Acharya Mahaprajna
The Northlines
The practice of Preksa Meditation has opened a new chapter in philosophical thinking.
I have been a student of philosophy and as such I know what is living and what is dead in philosophy. I have a great admiration for philosophy but at the same time I am conscious of its shortcomings. Originally philosophical thinking was based on a direct perception of reality. Today it is mere reasoning based on logical consistency. Darsana means direct perception of reality. Today philosophy is no longer concerned, with the direct perception of truth. It has become dependent on the rules of logical thinking. It has become estranged from experience and comprises wholly of argumentation. It borrows ideas and applies logic to test whether they are coherent. It has nothing to do with self-experience and relies on objective experience only. It is not direct but indirect experience, which it values. That is why medieval philosophy took inference to be the only means of knowledge because it was not supported by experience. Can we comprehend truth indirectly and by means of consistency in thinking only? Can arguments lead to the knowledge of subtle truth? No, never. Ancient philosophers attempted to comprehend subtle truth with the help of subtle consciousness. They were correct. Refined or subtle consciousness is capable of comprehending both gross and subtle truths. Gross or empirical consciousness is, however, unable to comprehend subtle truth. Modern scientists have, to a very large extent, engaged themselves in discovering subtle truths with the help of delicate instruments. Crude instruments cannot reveal subtle truth. They have split the atom and perceived the tiny particles of which it is composed. This could be done only with the help of delicate instruments. A sword, howsoever sharp it may be, cannot split the atom. Even most powerful lenses cannot enable us to perceive the atom. These are crude instruments and they cannot comprehend reality, which is absolutely subtle. The key to the success of scientific pursuits is the invention and production of delicate apparatuses. We may call these extremely delicate instruments super sensual instruments.
What the sense organs cannot perceive may be comprehended by means of these instruments and apparatuses. Super sensual instruments can comprehend the subtle truths, which cannot be grasped by consciousness dependent on the sense organs.
The term super sensual does not mean the achievement of supreme truth. Super sensual consciousness does not mean merely the consciousness of the achievement of supreme truth. The only function of super sensual consciousness is to achieve supreme truth. But it is also the basic consciousness, the base of all kinds of consciousness. The mountain Himalaya is not only the peaks but also the base on which the peaks stand. Super sensual consciousness is not only the peak of consciousness; it is also the base of consciousness. Its function is to know that which cannot be known by the sense organs.
It is matter of pity and regret that the modern philosopher has neglected the sensual as well as the super sensual means of knowing truth. He is neither a full-fledged philosopher nor an accomplished scientist. He has neither the insight of the ancient philosopher, nor the delicate instruments of the modern scientist, which are capable of revealing subtle truth. He is deprived of both. The only instrument with which he can work is logic. He can neither justify statements nor denounce them. It seems that the modern philosopher has become a legal advocate. He applies laws to particular cases to disprove the contentions of his opponents. He does not need super sensual knowledge.
Philosophy is in a strange position today. It occupies a pitiable place among the different branches of science. In the universities there are a very few students in the discipline of philosophy as compared with thousands of students who lock to the faculty of sciences.
Preksa meditation is a method of perception. Ancient philosophers were known as Risis or perceivers. They disappeared in the course of time. Seeing their disappearance the gods wondered who would now support them. They were told that from now onwards they would have to seek support in logic. Thus logic became important.
Philosophy based on perception enables us to realize the self, to bring about a synthesis in life and to develop the spirit of tolerance and friendliness. Philosophy based on logic breeds struggles, controversies and conquest of others. Medieval works of philosophy are only logical and metaphysical presentations of philosophical doctrines. They are polemics, which carry on an argument to disprove the contentions of opponents. They are elaborate reasoning to prove the correctness of the authors' thesis and the incorrectness of those of their adversaries. They are models of the art of debating to defeat the opponents. Every system of philosophy became argumentative with the result that the original purpose of philosophy, which was based on direct perception of reality, came to be defeated. This gave rise to formidable intellectual controversies.
The area of experience is indivisible. Experience knows no limit. What were experienced thousands of years ago can be experienced by any one today also. Consciousness is consciousness and we cannot divide it. Religion and spiritualism are not two separate disciplines. It is philosophy based on logic, which affects divisions and breeds controversies. Therefore, there is a need to base philosophy once again on the foundations of experience and direct perception. With the tremendous progress made by the different branches of science it has become all the more necessary to open a new chapter in philosophical thinking based on pure knowledge. It is not possible to arouse super-mental consciousness until this new chapter in philosophy has been opened, otherwise queries and questions regarding philosophy and religion cannot be satisfactorily answered.