The Concept of Human Revolution

Darshams

Human Revolution: revealing the highest state of life

By: Safwan Zabalawi

One of the most inspiring insights in the Eastern philosophy is the concept of “dynamic self”.  Rejecting the concept ‘Permanent Soul” (atman), the perspective of “No Permanent Soul” (anatta), translated also as “No Permanent Self” (1) opened the path for one’s responsibility for continual self-development.  Instead of the stagnate view of a “fixed soul”, the view of “dynamic self” infused the mind of the individual with the powerful potential of seeking higher inspiration and self-renewal.

Each person must have experienced the truth of growth and development over time. This observation of one’s own life projects an understanding of the mental energy of what we call “self” as a “dynamic spectrum” of states.  At childhood, the early state of self-awareness was dominated by ego-centred motivations.  Then, at a later stage of self-growth, the focus was on search for identity.  A further development necessitated seeking one’s ‘reference of belonging’ – a reference of association with a group of people or with a philosophy, which resonates with one’s awareness of the world.  Observing this spectrum of self-growth, a question arises: what could be the highest state that one can aspire reaching for?

The highest state of enlightenment

Eastern philosophy explains that the highest state of mind and feelings is that of Enlightenment to the true nature of life, featuring: inner harmony and harmony with the environment, wisdom, compassion, creativity and happiness in helping others.  It is referred to as the most treasured and valued mental field within the varied spectrum of the human nature.  This enlightened-nature is viewed as an inherent property of every individual; it is not externally acquired nor is dependent on social position.  It is rather a potential state in the psychological domain, existing within subconscious mind of the individual since birth - awaiting conditions to emerge.  But how could such a state emerge if one does not believe of having it?

What obstructs the emergence of one’s highest state of existence is the immature feeling of inadequacy, self-doubt, inner weaknesses and negative thinking.  To break through the cloud of negativities requires dedication and firm belief that one’s life has a meaning, and that the highest meaning is to fully flourish, bringing harmony and benefit to self-and-others.

East meets West

The philosophical search for the “state of flourishing” of life was explored centuries ago through the Greek concept of Eudemonia (2).  Aristotle must have experienced - not just imagined - this state of happiness, reason and vitality. 

What was the list of virtues that characterised Eudemonia according to Aristotle?

“He assumes that such a list can be compiled rather easily; most would agree, for example, that it is good to have friends, to experience pleasure, to be healthy, to be honored, and to have such virtues as courage at least to some degree”. (3)

Eastern philosophy presents similar virtues of the state of enlightenment but emphasises the necessity to work for others’ happiness, removing tension or suffering and imparting joy.  And instead of the mentioned virtue of “to be honored” – a 13 century Mahayana scholar, Nichiren, refers to an enlightened person as:

“Worthy [wise] persons deserve to be called so because they are not carried away by the eight [influences]: prosperity, decline, disgrace, honor, praise, censure, suffering, and pleasure. They are neither elated by prosperity nor grieved by decline”. (4)

There is a special emphasis in Eastern philosophy on the “truth of interconnectedness” and its implication on experiencing the state of happiness.  One cannot experience happiness if people in one’s close circle are suffering.  In this perspective, various spiritual traditions associate the state of one’s enlightenment by seriously getting involved in removing others’ states of psychological hardships or supporting them with compassion.  Compassion becomes the basic condition for deepening one’s intellect and goodness as a human being.

On a similar path of observation of human psychology, Maslow viewed ‘Self-actualisation’ as the most desirable, or highest, state to achieve:

“Self-actualization needs are the highest level in Maslow’s hierarchy, and refer to the realization of a person’s potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth, and peak experiences”. (5)

In both Western and Eastern views, the characteristics of the highest state of one’s life centre on the concept of flourishing or realising one’s potentials.  Potentiality of the existence of a higher domain of awareness implies that, unaware, we carry a field of mind far richer with hidden capacities than what we consciously think we have.  Transforming one’s inner potentials into the actual reality of life manifests a great revolutionary change in the life of the individual.

What is the cause of a revolutionary change

Potentiality may be perceived as a theoretical cloud of information or possibilities surrounding one’s current situation.  In reality, however, “potentials” are more than mere passive information about the future change of a given state.  It is the power-within that can trigger and lead to a dramatic change in one’s life.  It is just futile to wait for the external conditions to change, so that we consequently experience a better situation. 

