________________
220
THE MYSTERIES OF MIND
stop excitement. The practitioner of meditation knows the various centres of his mind which activate our tendencies. He can stop or activate these tendencies by concentrating on the centres concerned with these tendencies. Thus instead of becoming a prey to the tendencies he becomes their controller and master.
The first thing a practitioner has to do is to change the process of breathing. He should not take to long breathing as exercise for improving his health. If he did so, he will not be able to take advantage of the internal changes which result from the perception of the breathing process. Long breathing is not a physical exercise only. It is much more than that. It is not simple, prānājāma. Its purpose is to subdue impulses, emotions, desires and excitement.
The second aim of sādhanā is to change the base of the activities of the body. Change in the direction of breathings brings about changes in the body. Diseases happen in the body only when the centres of consciousness remain dormant. If every particle of the body become energised and aroused, there will be no place left for excitements and diseases. Perceptive meditation changes the very functioning of the body and gears it to a new end. It activates the centres of knowledge so much that they become capable of facing all kinds of situations. Low vitality does not allow the body to resist external influences. High potency and broad spectrum medicines lower the vitality of the body. Meditation, on the other hand, maintains the vitality of the body and activates it and the mind. Let us, therefore, change the functioning of the body, open new horizons of the mind and change our habits and nature. It is generally believed that actions and reactions are the laws of human nature. This has given birth to the policy of a tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye. If one does not follow this policy, he is supposed to be a coward. It is quite natural for man to react to situations and to counterattack when he is attacked. He has been trained to do so since his childhood. When a child demands something and gets it, it begins to beam with pleasure. On the other hand, when it is denied, it begins to weep. Joy and sorrow have, therefore, been taken to be natural.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
