15 shiilas (rules of behavior)

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15 shiilas (rules of behavior)

The fifteen, as Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti gave them:

1. 1

   Forgiveness.

   To remain free from any wish to take revenge on anyone. Forgiveness is a matter of one's own life: a wrong done to me I may forgive as far as possible; a wrong done to society is not mine to forgive.

   Forgiving is also for the one who forgives. Without forgiveness the mind keeps going back to the same thought, it does not let go, and you suffer from it. To forgive is to free yourself.

   Research agrees. People who held grudges in their thoughts showed a higher heart rate and blood pressure than when they imagined forgiving (Witvliet CVO, Ludwig TE, Vander Laan KL, 2001, Psychological Science). Across 103 studies with 26,043 people, forgiveness went with better health, mental health most of all (Rasmussen KR et al., 2019, Psychology & Health). In controlled trials, learning to forgive lowered depression, anger and stress (Akhtar S, Barlow J, 2018, Trauma, Violence & Abuse).

   Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 4, “The Ten Characteristics of a Dhármika” (1978); Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 10, “Taking the Opposite Stance in Battle” (1970)

2. 2

   Magnanimity of mind.

   A large heart: to care for others' interest, not one's own small one. Example: you are given two apples, and one of them is worse, rotten. You give the better one to a friend and keep the bad one. You do not think of your own selfish gain, you think of the other person. Courtesy is only a sign; magnanimity is to help the person one has hurt, even at one's own cost.

   Human Society Part 1, “Social Justice” (1959)

3. 3

   Perpetual restraint on behaviour and temper.

   Not to let anger and excitement rule one's words and actions, at any time. An angry person has already lost his judgement; a calm one can act wisely.

   Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 10, “Taking the Opposite Stance in Battle” (1970)

4. 4

   Readiness to sacrifice everything of individual life for Ideology.

   The ideology of Ananda Marga is self-realization and service to all: átma mokśártham jagat hitáya ca. Self-realization includes all the rules of conduct and all the spiritual practices; service includes work for the welfare of humanity and of the whole universe. It is the base of life: it decides how a person lives.

   In everyday life one tries to follow the ideology. When there is a choice between following it and doing something that goes against it, one chooses the ideology and gives up other things for it.

   To sacrifice one's life for the ideology means this: if it comes to betraying one's ideals and going against them, even under the threat of death, one must stand by them. One must keep to one's principles strictly, and be ready to follow the ideal so far that one would give one's life for it. It is a readiness, not a daily demand, but it shows what the ideal is: it is what makes a person human. “We say human life is an ideological flow”, and “where there is no ideological flow it is an animal.” One who gives up the ideal gives up that flow and slips down.

   Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 30, “Ascribe Brahma-hood to All” (1971); A Guide to Human Conduct, “Shaoca” (1957): “one who is dedicated to an ideal must be prepared to gladly and eagerly give up one's all – even one's life – for the collective interest.”

5. 5

   All-round self-restraint.

   Control in every sphere: food, sleep, speech, desire. Control does not mean killing a desire, it means guiding it.

   A Guide to Human Conduct, “Brahmacarya” (1957)

6. 6

   Sweet and smiling behaviour.

   To meet people warmly, with a kind word and a smile, so that they feel welcome and at ease.

7. 7

   Moral courage.

   To do and say what is right even when it is unpopular, risky or against one's own interest; not to keep silent before injustice.

8. 8

   Setting an example by individual conduct before asking anybody to do the same.

   First do it yourself, then ask others. People follow what they see, not what they hear.

9. 9

   Keeping aloof from criticizing others, condemning others, mudslinging and all sorts of groupism.

   Not to speak ill of people and not to form cliques. When a few people sit together they start to criticize others, and this degrades the mind; it is better to sing the glories of the Lord.

   Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 10, “Taking the Opposite Stance in Battle” (1970)

10. 10

    Strict adherence to the principles of Yama and Niyama.

    The ten moral principles are the base of the whole practice; without them sádhaná is not possible. See the Yama and Niyama page.

11. 11

    Due to carelessness, if any mistake has been committed unknowingly or unconsciously, one must admit it immediately and ask for punishment.

    When we make a mistake, a feeling of guilt can torment us. When we tell someone about it, ask for the punishment and carry it out, the guilt goes. It is as if a stone were lifted from our shoulders.

    Ananda Marga Caryácarya Part 2, “Sádhaná (Intuitional Practice)” (1956): “If there is even a little fault in you, you should keep your mouth closed and accept it all, and you should thank the person for pointing out your fault and ask for punishment.”

12. 12

    Even while dealing with a person of inimical nature, one must keep oneself free from hatred, anger and vanity.

    Even with an enemy one keeps one's mind clean. Anger and hatred harm the one who holds them first; a calm mind deals with the enemy better.

    Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 10, “Taking the Opposite Stance in Battle” (1970)

13. 13

    Keeping oneself aloof from talkativeness.

    Not to talk too much or idly. Empty talk wastes energy and often turns into gossip.

14. 14

    Obedience to the structural code of discipline.

    To follow the rules and the order of the organization one belongs to, not one's own will.

    Why. If everyone acts on his own will, everyone pulls in his own direction, the work does not add up, and the collective is weak. Lack of discipline has often been the main reason a society was destroyed, and the indiscipline of some can make the peaceful life of the others impossible. Discipline is therefore absolutely necessary to keep the collective alive.

    It does not forbid thinking. In the Marga reason comes after obedience: if after obeying one feels a rule is wrong, one has every right to argue and to have it changed; but arguing before obeying leads to indiscipline.

    A Few Problems Solved Part 7, “Social Psychology” (1957)

15. 15

    Sense of responsibility.

    What a person has taken on, he must see through to the end: do it, answer for it, not drop it half-way, and not pass the responsibility to others. If someone has taken up a task, he is the one answerable for it until it is finished.

Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti, Caryácarya Part 2, “Paiṋcadasha Shiila”, c. 1975

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