Lecture 3

Self-exploration
as the Process for Value Education

UHV Foundation (uhv.org.in)

What is this Workshop / Course ;g f'kfOkj D;k gS
1. It is a process of dialogue – between me and you, to begin with
;g laokn dh izfØ;k gSA ;g laokn vkids vkSj esjs chp 'kq: gksrk gSA
2. It soon becomes a dialogue within your own Self…
“kh?kz gh ;g laokn vkids Lo;a eas pyus yxrk gSA

UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 4

The Dialogue Within

What I Really Want to Be

Always
My Natural Acceptance
Relationship
My Intention

These are in These are in

Dialogue
Contradiction Harmony

Unhappiness Happiness

What I am
My Desire, Thought, Sometimes Sometimes
Expectation… Opposition Relationship
My Competence

UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 5

Self-exploration, Self-investigation
1. Content of Self Exploration:
a. Desire (pkguk) - Aim, Objective, Purpose Happiness, Prosperity

What do I want to achieve? Continuity

b. Program (djuk) – Process of achieving the desire, action

How do I achieve it ?

2. Process of Self Exploration

a. Whatever is stated is a Proposal
Verify it on your own right
Do not assume it to be true/ false
b. Self-verification

UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 11

Content of Self-exploration
Desire-
1. Happiness
2. Prosperity
3. The continuity of Happiness and Prosperity

Let us find out:

1. Do we desire for Happiness?
2. Do we desire for Prosperity?
3. Do we desire for the continuity of both (happiness & prosperity)?
4. If continuity of happiness and prosperity is ensured then what else would you desire?

Our desires are not unlimited or indefinite

Our basic aspiration is for happiness, prosperity and its continuity

UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 12

Process of Self-verification
Whatever is stated is a Proposal
Verify it on your own right (Do not assume it to be true/ false)

Proposal
1 Verify 2 Experiential Validation
on the basis
Of Live according to it
your 2a 2b
Natural
Behaviour with Work with
Acceptance
Human Beings Rest of Nature

Mutual Happiness Mutual Prosperity

Which process is Naturally Acceptable to you?

A process of self-exploration, self-verification on your own right, leading to understanding in yourself

RIGHT or
UNDERSTANDING
A process of do’s & don’ts, in which you assume what is said, without verification
UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 13
Sum Up- Self-exploration
Content of self-exploration = Basic human desire
= Happiness, prosperity → continuity

Process of self-exploration
= Self-investigation, self-verification

It is a process of
living in harmony within,
living in harmony with others…
and ultimately,
living in harmony with the entire existence

The Purpose of this workshop/course is to initiate/strengthen self-exploration in you

UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 14
 Key Points
Self-exploration as the Process for Value Education

UHV Foundation (uhv.org.in)

Process
Whatever is said is a Proposal
Verify it on Your Own Right – on the basis of our Natural Acceptance
(Do not assume it to be true or false)
It is a process of Dialogue
A dialogue between me and you, to start with
It soon becomes a dialogue within your own self
between what you are and what you really want to be
(your natural acceptance)
The purpose of this workshop is to initiate/strengthen this internal dialogue

izLrko gS
tk¡pas & Lo;a ds vf/kdkj ijAviuh lgt LohÑfr ds vk/kkj ijA
¼ekuas ugha½
;g laokn dh izfØ;k gSA
;g laokn vkids vkSj esjs chp 'kq: gksrk gS] fQj vki eas pyus yxrk gSA

UHV Team (uhv.org.in) More 16

The Dialogue Within

What I Really Want to Be

Always
My Natural Acceptance
Relationship
My Intention

These are in These are in

Dialogue
Contradiction Harmony

Unhappiness Happiness

What I am
My Desire, Thought, Sometimes Sometimes
Expectation… Opposition Relationship
My Competence

UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 17

Self-exploration, Self-investigation
1. Content of Self Exploration:
a. Desire (pkguk) - Aim, Objective, Purpose Happiness, Prosperity

What do I want to achieve? Continuity

b. Program (djuk) – Process of achieving the desire, action

How do I achieve it ?

2. Process of Self Exploration

a. Whatever is stated is a Proposal
Do not assume it to be true/ false
Verify it on your own right
b. Self-verification

UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 18

Process of Self-verification
Whatever is stated is a Proposal (Do not assume it to be true/ false)
Verify it on your own right

Proposal
1 Verify 2 Experiential Validation
on the basis
Of Live according to it
your 2a 2b
Natural
Behaviour with Work with
Acceptance
Human Beings Rest of Nature

Mutual Happiness Mutual Prosperity

Which process is Naturally Acceptable to you?

