C.L. Talesara
Science of the Preksha Meditation System: A Breakthrough in Meditational Approach for Self-rejuvenation and Self-transformation
One of the greatest gifts of Acharya Shri Tulsi to his followers is in the form of many ready-made scientific formulae with an appropriate spiritual and religious background, during the last 40 years, for achieving mental peace, physical fitness, self-rejuvenation, transformation, discipline, confidence and self-control. Anuvrat, preksha dhyana and anupreksha could be considered most outstanding of these. All these can easily be understood and practised even by a common man without any distinction of caste and creed. This kind of dedication and approach by the religious leaders for the betterment of mankind is a rare phenomenon these days. As a matter of fact, under the overall leadership of Acharya Shri Tulsi and the active supervision of Yuvacharya Shri Mahapragya, the whole concept of preksha dhyana or sadhana may be considered one of the major breakthroughs of this century in the field of biomedical sciences. The present article deals specifically with the concept, mechanism, scope and application of preksha dhyana or sadhana in the light of its interaction with the neuroendocrine system, known to exist in the human body. To be more specific, with the background of spiritualism and neuroendocrinology human beings have all the potentiality for self-rejuvenation, self-transformation and control of any kind through a well-coordinated practice of the preksha meditation system as preached and explained by Yuvacharya Shri Mahapragya.
Concept of Preksha Meditation System
For thousands of years the human mind has been a very challenging and controversial subject and it is likely to be so in future also for those who try to control it. Transcendental meditation, preksha dhyana, sadhana, yoga, samadhi, anupreksha, etc. may be considered, in general, various forms of the meditational system with different approaches and degrees of concentration. However, for the sake of brevity the present article will be primarily concerned with preksha dhyana or sadhana.
The aim of preksha dhyana is to sink deep into spiritual thoughts and experiences to comprehend truth and reality directly without any predilections, prepossessions and preconceived notions which may otherwise distort our vision of truth. Seeing as against thinking is the first part of preksha dhyana. The second part of this is called anupreksha, which means contemplation on the consequences of what one has seen in the first part. Preksha dhyana thus includes both contemplative and perceptive kinds of meditation. Both are aids to the knowledge and understanding of truth. Preksha dhyana in toto means to perceive and contemplate reality in a correct way. Deep meditation, dispossessed mind and right thinking are the essential elements of preksha dhyana. It is a long and continuous process and needs a lot of preparation, practice, understanding and patience.
It seems obvious that the practice of sadhana or preksha meditation can bring about a complete self-transformation. The process of self-rejuvenation results from self-control, which is inherent in this system of meditation. The human brain produces electric currents in the state of dhyana. It produces electricity
when the natural activities are reduced. The alpha rays produced by the brain in a state of complete repose bring about a state of tranquillity. This tranquillity is not experienced when the mind is engaged in thinking. People often express satisfaction when the mind is tranquil. It is the alpha rays which produce such a state of mind and this cannot be considered a spiritual experience. In short, if one makes one's mind calm and quiet, it will produce alpha rays.
The main purpose of sadhana is to dissociate the soul from all kinds of objects. It does not aim at acquiring supernatural or miraculous powers. It aims at self-purification, which is achieved through the development of transcendental consciousness. Sadhana is an attempt at developing the numerous powers which lie hidden in the human personality. The secret of sadhana lies in self-awareness and complete self-watchfulness.
Concentration of mind is the first step to meditation. The basic factor in meditation is competence. The meditator should have the competence to begin and stop a thought process at will. Concentration is essential for both meditation and samadhi. Samadhi involves the highest form of concentration. Asana (training in physical postures), pranayama (breath control), kayotsarga (immobilization of the body) and dharana (concentration of the mind) are the basic constituents of sadhana.
Possible Interaction with Science
In the human body, the brain is the controlling centre of all the activities. Everything originates from the specialized higher centres in the brain which houses billions of neurons. They are responsible for the spread of messages in the form of electrical currents or release of specific types of chemicals/ hormones under the very sensitive control of these higher centres in the brain. Besides this chemical and electrical activity in the brain, there is evidence that the transmission of alpha rays also takes place when the brain is calm and quiet. Through the practice of preksha dhyana the state of the mind can be changed by affecting the specialized higher centres in the brain and thus it is possible to bring about the desired changes in the body. This means that through sadhana or preksha dhyana one can direct the brain to produce a particular type of chemical or hormone at will. This in turn will result in the desired change in the body. Thus it is possible for a sadhak to control his body temperature, the rate of heart-beats, metabolism, respiration, secretion by glands and other various 'involuntary' functions of the body which are normally not under the control of the will. The preksha meditation system operates through the CNS (Central Nervous System) and interacts with the neuroendocrine system.
