Seeing beyond labels

Many conflicts arise due to lack of spiritual wisdom and vision. Here, to make up for the slack, are excerpts from the writings of sage Jagad Guru Siddhaswarupananda:

“The physical body has many characteristics and is usually given labels based on sex, social status, and political and religious affiliations. Sometimes, we wrongly identify a person based on the size and shape of his or her body.

Barriers

“False identification leads to conflict. Each body has different characteristics, which in itself isn’t bad. What’s bad is when the self gets stuck in labels, which create barriers. Enlightenment frees you from such a clouded vision—you see beyond physical imperfections.

“A wise individual relates to another person’s soul, not his body, and frees him from sexism and discrimination. All living beings are sparks of the Supreme. Acknowledging this brings wisdom that releases us from the bondage of prejudice, and brings us happiness and harmony.

“False identification results in ignorance, which in turn leads to hatred. If you see yourself as a child of God and you see others the same way, hate becomes nonexistent. We will no longer see each other as strangers—and appreciation for the sparks in all of us begins! That is spiritual vision.

“We aren’t just talking about idealism, but also about the reality of our collective identity. Then, we relate to others based on love, respect and tolerance—and get rid of prejudice and discrimination!”