The information of the seminar is based not just on Vedic philosophy, but on that part of it that is known as philosophy. Sankhya philosophy can be compared with higher physics or mathematics - there are many things there that a person cannot perceive with the logical intellect. We live in a three-dimensional space, and this space has left its mark not only on our present life, but also on past lives - this has been ingrained in us at a very deep level of the subconscious. And what is at such a deep level of the subconscious now needs to be awakened and looked at differently.

One of the great philosophers of antiquity said: “Let’s make good out of evil - what else can it be made from?” These were unique words, they resonate very strongly with the theme that we will have here. And today’s lecture will be general, and then at each lecture we will consider some kind of human. We will consider from all points of view what lies in the depths of this vice, what it can turn into.

How has this topic always been presented to us? Social institutions, especially religious ones, were formed in the Middle Ages, when the minor Kali Yuga passed, i.e. the small Kali Yuga superimposed on the great one, and this created the effect of a very strong degradation of all humanity. The story we are given is highly embellished. If we were now in the Middle Ages and could see what was happening there, we would be horrified. We were horrified at the level of consciousness people were at: the level of intelligence was 1-2% maximum.

People lived without realizing why they lived and how, they did not understand why they were born in such conditions. Human life was worthless, people died constantly, death occurred so often that people got used to it. The average life expectancy was 30-36 years, because many people simply could not live to old age due to the fact that there were constantly diseases and epidemics that claimed millions of lives - sometimes many countries, cities, and villages were devastated and simply died out. It was everywhere - in the West, in the East.

For example, in Bengal, during epidemics, entire villages died out. At that time, the vegetation had not yet been cut down - now only 13% of the jungle that covered the territory of Hindustan has been preserved. At that time, the entire territory was covered with jungle, and if a village died out, then after a few years no one could find even traces of this village, because the vegetation very quickly hid everything. People got used to the fact that it was possible to die young. Youth was lost very quickly, they grew old quickly - people were deeply ignorant, they simply did not know why diseases arose. When epidemics began, panic and horror arose. We are no longer talking about the violence that a person has encountered since childhood, as a child, because people believed that it was necessary to beat their children, to punish them cruelly - after all, they were also beaten in childhood and they were used to it. There was very strong cruelty, violence against children. Many of the children died - they were born to die. Half of the children in many families, even above average, died in early childhood. Wars went on all the time without interruption, scattered states turned into principalities that waged a merciless war among themselves everywhere - both in Europe and Asia. These were very troubled, difficult times, and during this period religious institutions emerged as a social system.

At the beginning of the little Kali Yuga, Buddha comes, then Mohammed... All these religions first arise as communities persecuted by the state, as inconvenient. They then become religious institutions for the purpose of controlling people's minds. A very terrible revolution is taking place, the teachings of these messengers of God are being rewritten. Even the Vedic tradition, which undoubtedly has roots many millions of years old, has been rewritten and distorted.

At the moment, we still have a situation where these institutions, to one degree or another, have preserved medieval approaches, and the word that comes from these religions is the word sin. When we encounter religion, we are told that it is wrong to sin. To some extent, for the people of the Middle Ages, this was a good motive for restraining those numerous vices that grew uncontrollably in a person - perhaps there was simply no other mechanism. Although God's messengers spoke of a different approach: in order to survive in these conditions, you need to learn to love.

If you look at the development of mankind from the point of view of the theory of evolution, it becomes unclear why lazy, gluttonous and aggressive people did not disappear in the process of natural selection? It turns out that the existence of vices is necessary?

Laziness
Many inventors admitted without hesitation that the main motive for their work was the desire to make their lives easier. It was because of laziness that remote controls, food processors, washing machines and other household appliances were invented. But even having invented automatically working devices, the best minds of the civilized world are busy creating robots that will save person no need to press buttons. There are already programs that allow you to turn your home into a “smart home”, where the lights turn on when the owner appears, and the water in the tap always has the optimal temperature.

However, not everything is so rosy: modern people pay for all these conveniences with “diseases of civilization” - heart attacks, strokes, osteochondrosis. However, there is a solution for these problems: simulators that change their position and create the necessary load on the muscles of someone lying quietly. person.

It will not be surprising if we soon hear about another sensational invention: an automatic food dispenser with stimulation of swallowing movements.

