Not for Oneself, but for the World

What do spiritual teachings give to a person? A strange question, isn’t it? After all, the answer is obvious. They give them the opportunity to become better, more perfect. Fine. Then let’s rephrase the question: why does a person need what spiritual teachings can offer? Why do they need to become better, more perfect? This question already sounds quite ridiculous. How come — why? To be better and more perfect, of course. What is unclear here?

There are also examples from personal experience. I have had conversations with some people that went something like this:

— What are you striving for? Why do you read spiritual literature? Why do you engage in the practices you do?

— It’s for self-development. I want to become spiritually elevated, more perfect.

— Why?

— What do you mean, “why”?

— Well, why do you want to be spiritually elevated and more perfect?

— How is that even a “why”? To be spiritually advanced, to gain various abilities, to open the third eye, to develop a strong, bright energy field, and so on.

— And why do you need that?

— What do you mean, “why”?! Because the purpose of a person is to develop and perfect themselves.

— And what is the practical meaning of this?

— That is the practical meaning. What other meaning could there be?

— Well, let’s say you have become more perfect, acquired abilities, and so forth. What next? What will you do with all this?

What follows is either bewildered silence, an admission like “I haven’t really thought about it,” or a statement along the lines of “I will join the ranks of the Great Enlightened Beings,” or, at worst, “I will teach others the same.”

Many people reason this way. However, all of them either do not belong to any particular spiritual tradition and merely read some books and practice certain exercises, or they belong to various so-called neo-cults, teachings based on channeling, teachings founded by all sorts of modern “spiritual philosophers,” and so on. In all these cases, one common trait is clearly visible: they are focused on satisfying a person’s spiritual needs. This does not seem bad at first glance. These needs exist, and they should be met. But should their fulfillment be the ultimate goal? Shouldn’t something greater be implied? For example, making the world a better place? You might be told that this is also implied — after all, the more good, spiritually advanced people there are in the world, the better the world will become. Basically, yes. But this still seems like some sort of side effect. It looks as if the main focus is on the person, who needs to improve themselves, and the world will follow suit simply because it has no choice. In essence, the world does not matter; it is merely a place where a person perfects themselves.

This approach is based on anthropocentrism. A person is placed at the center of the world, personal self-development is declared the highest goal, everything in the world serves this goal, and the world itself is perceived as a testing ground or a kind of gym for a person’s spiritual exercises. Self-development is good. But a consumerist approach can turn any “good” into a “bad”. And here, an egotistical, consumerist approach is evident. It is a paradox: people try to develop spiritually, to become better, by following a path of extreme egoism and pride. Naturally, the result is the opposite of what they intended. This is one of the reasons — perhaps the main reason — why the number of spiritual teachings is increasing while spirituality itself is diminishing. And as for how those who walk such paths and consider themselves spiritually advanced behave, at least on the Internet — that is something worth seeing. The amount of arrogance, the overwhelming consciousness of their own enlightenment and significance, the condescension, the disdain, and even rudeness towards those who disagree with them — it is all too common. Almost any forum dedicated to spiritual or near-spiritual topics has countless examples of this.

But that is concerning modern trends. What about more traditional systems — long-established and authoritative religions and teachings?

People have always asked their gods for something, always sought to please them to receive their patronage and help. They always wanted something for themselves, or for their family, their loved ones and friends, or for their business, or, at most, for their country or religion. And it has always looked like this: for oneself, for one’s own, for one’s cause, for one’s land… That is, in their religiosity, people have always been selfish. Once, they asked their gods for a successful hunt, a successful marriage, a successful deal, a successful battle outcome. In return, they gave the gods what they believed was needed — prayers, fulfilled vows, sacrifices (sometimes part of the prey, sometimes taking a life, sometimes incense, sometimes valuables and money), rituals, converting non-believers, and so on. It was all quite simple, following the principle of a mutually beneficial exchange. The same applied to the blessings of the afterlife, whether it be hunting in the afterlife with ancestors, the Elysian Fields, or Valhalla: give the gods (or spirits, or other supernatural beings) what they need, obey their commandments, and you will end up there.

Then came the stage of monotheistic religions, the pinnacle of religious thought. In these, greater attention is given to a person’s spiritual perfection. Now, it is no longer just about following the will of a higher being and offering something in return, but about striving to become better, purer, more perfect. This existed before, but to a lesser extent. In monotheistic religions, where God is perfect and needs nothing, he expects inner transformation from a person — this is now his requirement. And for this, he rewards with eternal life in paradise. A person works on themselves, striving to become better for the sake of a reward.

Thus, we see the same pattern: spiritual perfection pursued for selfish reasons, out of a desire to avoid punishment and receive a reward. And what about the world? The world is created by God, under God’s control, and it is God, not anyone else, who is responsible for changing it. A person comes into the world only to move beyond it, into eternal life, whether in paradise or in hell. The world itself may even be seen as a vale of suffering, a place designed for testing a person and, so to speak, earning points that will determine their fate. Changing the world is not particularly required — God will one day transform it with a wave of his hand, destroying the old and creating something new, perfect, and beautiful — his kingdom.

If we take religions of a different kind, such as Buddhism, a similar picture emerges. There is heaven (as realms of higher beings in the sky) and hell (not eternal, only in between reincarnations, but still terrifying), the pursuit of a better reincarnation, and as the ultimate aspiration — attaining Nirvana, which in this sense can be equated with eternal paradise. Yes, there is self-improvement, the desire to become better, spiritual growth. But again, all of this is pursued for a reward — whether paradise, a better rebirth, or Nirvana. Once more, the reasoning is fundamentally selfish. And what about the world? The world is merely an illusion, one that you must free yourself from, a realm you must leave behind.

