Philosophy

Devatma brought a naturalistic, scientific, altruistic, rational and evolutionary point of view to bear upon all problems concerning the nature of the universe, theory of knowledge, nature of human personality, and the nature of human bondage and freedom. The goal of Devatma philosophy is a life-service in which low-loves and low-hates are held to a lower-point, while the individual endeavours in high loves and high hates to remove the presence of evil in life, wherever he may find it. The philosophy of Devatma is not founded on science alone; its religious teachings are characterized by consistency and continuity with scientific knowledge in other fields. The scientific method must be employed in the field of religion and religion can be made into a science, like other sciences.

We need a philosophy of life that is scientific by nature. It is through Devatma that the Science of Religion replaces mythological religion, just as the scientific mind needs a non-theistic and non-absolutist scientific religion. As Julian Huxley, the great biologist stated: “The beliefs of this religion — are not revelations in the supernatural sense, but are the revelations that science and learning have given us about humans and the universe.”

The universal philosophy of Devatma can open up new vistas of truth. Devatma asserts that values, which can be studied by the empirical method and human ideal, are part of the empirical life of humans and can well be accommodated in the naturalistic worldview.

Devatma interprets the origin and nature of the human soul in both evolutionary and biological terms, while it also raises many interesting points regarding the evolutionary origin of the human entity. The human entity is a new entry, an emergent entity, from the ovum of a female and the sperm of a male, and its characteristics are the result of the interaction between these two cells and environments. Therefore, to understand the human entity-soul body organism, we first need to understand the laws of heredity-environments.

Humans are part of nature. Hence, the human ideal is to seek and realize true harmony with existence in nature. However, harmony with others does not merely concern refraining from doing harm to them — humans must be serviceable to others to achieve the ideal of harmony. This is possible if they develop higher feelings of disinterested service of others. This is the evolution of humankind, and these are some of the truths about soul-life which differentiate Devatma from the world Religions.

Since these truths are founded on scientific verification, there is a moral obligation to accept a number of truths, as detailed in the following summary:

• Humans are evolute from the animal world – not a special creation.

• Each human soul is a new entity unknown to the previous history of the universe. Hence, transmigration is false. The human soul is neither a substance nor a pure cognition – it is a nutritive organism, a motor and a sensory instrument with affective, conative and cognitive functions. As such, it is the doer, affecting change and changing itself. Thus, the human soul is under the law of change and subject to growth, decay and death under certain conditions.

• The origin and condition of the continued existence of each human entity is in nature. He is inseparable from Nature – his first and last home. His destiny is to establish harmony with other existences in nature on an evolutionary basis (i.e. Truth, Goodness and Beauty).

• A religion that develops a scientific mode of thinking in religious matters is a true religion. Moreover, true religion delivers humans from evil and forms the complete embodiment of truth and goodness for love.

• An ideal society needs ideal men as well as ideal institutions – neither can bring about the ideal society alone. Humanism has played a noble part in changing the institutions of society, and true religion specializes in encouraging humans to be more altruistic.

Thus, humanism and true religion need to work together to create a society of altruistic love and justice for all; a society void of untruth and evil, and where altruistic loves are capable of walking the path of Truth, goodness and Beauty.

In Devatma, humanism will find its best companion, its highest guide and its noblest fulfillment.

• Devatma can enlighten a disciple to see his duties in relation to all the four orders of existences and to discharge them according to his capacity. Devatma offers the greatest blessings to a devotee by offering his sublime life as an object of love. The feeling of devotional love helps the devotee to realize its dream of becoming a perfect being in Devatma, and, in turn, finds the complete satisfaction of its love in this embodiment of Truth, Goodness and Beauty.

• We live an altruistic life when:

− we know how to control the evil motivations that threaten the very existence of our life and the life of others.

− we know our aptitude and abilities and engage ourselves in their development.

− we utilize our development aptitude and abilities in the service of the family of man.

− we develop a vision and love for the sublime life, a complete love of Truth, Goodness & Beauty and a complete hatred of untruth and evil.

• An

− is illumined with the scientific truth of the philosophy of Devatma; − rises above his low loves and low hates; − cultivates higher loves and higher hates; and through them lives a dedicated life of innocence and service of the four orders of existences; and who − is in complete rapport with Devatma through the redevelopment of the feelings of faith, reverence, gratitude and love for him, to the extent a person achieves this ideal four-fold life.

• The universal religion of Devatma is the only complete humanistic religion which places the origin of the human personality, both the body and soul, in human society. It also places the human ideal in human society by developing a system of meditation to reshape and refine the interpersonal relationships through the development of appreciation, gratitude, compassion, altruistic love and service in various interpersonal relationships. Its founder’s life has been illumined with ideal interpersonal relationships, and in its uniqueness, Devatma’s philosophy and the founder has the permanent capacity to help us build interpersonal relationships on the basis of altruism of appreciation, gratitude, love and service. In this way, Devatma is the religion for a civilization of sweetness and light in interpersonal relationships. It is too great in its excellences and achievements in human relations to justify ideal human soul is one who despair about its future service in interpersonal relationships. As long as Devatma lives, the future of humanity will be preserved through maintaining ideal interpersonal and infra-personal relationships.

• Devatma is the highest form of altruism in relation to the four kingdoms of nature. There is no religious leader in the history of the world who has sung of his connection to humans, animals, plants and the physical worlds with the same intensity as a mystic sings in praise of a deity. His contemplation is not on a supernatural power, but on his gratitude towards the four kingdoms and how best he can serve them. His life gives inspiration to those seeking the all-out altruism of understanding, as well as the appreciation of, gratitude for, and service to the four kingdoms. When education unites under the philosophy of Devatma in a close and warm embrace, a new, golden future beckons for this industrialized society – a future where we can recognize our interpersonal and infra- personal relations on the basis of altruism, and thus enjoy the best intellectual and emotional satisfactions open to human life.

• The direction of evolution is towards individual health and social and cosmic harmony, and accordingly, towards a reduced state of suffering. Much of the suffering in this world arises through an unjust social structure. In addition, unjust social discrimination has condemned large sections of humanity to a life of ignorance, poverty, disease, denial and deprivation, and consequently, immeasurable suffering. The law of evolution is the name for the processes of changes in entities, which are conducive in bringing about the reign of Truth, Goodness and Beauty for complete harmony on earth.

• Evolution is the key concept of Devatma.

This universe of embodied existences in ceaseless change, for better or worse, which perpetually develops higher and higher life on earth, is the only self- existent, self-explanatory reality. Hence, evolution is reality, for change is real, time is real, and the history of the planet is real. What is the highest is the product of time, change, and evolution. Dev Dharma provides the highest evolute in Devatma to grow in humans.

− Scientific attitude to seek and accept facts; − To develop society-centred, altruistic feelings of justice and benevolence as decisive values; − To awaken man to his soul welfare; − To create faith in the reality and inevitability of evolution and make humankind fit to be the managing directors of evolution, and thus, to usher in world peace.

This religious perspective can be possible in an evolutionary religion, because only an evolutionary religion can give this paramount importance and respect to the physical, biological and social environments of man. I feel very much at home in the philosophy of Devatma and thanks to evolution for the emergence of Devatma where humankind leaps forward in evolution and obtains the meaning of life under the light and power — the embodiment of truth, goodness and beauty.