PREKSHA MEDITATION - AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE ANUVRAT WAY OF LIFE

By Acharya Tulsi

PREKSHA MEDITATION

The progress or regress of a society is best judged by the thoughts and behaviour of its people. The individual is a unit of society. Its progress or prosperity will be in proportion to his integrity and morality. The basis of moral progress lies in ethical thoughts. Thoughts and behaviour are mutually interactive. The development of will-power is essential for the purity of both.

        A vow means the development of will-power. The greater its degree, the greater is one's success in life. It becomes stronger by regular practice and dedicated efforts (sadhana). For this reason the practice of Preksha Meditation has in recent years been added to that of anuvrat. It affects the secretion of the endocrine glands and this in turn brings about an inner transformation of the individual. As will-power cannot remain stable without an inner transformation, Preksha Meditation has become an integral part of the discipline of anuvrat. As a result it has been given prominence under the rules of anuvrat sadhana

        The developed form of a vow is acquired after a series of sustained efforts. It originates in the form of an atom. In truth the power of an atom is infinite.

        Even an atom of a vow can emancipate a man from the greatest fear.

        The vow is the dividing line between one individual and another. It is a restraint a man subjects himself to willingly and not something imposed from the outside. Individuals differ in their capacity for exercising restraint. That is why vows are many and varied. How many vows one would observe depends upon one's innate capacity. Anuvrat represents the basic minimum limit of human restraint. It is a way of realizing self through love, friendship and restraint. With the dawn of self-restraint in the individual all weaknesses disappear.

        The context of morality is very wide. It is not confined to mere refraining from a resort to malpractices in business or bribery, for immorality can also take numerous other forms like hatred emanating from sectarianism , casteism, apartheid, manufacture of destructive weapons and desire for expansionism. From the above point of view the range between the extremes of morality and immorality is enormous. It is equally noteworthy that religion in essence ought not to be grounded in rituals but in the building of character. It is on these bases that the Anuvrat code of conduct has been designed.