country; and there is another country which is willing to enter into barter trade with that country in order to meet its shortages – won’t the problem be solved? Burma has a shortage of leather and hide, and Bangladesh has a surplus of leather and hide, but a shortage of rice; there can be barter trade between them.
(5) Question: Suppose in a particular country people suffer from dogma, but there is no shortage of physical necessities, can there be any spiritual triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise?
Answer: What to speak of spiritual triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise, even physical triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise is not possible where there is dogma.
(6) Question: Suppose, there is freedom of thought in a particular country but people’s minds are influenced by innumerable dogmas – What is the remedy? What step can be taken to remove the dogmas?
Answer: All the countries of the world suffer from dogma. Religion means dogma, communism means dogma, capitalism means dogma – all the political “isms” are expressions of dogma. There is no shortage of money in a number of countries of the world they may be rich, but they are still undeveloped and backward due to the influence of dogma. There physical triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise has not been attained. There are certain countries whose dogma does not support money-lending and the taking of interest; but if there is no interest, no rolling of money, no movement of coins, how can there be development? But those very countries also have banking, which is fundamentally against the doctrine of their dogma.
There are dogmas in certain other countries which preach mutual tolerance; if someone slaps you on one side of the face, you must give the other side to be slapped. But those are the same countries which fight against each other. Both great wars, one and two, were fought by those very countries. Can there be any physical triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise? Not even physical triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise is possible where there is dogma.
Dogma is rampant in the political sphere also. The dogma of a number of countries does not even recognize the existence of a certain other country even though the people of that country were the original settlers and they have every right to live there. But that country is a developed country – according to cardinal human principles, should it not get proper recognition by the nations of the world? These are the plays of dogma.
Even those countries professing religion are fighting amongst themselves; take the case of Iran and Iraq. It is all a fight of dogma.
(7) Question: Suppose in a particular country, there is a balanced physical triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise, balanced psychic triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise and balanced spiritual triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise but these three types of triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise do not coincide – generally they coincide in the spiritual stratum – in that case how can the good thinking people fight against the depraving effects of enemy microvita?
Answer: If millions of physical triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise, psychic triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise and spiritual triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise do not coincide, there would be a tug-of-war amongst them and finally they will get deranged… they will reach the stage of disruption. Their inner balance will be destroyed. When they coincide, the triangles of forces come in close proximity of the triangle of the essential qualities of the primordial force of creation (Guńatrikona). If triangular dynamic equilibrium and equipoise are destroyed, in that case good people would take the help of friend microvita. Some microvita are, in effect, your friends and some are your enemies. By nature, no microvitum is either a friend or enemy of human beings.
Na kashcit kasyacit mitraḿna kashcit kasyacit ripuh
Vyavaháreńa mitráńi jáyante ripavastathá.
[No one is the enemy of anyone by nature. By one’s behaviour a person may become friendly or inimical to others.]
By nature inimical microvita may also become your friends if controlled by good people. Though poison is fatal for humans, it is also a life-saving drug. Even snake venom is recognized by all as a medicine.
(8) Question: In order to encourage the movement of positive microvita and to discourage the movement of negative microvita, should the education system of the entire world and the entire universe be reoriented? What should be the phases, the physico-psychic and the psycho-spiritual approach?
Answer: We must develop the physico-psychic aspect of the students through proper physical culture, which will include Yoga Ásanas, proper diet, games and sports, etc. And to develop the psycho-spiritual aspect, we must reorient the entire curriculum of all schools from kindergarten to post-university level according to the Neo-Humanist philosophy, and must incorporate the practices of Astáun’ga Yoga into the curriculum in all grades. This will be the practical approach. And the guiding philosophy, the controlling philosophy should be: “This universe is ours” – and “we” means humans, animals and plants.
From: "Prama - 4" in Discourses on Neohumanist Education, Neohumanism in a Nutshell Part 2, Pramá, and Prout in a Nutshell Part 9. Copyright Ananda Marga Publications 2012