Universal Love

An educational guide for our well being in order to help us live together better.

Please accept our presentation of Universal Love as a conceptual basis for a universal
spiritual guide in life in order to help alleviate vacuums left by a predominantly secular
education. For it has been seen that education orientated to a particular religion may
be in conflict with believers of another religion and at the same time will be rejected by
atheists. Thus, in reaction to such religious sectarianism, secular, non-religious,
education has flourished, which has resulted in an education without transcendental
understandings being reflected in cultural, moral and ethical dimensions. Yet
eliminating religion, as seen as some type of spiritual tradition, does not mean to
eliminate understanding our identity, whether physical, mental or spiritual. We can
make scientific enquiries into our identities, into that which is not externally visible to
our senses, such as our internal consciousness - feeling, thinking, willing, memories,
intuitions - without recourse to religious dogmas or accepted belief systems.

Universal Love, therefore, is a list of issues to consider which may bring us closer to a
higher state of conscious awareness and an elevated morality without restricting us or
imposing on us that which is above basic common sense. Universal Love is backed by
the World’s sacred scriptures, and verified by modern scientific enquiry into, for
example, the impact of a carnivorous diet, the deleterious impact of the use of
intoxicating drugs, the social upheaval caused through liberal promiscuity, etc. The
principles of Universal Love can hopefully enrich all cultures, serving as a basis in
which to understand the solutions to conflicts existing on the Earth.

• Universal Love illuminates our relationships with all living things. By seeing
everyone and everything as sharing in the life on the same planet, as
children of the same Mother Nature, Universal Love allows us to feel that
spirit of union and drives us to not cause unnecessary pain to the planet or its
inhabitants – humans, plants or animals.

• Universal Love illuminates our relationship with Mother Nature. Seeing that
we are all dependent on the Earth we ought to study and apply our
discoveries to protect and preserve the biodiversity and welfare of the
natural environment, such as rivers, forests, mountains, etc., and to ensure
the purity of the water and seed bank diversity of wild and domesticated
plants and animals. We should also be careful to check the influence of
potentially dangerous inventions, such as transgenic food from genetic
engineering.
• Universal Love illuminates our relationship with other human beings. Keeping
in mind that all human beings, regardless of creed, race or sex, can be
educated and elevated both materially and spiritually, we must discard all
prejudices and antipathies against all unknown peoples and embrace
everyone with an open heart.

• Universal Love illuminates our relationship with the animal kingdom. In

becoming aware of the cruelty committed to farm animals as they are used in
various abusive ways, and ultimately killed to be eaten, it should be
understood that this shows a lack of compassion, a lack of love, and also it
will cause terrible reactions for humanity, both immediate and over time. To
use the bodies of animals which have died a natural death is acceptable, but
the killing of animals should be avoided. Meat, fish and eggs may well need
to be seen as food not fit for a healthy diet.

• Universal Love illuminates our relationship between the sexes. With the
understanding that only in a harmonious marriage can children feel
protected, there is a need to strengthen the family unit, bringing harmony to
all family members. To bring harmony to the family the centre of attention
should be Universal Love, not competition between feuding partners for their
own selfish means.

• Universal Love illuminates our compromise with children. Understanding how

easily children are moulded by their surroundings and how fragile and
defenceless children are, they should be offered an education within the
parameters of Universal Love and protected from contaminating influences
which contradict these values.

• Universal Love illuminates our understanding of our own self. Observing the
changes of our body, from infancy to youth, to maturity and old age, it is
clearly seen that our conscious self is independent of the different changes of
the body. As a conscious being, we should open our minds and hearts to the
possibility that we have bigger works than just feeding the body, sleeping,
working, etc. Discovering our eternal intrinsic position, realising our true
conscious nature, should be seen as being an essential part of our lives.

• Universal Love illuminates our realisation of the responsibility we have for all
our thoughts, words and actions. With the understanding that every action in
 this world produces an equal reaction, for our own good we should seek to
avoid everything that can produce a negative future effect. We must attempt
to perform acts that better the world, offering a positive future for everyone.

• Universal Love illuminates our relationship with the media. It can be seen
that in promoting greed, lust, anger and violence in its varied forms in the
media, we contaminate the minds of children and adults with terrible
consequences. It would be most wise to avoid contact as much as possible
with these gross and subtle sources of degradation.

