Transmutation of Personality through Preksha Meditation

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Transmutation of Personality Through Preksha Meditation

GANADHIP ATI 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 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 summum 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 Preceptor, Acharya Sri Tulsi. Both my wife and I are fortunate to have in ample measure his love and blessings. No words can repay our debt to him.

R. K. Seth

Jain Vishva Bharati Ladnun· 341 306

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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 exterior 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 remains 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