Transmutation of Personality through Preksha Meditation

282 Pages·2011·5.1 MB·English

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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
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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
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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 relig
ion, 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 origi
nal. 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
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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
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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 experi
ences within himself a unique transformation.
HI
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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 scien
tific 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
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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 see
ing, 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
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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 (enti
tled 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 read
ers' 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
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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
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