• Universal Love illuminates our vision of the United Nations. Before the
necessity of a world body to protect the rights of the defenceless, we propose
to increase the appreciation of the rights of all living beings, and to include
the values of Universal Love in the educational programmes of the United
Nations in order to better the world situation

• Universal Love illuminates our understanding of the dangers brought to the

word by the intoxicating effects of all drugs, including alcohol. Knowing that
intoxicants destroy important capabilities in those that use them, losing the
ability to sincerely love those around them, we must consider these
substances a grave danger to humanity. Universal Love allows one to feel a
natural happiness, which is much more attractive and substantial than any
intoxicant.

• Universal Love permits us to see ourselves as happy servants, not tyrannical

masters of those around us. Envy and taking advantage of the weaknesses of
others shows how the exploiting spirit leads to indifference to others
sufferings, thus increasing the feelings of frailty in the world. Serving others
is a great experience which allows us to feel useful and full of self-esteem;
whereas subjugating others only produces hate, rejection and loneliness.

• Universal Love allows us to give thanks with humility for being maintained by
nature, and allows us compassion to help those less favoured than ourselves.
Upon observing that living beings on the planet are maintained in their
necessities of water, air, food, etc., we should feel grateful for this beautiful
creation. It makes us humble to realise that we are always dependent on the
mercy of this creation. Thereby, we can more easily be compassionate to all
 those less fortunate than us; it is our chance to show our happiness through
our generosity.

• Universal Love illuminates our understanding of the many beliefs of the many
peoples of the world. Seeing that there exists many forms of religious faith, of
cults of thanksgiving to Mother Nature and her controller, we should respect
all those types of faith, especially those that do not cause suffering to others.
Those who badly treat men, women, animals, plants, and nature in general,
are hiding behind there faith and tradition; whilst they are to be understood,
it must be asked if they really do fit into the precepts of Universal Love.

• Universal Love illuminates our vision towards the pre- and post-existence of
consciousness. Upon observing that there exists a lot of evidence for the pre-
existence of the conscious being, such as spontaneous past-life memories,
prodigal children, hypnotic regressions and near-death experiences, amongst
others, it may be seen as conducive to Universal Love to allow the possibility
that consciousness is the basis of life, not matter. This continuity of conscious
existence brings more clearly to light the responsibility we have to develop
Universal Love in all of our activities. All of the original traditions of humanity
believed in the existence of the conscious being independent of the present
body.

• Universal Love illuminates our understanding of the energies that constitute

the world. Observing the great quantity of physical forces that constitute the
creation, and how living beings are provided for, we can develop Universal
Love for this same cosmic energy; both to its origin and its varied
manifestations.

• Universal Love illuminates our understanding of the cause of our existence.

Observing that our individuality allows us to be conscious of our existence,
this indicates that the source of everything has individuality and intelligence,
and that this source may well have a conscious reason for each of our lives.
We may call this source the Supreme Conscious Being, understanding that
something inferior does not produce something superior. Thus, it can be said
that it is not by accident that something so perfect exists as the material
creation.
• Universal Love illuminates our mystic vision through the phenomenon of the
‘internal voice’. Understanding that we all have an internal voice, which
guides us for example to not bring suffering on others, we can appreciate
that mystical part of nature. Known in different cultures by different names,
such as intuition, we may accept it as a helping hand in life to each of us from
the Supreme Conscious Being.

• Universal Love illuminates our understanding of sacred sound. On observing

that our consciousness is altered by disagreeable sounds and purified by
spiritual sounds, it is to be recommended to associate with sounds conducive
to meditation and prayer in order to increase our ability to love.

• Universal Love illuminates our understanding of the sexual impulse and its
importance in seeking an agreeable reality for humanity. It can be
understood that whilst it is through sexual union that we are all brought into
this world, the sexual act can also be the cause of much degradation and
cruelty. It would be wise for the sexual act be managed by humanity under
the clear understanding that it should not cause suffering to others. As an
example, unwanted and unloved progeny are the result of a selfish world
orientated towards egoistical pleasures with no consideration for others, what
to speak of the ideals of Universal love.

• Universal Love illuminates our understanding of the risks we take in life

through gambling and the pursuit of wealth, fame and name. Gambling opens
one up to risks, leading to anxiety, the tendency to cheat others, and often
into financial and family problems. We should seek to better ourselves by
working ethically and maintaining a consciousness that is positive and
progressive; thus aiding the individual, the family and society in general.

