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www.holybooks.com , Transmutation of Personality Through Preksha Meditation GANADHIPA TI TUI.SI Translated into English by R. K. SETH JAIN VISHV A BHARATI LADNUN 341 306 INDIA www.holybooks.com Transmutation of Personality Through Preksha Meditation Editor Sadhvipramukha Kanakprabha Publisher Jain Vishva Bharati, Ladnun © Jain Vishva Bharati, Ladnun First English Edition 1994 Price Rs. 100 / - US$10 ISB No. Printed by : Sunil Jain, GRAPHIC PRINT 2330, Kucha Chellan, Darya Ganj, New Delhi-2 www.holybooks.com TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE I have to date translated into English five books of Yuvacharya Sri Mahaprajna, but of Acharya Sri Tulsi's numerous works, I have had the privilege of translating only two. The present volume is a free translation of Preksha-Anupreksha, whose subject is the background and technique of preksha meditation and other related topics. During the course of translation, I practised each and every precept given in this book a11d found the whole exercise most invigorating. The purpose of religion, according to Acharya Sri, is to render the mind clean and this purpose can only be accomplished by a regular and continued practice of meditation. Meditation, thus, constitutes the soul of religion. May the present reader discover it for himself! Acharya Sri's Hindi couplets at the head of various chapters outlining the different stages of meditation, I have rendered into free verse, with a view to imparting to the English-knowing reader some flavour of the original. How far I have succeeded, only the discriminating readers can tell. As usual, I take this occasion to reiterate my heartfelt gratitude to my friend, Dr. Prem Nath Jain who first introduced me to the great Jain saints of modem India. I am also most grateful to Jetha Bhaiji and Muni Shri Mahendra Kumarji, whose loving guidan,e and active cooperation have helped me rid this transtation of many inadequacies. The title in English, "Transmulation of Personality Through Preksha Meditation" and certain www.holybooks.com modifications in the text in keeping with the spirit of the original were decided in consultation with them. Grateful thanks are due to Jain Vishva Bharati, the sponsors of the present series of translations, who have provided me with all amenities for the prosecution of my work. Indeed, Jain Vishva Bharati has become for me a cherished home in the evening of my life. What I have gained here--supreme ecstasy-I regard to be the sum- mum bonum of life. It would be my constant endeavour, through my work, to repay in some measure, however inadequate, the immeasurable benefits I have derived from living in close proximity with the saints, sadhvis, samans and samanis. For me, in the words of a poet:, If there is a heaven on earth, it is here, here, here! Finally, all great work in the Terapanthic Order gets done with the benediction of its eternally dynamic Pre- ceptor, Acharya Sri Tulsi. Both my wife and I are fortu- nate to have in ample measure his love and blessings. No words can repay our debt to him. Jain Vishva Bharati R. K. Seth Ladnun· 341 306 ii www.holybooks.com AUTHOR'S PREFACE "Observe the soul through the medium of the soul" -this saying of Lord Mahavir arouses in the mind an unquenchable thirst for self-knowledge. Even otherwise, the desire for self-knowledge is innate in man. Man wants to see himself as he is, and he wants to know what other people think of him. Until he learns the technique of inner observation, man's gaze is confined to the exte- rior organism. He wants to feel that his body is beautiful and he wants to display this beauty to others. For this he even resorts to the use of cosmetics. When, after a thorough make-up, he holds a mirror in his hand and looks into it, or sees his image reflected in a full-sized mirror, he stands fascinated by his own beauty. Man does not know that there is an element in his body which is naturally sublime, whose splendour never palls and re- mains unaffected by disease and old age. Physical beauty is transient, liable to be marred by the cruel stroke of time. Should we not then strive for a glimpse of that beauty which is beyond time and matter? That inner beauty is the beauty of the soul. To witness that requires the opening of the inward eye. One with the eyes of the flesh alone can never approach it, because it is form.less. Preksha is one of the ways in which that immortal beauty may be observed. The word 'preksha' is generally used in the sense of seeing; but here we mean by it a special technique, which takes us from the· gross physical world to the subtle world of the soul; which makes the unknown manifest itself. In fact, it is a method of meditation, the user of which experiences within himself a unique transformation. HI www.holybooks.com Yoga-vidya or the technique of meditation is a prominent feature of our spiritual heritage. Many kinds of yoga-systems are prevalent in our country. Among these, the technique of preksha dhyana has newly emerged. Despite its recent emergence, however, this technique has proved its utility and has attract<1d the attention of the intelligentsia. A question may arise as to the reason behind the popularity of this new technique as compared to other techniques of meditation which have been prevalent in the country for thousands of years. In my opinion there are two reasons for it: (i) This method is not traditional or based upon hearsay, but upon direct experience; and (ii) No method of meditation can be acceptable today unless it is scientific. Preksha is a scientific system. Many doctors have