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Values

Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati in ‘The Value of Values’

What is a value?

A ‘value’ indicates the regard for a thing, situation, or attitude

which for some reason is esteemed or prized by the value-holder.

A psychologically or spiritually conscious person acts from a consistent – though always

evolving – sense of values. To value is to esteem the worth of something, to declare that
it has meaning for us.

In a spiritual context, ethical values can be classified as dharma. Dharma is the standard
or norm of conduct derived from the way in which I wish others to view or treat me.
What I expect or want from others becomes my standard of dharma, right behaviour;
what I do not want others to do is adharma, wrong behaviour.

I want others to speak truth to me.

I do not want others to lie to me.

Truth-speaking is dharma for me.

Non-truth-speaking is adharma for me.

Scriptures confirm truth-speaking as good behaviour.

Scriptures condemn non-truth-speaking as bad behaviour.

Other behaviour norms such as non-injury, humility, charitableness are all based upon the
same consideration of how I would like others to treat me. These ethical standards are
natural and universal.

Ethical Values are Universal in Content and Relative in application.

Though the codes of acceptable conduct are universal, these standard are not absolute.
There are situations where what is considered ethical becomes unethical; depending upon
the context. Again that a standard may be relative does not mean that it is purely
subjective. Why? Because there is a similarity in everyone’s reaction to being hurt,
cheated, lied to and bullied.

Ethical standards are based on a human consensus regarding what is the acceptable
conduct: this consensus is not negated by the fact that the norms may be subject to
interpretation is some situations.
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Usually I have a great value for self non-injury – yet I set it aside and willingly submit to
the surgeon’s knife when required! This suspension of my value for non-injury to myself
does not affect my basic value for non-injury to myself or to all beings.

What happens sometimes is that while I am likely to apply a value for truthfulness very
consistently and absolutely to the words of others; I apply the same value to truthfulness
to my won words, much less consistently and relative to the situation! So in this way my
interpretation of these values is highly subjective.

Can I dismiss a concern for values?

Values cannot be dismissed, nor can they be defied with impunity. Failure to meet a
value puts me in conflict with myself. When I perform an action that is a non-value for
me, I create a seed of guilt which creates sleeplessness, fear and conflict.

How Values create conflict?

When I have a value and something interferes with my expression of that value, I am in
conflict with myself. What interferes with my expression of my general values?
Individual situational values, linked with some highly desired personal end.

For example:

Value: Speak truth!

I want others to speak truth to me (universal source)

Authorities tell me to speak truth (obligatory source)
Parents say speak the truth.
Society says speak the truth.
Religion says speak the truth.
Speaking truth is a part of my value system.

Assimilation:
The value of others truthfulness is immediately clear
I can see that false information given to me can be
Inconvenient or harmful to me.
My value of truthfulness of others to me is personal
and assimilated.

The value of my truthfulness is not immediately clear

I do not see what I get out of being truthful
My value for being truthful is obligatory.
My truthfulness obliges my parents.
My truthfulness obliges my society
My truthfulness obliges my religious code.

Result: I have a split value: one half personal and one half
obligatory
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Half-Value: More Irritant than Behaviour Norm

There is always potential for conflict when a universal value is split into two halves – a
personal value for what I expect from others and an obligatory value for what I expect
from myself.

A personal value is observed for its own sake. Whereas a obligatory value is subject to
compromise when it obstructs a highly desired individual end. Whenever I compromise,
the half-value does not go away. It stays there in my heart as an irritant. Then I cannot be
fully comfortable with myself and I have the knower-doer split in me.
….
Your values have been consciously chosen from a variety of alternatives. To know your
values is to know yourself, since your choices reveal you.

Your values are revealed to others by your words and actions. Your behaviour is the final
determinant of your values. This is how people come to trust you. They can see your
consistency. You act on your inner choices. This is so very important in one’s life that,
one is totally in touch with what is important to oneself and one acts out of those values.
While I am not insensitive to the opinion of others, and I consider them, I am not ruled by
the need for the approval of others, or by the opinions of others. When my inner choices
reflect values which are in keeping with dharma – the norms of behaviour dictated
by what I expect from others towards me, then I am together as a person.

When I see clearly that a particular choice will make me suffer, I do not make that
choice. When I become thoroughly convinced that acting contrary to a general value will
result in suffering for me, my compliance with that value becomes choiceless. If speaking
truth is a value for me, and I am convinced completely that non-truth brings suffering,
there is no choice but to speak truth. Speaking truth then becomes natural, spontaneous,
my personal, assimilated value.

As your values become more and more conscious, you are more and more apt to proclaim
them – even at great cost to your own comfort and ambitions. People may respect this
integrity and admire or appreciate you. This gratifies you though it does not motivate
you.

