Preksha Dhyana: Human Body Part II (Health Care): [0] Introduction

Although mankind has always been a prey to a variety of ills and diseases, population growth, technology-based hectic way of life and rapidly changing conditions of modern life-style, the needs of health-care have grown explosively and it has taken on an importance never before equalled. Basic to the care of the health is a thorough knowledge of the human body.

In the previous part, we have already dealt with the structures and the functions of the important systems of the body. In this part we shall mainly deal with the condi­tions of the human body, both in health and in disease. Modern life-style has created a revolution in our way of life, dramatically increasing mobility and bringing with them a host of new problems affecting the health sciences. The clothes we wear and the foods we eat contain chemical substances that did not exist a century ago.

With the knowledge of the functions of our internal organs, we must become aware of their disfunctions and the abuses to which we subject them. We must, for example, think of our diet and its effect on our digestive system and, in particular, on liver. Cramming our stomach with fatty foods and alcohol is detrimental to our liver and gall bladder. Then again, just as we value the normal civilized practices of external cleanliness—bathing, tooth-cleaning, etc. - as a measure of self-respect, so must we value the proper cleaning of our internal organs as a monitor of our good health. We often resort to laxatives and liver pills to offset the vague ill-health of indigestion, constipation and billiousness. But these off-the-shelf remedies, while providing temporary relief by cathartic action, create a repetition of the conditions they are supposed to cure. We must, therefore, learn to prevent constipation etc. by a sensible diet, physical exercises and natural rhythm of the bowel movement rather than try to cure it by laxatives. Prevent the erosion of your liver, decay of your teeth, inflammation of your stomach and filling of your lungs with tar deposits.

Fortunately science has provided means to more profound knowledge of the body and has also provided us with an unprecedented arsenal of weapons in the fight against disease and death.

Do you know:

That more than 40 elements are critical for the proper functioning of the body and must be supplied by food intake?

That pasteurization of milk destroys its natural vitamin 'C' content?

That antibiotics kill the population of friendly intestinal bacteria, leaving the body without its normal supply of valuable vitamins which were produced by the intestinal bacteria?

That continuing physical activities and a regular programme of yoga and exercises could effectively retard the aging process?

That a short period of scientific relaxation can invigorate us more efficiently than a long period of sleep?

And finally:

What produces psychological distortions, (such as cruelty, hatred, retaliation) in human tendencies and irrational behaviour in man?

That meditational practice is not an irrational emotional or religious experience but a deliberate mental operation of scientific psycho-therapy to maintain perfect emotional health?

This small booklet is an attempt to give you answers to these and scores of other irritating questions regarding health and diseases, aging and death. Needless to say that it would be difficult for the reader to grasp the significance of the words in this booklet unless he has acquired basic knowledge of anatomy & physiology which has been dealt with in Part I.

This modest effort is dedicated to all those who are desirous of living a vigorous youthful life upto the last breath by maintaining physical, mental and emotional health.

Preksha-Dhyana can be learnt and practised by anybody without distinction of caste, colour, country or creed. There is no communal or theological bias nor does it insist on any particular theological belief.

We are grateful to Yugapradhana Acharya Shri Tulsi and his successor-designate Yuvacharya Shri Mahaprajna for their constant guidance. These two great spiritual saints have truly blessed the entire human race with the boon of Preksha-Dhyana, and we are confident that all and sundry will be benefited by learning and practising this universal and easy-to-learn technique of Preksha-Dhyana.

There permanent training centres have been estab­lished viz. 1. Tulsi Adhyatma Nidam at Jain Vishva Bharti, Ladnun, (Rajasthan), 2. Adhyatma Sadhana Kendra at Mehrauli, New Delhi, 3. Tulsi Sadhana Shikhar at Rajsamand (Rajasthan).