Transmutation of Personality through Preksha Meditation

Author(s): Tulsi Acharya
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati

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important topics relating to mental peace. Deliberations were held on spiritual experiments in the context of the present-day problems of the world. In all, this shivir created a stir in the intellectual world. It was after this shivir that the seed of preksha began to sprout forth. Emphasis was now being laid on meditation, along with anuvrat. To the Anuvrat Code of Conduct, we added two more items-meditation and study. This created a distinctive atmosphere and it seemed as if preparations were on for the manifestation of some important element.
Now began to be held more meditation camps than anuvrat shivirs. Adequate interest was created among the people in respect of dhyana-sadhana. But still no shivirs were held under the name of preksha dhyana. About 2-3 years ago, an organised and comprehensive form of meditation technique was developed which came to be recognized as preksha dhyana. Preksha dhyana is the next stage of the anuvrat programme. From one point of view it is a developed form of anuvrat, from another, a successful method of giving a practical shape to the theoretical aspect of anuvrat.
Thirty years ago (in 1950), I toured Punjab. Anuvrat was the main objective of my pilgrimage then. The matter of spirituality or meditation was secondary at that time, and therefore was only incidentally touched upon. Now that the next stage of anuvrat had been developed, in my second tour of Punjab I added to anuvrat, preksha dhyana as well. In fact, anuvrat and preksha dhyana are complementary to each other. We believe that their fulness and vigour would serve to make public life, too, more vital and complete.