How to be

Maximally Selfish and Happy?

Dr. Shriniwas Kashalikar

Being maximally selfish is one of the greatest virtues! But this virtue is equated with and misunderstood as mean or petty selfishness by most people and hence, they consider it as vice!

However; “being maximally selfish and maximally happy” makes millions of others also very happy and is practiced by many (though mostly; without conceptual clarity and conviction) and hence without articulating it in this manner!

Selfishness is inseparable from yourself! It is natural and a great virtue. Selfishness evolves into cosmic selfishness and becomes maximally satisfying as it evolves!

An infant is selfish (very happy) in suckling and a mother is selfish (very happy) in breast feeding! Neither of them is mean-selfish and or mean-selfless!

But as you grow there develops a tussle between mean-selfishness and mean-selflessness due to growing ego! When the words selfishness and selflessness

are used; they actually imply; ego-born mean-selfishness or ego-born petty-selflessness respectively!

This conflict creates a misery; both due to ego-born mean selfishness and ego-born mean selflessness! In neither of the acts you become happy! Tally your experience of the feeling of being cheated by ego-born gifting of donations and the feeling of guilt for not having given a donation! Assess your feeling of being ill treated; after your ego-born teaching or treating free of cost; and your sense

lowliness for your ego-based denial of your services to the needy!

Most of the times even if others consider you selfish or selfless; and you may either dislike or like it; you are actually not maximally selfish or selfless! You are a foolish person; getting dragged after ego-born compulsions! As a result you remain a temporarily and superficially satisfied or unsatisfied “rich” or“poor”; but always a beggar!

But this conflict is not easy to overcome!

So you need to set out to evolve your mean-selfishness and also evolve petty-selflessness! If you succeed in this, through NAMSMARAN, then later; your petty self dissolves! And you learn to choose an activity (born out of enlightenment) that gives you maximum happiness (maximum selfishness) that can fill not merely yours but also the hearts of millions and can last for life time!

Learning to overcome incorrect or deceitful compulsions; and expressing cosmic selfishness makes

you and billon others; maximally happy!

Dr. Shriniwas Kashalikar