#24: Misuse of Human Life
It is a fact that we humans have wrecked havoc on the planet. Not only are we causing irreversible changes to ecosystems all over the world, but also created societies plagued by greed, anger, and division. These are all results of our misusing the opportunity we have in the human form of life.
In today’s talk we speak about how humans have power above all other creatures, and it can be used for either good or bad. What separates humans from animals is our capacity for spiritual realization—escaping the entanglement of material existence, and working for the wellbeing of all sentient beings on this planet. The fact is, we are eternal spirit souls in temporary material bodies. But when we identify with the material body, this immediately produces conflict—We struggle with material nature because we don’t want to die.
Tune in and hear how and why scriptures advise us not to waste the human form of life. Actually, this life form is very rare; in each and every plant and animal there is a person, a living entity. The souls transmigrate from one body to another, from lower to higher forms of life, with the accompanying consciousness that goes with that form. The human form of life is the facility through which we can escape this wheel of birth and death.
You’ll hear some perhaps difficult truths in today’s talk; including how if we don’t use the human form of life for spiritual realization, we go back to the lower forms of life. And it can take millions of births to get a human body again. But if we try to use this life for developing God consciousness, then even if we don’t have a complete success we still get another human body in the next life to continue our development.
According to the Vedas, just because one has a human body it doesn’t mean that one is a human; the definition of a human is when one uses the human form of life to enquire about the Absolute Truth. If all one is doing with his human body consists of animal activities (eating, sleeping, mating and defending), one hasn’t done anything human yet. Balakhilya also mentions how the teachings of all great acharyas is to follow the path of spiritual realization, not to look for material development; because God provides all material resources that humans need.
Actually, spiritual fulfillment and satisfaction is the true happiness. There is no substitute for the real purpose of human life—the greatest welfare activity is to teach this truth to others.
Highlights:
- (11:34) The human form of life is not meant for cheap happiness. In the human form of life, we have the facility to obtain eternal unlimited happiness through spiritual realization.
- (17:21) Just like animals, we have our particular purpose, our place to fill in the universe. But if we don’t know about that purpose, and not act upon it, we are therefore not living in harmony.
- (26:14) What makes humans human? The difference between the human form of life and the lower forms of life.
- (46:54) When we identify ourselves as this body, we experience a conflict between our eternal spiritual nature and the temporary nature of this body.
- (50:50) The human form of life is very rare and should not be wasted. There is a natural evolution of the soul and once we reach the human form, karma, attachment and desires dictate what form of life we get next.
Recorded on August 2, 2021. Read episode transcript on https://breakingtrail.life/podcast/24
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