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lack of understanding in the public mind as regards the whole procedure. This is because a man, the moment he undertakes a fast, wants to see its good results at once. As a matter of fact, the fast by itself brings about no transformation; it is not a magic spell which shows its effect the moment one utters it. A man who takes a pledge, but makes no effort to fulfil it, does no sadhana whatever. How will such a man ever taste its fruit? It is as if a sick man should take the medicine but not the prescribed diet! How can his treatment be effective? The medicine has the virtue of driving away the illness, but without the prescribed diet, this virtue is rendered ineffective, and with the intake of unwholesome food, it even turns destructive. With the result that the medicine, instead of restoring one's health, might further aggravate it. Likewise, in order to derive benefit from a resolution, one must practise it.
A man takes a vow that he would never utter an untruth. It is all very good, but unless he removes all the causes that make him tell lies, how will his vow be ever fulfilled? The chief factors behind the telling of an untruth are: anger, greed, fear, and fun. Unless one attains freedom from these, the possibility of uttering falsehoods cannot be obviated. A man takes a pledge never to indulge in anger. But if all those tendencies which provoke wrathful passion are present in him in strength, how will he abide by his pledge? The same is true of other vows and pledges. It is a poor intelligence which expects immediate results following the taking of a pledge, or loses all faith if no such results are forthcoming.
In my opinion, a pledge or a vow is merely the determination of a direction one wishes to take. This gives an individual a sense of what is to be done and what is to be avoided. This discrimination forms the initiative of an awakened consciousness. But this alone
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| SR No. | 006546 |
| Book Title | Transmutation of Personality through Preksha Meditation |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Tulsi Acharya |
| Publisher | Jain Vishva Bharati |
| Publication Year | 1994 |
| Total Pages | 282 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English, Yoga, L000, & L001 |
| File Size | 12 MB |