• Universal Love illuminates us about the need to love and be loved. Perceptive
to the fact that the heart of all living beings is positively affected by loving
relationships, it would be an appropriate understanding to believe that the
source of life is amorous. If we ignore the possibility that there is this source
of Universal Love we may find ourselves somewhat deprived of this love. By
each of us becoming the centre of attention in our relationships, creating
egotistical conflicts, we tend to lose this contact with the loving source and
many things in our life may break down and fail us. If we place the greater
ideal and practice of Universal Love in the centre of our lives then not only
 will we minimise the sufferings of others due to our actions but also we will
engender sincere relationships and even prepare ourselves for an eternal
loving position with the Supreme Conscious Being.

• Universal Love illuminates us about the nature of our true ego, and the cause
of our false ego due to false and temporary identifications. On concluding
that our existence is a real phenomena, as conscious beings we need to free
ourselves of false and temporary bodily identifications with our skin colour,
social class, national identity, beliefs and ideologies, etc. and establish
ourselves in our true conscious ego. To argue and fight with others,
arrogantly believing one to be superior due to these false ego identities, is
the cause of all problems in this world. The wise, who have been seen to live
in this state of Universal Love, claim that the true ego only responds to the
flow of Universal Love and in reality has no connection to the aforementioned
false ego identities.

• Universal Love allows us to understand bodily death as a natural process

permitting the evolution of our conscious selves. Understanding that in any
minute we could face death, we may well be wise to realize the importance of
our state of consciousness at each and every moment. Thus, at death, by
being established in Universal Love we could well guarantee the success of
our conscious evolution. In this form of understanding, death is seen as a
door which allows us to enter into the next class of conscious growth and
learning on the road to truly loving life and living love.

• Universal Love shows us the origin of our true nature as part of the will of the
creator. On seeing this, if can be appreciated that our freedom to choose, our
liberty, is the greatest gift from the Supreme Being to all of us. To learn to
make the best of this liberty is said to be the purpose of life, thereby
attaining to Universal Love and entering into the mysticism of eternal love.

• Universal Love considers work as a sacred duty for the soul’s evolution.
Seeing how all human beings must work to live, thus participating and
contributing to society, Universal Love allows us all to discover how by
working with love, dedication and responsibility our work can be a
celebration, which gives dignity to our lives. With increasing sacrifice in our
work, we can develop the capacity to perform even more valuable services
for all of humanity and the natural world. Thus, Universal Love is activism for
the welfare of all beings who are within our environment.
 • Universal Love considers the adoration of the Earth, of Mother Nature and the
planet’s ecology with all its living beings, of natural forces such as the moon
and the sun, of the existence of time and its presence as death, as
evolutionary stages in the understanding of the transcendent and of pure
love for the Supreme Being, which is the fundamental basis of Universal Love.
Seeing that all culture express their respect and veneration to the Supreme
controlling natural forces in one way or another, we should allow ourselves to
accept this appreciation for these greater forces as part of our identity. By
evolving this attitude we develop humility which brings us towards realising
Universal Love. Yoga, meditation, fire sacrifices, religious rituals and the
chanting or mantras should become instruments by which we celebrate our
search for meaning in life and for pure love.

• Universal Love recommends to all human beings that we live with beautiful
principles that respect all of life and give us a superior taste of what liberty
really means. By not consuming the results of violence, like meat, fish and
eggs; by discarding the promiscuity of permissive sexual relationships; by not
gambling; by not intoxicating our bodies; and by avoiding all contact with
negative elements, such as violence and promiscuity, as shown in the various
forms of media (especially via the television) we can attain to the beautiful
values of Universal Love.

• Universal Love allows us to establish the purpose of life. To attain to

Universal Love, we must become amorous, sincere, serving, just, merciful,
generous, etc.; we must love and be thankful towards the creation, its
creator, destroyer and maintainer, its energies and diverse brothers and
sisters of all species; we must comply with joy, happiness and excellence in
our diverse positions such as fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters; and in
our work and social positions we must be ambassadors of the values as
expounded by Universal Love.

“Universal Love illuminates our sensitivity to the need to love and be loved that we all
have as a priority in out lives.”

Love Life, Live Love

-Swami B.A. Paramadvaiti –

Translated by Gopananda dasa