Lust
Despite the great disadvantages of sexual liberation, it is only thanks to the power of sexual instincts that humanity has received many vital inventions. For example, contraception arose because people did not want the number of sexual encounters they had to equal the number of children they had. Perhaps this caused some damage to the demographic situation, but in parallel with protection from unwanted pregnancy, little rubber friends person began to prevent the transmission of sexually transmitted infections.

The sexual revolution contributed to another important event - women's emancipation. Since it turned out that women have the same desires as men, it became impossible to infringe on their rights. Complaisant and cold housewives have gone out of fashion. After the sexual revolution, women tried to master the image of an independent and strong “female”. They ceased to be prey, they liked the role of the “hunter”.

Greed
One of the common human vices is greed. But it is precisely this lack that is the incentive that makes person work. After all, most people receive a salary that is much greater than the amount of money that is necessary in order not to die of hunger. But every year a person demands an increase in salary from the employer in order to be able to buy more and more things.

Psychologists have long noticed that nothing motivates participants in psychological research as well as monetary reward, even if it is not very large. When directed in a peaceful direction, greed can increase labor productivity several times.

Envy
Another engine progress- envy. Thanks to it, there is competition both between people and between entire corporations. Despite the broken careers and wounded pride of individual people, all of humanity only benefits: the quality of products improves, the consumer receives greater choice.

An envious person, thanks to his disadvantage, overcomes laziness and behaves more actively. Of course, there are tragic episodes, as happened with Mozart and Salieri. But much more often, personal hostility towards another person allows you to achieve significant success.

Theft
Once upon a time, a peasant was missing one chicken from his farm and went to his neighbor to accuse him of theft. “How can you prove that you had more chickens?” - asked the cunning neighbor. This is how jurisprudence and bureaucracy were born, making it possible to formalize on paper ownership rights, the procedure for clarifying claims, etc.

The more petty and picky people there were in the history of law, the more detailed the laws were written down. Nowadays, crimes also help lawmaking: for example, various tax evasion schemes make it possible to pay attention to “holes” in the laws.

Deceit
The ability to lie is not the greatest advantage person, and hardly anyone would dare to brag about it. But if this quality is called “diplomacy”, “political correctness”, it looks much more attractive

If you look at the development of mankind from the point of view of the theory of evolution, it becomes unclear why lazy, gluttonous and aggressive people did not disappear in the process of natural selection? It turns out that the existence of vices is necessary?

Laziness
Many inventors admitted without hesitation that the main motive for their work was the desire to make their lives easier. It was because of laziness that remote controls, food processors, washing machines and other household appliances were invented. But even having invented automatically working devices, the best minds of the civilized world are busy creating robots that will save person no need to press buttons. There are already programs that allow you to turn your home into a “smart home”, where the lights turn on when the owner appears, and the water in the tap always has the optimal temperature.

However, not everything is so rosy: modern people pay for all these conveniences with “diseases of civilization” - heart attacks, strokes, osteochondrosis. However, there is a solution for these problems: simulators that change their position and create the necessary load on the muscles of someone lying quietly. person.

It will not be surprising if we soon hear about another sensational invention: an automatic food dispenser with stimulation of swallowing movements.

Lust
Despite the great disadvantages of sexual liberation, it is only thanks to the power of sexual instincts that humanity has received many vital inventions. For example, contraception arose because people did not want the number of sexual encounters they had to equal the number of children they had. This may have caused some damage to the demographic situation, but in parallel with protection from unwanted pregnancy, little rubber friends person began to prevent the transmission of sexually transmitted infections.

The sexual revolution contributed to another important event - women's emancipation. Since it turned out that women have the same desires as men, it became impossible to infringe on their rights. Complaisant and cold housewives have gone out of fashion. After the sexual revolution, women tried to master the image of an independent and strong “female”. They ceased to be prey, they liked the role of the “hunter”.

Greed
One of the common human vices is greed. But it is precisely this lack that is the incentive that makes person work. After all, most people receive a salary that is much greater than the amount of money that is necessary in order not to die of hunger. But every year a person demands an increase in salary from the employer in order to be able to buy more and more things.

Psychologists have long noticed that nothing motivates participants in psychological research as well as monetary reward, even if it is not very large. When directed in a peaceful direction, greed can increase labor productivity several times.

