Acharya Mahapragya Blog
Building a New Life (Naye jeevan ka nirmaan) (1/2)
(This post is based on Acharya Mahapragya’s book Naye Jeevan Ka Nirmaan)
Today’s period is of science and technology. A technological period means - A period of energy. Technology exists because of energy. If energy finishes, so will technology.
A human being is a source of energy. A human is a prani or pranawala - one who has prana. Prana implies energy. Every living being requires prana or energy. A human is a developed species and therefore requires more prana or energy.
Every prani has infinite energy. This is said by all religions but there has been no such experience. Nobody can experience infinite energy as the body will not be able to take it. If such energy displays in a weak body, the body will break. One needs to make the body and mind so strong that energy in its full potential can come up.
Restraints to energy
The reason why energy is not shining forth in individuals is because of restraints. The biggest restraint is fear. We do not only fear the bad, we fear the good also. Only the one who is lost in memories of the past and hallucinations for the future, experiences fear. The witness never experiences fear. He/she only sees the truth. Fear occurs because of kalpnaye or hallucinations. More the hallucinations, more the fear.
The one who starts the practice of seeing, he/she has chosen the road to destroying his/her fear. Fear cannot survive it.
The second restraint is laziness. A bad habit is not doing despite having the ability to do. If this habit can be changed, a big source of energy shines forth through the person. If you observe life, you will see that a man loses many successes because he can do many things but he did not do them. Then repentance comes up and thinks along these lines - oh! Even I could do that.
The most important thing is that a man is unaware of his abilities or energy and even if he is aware, he loses that work in his laziness.
A good human being is the one who has faith in himself and his energy. Muftkhori is a restraint on energy. It does not breed skills and ability. The one who has not put in his efforts and not carried out his responsibilities with his purusharth, he lives an irresponsible life.
The third restraint is unawareness of utilization of one’s energy. If one does not use energy, the energy dwindles. The one who uses his full energy, his reserves of energy increase. We have seen if a 70 year old uses his full energy, he is young from the point of view of purusharth and a youth feels old if he fails to make use of his energy expanse. Once a milkman had a milk giving cow. She used to give 3kg of milk every day. His daughter’s wedding was just around the corner. He thought, the cow gives 90 kilos milk every month. So let me take milk at the end of the month. Thinking this he stopped milking the cow. After 30 days, he started milking the cow - nothing came out of her.
Similarly the law of energy is to use it or else it dwindles. Our brain has the power to analyse, contemplate, reflect and apply knowledge. If one does not use them, they will collapse. The law to increase energy is to to use it.
Ayurveda speaks of yog, ayog and atiyog. Ayog means not using energy. Atiyog means working beyond a certain limit. Both are harmful. This implies using the brain, body, mind and speech in appropriate manner so that our energy can always be functional.
The limit of our energy is - one’s consciousness uniting with the supreme consciousness. This is the highest human potential.
Ways to develop energy
In this subject we need to know where we drive our energy and in what form do we use it.
First guideline is living on a basis of some rules. A person who eats at a time appropriate for bathing and eats at a time appropriate for sleeping, that person cannot make good usage of his energy expanse. His energies get wasted. Jain agam provides a famous sutra - kale kalam smayre – do your work on time. Failing to do so, people face many diseases.
Second guideline is the ability to be alone. Being alone in the midst of society - this is the key to success. When the crowd of thousand people occupy a place in the mind, the problem begins. The one, who can be alone, can focus single pointedly.
Third point is to have willpower - have a do or die attitude towards the task ahead.