Acharya Mahaprajna
Efficient Cause: Material Cause
There is a burning charcoal covered with ashes inside human being. Getting fuel fire is inflamed. Some thinkers believe that-human is good by nature, circumstances make him/her bad. Some believe—child is like a clean slate, circumstances make him/her good or bad. In Logic, the principle of causation works. If there is favourable circumstance, clay becomes pot. Circumstance can give the form of pot to clay but it cannot create clay. Clay is the material cause. In the language of causation, the elements that provide the shape of pot to clay are efficient or instrumental and deterrent. Those who regard the instrumental as the sole truth cannot reach the truth. Half-truth cannot break the labyrinth of problems.
Human existence is not the product of present. Human being is a product of the present. It cannot be said that he was human earlier but his existence was there earlier and it is so now also. Therefore, the understanding of this human which is breathing in this gross body can not be possible giving up a reference to the past. According to Genetic Engineering the lettering of fate or of karma is inscribed in genes. According to the science of spirituality it is inscribed in the subtle body or karmic body. By reading this script alone the quantity of human as good or bad is determined. The importance of circumstance is not less. In the manifestation of good and bad circumstance plays a great role. Therefore, the process of change should begin from both sides. Material cause should change and instrumental or efficient causes or circumstance should also change.
Inner conflict
The attention of present human is on changing the circumstance. In this century, there have been many coordinated efforts for its change and still they are going on. Political, social, economic all processes have been changed. The desired result has not been achieved. On reaching this point of failure is it not necessary to think? After all where is the lacking or lacuna? In spite of all these attempts to change it does not occur. There must be some reason for this. A search of that reason is the dire need of the present. Belittling the conscious, mere materialistic tendencies cannot establish peace in the world. Today the atmosphere of the whole world is overpowered and beleaguered with fear. The existence of whole humanity is standing on a dangerous turn. That fear has arisen due to increase of material products (spread of materialism). Amenity-loving, comfort-seeking society does not want that material products should decrease, and it is not acceptable to nature (providence) that there is no fear. There seems to be no point of agreement. The scientific achievements have made life so comfortable that we have no preparedness to withdraw. Whatever be the criteria established to evaluate development we do not want their funeral (abolishment). We want to live a peaceful life, want to breathe in fearless and free atmosphere, at the same time want to have a mound of material goods. This is the greatest inner conflict. Will a human living in this paradoxical society ever find an answer to this question?
The age is not fore-sighted
One gentleman said: Some people are demanding pure wheat from abroad.
I asked: How is wheat impure?
How can wheat be pure if it is produced from chemical fertilizers?
The agricultural scientists had advertised too much for the increase in production, Is this view now changing?
Definitely it is changing. Intelligent people have begun experiencing that food stuff produced out of chemical fertilizer is pouring poison in the body.
The demand from foreign countries is that wheat produced from natural manure is required. Artificial means and artificial development starts once and stops after moving for a while. Can it not be concluded that today's age is eager for indulgence, but is not fore-sighted in respect of consequences.
Be keen-sighted
In the field of science there has been much development of keen observation. In the sphere of life only gross observation is prevalent. A very large section of population is gross-sighted. But its leader or director should not be gross-sighted. In democracy leadership is dependent upon the opinion based on gross observation and therefore it is very difficult to imagine of keen-sighted leadership. One cannot think that a minister may indulge in scam, take bribe, and keep a blind eye on enormous responsibility. Some things are beyond thought. In a gross-sighted person all this is possible. One who merely observes the circumstance and on that basis imagines ups and down cannot be keen-sighted. Keen-sighted person is that who first observes material cause and then evaluates circumstance. He thinks of transforming the circumstance along with transforming the material cause. Many thinkers have emphasized changing the circumstance or system and therefore whole world is swimming along the current. Is it possible that one who changes the circumstance himself does not change and circumstance alone changes?
Mind set: circumstance
In this century there have been many attempts to change circumstance or system. In this respect the attempts of communism and socialism cannot be overlooked. Their results are before us. Scientific processes also tried a lot for change. Their conclusions are also not unachievable. Human being of today is standing on cross road. He is on the lookout: there may be some way, some door may open. If the door opens outward, only circumstance will come in front, and if it opens inward then mind set will come in front. Today we have to make a choice—should we change the circumstance or we should change the mindset. The answer in the language of anekānta will be - change both. To change mind set will be limited. To change circumstance will be like cutting leaves and branches. One cannot see roots and branches by segregating them. Why do we not pay attention to the combined change of both? Will someone reply to this?
