Acharya Tulsi
There is a disease in Psychology which is called, ‘Psychofrenia'. This disease affects the thoughts of man. Man is a though creature. Thought generates from brain. He has a developed brain that is why he thinks. He discriminates between beneficial and non-beneficial aspects. He identifies insiders and outsiders. Due to the above disease, process of thought declines. This damages intellectual personality. Shy mentality is one of its symptoms. It’s another symptom is adhering to illusive thoughts. He suspects himself and his relatives without any reason. Some people become lethargic without any reason. It is a psychological truth that this disease attacks such people.
Habit is also a mental condition. It may be good or bad. Normally will-power is required for cropping up good habits. Person of shaky will-power cannot crop up good habits even though he is desirous to have the same. To the country bad habits begin to affect without making any effort. May he be a boy, young or aged? —each may be a victim of bed habits. Initially it is not felt. When its roots become deep further, person feels compulsion. He knows that a specific habit is harmful; still he is not able to come out of its clutch.
Psychology has prescribed two measures to change the habit— psychological treatment and behavioural treatment. Concentrated effort for sound mental set-up is very significant. Man’s mind changes frequently. Such fickling mentality affects the body, mind and environment as a whole. Mentality of momentarily angry and momentarily appeased (क्षणेसृष्टा क्षणेतुष्ट) is an obstacle for building up personality. In psychotherapy, clues to understand mind and to change it, are explained.
Behaviour of some persons becomes abnormal. Abnormality is observed on insignificant ways of behaviour like food-habits, living-style, thought-process, manner of speaking etc. No person becomes abnormal without any reason. Due to disruption of physical condition or mental condition—it may so happen. Even after medical check-up of some abnormal persons, no conclusive observation is found out. It may be possible that the reasons of abnormality are existing in their subconscious state of mind. Unless it is diagnosed, proper treatment of the disease cannot be done.
There is a five-point programme for changing habits in the method of Prekshadhyan (प्रेक्षाध्यान पध्दति). First formula is trust. First of all the trust on our self is to be built up that a particular habit may be changed. If there is no seed, how fruits can grow? If trust is not based on correct path, how the bold manliness will be guided? The lamp of hope is to be lightened on the floor of trust. Unless the result of any work is prominent, a hopeful person may be successful to turn an impossible one into possible one. If the lamp of trust is lightened on the floor of trust, but it is not oiled by belief, how long it will lighten? In order to sustain belief, contribution of will-power is required. It is observed that there is no lack of capacity within a man, but in the absence of will-power, capacity is not utilized fully. The measure of strong will-power is —Self-motivation. Self-motivation provides an opportunity to a mentally shattered person to mend himself. That is why it has significant role in psychological treatment.
Some people are inclined to physical force for changing habits. If any habit is to be given up that habit is to be accentuated—such advice is given to get rid of the same and somewhere it may be successful. But this experiment is not applicable to each habit. Each person will certainly get the benefit of Prekshadhyan Method (प्रेक्षाध्यान पध्दति). Why such tenacious intention‘? Each one has his own belief and success is evaluated on the basis of it. I believe that if man wholeheartedly wishes to change himself and make bold efforts continuously, he can go ahead towards destined goal.
