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THE MYSTERIES OF MIND
anuvrața movemont. This movement aimed at bringing about a spiritual transformation in the entire religious Order of which he happens to be the ācārya.
The main question to be considered is how to transform life and how to give it a turn towards self-realization. The greatest step in this direction is to allow the soul to perceive itself. There can be no transformation of personality until we started looking within.
In this connection I would like to refer to a book entitled 'Glands : The Invisible Guardians' by Dr. Kapp. The author is not a spiritualist but a physiologist. He says that the glands of our body become deformed by anger, quarrelsomeness, jealousy, fear, attachment, repulsion etc. These passions force the adrenal gland to do extra work due to which it becomes exhausted. The same thing happens to other glands also. Work produces exhaustion. If you overload a cart, the bullocks which pull it become strained and exhausted. This happens to machines also. If they are strained, they break down. When our feelings and predilections become overactive, they put additional pressure on the glands as a result of which they begin to function abnormally. Their energy decreases resulting in physical imbalance. That is why it is desirable to restrain our passions and impulses. This has to be done in an intelligent way. Religious practice is a method of achieving this end.
We need a religion which is not based on fear. Bhagavāna Mahāvīra exhorted us to shed fear. That is the starting point of the religion he advocated. Ahimsā (non-injury), truth, non-covetousness etc. are subsidiary things. The central thing is freedom from fear. Mahāvira exhorted us not to be afraid of old age, death and enemies: Fear produces various deformities. The adrenal gland is the most affected by fear.
Fearlessness is the core of all religions. Mahavira said, "One who is not fearless cannot be a votary of ahimsā, truth, celebacy, non-covetousness etc.” It is fear which compels man to commit violence and theft, to tell lies and to accumulate riches. It is fear which has resulted in the invention and stockpiling of all kinds of weapons. Nations
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