Many in Body, One in Mind

By: Hitedra Soneji

If the spirit of many in body but one in mind prevails among the people, they will achieve all their goals, whereas if one in body but different in mind, they can achieve nothing remarkable. 
Even an individual at cross purposes with himself is certain to end in failure. Yet a hundred or even a thousand people can definitely attain their goal, if they are of one mind. 
Many In Body, One In Mind Unity has long been recognized as a vital human value, necessary to any successful endeavour involving more than one person.

“Many in body,” also translated as “different in body,” refers to the diversity among individuals—their unique personalities, qualities, abilities and roles.

The unity of many in body, one in mind can be formed only among those who respect one another and cherish one another’s unique attributes and abilities, while working in harmony to compensate for one another’s weaknesses. To create this kind of unity, each person must set aside attachment to self and accomplish a profound inner transformation, what we call human revolution.

“One in mind”—also “same mind” or “same heart”—means sharing a noble purpose, a common wish to realize a big goal.

We begin to work earnestly for not only our own happiness, but for that of our friends, family and fellow members, and more broadly, for all humanity. 

The spirit of many in body, one in mind are essentially inseparable principles; they are like the two wheels of a cart.

It is the unity of autonomous individuals committed to the work of self-reformation, concern for others and faith in the possibilities of a better future.

 Unity starts with the individual. Even an individual at cross purposes with himself is certain to end in failure.

We all know what it is like to be 'at cross purposes' - those feelings of indecision, confusion or vagueness. Maybe we have also experienced the opposite feeling when we are focused on a goal and confident that we will not deviate from our path towards it, and ready for any problem that may appear to try to stop us.

Truly fulfilling our potential, however, is dependent on more than not being 'at cross purposes' with our self.

When you are so united, even the great desire for widespread propagation can be fulfilled.
When we look at our neighbours, our colleagues, even members of our family, we can see that while there are clearly similarities between some groups of people, there are also number of differences.
We are all very different; in fact we are each unique. Learn to respect other people's unique characteristics and differences. This becomes much easier to do when we look beneath the surface and recall that everyone has the qualities.

Although we are all different ('many in body'), it is possible for us to share a common goal, or 'one mind'. This does not mean that we all have to 'think the same'  Indeed, it is essential for us to develop our own unique abilities/qualities to the full. 
All of our own individual talents and characteristics are necessary for us to realise our goal. The essence of 'many in body - one in mind' is for us to learn how to transcend the differences between us; to develop respect for each person in our environment.

The concept of many in body, one in mind is 'to make all persons equal, without any distinction between us.' Therefore true enlightenment only comes from helping others to achieve the same state of life. 

Consequently, those who share the same ideal of basing their actions on the qualities of courage, compassion and wisdom.

When we see a positive change in our self, we naturally want to encourage others to reveal their potential in the same way. 

This leads to a desire for the widespread propagation based on fundamental respect for life, rather than on greed, anger or foolishness.

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