________________
98
THE ART OF POSITIVE THINKING
Man keeps before him the ideal of non-violence, of forgiveness and light, but his everyday living is wrapped in violence, anger and confusion. He seems to have a 'split personality'. There is an everlasting contradiction between the ideal and the reality. If we really believed more in charity than in anger, we would be more forgiving; if we believed more in peace than in war, we would be more non-violent. But the fact is that we are more violent than nonviolcnt, more revengeful than forgiving. It is quite apparent where our inward inclinations lie.
We only talk about light, we do not really seek it. The true seeker after light will have to delve deep into himself. The man who is totally preoccupied with the outer material world, can never come to this light. If mere observation of the inaterial world could lead to illumination, there would be no need to practise breath-perception or body-perception. One does get a kind of pleasure, some sort of gratisication and entertainment from the observation of the material world; there is endless variety there. The practice of meditation does not perhaps offer such entertainment. Yet modern man is attracted by meditation. He is probably fed up with the mere observation of the material world, is so full of tension that he wants to get away from it and peep within. Superficial observation of the material world has made man so restless, so very confused, that he has an urge to look decp within. That is why he comes to meditation camps. Here he is made to practisc breath-perception, body-perception and to observe the inward movement of consciousness. As he goes into these processes, he will make contact with that which is not found in the outer material world. He will witness colours which he never saw before in the outer world. He will see light that the sensual world can never offer. In that inner world he will see sights, fearful or plcasant, which are altogether different from those of the outer world.
I asked one lady spiritual practitioner to experiment with meditation on the tip of the nose, the centre of the vital life-force. She did it for 2-3 days and began to experience joy. One evening she was sitting in meditation and her meditation grew long. In the darkness of the night, some terrifying sights filled her with increasing fear, But she sat immovable. Gradually it grew tranquil again.
The inner world is vast and mysterious. A million impressions gathered inside reveal themselves one after another. It is an endless stream. Sometimes a spiritual practitioner is quite bewildcrcd.
Indeed preksha means inner observation. It is the observation of the world within which gives out new light, a new direction, a new point-of-view, new conduct and behaviour. The solution to our various problems of daily living lies within. Those who have despaired of finding a soli ticnoutside, might try looking within. All
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