Envy
Another engine progress- envy. Thanks to it, there is competition both between people and between entire corporations. Despite the broken careers and wounded pride of individual people, all of humanity only benefits: the quality of products improves, the consumer receives greater choice.

An envious person, thanks to his disadvantage, overcomes laziness and behaves more actively. Of course, there are tragic episodes, as happened with Mozart and Salieri. But much more often, personal hostility towards another person allows you to achieve significant success.

Theft
Once upon a time, a peasant was missing one chicken from his farm and went to his neighbor to accuse him of theft. “How can you prove that you had more chickens?” - asked the cunning neighbor. This is how jurisprudence and bureaucracy were born, making it possible to formalize on paper ownership rights, the procedure for clarifying claims, etc.

The more petty and picky people there were in the history of law, the more detailed the laws were written down. Nowadays, crimes also help lawmaking: for example, various tax evasion schemes make it possible to pay attention to “holes” in the laws.

Deceit
The ability to lie is not the greatest advantage person, and hardly anyone would dare to brag about it. But if this quality is called “diplomacy”, “political correctness”, it looks much more attractive.

In war, with the help of well-thought-out disinformation, you can win a battle; in peaceful life, the lies of politicians allow you to manipulate public consciousness. The feigned optimism of relatives helps a terminally ill person feel better. A fairy tale about a father who is a sea captain, written by a loving single mother, gives the child the opportunity to grow up as a person with adequate self-esteem. So before you tell the truth, it’s worth considering whether it will make anyone feel better.

Pride
Pride, selfishness, egocentrism, vanity - men and women, adults and children are subject to this vice. An egoist is capable of walking over corpses for his own benefit and comfort. But in a lighter form, human vanity contributes to the development of fashion, art, and creativity.

At all times, there were those who refused to wear the same blind corsets as everyone else, and dressed up in a dress with a neckline, protested against straight trousers and flaunted themselves in bell-bottoms. Behind most creative impulses is the desire to stand out from the crowd, to assert oneself, and to show one’s individuality.

"Useful" vices can be listed endlessly. This does not mean that liars and libertines, greedy people and sadists should be justified. Just don’t forget that there is very little black and white in our lives, and it’s not without reason that they say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Human flaws

Every person on this Earth has their own unique set of qualities. Moreover, almost any of them can be attributed to both the advantages and disadvantages of a person. Take, for example, responsiveness and generosity. In society, these qualities are generally considered good, but if we look at them from a different angle, a disadvantage appears before us.

A responsive person is always ready to respond and help. Dignity? Undoubtedly! But excessive responsiveness interferes with the person’s life; he cannot say “no” and often becomes the subject of exploitation by more cunning people around him. From this angle, this flaw prevents the owner of this quality from living and being happy, first of all.

Generosity is an undeniable virtue. But sometimes it turns into wastefulness; an overly generous person can even deprive himself and his loved ones by distributing benefits “outside”.

It turns out that shortcomings are personality traits and qualities that interfere with living, being successful and happy, especially for the owner of these qualities. Flaws can be destructive emotions (anger, irritability, mood swings, timidity, etc.), vices (gluttony, greed, envy, etc.), as well as other human weaknesses.

Conventionally, all shortcomings can be divided into several groups.

How to get rid of shortcomings

Growth and self-improvement are what improve the quality of our lives, give meaning to our existence and make us lighter, better and happier. Therefore, if some quality interferes with your life, you need to get rid of it.

1. Find the flaw. Most often, flaws do not need to be found; people know what pulls them back and prevents them from living. If you just want to become a better person, but don't know where to start, pay attention to what irritates you in other people. Most likely, this is exactly what you have in you, but you cannot accept it.
2. You shouldn’t specifically look for shortcomings in yourself, and then savor them without taking any action and complaining about life. The victim attitude gives some people pleasure, but it makes them irresponsible and unable to manage their own lives.
3. Recognize the flaw, admit to yourself that you have it, and try to accept it. The same applies to loved ones; do not try to remake the shortcomings of your loved one. Try to accept him along with his flaws. And if something doesn’t give you peace, start working on yourself, and not on raising a loved one.
4. Start tracking and controlling your thoughts. This may seem difficult at first, but if you can learn to do it, sooner or later the shortcomings will not be able to cross the line of your awareness. Read:
5. Analyze your flaw. What is his character? How and why does it bother you? What consequences can it lead to? Describe the worst scenario if this disadvantage remains with you forever. How will it end? Use this picture as motivation to quickly eradicate your shortcoming.
6. Find a strength to replace the disadvantage with. Remember the proverb “A holy place is never empty”? This statement is also true when working on yourself. Once you destroy the flaw that irritates you, there will be voids that need to be filled with something right or positive. Otherwise, there is a risk of acquiring new shortcomings and bad habits or strengthening old ones.
7. Stop making excuses for yourself and your shortcomings.
8. Try to find the source of the “trouble.” Where did your negative quality come from? Most often, legs grow from deep childhood, when we unconsciously adopt the attitudes and behavior programs of our parents.
9. We cultivate dignity in the place of disadvantage.