In the Bhagavad-Gita Lord Krishna talks about what we may call as values in the 13 th
chapter. Other chapters too contain much on values and attitudes to living. We will
discuss some of those values and others, which in my opinion are a part growing up to be
truly alive.

Before we explore further, we need to see that the values that allow us to fully emerge
into our own wholeness, our completeness, in fact reflect that wholeness. Living a life of
dharma is meant to invoke the wholeness, the fullness that is our intrinsic nature. IN the
wake of recognition of our wholeness, all these values are a spontaneous expression of
ourselves. There is no effort involved. So as a seeker, in pursuit of knowledge, there is
effort involved – the process of growth has to be initiated.
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When is this growth possible?

When there is flexibility and an open-mind. This is interesting to see – ‘I’ is

consciousness – conscious of thinking and emoting, distinct from thinking and emoting.
So supposing currently I am subscribing to a way of thinking that is limiting me – I don’t
lose anything at all in changing my way of thinking, which will eventually change the
way I feel. Once I understand this, I become very, very flexible and am ready to reshuffle
my ideas if I can see that they are not valuable to me.

I will be able to see this very clearly, after adequate practice of spending a few minutes
with myself and allowing myself to just watch the movement of thoughts in my mind,
without reacting to it. We will see this under relaxation and meditation.

The values we will look at quickly are:

1. Honesty
2. Respect
3. Love
4. Accommodation, acceptence
5. Non-violence
6. Responsibility
7. Humilty
8. Co-operation
9. Saucam
10. Discipline
11. Cheerfulness – sameness of mind
12. Viveka
13. Mastery over the ways of one’s thinking
14. A value for not losing sight of the knowledge of truth
15. A value for constancy in the study of the Upanishads and other texts of Vedanta

Life Expression Comes From Value Structure

The expression of my life is just the expression of my well-assimilated value structure.

What I do is but an expression of what is valuable to me. I follow other people’s value
when it is convenient for me. However if I have not assimilated these values, then they
are only obligatory values and I will have a tendency to compromise them. Obligatory
values are not a part of my value –structure. Only assimilated values are my personal
values. And they reflect what is valuable to me, and require no choice on my part.

When I want certain unassimilated values to become a part of my value-structure, I have

to be alert, and deliberately pursue them, until I am conscious of their value to me. Once I
am convinced of the value of a value it becomes a spontaneous expression of myself.
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Honesty

1. Honesty means there are no contradictions or discrepancies in

thoughts, words, or actions

2. Honesty is to never misuse that which is given in trust.

3. To be honest to one’s real self and the purpose of a task earns trust and
inspires faith.

Honesty is the awareness of what is right and appropriate in:-

 one’s role
 one’s behaviour
 one’s relationship.

With honesty there is no hypocrisy or artificiality which create confusion and mistrust in
the minds and lives of others. Honesty makes for a life of integrity because the inner
and outer selves are a mirror image.

Honesty is to speak that which is thought and to do that which is spoken. There is no
contradictions or discrepancies in thoughts, words, or actions. Such integration provides
clarity and example to others. Honesty is visible in one’s actions.

A caution about the spoken word. We have a saying satyam vada, hitam vada, priyam
vada. Speak truth – and let that truth you speak be beneficial to the other person. A
beneficial truth, say it in as non-hurting a manner as possible.

Without honesty there can be no internal growth. Honesty is the very first requirement
of growth. As honesty grows, denial and projection both reduce. When you allow
yourself to be honest, you become aware of hidden personal agendas, irrational feelings
and wrong or inappropriate habits. Once you become aware of them consciously, you
have the choice of changing them. Otherwise staying hidden, they just control you.

Allowing yourself to watch your thoughts non-judgmentally when you are relaxed, is a
very useful tool which allows you to be honest with yourself.

Honesty fosters trust. Trust fosters closeness. Without these principles neither individuals
nor societies can be functional.

What prevents honesty? Low self-esteem prevents honesty, or self-esteem which is

dependent upon too many external factors, prevents honesty.

Honesty also involves acknowledging one’s interconnectedness to the world – so one

does not misuse, abuse or waste the wealth of resources provided for the well-being of
humanity. Honesty also means not to take for granted ones resources such as the mind,
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body, wealth, time, talents or knowledge. Honesty means never to misuse that which is
given in trust. There would always be the concern resources be used in a worthwhile way
– for the basic human, moral and spiritual needs of all people. Well-used resources create
well-being and are a means for those very resources to multiply. The individual who is
deeply committed to development and progress keeps honesty as a constant principle in
building a world of peace and plenty, a world of less expenditure and great abundance.

Respect

Respect is an acknowledgment of the inherent

worth and innate rights of the individual and the
collective.

To know one’s own worth and to honor the worth

of others.

Both must be recognised as the central focus to

draw from oneself and from people a commitment
to a higher purpose in life.