examined its working through the use of scientific instru- ments, and the results have been astounding indeed. Most of the people who have practised preksha meditation, are of the view that this method is in no way inferior to any other system of meditation prevailing in the country. If properly practised with deep faith, preksha dhyana can greatly help in the attainment of self-realization. There is no correspondence between words and direct experience. When an individual touches the pro- fundity of experience through consistent endeavour, he does not want to abandon it. Somewhat similar is the attraction of preksha dhyana. Until a man passes through the practice of preksha, everything looks as in a dream. Sometimes he takes the transformation or his unique IV www.holybooks.com experience to be fanciful exaggeration. But good wine needs no bush. We often tell the seekers that in order to know what preksha dhyana is, they must listen to what they are told, and then experience it for themselves through practice. To practise merely for the sake of practice is one thing, but when one assimilates through practice what one has heard or read, with the develop- ment of the capacity for dispassionate knowing and seeing, one experiences within oneself an indescribable joy. This joy can only be felt, not expressed in words. The system of preksha meditation is very simple; it is also very effective. Its theory and practice are fully explained at various preksha meditation camps and the campers are made to do practical exercises. In this con- text, scientific study and experiments have laid bare many secrets, and it may be said that the door to new possibilities in the future is wide open. One of the reasons for increasing interest in preksha meditation is its literature. It is through this literature that many intellectuals have had their first acquaintance with preksha meditation; after having gone through it, they are inspired to establish a direct contact with us and to ·participate in a meditation camp. While literature on preksha meditation was being contemplated, need was felt for books which would arouse the readers' interest in this subject and fill them with a new ardour. Keeping this in mind, some verses were composed in Hindi and on the basis of those Hindi couplets a book, couched in the form of questions and answers, was prepared to primarily serve as an introduction to preksha meditation. It was entitled Preksha-Anupreksha. In the exposition of the questions forming the basis of this book, we have had ready cooperation of Yuvacharya Mahaprajna who has, in fact, spent most V www.holybooks.com valuable moments of his life in evolving the technique of preksha meditation. His discovery of the elements of preksha broadcast in the Agamas through profound study of Agamic literature and his steadfast practice of those elements in his personal life, are known to all. Even today he is fully engaged in developing further the technique of preksha meditation. Mahashramani Sadhvipramukha Kanakprabha's contribution in the collection and editing of Preksha- A nupreksha is a matter of deep gratification to herself. Indeed, the editing of my literature forms the principal part of her literary sadhana. This English translation of Preksha-Anupreksha (entitled Transmutation of Personality Through Preksha Medita- tion) is meant for those seekers who are interested in preksha literature but are not conversant with Hindi. To ensure that language does not constitute an obstacle in the resolution of their queries, the present endeavour of Jain Vishva Bharati, it is hoped, would prove to be extremely beneficial. That this detailed commentary on the system of preksha meditation should help in awakening the readers' inner vision and take them to the point of observing their soul through the soul itself, is our main objective. Jain Vishva Bharati, - Ganadhipati Tulsi Ladnun 26 January, 1994 VI www.holybooks.com EDITOR'S NOTE The French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte said, "There are only two powers in the world-the sword and the pen. The power of the sword is manifest, but in the end it is always conquered by the pen." That this is the opinion of all thoughtful people of the world, cannot be said with certainty, but undoubteJly, the point of the pen is no less sharp than that of the sword. When a writer touches paper with the point of his pen, it em- bodies all possibilities of creation and destruction. The writer is an independent thinker. However, he cannot ignore the demands of space and time, of the individual and social environment in which he lives. A writer's first objective is to coordinate whatever he hears, sees and experiences at the level of sensation with his creative moments. Only he who has achieved this first objective can truly fulfil his responsibility as a writer. Acharya Tulsi is the Acharya of a religious organi- sation, but first and foremost he is a saint. And in his individual capacity his sainthood touches the highest point of excellence. In the eyes of the community, he is an administrator. Fifty years' mature experience in the field of administration has made administering also a part of his sadhana. Acharya Sri's style of discourse is also unique and highly effective. To be an orator is nothing unnatural for an administrator-the two go to- gether. Some administrators are also writers. However, the administrator and the poet move in opposite direc- tions. Poetry is an expression of exquisite feelings being nurtured in an individual's inmost consciousness, whereas feeling as such has very little to do with VII www.holybooks.com