Education and the Problem
of the Mind
Meditation is one of the means of unravelling the mysteries
of the mind and of cleansing the mind. This cleansing, purging, and
refining is very important. For proper and adequate management of all our
activities both refinement and nourishment are necessary. Meditation is
the process of both refinement and nourishment. Hence, it should be a
compulsory component of our education. In fact, education can be
comprehensive and inclusive only when it also incorporates the spiritual
science and training in meditation.
Problems can be solved only when consciousness is kept at
the centre and all other things at the periphery. All our thinking should
be directed to the determining of the effect an activity or action will
have on the consciousness. What may appear momentarily beneficial may have
a baneful long-term effect on the consciousness. It is worth reflecting
what cumulative impact particular activity will have on the consciousness
and what its ultimate consequences will be. Such an attitude of reflection
is conducive to the solution of problems, whereas a body-centred attitude
inevitably complicates problems. Mere catering to physical needs and even
ensuring intellectual and mental development, however important though
they may be, is not enough. Here it is worth remembering, that mental
development is not the same as competence in solving mental problems. This
is not surprising because mental development largely involves sharpness of
memory and an ability to think and imagine. This by itself cannot ensure
the ability to resolve mental problems. Moreover, it is also true that
these problems gain in complexity as the mind develops.
There is nothing in our present-day education that can help
people solve this dilemrna -imagination being at once the cause of mental
development and mental problems. Inadequacy of the education system in
this respect calls for paying greater heed to meditation and spirituality
being made compulsory components of the system.
Meditation does not mean merely sitting down with eyes
closed, or resting and relaxing for a while.
We will be mistaken to believe that mere preaching can
bring about a lasting change in someone's dispositions. But by changing
the flow of the secretions or by restoring the balance of the endocrinal
secretions, the desired results can be achieved. Bad thoughts, however,
change the nature of the inner secretions. Thus, inordinate fear
completely upsets the central nervous system and excessive anger puts the
glandular mechanism entirely out of order. Brain nerves are also affected
as they are vitally connected with thoughts. There is no dearth of advice
as to the desirability of giving up evil thoughts and replacing them by
sublime ones. But very little has been said about how to bring it about.
And not unnaturally so, since the 'how' is more a matter of experience and
practice than of words. There is a simple way of changing the flow of the
secretions - resorting to long breaths. As breathing slows down, the
consciousness gets pitched into the present. Breathing exercise is
therefore the best way to achieve the goal.
Having known the secret of living in the present, of
keeping consciousness confined to the present, he will automatically
master the art of controlling the endocrinal secretions. He will be able
to alter them at will. Should he find lust overcoming him, he should at
once start taking long breaths. Both the pituitary and the pineal will get
oriented to the present and lust will first weaken and then altogether
disappear.
Whatever and howsoever strong be the passion or base
disposition, it can be successfully and effectively countered through
resort to long breaths, body-perception and perception of and
concentration on the centre of consciousness, especially the tip of the
nose, the centre of the eyebrows and the forehead. The endocrinal
secretions will be automatically transformed.
A right turn of the consciousness will change the
secretions and that in turn will transform the dispositions. For such a
complete transformation we will have to acquire complete understanding of
our mental problems, their nature, process, source, the secretion causing
them and the way to change it. All this constitutes an interlocking chain,
a grid. Once it is mastered, the man given to meditation becomes the maker
of his own personality and the arbiter of his own destiny. For this it is
necessary to learn the art of physical relaxation, silence, concentration
and 'thoughtlessness' (freedom from thoughts). Such a state of
'thoughtlessness' is the highest stage of consciousness.
|
