Science Of Living: 01.2

Man's mental attitude is the base for his behavioural pattern. All attitudes can be grouped under two categories - positive and negative. Modern psychology has analysed various attitudes and the following table gives both types of attitudinal activators with their corresponding results:

DYNAMICS OF ATTITUDE

 The comprehensive education must aim at enhancing and developing the positive attitudes and inhibiting and subduing the negative ones. The conventional academic education is totally incapable of achieving this. A graduate in ail the branches of the conventional educational courses cannot enhance his ability to cope up with the emotional stress and mental tension by a single point, cannot develop his power of mental equilibrium and cannot develop positive attitudes unless he has been also educated by Science of Living. It is supplementary education designed to achieve all the above virtues by awakening and developing man's own inherent powers. It has the capability of creating a personality which justifies man's claim being the highest product of evolution. It aims, at not only physical and mental good but total good. Suggestions and proposals are often made to include moral education in the school or college curriculum. It must, however, be kept in mind that purely preaching-oriented education has very limited influence on development of good character. This is because preaching by itself has little capacity to create conditions which fight the forces of primal drives. Practical training and regular practice is also essential. It is obvious then that moral education should consist of theoretical as well as practical elements. The latter alone can reach the regulatory system which produces mental states and behavioural patterns. 

 It has now been established that the secretions of hormones from our endocrines (ductless glands) are responsible for our mental attitudes and behaviour. The hormones interact and control various functions of our nervous system, particularly the autonomic nervous system. Enormous stress conditions and resulting tensions have forced our endocrines to be overloaded and their products have been vitiated. The homeostatic balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic components of the autonomic system has been destroyed resulting in sympathetic dominance. This is the main cause of negative attitudes dominating the minds of our scholars and learned persons. If the secretion of hormones by the entire endocrine system (sometimes called the endocrine orchestra) is harmonized, a more balanced equilibrium between the two opposing components of the autonomic nervous system can be established. Then and only then the various problems discussed above can be solved. The curriculum of Science of Living is a step in this direction. 

 It prescribes a comprehensive course for achieving social health. It is believed that physical and mental health of the individual primarily depend on emotional health and only when physical, mental and emotional health of the individual are achieved could it give rise to social health. All the four are interdependent and complementary to each other and constitute an integral whole.

 Syllabi 

 The Science of Living is a training course based on scientific principles. It comprises various branches of learning drawn from both-modern sciences and ancient sciences as well as humanities. The main emphasis is on practical training and regular practice. The theoretical studies, however, are also included in the syllabi, mainly in order to comprehend the fundamental theories and hypotheses made use of in the practical exercises. 

 The following branches of learning are the main constituents of the syllabus: 

 A. Modern Sciences

1. Anatomy (Human body)
2. Physiology (Human body)
3. Endocrinology
4. Neurology
5. Psychology (including Physiological Psychology)
6. Parapsychology (E.S.P. etc.)
7. Ecology
8. Biology (including Biophysics, Biochemistry)
9. Dietetics
10. Health Sciences
11. Suggestology
12. Magneto-therapy
13. Psychotherapy
14. Psychiatry

 B. Humanities & Ancient Sciences

1. Philosophy
2. Education (mainly value-education)
3. Religion (comparative)
4. Yoga (theoretical & practical)
5. Peace-research
6. Non-violence
7. Meditation (theoretical & practical)
8. Sociology
9. Training in non-violence for conflict-resolution
10. Karma-shastra (Science of karma)
11. Ayurveda, Nature-cure, Acupuncture, Acupressure and other therapies (other than Allopathic system)
12. Prana-Vigyan
13. Mantra-Vigyan
14. Healing techniques
15. Spiritualist Sciences for ultimate intrinsic transformation.
    

       The following are the main steps in practical training: 

1.  Yogic Physical Exercises:To give exercise to all muscles, limbs, and other external organs. 
2.  Yogic Asanas:To give exercise to deep-seated organs and control their activity. 
3.  Pranayam:Conscious control and regulation of breathe results in determination and increase of will-power; control on the autonomic nervous system is reached. 
4.  Relaxation (with self-awareness) (Kayotsarga):To make the mind and body free from physical (muscular), mental (nervous) and emotional tensions. 
5.  PrekshaDhyan: It is a process of awakening one's own reasoning mind (viveka) and thereby controls one's passions and emotions. It is based on the principle of engaging one's mind by concentrating on perception rather than on thought. The perception, again, is that of internal phenomena of consciousness and not that of external objects. It is a technique of seeing one's inner self. It consists of: Regulation and ultimate control of (a) respiratory and other physiological functions, (b) nervous system, (c) endocrine (ductless glands) system and (d) subtle inherent vibrations which produce passions.