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Here is an interesting conversation between the female enlightened sage Anandamayi Ma and a disciple...
Question: Suppose an atheist lives an ethical and righteous life. Is he on a lower level than a faithful devotee?
Ma Anandamayi : An ethical life purifies the mind. Even though one may have no faith in God, if one believes in some Superior Power or pursues a high ideal, this also will serve one's purpose. By living an ethical life, one progresses towards the realization of the Divine.
Through this Anandamayi Ma too, like Rajini Menon, states that an ethical and virtuous life, is a spiritual exercise in itself and is potent enough to bring about enlightenment on its own.
This is in stark contrast to half-baked philosophies like nihilism and existentialism of recent times,which states that all values and virtues are abstractly contrived and have no relevance of their own.
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When even one virtue becomes our nature, the mind becomes clean and tranquil. Then there is no need to practice meditation; we will automatically be meditating always. ~ Swami Satchidananda
Wholesome virtuous behavior progressively leads to the foremost.~ Buddha AN 10.1
If you do right, irrespective of what the other does, it will slow down the (turbulent) mind. ~ Rajini Menon
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