To find out what generates a revolutionary change, a simple example is beneficial.  Let’s take, for example, a seed of plant.  A seed of plant contains its “program for growth” in its DNA – and when met with good soil and other conditions the result of turning into a sapling is outstanding and can be described as dramatic in comparison with the previous state.   Unfortunately - this fact is so well known and so familiar - to the degree that we do not see anything extraordinary about it.   Yet, examining the plant’s mechanism of creating changes, we can infer a profound indication related to the philosophical truth of Cause & Effect.  

What was the “cause” of the dramatic growth of the observed plant?  The conclusion is that the effect of the profound transformation in the plant was caused only by its inner potentials.  If the seed gets damaged for any reason (say, by radiation)– then no matter how the soil and external conditions are right, no effect (of growth) will be produced.  The cause of the dramatic transformation of the seed is the “inner cause”, not the external conditions.

As human beings, we too have great hidden potentials in our mind, constituting the inner cause for dramatic achievements, the ability of flourishing through transforming reality for the benefit of self and others.  This is evident in the examples of great many individuals, who – seeking to realise their potentials – first experienced inner transformation in their life, releasing their mental and intellectual energy that radiated around and further led to revolutionary changes in society. 

Interconnectedness of individual and society

The Truth of Interconnectedness, the essence of Nonduality, describes the bond between two aspects implying their inseparability, such as the inseparability of the life of the individual and the life of society. 

As Mahatma Gandhi stated (6):

“We but mirror the world.  If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change.  As a man changes his own attitude, so does the world change towards him.”

The process of ‘revolutionizing one’s own life’ inevitably leads to an impact on the surrounding environment.  Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda, who coined the term Human Revolution mentions the following:

“There are all sorts of revolutions: political, economic, industrial, scientific, artistic revolutions… But no matter what one changes, the world will never get any better as long as people themselves remain selfish and lacking in compassion.

In that respect, human revolution [of the individual] is the most fundamental of all revolutions, and at the same time, the most necessary revolution for humankind”. (7)

Modern Eastern Philosophy regards the process of social transformation as a secondary reflection of individual’s inner transformation or Human Revolution.  Human Revolution - is the process of challenging inner limitations aiming for revealing one’s hidden potentials that are of great human value for self-and-others.

In a dialogue between philosopher Daisaku Ikeda and Aurelio Peccei of the Club of Rome, the concept of inner or human revolution was explained as follows:

“Since the dawn of the modern age, in particular, it has come to be believed that the key to human happiness lies in transforming our external world, our natural environment or our social systems, and this has been the primary focus.

In the process, it is perhaps no exaggeration to say that little thought has been devoted to transforming the way we live our lives. Efforts to regulate and control the inner workings of our hearts and minds have been depreciated or dismissed.  But today, the task of transforming and elevating our inner spiritual world has grown increasingly important. We call that effort human revolution”. (8)

Be the change you want to see

The essence of human revolution of the individual is challenging what limits one’s growth towards revealing the highest state of one’s life.  All people with whom one is connected would benefit from the valuable change one has initiated.  Overcoming ego-driven motivations, self-doubt or socially imposed limitations – will inevitably lead to a higher level of maturity and freedom.  One cannot depend on society to change in order to realise one’s wishes for fulfillment and flourishing.  

Conclusion: It is true that external conditions greatly influence the individual, but it is also true that revolutionising one’s state of life, an enlightened individual to the worth of own life can influence the circle of people around, and even society, exploring new horizons of worth and value and creating a meaningful impact surpassing prior imagination.

What if we possess valuable potentials, obstructed only by our own doubts? Instead of pondering: how to change the world and external conditions? - the question becomes: how I can revolutionise my own life impacting others in my own circle in the most meaningful way.

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References

1/    Anatta, Encyclopedia Brittanica https://www.britannica.com/topic/anatta

2/    Aristotle’s Ethics, Stanford Encyclopedia https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-ethics/

3/   ibid,

4/   The Eight Winds: https://www.worldtribune.org/2019/the-eight-winds/#

5/   Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

6/   Mahatma Gandhi Quotes:  https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/760902

7/  Human Revolution, Soka Global https://www.sokaglobal.org/resources/study-materials/buddhist-concepts/human-revolution.html

8/  What is Human Revolution: Daisaku Ikeda https://www.daisakuikeda.org/main/philos/essays-on-buddhism/what-is-human-revolution.html

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