Cultivating lajjA for Self-Realization: Perspectives from Indian Psychology

Failure is a part of learning any skill. No project can be completed without facing unexpected and undesirable outcomes in the process of implementation of policies. A spiritual journey is compared to walking on the razor's edge, and so lapses are natural and many. There are stories in Indian scriptures about how many noble aspirants fell on the way, but kept trying, without letting the failures hold them back. Spiritual aspirants are expected to test their progress by acting virtuously in the world, and lajjA guides them in doing what needs to be done and not doing what ought not be done in their daily living. Therefore, lajjA needs to be cultivated to make progress on the path of self-realization. A wise saint has advised spiritual practitioners to confess their mistakes or sins (if the mistake is egregious) publicly in front of others without hesitation because doing this does not bind us in attachment to the deed, but hiding the act binds us to it. Public confession is the ability to live with lajjA or shame, and requires distancing oneself from the physical self, so that one can focus on the spiritual journey. lajjA is not a social sanction to be avoided but a personal virtue to be cultivated to lead a noble life. In this paper, lessons from spirituality will be drawn for cultivating lajjA, and implications of how cultivating lajjA can help us act ethically in organizational and social contexts will be examined.