A process of self-exploration, self-verification on your own right, leading to understanding in yourself

RIGHT or
UNDERSTANDING
A process of do’s & don’ts, in which you assume what is said, without verification
UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 19
 FAQs for Lecture 2
Self-exploration as the Process for Value Education

UHV Foundation (uhv.org.in)

Question(s) 1: Natural Acceptance Response
What is natural acceptance? Natural acceptance is what I accept innately. For
example, ask yourself: what is naturally acceptable,
the feeling of relationship or opposition? Now see
from where you get the answer.

In the previous example, just find out if the

How can we say that NA is invariant with time? response changes with time or remains the same.
What would be your answer in your childhood, as
an adult, as an old person?

How can everyone’s Natural Acceptance be same? We need to distinguish between natural
e.g - One likes waking up early in the morning while acceptance and liking. Liking can vary from person
the other likes to wake up late. Additionally, doesn’t to person, but not the natural acceptance. A person
Natural Acceptance change with time and who wakes up late or early, both naturally accept to
situation? e.g. - when I was a kid, I used to like be healthy. Whether you like to play with toys or
playing with toys but now I like to visit places visit the world, you naturally accept to be happy.
around the world.

UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 21

Natural Acceptance Example
Namaste Namaste Feeling of relationship, respect…
With bowed with bare
Head and feet
Bare feet
Naturally acceptable
innate, invariant, universal… Leads to harmony
uncorrupted by preconditioning… Happiness in Self

Namaste Namaste Feeling of opposition, disrespect… Disharmony in Self

With bowed with bare
Head and feet
Bare feet Not naturally acceptable Unhappiness in Self

Expression Feeling
Creativity, Variation May be definite (if based on NA)
or indefinite (if based on assumption)

Can not check this part Can check only this part with your natural acceptance
with your natural acceptance

UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 22

Natural Acceptance Examples
Rice from Rice Food Nurturing the Body Feeling Harmony in the Body
A specific of Self
Restaurant Regulation

Rice from Rice Food Tasty to Self ? ?

A specific (and not sure if
Restaurant nurturing)
When it comes to the details of how to Natural Acceptance has to do with what is my relationship to the
fulfill this relationship, this role, we have reality of concern.
to get the necessary details through
observation, analysis or through some e.g. my body- do I want to nurture or harm my body.
other source- human beings or written It has to do with my purpose, my role in different levels of human
documents, these details may have existence.
varieties, different possibilities, This role, this purpose in relationship is definite.
Therefore, there is variety, different Hence, Natural Acceptance is definite,
possibilities , when it comes to how this e.g. Natural acceptance for nurturing of the body
role can be fulfilled, e.g. details of how
to ensure nurturing of the body
UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 23
Natural Acceptance Examples
Exam Self-empl Live by it Understand all Harmony in the Self
that is taught…

Job Exam Cheating Remember for exam ?

When it comes to the details of how to Natural Acceptance has to do with what is my relationship to the
fulfill this relationship, this role, we have reality of concern.
to get the necessary details through
observation, analysis or through some e.g. my body- do I want to nurture or harm my body.
other source- human beings or written It has to do with my purpose, my role in different levels of human
documents, these details may have existence.
varieties, different possibilities, This role, this purpose in relationship is definite.
Therefore, there is variety, different Hence, Natural Acceptance is definite,
possibilities , when it comes to how this e.g. Natural acceptance for nurturing of the body
role can be fulfilled, e.g. details of how
to ensure nurturing of the body
UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 24
Question(s) 2: Natural Acceptance Response
Is Natural Acceptance universal for all human Yes. But you can keep it open and verify. We
being across people of all countries, religion, have interacted with thousands of people from
caste, creed, gender, age, rich-poor, etc.? all sorts of background, and found it to be the
same for all.

What we accept is something quite subjective, As mentioned earlier, we need to distinguish

different things appeal to different people – between natural acceptance and acceptance
How can we say that natural acceptance is or liking or appeal etc. You will see that
same for everybody? Actually what is this Natural Acceptance is
natural acceptance? - Innate to me
- Invariant with time and place i.e. Universal
Liking or appeal has to do with details of how
to fulfill relationship, which may have variety,

Is Natural Acceptance the same as inner Yes. We may relate it to conscience, inner
conscience? voice, pure observer…
UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 25
Question(s) 3: Natural Acceptance Response
Natural acceptance is innate, invariant and
What is difference between natural acceptance,
universal.
acceptance, and forced acceptance?
Acceptance is what I assume to hold good in given
situation.
Forced acceptance is what I do not accept, but in
given situation, I am forced to compromise, abide
by it.

