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certain limit, one's personality becomes utterly hollow and one has a sense of inner disintegration. The individual then begins to feel that egoism is destroying him, yet he cannot get rid of it. In a situation like that the sadhak who practises perception of deep breathing with full consciousness, succeeds in dissolving his ego. With the disintegration of the ego, wrath and greed also end. Anger and avarice are the two emotions which destroy the equilibrium of the individual and the community. When these start dissolving, the individual naturally grows tranquil.
Q. That the perception of breathing is conducive to mental concentration, is intelligible, but to say that this also dissolves the ego-consciousness, anger and avarice, etc. is not so clear. Will you kindly elaborate on this?
Ans. The inner feelings are intimately connected with breathing. Breath indeed is a reflector of one's inner condition. With the deepening of the breath, pride, anger and greed, grow quiescent. The man in whom the feelings of egoism, anger and avarice are strong, cannot breathe deep and slow. If a man's breath be short, it can be said on this basis that the feelings of egoism, anger, etc., are very active in him. Breath is the element which truly represents the whole of our inner individuality. It is not only the means of taking the vital air within and taking out the carbon-dioxide; it is also the means of awakening or extinguishing many of our powers. Used properly, it can resolve many problems connected with meditation.
Q. You just said that through breath-perception, the feelings of egoism, anger, etc. are changed, or ended. But it has been observed that meditation and
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