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PREKSA MEDITATION AND THE TRAINING OF THE MIND
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also the task of meditation. The second task of philosophy is to train the mind. Subtle truths can be perceived by the subtle mind only and not by the gross mind. There are various methods of training the mind. Bhāvakriyā is one of them. It means a balanced coordination between action and the mind or a synthesis between the two. They should be made to run parallel to each other. If they run in different directions, there can be no synthesis. The mind should be concentrated on what we are doing. It should not be estranged from action. The anecdote about a philosopher who fell into a ditch while his mind was soaring high into the sky is well known. An old woman who rescued the philosopher from the ditch remarked. “You should sometimes see the earth also.” What happened to the philosopher is a common experience. In our thinking we often wander in the wilderness and fail to see what lies immediately before us. The moments in which we try to yoke the mind to action are rare. Meditation is the only means of yoking the mind. Mental discipline grows with the maturing of the process of meditation. We should do everything with the mind in it. Bhāvakriya is an important area of philosophy. It makes meditation a way of life rather than an exercise for an hour or two. One who has accomplished Bhāvakriya will do every act of his life with a meditative mind. Bhāvakriyā does not divide the mind. It does not split the personality. It is not absentmindedness. It is a perfect integration of personality. It makes the mind subtíe and capable of perceiving subtle truths.
The second aspect of the training of the mind is the development of imagination and will power. The purpose of this training is to enable the mind to see things clearly. Imagination gives a definite and clear form to our ideals. Bhāvanā or suggestion through symbols activates the will which carries us to the ideal we have set before us.
Concentration is the third aspect of the training of the mind. Fickleness is the natural tendency of the mind. The mind always remains scattered and never sticks to a single point. A stable mind is more or less an unnatural entity. It is often compared to mercury which cannot be arrested. You cannot arrest the mental processes. People have been
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