Spiritual Path Of Progress

Deccan Herald

Man is a living being endowed with a mind, and thinking is a function of the mind...

Other animals possess a mind too, but their brain is not much developed; so their power of thinking is limited. However, thanks to his highly developed brain, man’s capacity for thought is almost unlimited.

The body and the mind are intimately connected with each other. The body influences the mind and is in turn influenced by the mind. However, the mind affects the body much more. A study of the mutual interdependence of the body and the mind reveals that when a man’s thinking is positive and constructive, his body too keeps in perfect condition.

On the other hand, negative or destructive thinking results in the malfunctioning of the body. All thinking emanating from delusion and/or attachment is negative, whereas reasoning is ever positive and constructive.

Constructive thinking helps in bettering social and human relations and the path of development and progress is cleared thereby. Negative feelings create bitterness in social and human relations, thus obstructing the path of progress.

The practice of preksha dhyana serves to wipe out negative emotions and promote positive thinking. The evolution of our world is the evolution for change.

Without change, there can be no development. While man has ach-ieved tremendous success in changing the external environment, his success regarding the inner environment is limited.

A complete change of heart takes place only when there is inner transformation. The inner transformation is threefold transformation of emotion, thought, and transformation of the body-chemistry. It is the feeling which gives rise to thought and not vice-versa. Like feeling, like thought.

With a change in feeling, there occurs a corresponding change in thought. When the mind undergoes a transformation and thought changes, body’d inner chemistry also undergoes a change. That marks the beginning of a complete change of heart.

The technique of changing the feeling, the thoughts and the chemistry of the body is a composite one. It is technique of transmuting the endocrine output, of purifying the heart and the mind.

For principles underlie this change of concentration, equanimity, awareness, freedom from attachment, freedom from delusion, freedom from fear.