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THE FAMILY AND THE NATION
A person with an imbalanced brain cannot be healthy. The human body is governed by the mind (mana). Mind is governed by emotions (bhava). Emotions are governed by the emotional heart (hridya). The emotional heart is different from the physiological heart, which is located in the chest, beneath the lungs, and is responsible for the circulation of blood. The emotional heart is in the brain. It gives rise to feelings. It can be identified with the hypothalamus, which is part of the limbic system. There is a centre in the middle of the posterior hypothalamus called the dorsomedial nucleus. It triggers anger. In the terminology of the Doctrine of Karma,2 it is called the state of the soul caused by the rising of Karma (audayika bhava). The ventomedial nucleus, embedded in the hypothalamus, generally blocks anger. In Karmic terminology, it is called the state of the soul caused by the elimination or subsidence of the eight types of Karma (ksayopasamika bhava). Both the hypothalamus and cerebral cortex (mastiska-chhala) cause stimulation as well as regulation of emotions.
There are three degrees of stimulation, namely, intense, medium and slow. Intense inflammation of anger generates ailments like high blood pressure and heart disease. Emotions like arrogance, guilt, hypocrisy, greed and fear also cause various kinds of diseases. It is essential to restrain the intense type of stimulation for maintaining general health. In order to promote spiritual health, the medium and slow types of stimulation also need to be controlled. However, not all individuals may be able to exercise total control over the three types of stimulation.
Certain emotions are seen to be linked to particular ailments. Our friend Dr. M.A. Saleem says, 'Anger leads to high blood pressure. Tendency to protest irritates the bowels. Insults and humiliation lead to disorders of the digestive system. Intense lust leads to chest pain. Unjustifiable
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