The source of self-respect is the self alone. The self is a spiritual being, unique, sat-cit-
ananda (satyam – existence which can never be negated and which is the independent
truth of this entire universe, jnanam or cit – conscious (not inert), anantam or ananda-
limitless, which has not a trace of sorrow). The recognition of oneself as a spiritual being,
is the basis of true self-respect.

In the context of our Sastra I must mention, that I do not see respect mentioned
specifically as a value. This is because a person who follows a life of values ( dharma)
would necessarily have self-respect, because a life of values invokes those values which
are a manifestation of the whole self.

However we can mention respect specifically here, so that it becomes very clear that life
is sacred, and every being is sacred and worthy of respect. Certain behaviours do not
evoke one’s respect, but still one does not dismiss the purusha the person who is the
spiritual being in every being. This is again interesting to note, that any behaviour is born
of a pattern of thinking, to which the person subscribes. The pattern of thinking can
always be changed, so one never disrespects a person – one only disapproves of patterns
of thinking and behaving.

Once basic self-respect for every being as a spiritual being is the basis of interaction, one
can evoke the inherent goodness of the self which is there in everybody. The pattern of
thinking, of behaving is not changed, one still does not disrespect the person, the purusha
there. One continues prayerfully to work for change, evoking the best in the person. This
respect for the person also does not mean that one does not take punitive action if
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necessary. But internally one does not get disturbed. One never loses self-respect for
oneself or others.

If one is dependent for respect on external forces one measure respect in terms of
physical and material factors such as power, wealth, caste, race, religion….popularity ..
The more respect is measured on the basis of something external, the greater the desire
for recognition from others. The greater the desire for recognition from the others, the
greater is one’s dependence on the approval and opinion of others. One is unable to take
an independent decision or even value one’s own conscience. The problem of manitvam
(pride) is also born of this dependence for self-respect on external forces. When things
are going well with you, you succeed at what you are doing, people’s support is there
with you – you become proud. Pride grows because of the refusal to acknowledge all the
other factors, the infrastructure around you, that goes into making your life a success.
Nobody is independent. We are related to the world and related we grow. For me to
succeed in any given venture I have to have knowledge, skill and the co-operation of so
many forces, not all of which are in my control. Whatever I am today is because of so
many people - whatever knowledge I have got is because of all the teachers I had,
because my parents put me through school, because …. My debt to the world is endless.
When there is success for me in any venture, I acknowledge all that went into it – then
there will be no pride. I recognise, who is the ultimate owner then there will be no pride.
Self-worth, self-esteem is fine, but pride is result of the neurotic ego.

To develop the value of respect from within the self and to give it practical expression in
daily life is a challenge. The challenge is to value the opinions of significant others, to
give them due consideration, yet have the ability and self-confidence to make
independent decisions based on what one values and considers right. In situations when
all support seems to have vanished, one’s own capacity to be self-reliant internally is all
that stays with one. A self-reliant person is free.

Respectful Environment

When self-respect is there, one can establish a respectful environment in which one can
pay attention to the quality of intentions, attitude, behaviour, thoughts words, actions in
oneself, and choose to change if necessary.

Where there is self-respect and humility, one is free of arrogance and narrow-
mindedness. Arrogance damages or destroys the uniqueness of others and violates their
fundamental rights. Such a temperament hurts the violater as well. For example the
tendencies to impress others, dominate them or limit their freedom are each done with the
aim of asserting the self by at the expenses of inner worth, dignity and peace of mind.
Self-respect based purely upon innate fullness of the self, becomes subservient to what
we can call as artificial respect.

Thus, attempting to win respect without remaining conscious of one’s intrinsic worth and
honour, becomes the very method to lose self-respect. To know oneself and others as
intrinsically worthy earns respect, because others instinctively sense how authentic and
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sincere this regard is. In the vision of equality there is shared spirituality. Sharing
creates a sense of belonging, a feeling of family.

That sense of honour and worth can extend to a healthy respect of one’s environment. We
cause ecological imbalances and are instrumental in causing natural calamities when we
disrespect and war against the laws of the environment. As we sow, so do we reap. When
we respect and revere our environment, the laws of nature blesses us with abundance.
This is very clearly brought out in the Bhagavad-Gita when yajna is discussed in chapter
3.

Respect is an acknowledgment of the inherent worth and innate rights of the individual
and the collective. By innate rights, we are referring to the fact that the purusha is
present in everyone, and every human being has a right to the joy of living with respect
and dignity. To draw from people a commitment to a higher purpose in life, these have to
be recognised as central to the person.

Again international respect and recognition for intellectual rights and originality of ideas
must be observed without discrimination.

Love
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Read all about this in the Value of Values by Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati.

Characteristics of Values – Richo

1. Values arises within you in a natural way. A set of values is not imposed from
without. Really speaking it is a sense of your own identity. You are thus esteeming
and trusting yourself.
2.