Acharya Mahaprajna
First the dawning of an idea and the very next moment its concrete image - this is possible only in the case of a devout, self-abnegating ascetic. The great ascetic Gurudev Shri Tulsi had a dream of a one-week series of discourses. It was duly communicated; a plan was formulated and implemented.
The discourses are structured on three basic themes:
- Anuvrat
- Preksha Dhyan
- Jeevan Vigyan
Anuvrat is a code of conduct of nonviolence, of non-sectarian religion or universal religion. There are many causes, conceptions and contexts of violence. The notion of intense egoism lies at the back of racial frenzy; that of strong conceit and being self-opinionated behind communalism. These notions have led man to violence. Society is afraid of aggressive violence and the whole environment is being polluted because of unnecessary violence. Use of drugs is an open invitation to criminality. Is it possible for any society to remain healthy by abandoning integrity and probity? There is no doubt that violence, terror, fear and aggressiveness are on the increase. Anuvrat is a sacred resolve to give up violence and adopt nonviolence, and the first principle of transforming the individual and society is a good resolve. The process of inner change sets in with the development of will power or resoluteness.
It is not an easy task to change an individual or society. Changing a system is difficult, but changing individuals and society is far more difficult. It was this fact, which gave a new dimension to prekshadhyan. It was seen that individuals and society under a system of tight control and harsh penal laws for a long time apparently looked attractive, but could not become beautiful from within. What is needed for a man to have inner attraction is change of heart or chemical change in the language of science.
Practice of prekshadhyan is an exercise in creating inner beauty. It is highly valuable for developing self-confidence, tolerance, patience and emotional balance. Society would have ascended a high pedestal if we had given proper value to concentration. Fickleness and unsteadiness of mind have contributed to sorrow and despair. A person who values deep trance and mental peace not only changes himself but gives momentum to the general process of transformation.
The question concerning when the process of transformation should begin is both serious and important. A student can lead >a successful life if he comes by the formula of transformation of cultivating right traits and rooting out wrong traits. The experiment of jeevan vigyan began as a result of the above notion. Assertions like “Education imparts humility” and “Education is that which liberates” are fast turning into relics of history. It is the crying need of the day to understand their present-day relevance. Can any individual or society lead a tension-free life in the absence of tolerance, patience, goodwill, compassion and sensitiveness?
Economic development and surfeit of consumer goods cannot reduce violence and crime. On the contrary, they can be instrumental in increasing them. The future of humanity lies in a balanced development of labour, wealth and self-restraint. Labour and wealth represent the basic aspects of life. On the other hand, self-restraint represents life's spiritual aspect. A mentally steady life is impossible to conceive if education or training is not based on all the three. Experiments in jeevan vigyan are experiments in steadfastness of life; they are experiments in harmonizing of value-oriented education and education in Yoga. The present book New Man: Mew World is aimed at providing the background knowledge of the above experiments.
It is hoped that what has manifested itself in the consecrated proximity of revered Gurudev will turn out to be a beacon for the world. It will not be out of place to mention the dedicated labour of Muni Dhananjay Kumar in editing the book.
Acharya Mahaprajna
