Spiritual origin of values

Values are spiritual skills

Life is wider than the society, family, culture, etc. History is a series of events. Human existence becomes history when people have lived long enough worthily. Civilisation and culture are its higher versions as an end result of further longer living. Civilisation is the organized form that living acquires over a long history. Culture is the invisible informal fabric that infuses that form with richness born of experience in high living. Civilisation rises to culture when the values of life are integrated with its living.

All temporal human values and life values derive from 12 eternal values of existence which constitute the characteristics or properties of pure spiritual consciousness: Infinity, Eternity, Silence, Peace, Unity, Truth, Goodness, Knowledge, Power, Beauty, Love and Bliss. Out of these 12, 1200 or 12,000 values arise. Each of these values expresses one aspect or dimension of a higher spiritual principle in life. For example, all values related to aspiration, strength, heroism and high endeavour derive from the original spiritual value of Power. All values related to loyalty, affection, and self-giving issue from Love. All values related to cooperation, harmony, sympathy and identification issue from Unity. All values related to integrity, honesty, accuracy and objectivity issue from Truth. All values issuing from goodwill, benevolence, compassion and magnanimity issue from Goodness. All that expands and creates without limit is an expression of Infinite being. All active, dynamic expression is founded on and supported by Peace and Silence.

In the Indian spiritual tradition, the ultimate spiritual reality is referred to as Sat-Chit-Ananda or Being-Consciousness-Bliss. The ultimate spiritual reality is pure Being. The Being is Conscious. The Consciousness of that Being is Bliss. Infinity, Eternity, Peace, Silence, Unity and Truth are aspects of pure Being. Knowledge, Goodness and Power are aspects of Consciousness. Beauty, Love and Joy are aspects of Bliss.

The pursuit of one or more of these 12 values is the essence of all spiritual paths, regardless of their goals, forms or methods. The integration of these values with life is the highest of all human pursuits. To establish these values in one’s life is a full-time pursuit, which is yoga. To accept these lives inwardly and act in outside society according to the highest values of the society – the higher side of the right values – is to convert life into yoga. It is to integrate human life with the Spirit.