The theme of sinful pride was reflected by the Italian artist Domenico Beccafullini in the painting “The Fall of the Rebellious Angels”, the basis of the plot of which (from the Bible) is the connection of angels with the “daughters of men”. Pride is a person’s ability to appreciate his own merits. Depending on the ethical and cultural tradition, as well as on the correspondence of self-esteem to the real properties of the individual, pride as a character trait can be considered both as a virtue and as a vice.

The concept of vicious pride was revealed in the ancient Greek concept about hybris- a special form of arrogance inherent in an epic or tragic hero who tried to violate the boundaries of human capabilities in the world order established by the gods. Aristotle's theory of vices and virtues touched upon the purely moral aspects of vicious pride associated with inflated self-esteem and an immoderate need to accept signs of honor and respect towards oneself. Its characteristic features were revealed in the process of analyzing such parallel concepts as ambition, arrogance and arrogance. Unlike representatives of the later Christian tradition, Aristotle did not consider manifestations of vicious pride too dangerous and destructive: “People [arrogant] are considered not evil (since they do no evil), but lost.”

Vanity, The concept of pride that preceded it in Eastern Christian literature was understood as a type of single desire for one’s own aggrandizement. He was opposed to humility. Vanity and pride testify to a person’s strong desire to demonstrate not only his superiority over others, but also his insubordination to the Divine will. There were two main types of vanity (and, accordingly, pride): simple “exaltation” of carnal, visible things and a more sophisticated “exaltation” of one’s spiritual achievements.

Such vanity arises against the background of a very successful struggle against lower, vicious thoughts, but at the same time the goals and means of moral improvement are completely reversed. A virtuous act became only a way to achieve fame or complacency, vain and futile goals. The main motive of Christian asceticism - love for God - and its main goal - the glorification of His name - faded into the background. Characteristic personality traits generated by the vice of vanity are hypocrisy and lies. If the vain person concentrates his attention only on enjoying his own merits, which bring fame and respect, then the proud one considers them exclusively his own merit, his inalienable property and does not recognize the weakness of his sinful nature. If vanity humiliates another person, turning him from an object of brotherly love into a contrasting background for demonstrating his own merits, then pride achieves the complete “humiliation” of his neighbor or unlimited domination over him.

It's wonderful when a teacher can be proud of the achievements of his students A major role in the development of Western Christian ideas about sinful pride was played by the Christian theologian Augustine Aurelius (354 - 430), who proposed in his “Confessions” the following classification of types of sinful pride: “passion to justify oneself”, “desire to be loved and feared” , associated with a love of praise, and narcissism, which does not even condescend to the desire to please others.

During the Renaissance, the transition to ideas about the leading role of man in the world led to a positive interpretation of pride, putting it on a par with such concepts as “human dignity,” “self-respect,” and “independence.”

Thus, the English philosopher D. Hume (1711 - 1776) sharply opposed the “school” understanding of pride as a vice opposing the virtue of “humility” or “humiliation.” Pride, according to D. Hume, is that “pleasant impression that arises in our spirit when the consciousness of our virtue, beauty, our wealth or power causes self-satisfaction in us.” Such an “impression” is not necessarily evil, since even the strictest morality “allows us to feel pleasure at the thought of a generous deed.” Sincere and justified pride is the quality that is most necessary to acquire the “respect and approval of mankind.” Moral condemnation of pride is justified only when there is an "exaggerated opinion of one's own importance." The tendency to condemn any “complacency,” which D. Hume calls “prejudice,” is connected only with the fact that adequate self-esteem is very difficult to achieve even for reasonable and worthy people.