In Good Faith: The Fundamental Unity | The Indian Express

In Good Faith: The Fundamental Unity | The Indian Express

Written by Ananya Awasthi |Updated: July 15, 2019 3:15:33 am

The writer is assistant director, Harvard India Research Center and writes on health, wellbeing and Indic philosophies

In Good Faith: The Fundamental Unity

Integral Humanism can help reconcile nationalism and internationalism.

Deendayal Upadhyaya coined the term Integral Humanism and offered a non-dualistic doctrine as an alternative approach to nationalism and internationalism.

Tracing its origins to the Upanishadic traditions, Advaita (non-dual) Vedanta is an outlook towards life which believes in the “non-dualism” of Atman (soul) and Brahman (universal metaphysical reality), while acknowledging the Prakriti (material world) as an ever-changing context. It does not recognise any differences between the nature of life — whether of human, animal or plant origin — and acknowledges it as being part of a larger cosmic consciousness. Applying this framework to the modern political, economic and social context, Deendayal Upadhyaya coined the term Integral Humanism and offered a non-dualistic doctrine as an alternative approach to nationalism and internationalism. Rejecting the intrinsic diversity based on race, colour, caste or religion, it identifies all human beings as part of one organic whole, sharing a common consciousness of national thought.