With this brief overview, I wanted to highlight one simple point: throughout history, religious people have cared more about themselves than about the world and others. Perhaps the highest expression of caring for others was the effort to pass on their beliefs — after all, that was how they could secure their own afterlife blessings. Of course, helping others and alleviating their suffering was also encouraged — Christianity and Buddhism provide striking examples — but again, with the intent of earning merit and securing a reward in the afterlife. The same applies to the world as a whole. Let me provide a simple example from real life. In our building, there was an elderly woman who would feed birds, stray cats, and dogs during the winter, bringing them leftovers. Everyone thought she loved and felt sorry for the animals. But when someone asked her about it, it turned out that she was doing it to atone for her sins and secure a place in paradise. Would she have fed them if she hadn’t expected that outcome? I highly doubt it. This old woman, whose name I no longer even remember, seemed to symbolically reflect the essence of all religions and beliefs — from primitive ones to monotheistic traditions, including modern spiritual movements: everything is done for oneself. Even the desire to become better, to do good, to care for others, and to learn to love — all of it ultimately serves the same purpose: to secure something better for oneself. Self-interest as the highest motivation. Sadly, this is the truth. This principle underlies almost all religions and beliefs, embedded deep within them despite their outward beauty and benevolence. And can it be any different when there are higher supernatural forces governing the world, upon whose will your future depends? In contrast, atheistic teachings, which perceive the world as a self-regulating system and humans as part of it, prove to be more altruistic. These teachings view the destinies of the world and humanity as one and inseparable. However, they lack depth, a foundation rooted in something greater than the material world — something that would provide a higher meaning both to the existence of the world and to human life.

The TUT differs in many ways from religions. One of the most fundamental and principal differences is that, according to the Teaching, the world, the Universe itself, is the primary thing that requires improvement and perfection. After all, it was for the sake of self-perfection that the Creator transformed himself into the Universe. A person must strive to become better — not with the selfish aim of gaining “spiritual prestige” or earning a reward, but to make the Creator more perfect, as they are a part of him and carry a fragment of his soul within themselves. The Creator, in turn, must become better so that his world, in turn, may become better through him. That is, in essence, by perfecting ourselves, we are working for the benefit of something even greater than our Universe. We are born for the fulfilment of this most important task. We, as humans, and we, as sentient beings — all intelligent races of the Universe. In the Teaching, this is called the Great Duty.

A person must work on themselves, striving to become better, and in addition to this inner work, they must do everything possible to help people and the world become better. This is within their power because in their world, they are the most creative and the most powerful force. A force that, one might say, has taken the baton from evolution itself. A force capable of improving not only society and its world but even the Creator himself. And for their labour, they will receive no blessings bestowed from above. More likely, the opposite will happen — they will experience hardships, problems, suffering, and dangers. Changing oneself, people, and the world for the better is extremely difficult. Perhaps they will receive some afterlife bliss in return? No, not that either. In the interval between lives, in the world of energy, they will also face suffering, turmoil, and work. And then — another birth, another life, and then again, and again. And so it will continue until they reach the highest level of personal development and enter the world of Spirit. But even this is not paradise. This is the soul of the Creator, perfected through the return of Spirit particles that have become more perfect. When all the particles have passed through this path and the Spirit is renewed, becoming purer and better, then the Creator will undergo transformation into a more perfect being, and a new stage of his life will begin. This is the ultimate goal for which humans and all other sentient beings of the Universe are born and labour.

The Teaching considers human self-perfection as part of the global, universal process of the Creator’s internal evolution. Otherwise, it has no meaning and would turn into a mere fiction. And this self-perfection is achieved not only through inner spiritual work but also through efforts for the benefit of people and the world — through the aspiration and effort to change them for the better. There is, of course, a significant degree of personal interest here too — since you are one with people, the world, the Universe, and the Creator, by improving them, you improve yourself. However, this is no longer selfishness — because, at such a high level of motivation, selfishness and altruism cease to be distinct. And yet, the well-being of the world and people remains the foremost concern. You strive to become better yourself in order to help them become better. And success in this endeavour is your reward. Success, the highest point of which will be the transformation of the Creator.

Earlier, I mentioned that, from the perspective of the modern spiritual consumer, the main focus is on the self-perfection of the individual, while the world will somehow follow. According to the Teaching, however, it is the other way around: human self-perfection is possible only as part of improving the world by the individual. By making the world better and understanding that this is the primary goal, one also improves oneself, reaching the proper level. Even inner spiritual work is motivated by the common good — from the well-being of an unknown passer-by to the well-being of the Creator. A person following the Teaching lives and acts under the motto: “Not for oneself, but for the world”. And only if it is first for the world, then it is also for oneself — as a consequence, not as a goal. For oneself — because it is for the world. Only in this way, and no other. It is not easy to learn to live like this. But it is possible. A person carries within them the ability to learn this — it is embedded in them from the beginning. Because they were created to live this way. This is how evolution intended them to be.

If there are teachings that approach the question of spiritual and moral development in this way, unconventionally (in relation to the approach of the vast majority of religions and beliefs), there are very few of them. The Teaching of the United Temple is precisely such a teaching. This is one of its most striking distinguishing features. And one of the qualities that can truly help it change the world for the better. But what does “help it” mean? It means — help people who choose it as their spiritual path. Because it is people who change the world. People who have learnt to live not for themselves, but for the world.

© Atarkhat, 2018