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tion of hormones secreted and distributed by the ductless glands. In fact all passions, emotions and impulses are the expressions of the endocrine system. And so, when we talk of human nature, we really mean its expression and this can most definitely and thoroughly be changed by controlled mental practices. And how this can be done, we shall presently discuss.
Uniqueness of Man
Success of meditation is fundamentally based on the fact that the human mind has the power not only to understand but also to transcend itself, and since this characteristic of human mind is one of the unique qualities of humanity, a brief analysis of this and other unique characteristics of man will go a long way to clearly understand the success of the process of meditation.
In many respects, no doubt, man is also an animal like any other. He does feel, angry, hungry and sexually aroused because he, like others, also possesses the primal drivesthe unlearned instincts-of aggression, hunger ard sex. But possession of some basic human characteristics makes him a very peculiar and in many ways a unique animal. According to the theory of evolution, man represents the culmination of the process of evolution. Human mind and personality are unique and constitute the highest product yet achieved by the cosmos. This is because man alone, by means of his inherent conscious reason along with its chief offspring science, has the power of setting higher standards and values for his progress. Lower organisms do not possess a reasoning mind; mere survival and capacity for adaptation to only immediate circumstances are inherent in them.
The unique characteristics of man are biological as well as psychological. A review of the former ones, though likely to make interesting reading, is rather irrelevant for our discussion. Amongst the latter also, two characteristics are more relevant than others. The first is his capacity for
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