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The Parable of the Mote and the Beam and Its Relevance for the Spiritual Seeker · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  The spiritual seeker often finds that he can see weaknesses and
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  faults in others. If he fails to recognize that
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  his reaction may be due to harboring those faults and
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  weaknesses within himself, he can take an attitude of
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  hostility toward the other person who is exhibiting those
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  things. He may try to control in someone
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  else. What he does not control within
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  himself. He may give way to anger and a
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  self-righteous attitude that can lead to much negativity.
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  Such an attitude leads to brutality and attempts at
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  domination, which are clearly drawing the individual away from
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  the positive focus he needs to hold in order to develop
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  spiritually, instead of the understanding of oneness, which
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  brings feelings of empathy and compassion when others are
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  clearly caught up in various circumstances or weaknesses,
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  such an individual may become highly judgmental, and if he has
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  a certain amount of external power, he can ostracize,
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  imprison, torture, or kill, all in the name of upholding his
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  spiritual values while he moves ever farther away from spiritual
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  realization. We have seen this time and
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  again, and it is one of the reasons that religion seems to
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  have caused more wars and suffering than any other
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  activity in human existence. It is the attitude that led to
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  things such as the Scarlet Letter, the Inquisition, the
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  Crusades, the pogroms, the witch trials in Salem, MA, and other
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  events of human failure through a focus on correcting others of
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  faults while one does not see one's own.
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  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addressed this issue
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  clearly. Quote.
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  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye?
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  But consider us not the beam that is in thine own eye?
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  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, let me pull out the
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  mote out of thine eye, and behold, a beam is in thine own
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  eye? End Quote.
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  Once again we are left with the solution that one should focus
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  one's energy and attention on the positive spiritual growth
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  and practice within oneself and not be involved in judging,
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  condemning and sanctioning others for failure to abide by
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  1's own sense of right and wrong, which in many cases is
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  used to hide from oneself the similar issues one has.
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  We can see often times that those who are most vehement on a
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  particular issue seem to have a resonance to that issue that
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  they cannot face or overcome, so they externalize it and try to
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  show their adherence and purity by suppressing it in others.
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  Shri Aurobindo notes quote do not dwell much on the defects of
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  others. It is not helpful.
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  Keep always quiet and peace in the attitude.
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  Only those who can sympathize can help.
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  Surely also one should be able to see the faults of others
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  without hatred. Hatred injuries both parties.
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  It helps none. There is no harm in seeing and
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  observing if it is done with sympathy and impartiality.
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  It is the tendency unnecessarily to criticize, find fault,
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  condemn others, often quite wrongly, which creates a bad
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  atmosphere both for oneself and others.
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  And why this harshness and cocksure condemnation?
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  Has not each man his own faults? Why should he be so eager to
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  find fault with others and condemn them?
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  Sometimes one has to judge, but it should not be done hastily or
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  in a censorious spirit. End Quote Reference Sri
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  Aurobindo and the Mother, Looking from Within, Chapter 2.
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  Looking at Oneself and Others, pages 41 to 42.