YJA Convention 1996 07 San Francisco CA Second

Author(s): Young Jains of America (YJA)
Publisher: Young Jains of America YJA USA

Page 67

washing dishes, all you do is wash dishes. While cating, all you do is cat. Bhavkriyä is a meditation that should be performed all the time (24 hours). There are three parts of Bhavkriya:
a) Live in present: 90% of the times either we are lost in the thoughts of past or in the imagination of future. The present moment is the reality. Past is the history and future is the imagination. So enjoy the present moment (reality). Whatever activity is being performed, stay constantly involved in that. In other words, live in present.
b) Do knowingly: When we do one work, our mind is thinking about something else. For example, we are talking on the phone while washing dishes. If we do not concentrate in the work we are doing, we are wasting our mental and physical energy, and not enjoying the reality - the present moment. The body and mind, both should be involved in the present activity. The activity should remain the prime and only objective. Our mind, thoughts, emotions, speech and physical aspects should be totally involved in the activity being performed.
c) Be aware: Constantly be aware of the activity being performed. Be aware that to have a life as a human being is very difficult. It is rarity. It is useless to waste time on unimportant things. We do not know when this life will end. We should always be aware that we should awaken our sleeping energy, purify our conscious mind and eventually, purify our consciousness. We should always be aware that our only goal in the life is to achieve the pure state of our consciousness.
2. Pratikriyä Virati (Restrain Reacting): To defeat our anger, ego, deceitfulness and greed, and to defeat our reactive attitude, one should practice equanimity. Equanimity means the feeling of "no like and no dislike." Isaac Newton's law of physics is that" to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." This law is for non-livings. The realistic law for all living beings is to become action-oriented, not reaction-oriented. The real nature of the soul (consciousness) is to act for its own purification. Our life is full of reactions. What we wear, what we talk, what we listen, what we eat, what we drive, what we study - almost everything we do in this material world is reaction based. It is borrowed. Reaction means we are not free. We all want to be free. The realistic way to be free is to free our consciousness from impurities. Experiment by minimizing reactions in daily routine life.
3. Maitri (Universal friendship): To find the real truth, respect others as your equal. Do not consider your self superior or inferior to others. Don't be nice to only few. Be nice to everyone. Do not try to please others for personal gain. Be equal to all.
4. MitaBhäsan (Restrain in speaking): Do not speak without being asked. Do not jump into the middle of a conversation. Do not speak with a selfish motive. Do not make fun of others. Do not gossip. Speak only when it is necessary. Think before you speak. Think how it will affect others. Speak truth, speak softly and speak less. Most importantly, do not speak that harms others. Restraining from speaking is a valuable asset to live a good life.
5. Mita-Ahar (Food awareness - Restrain in eating): The practitioner should have knowledge of what to eat, what not to eat, how much to eat and when to cat. Stay away from spicy, testy, delicious and provocative food. Eat healthy food. Eat only as necessary. Food is one of the main reasons for having healthy as well as unhealthy body. Unhealthy eating habits, over-eating and avoiding eating nutritious food lead to: unhealthy body and mind, malfunctioning of digestive and nervous system, and deformation in thinking. Eat only after the previous meal is digested that takes about four hours.
Summary: Without meditation, the art of living is lessened and the life becomes aimless. Meditation can lead to the answers to the questions like: who am I?, what is my relationship with outside world? and how can I achieve undisturbed happiness? All five Upsampada's should be with us all 24 hours like our hands and legs. They are essential parts of our life. Our body is the laboratory and experiment with it.
For More Information: In USA, call 510-792-1652 or 414-963-4767. In India: Kendriya Preksha Academy, Jain Vishva Bharati, Ladnun, Rajasthan 341306, India. Tel.: 01581-341206, Fax: 01581-22114 or Adhyatma Sadhana Kendra, Chhattarpur, Maharuli, New Delhi 110030, India. Tel.: 011-6802708
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