The Greatest Corruption of All

This post is also available in: Marathi Polish

Are you aware of the greatest corruption of all? This is a corruption that goes on throughout the day. This is a corruption that almost all people indulge in. This is the costliest corruption of all. So, what is the greatest and all-pervasive corruption going on from time immemorial? The greatest corruption of all is that the inner mind does not allow self-realisation to occur and continue. The outer mind allows the inner mind to indulge in whatever the inner mind wants to, the consequence of which is that the Self or consciousness does not manifest. Let’s try to understand this deep truth.

Most spiritual seekers focus on giving wisdom to the outer mind. That is not enough to be established in the Truth though wisdom is definitely the starting point. Because the starting point of corruption is not known, the Truth does not manifest in one’s life. Let us see how the greatest corruption of all is perpetrated through an example.

There is a great treasure trove in a forest that has been built over the years. Tribals keep adding to the treasure because of which the treasure has grown. Since there are thieves trying to steal the treasure, a team of father and son have been appointed to guard it together. The father is blind while the son is extremely naive. The blind father has been trained to guard the treasure by using one of the four responses. He can either fire his gun or clap or mouth expletives or shout stop. The problem with this system is that the father, being blind, does not know when to shout stop or fire and when not to. When tribals arrive to add to the treasure, the blind father scares them away by firing or shouting. There are times when thieves arrive and the blind father begins to clap allowing the thieves to rob the treasure. And the son who can see does not even notice all this. All that the son has to do is tell the father to wear his special glasses that helps the father see and give the right response. But being naive, he continues to be ignorant. The result of this blind father and naive son combination is that the treasure has stopped growing and in fact has begun to diminish. This is the greatest scam of all.

The reason it is the greatest scam of all is that the treasure being referred to here is the treasure trove of consciousness that is accessible to one and all, but has begun to diminish. This is the costliest price that humanity is paying because of the blind father and the naive son. The blind father is indicative of the unconscious mind — the inner mind. The naive son signifies the conscious mind — the outer mind.

The outer mind develops much later than the inner mind and that is why the inner mind is more aged in this example. The inner mind begins to develop the moment one is born. It is programmed with fixed responses. Whatever the inner mind learnt as a child, it continues to react accordingly for the rest of the life. That is why it is said to be blind in this example. The outer mind that develops much later is unaware of the workings of the inner mind. The inner mind has to be taught to see. The wisdom of the outer mind has to be increased so that it can help the inner mind to see. Meditation done in the right way can help achieve this. Meditation results in tuning between the inner mind and outer mind. The key is to provide the right meditative practice to the inner mind and the right wisdom to the outer mind. When an improper meditation is taught or when incorrect wisdom is given, it actually adds to the corruption. Ask yourself whether the inner mind and the outer mind are getting the right training. With the right training, it is possible to prevent the greatest corruption and add to the inner treasure.