The cloak of humility is worn from within

I've heard a remark born from wisdom & from experience ‘The cloak of humility is worn from within’. This is a deep statement & worth pondering over. 

The dictionary defines cloak as an outer garment and as something that covers or conceals. So typically a cloak is worn outside & covers something inside, in the widely used form of the word. However, it is also something that merely conceals, without particularly referring whether on the outside or inside.

Some of the dictionary definitions of humble are in such a way that it evokes pity on someone who is humble, rather than respect. They even border on being derogatory. For instance it says ‘someone who is having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience, etc’, ‘low in importance, status, quality, etc’, ‘low in height, level’. These meanings are certainly not aspirational. This is expected, given that the English language & hence these dictionaries are usually having their origin in the western world, where humility is not a desirable quality. There is only one meaning which evokes a sense of reverence for someone who is humble, as ‘not proud or arrogant’. 

However, in our Eastern culture in the hoary Hindu tradition, being humble is something one is ingrained with right from one’s childhood. Humility is considered as much of an achievement as success in any field. This is expected, since the entire way of life in a country like India used to be structured around achieving life’s true purpose which is self realization, another word for which reads self negation or negation & eradication of the ego. Sri Ramakrishna has famously said something to the effect, that the ocean of grace collects not on the mounds of ego but on the flat lands of humility. It signifies an ability to receive more of grace, knowledge, wealth or anything that is of significance. So humility is just an attitude & does not have anything to do with the outer world of possessions of knowledge or material wealth. 

So, coming back to the saying, the cloak of humility is thus an inner cloak that covers the outer, rather than the commonly used cloak that covers the inside from outside. Humility in the form of the cloak, by definition is not something that gets exhibited on the outside. Thus, being worn on the inside, it leads to a covering of the outside. Covering the outside means that this cloak covers an outward exhibition of one’s possessions, whatever they may be, whether subtle possessions of knowledge or intelligence, or gross possessions of wealth. 

There is another interpretation as well. Where there is an ego, there is some ‘thing’ to be covered from the outside. However, as humility progresses to its culmination in the destruction of the ego, there is no ‘thing’ to be covered on the inside. However, that doesn’t mean a self realized person is a pauper with no possessions or a fool with no knowledge. A self realized person has the whole universe as his, or vice versa, nothing that he calls his own, which are one & the same. Hence for such a person who is the epitome of humility, the cloak is to cover the outer exhibition of possessions. Then the inside shines, without being obstructed by the outside & lights up everything! 

Why is this important today? As a country, we’re moving towards blindly aping the West in all aspects without realizing the strength of our way of life. No longer is it considered wise to be modest, rather it is taken as a sense of non-achievement. Instead of letting one’s achievements & work in the world speak & stand on its own strength, people are following the Western way of being outspoken in reeling off their list of capabilities, whether they’re useful to another or not being secondary! 

Sooner or later, someone with even a little intelligence realizes that no matter how intelligent or knowledgeable one is, one’s ‘own’ ego centric knowledge is just a drop in the ocean of everything there is. Rather than grow the ego centric knowledge to try & embrace more and more aspects of existence, it is better to let go of everything in a spirit of surrender. Then there is knowledge of everything that is needed within the grand scheme of events. It is commonly known for example, that a realized master such as Paramhansa Yogananda used to reflect the consciousness of those whom he was talking with. For example, while speaking to medical experts, he would freely talk with them as if he was an expert, using their terminology & genuinely exhibiting knowledge of the medical profession, despite lack of any ‘formal’ training in that field. This is not surprising at all, as consciousness which forms the basis for all of existence, can appear to take on any form in the world of Maya!

In summary, it is far better to wear the cloak of humility from within than to wear any cloak the outside, which amounts to deception or a façade over one’s true nature! The former is a sign of sure progress towards all embracing realization, while the latter is a sign of sure regression towards embracing the ego.