This concept of the preksha meditation system gives a clear indication of the interaction of spiritualism with science. Thus it provides a good scope for the sadhus, munis, yogis and the scientists (neurologists, physiologists, neuroendocrinologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, paraphysiologists, psychophysicists, endocrinologists and neurophysiologists) to interact with each other in a coordinated manner to explore more and more the mysteries of nature.
The nervous system may be divided, rather arbitrarily, into two parts. That which controls the skeletal muscle may be called 'somatic'. That part which controls activity in the smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, glands and other visceral organs may be called 'autonomic'. The latter was so named by Langley in 1898. 'Autonomic' is not a particularly apt term since the system is no more autonomous than most parts of the somatic system. However, its synonyms 'the involuntary nervous system' (Gaskell) and 'the vegetative nervous system' (Meyer) are also open to criticism. The system is no more 'involuntary' than most parts of the somatic system. An appropriate answer to this discrepancy can be found in the hibernating animals and also in humans who practise yoga, samadhi, sadhana, etc. and thus have good control over the so-called 'involuntary functions' in the body.
Animal Hibernation versus Preksha Meditation
It is appropriate to cite the example of the hibernating animals. The physiologists define the hibernation of warm-blooded animals as a state in which the body temperature, metabolism, the rate of heart-beats, respiration, etc. are reduced to a great extent. It is difficult to assign any one precise reason for such extreme physiological behaviour. However, it is clear that these animals, resorting to hibernation, can be likened to people going into a samadhi. They show a tremendous potential for self-rejuvenation after every cycle of hibernation year after year, resulting in their increased life span. If animals can demonstrate this process of self-rejuvenation and transformation with perfect control, resulting in an increased span of better life, it should not be difficult for man with a little practice of preksha dhyana or sadhana to undergo this beneficial process of self-rejuvenation and transformation for a better way of life in all respects.
Thus basically there is a close resemblance between the process of true hibernation and the typical form of samadhi, sadhana, etc. which a yogi undergoes. This indicates that to a great extent by lowering the body temperature and the rate of respiration, among other things, humans also can achieve an increased span of better life as the hibernators do. What is truly wonderful is that now it is possible for a common man also to do so through the practice of preksha dhyana thanks to the deep study and experimentation undertaken by Yuvacharya Shri Mahapragya now for many years.
Scope and Application
The world of today is full of tensions and because of that a large number of psychological disorders arise leading to serious health problems. Much depends on the state of the brain in such situations and if appropriate remedies are not sought, there can be serious repercussions both on the mind and the body. The practice of preksha dhyana can provide simple answers and remedies
for such disorders. Man can achieve mental peace and physical fitness and lead a spiritual and religious life without much cost with proper practice of preksha dhyana.
There are several common disorders or ailments which are primarily due to mental tensions or due to a certain state of mind at a given time. To elaborate this point further, there may be persons with certain fixed types of disorders such as mental tensions, B.P. fluctuations, depression, anxiety, anger, fear, cowardice, mental fatigue, mental block, low I.Q., poor memory, hypersensitivity, etc. There may be others infected with pride, greed, deceit, fear of death and guilt. There may be still others suffering from severe and chronic drug addiction or serious emotional disorders. All these disorders can be progressively removed with specific types of meditational approaches. Besides these, pain, hunger and sexual desire can also be controlled without any medicine and with no side effects. In the absence of such a system one has to resort either to heavy drinking for intoxication or to the use of tranquillizers and other drugs in large quantities. Thus the scope and application of the preksha meditation system (for the treatment of a
large number of diseases and disorders, mostly mental in origin) are undoubtedly great and already significant achievements have been made in this direction.Besides the points mentioned above, the practice of meditation gives enough stimulation to the normal human brain to achieve certain miracles or to know things about which nothing is known. In the past our rishis, munis and sadhus achieved many things through similar meditational practices.
The present is an age of science and millions of dollars are being spent to carry out investigations into heart diseases, brain disorders, cancer, ageing, etc. but the results are still far from satisfactory. The practice of preksha dhyana has provided very interesting clues in this direction.
In the end it will be very appropriate to mention that the concept of preksha dhyana has struck root with the help of anuvrat and these two put together have proved man's infinite potential for achieving self-rejuvenation as well as moral transformation of the world.