We have to follow social norms and live as per Social norms and family traditions are basically the
family traditions to be accepted in the society, or details worked out at some particular time and
even in the family. This has been working for a long situation about how to fulfill the purpose, the goal
time. Do we need to verify these norms and set by the society.
traditions also? Therefore, we need to verify, from time to time-
1. Whether the goals set are correct- through
natural acceptance
2. Whether these norms and traditions are able to
meet those goals in the present time and
UHV Team (uhv.org.in)
situation 26
Question(s) 4: Right Understanding Response
What is right understanding? How to know If I understand rightly, it will be:
whether my understanding is right or wrong? a. Satisfying to me,
b. Invariant with time and place
Is it same as natural acceptance? c. Universal for all human beings
d. Leading to harmony in my living, in behaviour
with human beings, and work with the rest of
nature
e. I will naturally accept to continue with it.

Everyone is right according to his or her own One may assume oneself to be right. But we need
understanding. Kindly comment. to verify our assumptions on the basis of above
criteria to see if it is part of (or based on) right
understanding.
On a lighter note- is this statement absolute!.
There is nothing absolute in this world. So,
As far as the purpose, goal is concerned, they are
how can we talk about such things with such definite and universal. Details of their fulfillment may
absoluteness? have variety, as mentioned above, e.g. Nurturing of the
body
UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 27
 Differentiate between
Understanding something and thinking about it
(thought)

Feeling
(Definite, objective…)

Expression (thought, expectation, beh, wk)

(Variety, subjective…)

UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 28

Question(s) 5: Self-exploration Response
How is it possible to understand everything by As you gradually observe, you will see that the
the self and through the self? Just being aware essence of the whole existence, the co-
of “what I am” and “what I really want to be” existence (relationship, harmony and co-
itself is so difficult. existence), is reflected in me. And I can
observe it.

Presently, being aware of “what I am” and

“what I really want to be” may appear difficult.
But as you go on exploring, the clarity that you
get in the process (leading towards a
harmonious self), becomes self-motivating for
you.

UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 29

Question(s) 6: Self-exploration Response
What is the need for self-exploration? The The existence is vast, but the content to
existence is so vast and I am a tiny unit of this explore is very simple. You need not verify
existence. Is it not unwise to also even think of about every incident taking place in this
exploring everything on my own right? existence, rather only the essence of this
existence- i.e. relationship, harmony and co-
existence (material and consciousness units in
space).
Secondly, unless you verify on your own right,
how do you make to a program to live with it in
a mutually fulfilling manner, be it the other
human being or any other unit of nature?

What is wrong in assuming something written What is written in the books is likely to be true. But
in the books as true? Why to verify everything? how do I understand the true meaning of the words
in the books unless I observe the reality indicated
by myself? To be certain, I need to explore myself
and understand. This is what any authentic book
will expect us to do. 30
UHV Team (uhv.org.in)
 In each and every Self, there is naturally
- the need to know (to understand the entire
existential reality)
- Potential to know (to explore, pay attention,
see, understand) the essence

UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 31

Question(s) 7: Self-exploration Response
What if in my experiential validation, the You can see for yourself that your happiness is
proposal is ensuring happiness with one ensured the moment you have the natural
person but not with the other? How do I feeling, e.g. feeling of respect; when you
validate it? express this feeling and the other person
receives this natural feeling of respect, he is in
a state of harmony and happiness within.
However, there may be some problem in your
expression or in the reception of the other
person, that has to be rectified, and that takes
time.

What is meant by mutual prosperity with the Mutual prosperity means that when I am
rest of nature? interacting with the nature, I get the feeling of
prosperity within me, and the nature gets
enriched, preserved in the process.

UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 32

Question(s) 8: Swatantrata Response
Isn’t swatantrata (self-organised) and freedom Swatantrata is being self-organized. At every level,
the same? (please give examples of understanding and living in harmony is the self-
swatantrata at each level of being – individual, organized state.
family, society and nature)
Generally speaking, freedom is to be able to make
a selection without any external pressure.
Freedom may or may not be leading to a self-
organized state as one may try to be free of
external pressure but succumb to internal pressure,
of sensations or pre-conditionings.

There are two kinds of freedom: freedom ‘from’ and

freedom ‘to’.
Many times when we talk of freedom, we are
talking of ‘freedom from’ some external pressure.
When we have to decide the program with ‘freedom
to’ do something, we need right understanding to
make a definite program for happiness.
UHV Team (uhv.org.in) 33