Prekshadhyan: A Scientific Approach

The concept of preksha dhyan can be considered as one of the major breakthroughs of this century in the field of biomedical sciences. The world of today is full of tensions and people are facing various health issues, both physical and mental. The scope and application of preksha dhyan for treatment of a large number of diseases and disorders is undoubtedly great and already significant achievements have been in this direction.

Keywords: Preksha dhyan, pranayama.

Introduction:

Preksha dhyan which has its origin in Jainism, is a combination of principles of ancient Jain religious scriptures as well as modern science originating from the times of lord Rishab Dev who was the propounder and first Tirthankar of Jainism. This technique has finally reached the present times of Jain saints Acharaya Tulsi and Acharaya Mahapragya ji.

Preksha dhyan:

There are many logical spiritual practices prevalent in the world. Preksha Dhyan is one of them. This technique in its present form was conceptualized by Acharya Mahapragya ji. Preksha Dhyan leads to a balanced, blissful life, stress free, life full of piece and enlightened in all respects. It helps one to connect with his/her soul at its most profound level achieving a state of super consciousness or self-realization and self-awakening. There are eight primary techniques of preksha dhyan and four secondary techniques. The primary techniques are:

• Kayotsarga (Deep relaxation with self-awareness).
• Antaryatra (The journey within self).
• Shvaas preksha (Awareness of breath).
• Sharir preksha (Awareness of body).
• Chaitanaya Kendra preksha (Awareness of psychic centres).
• Leshya dhyan (Awareness of psychic colors).
• Anupreksha (Contemplation or full concentration on a single conception or fearlessness).
• Bhavna (Right conception or notion).

The secondary techniques include Mantra chanting, mudras, yogasans and pranayama.

The above techniques help an individual in purification of emotions and consciousness. Continuous practice of preksha dhyan brings positive changes in one’s personality. With preksha dhyan one can overcome negative emotions and feelings including anger, hatred, jealousy, envy, greed, fear, violence, and emotional disturbance. Apart from enhancing positiveness, preksha dhyan also helps in increasing will power, memory, self confidence, decision making and understanding. Preksha dhyan also helps an individual to enhance one’s physical fitness by strengthening immunity, controlling blood pressure, improving functioning of nervous system, endocrine and circulatory system.

The spiritual benefits of preksha dhyan include purification of self-realization, spiritual bliss, and development of spiritual power. Preksha dhyan leads to enhanced productivity and creativity, refinement of behavior leading to detached and pleasant behavior.

The human transcriptome across a variety of all types and tissues are affected by stress and other psychological factors. Preksha dhyan is effective in improving cognitive skills in healthy meditators with changes at RNA expression profiling. The preliminary research on preksha dhyan suggest gene expression and epigenetic changes play a vital role in post meditation relief feelings.

When you sit with your eyes closed and repeat a mantra to yourself several times, thought energy waves are created and an individual vibrates in tune with the energy and spiritual appeal of a chant. Scientists believe that when a mantra is chanted rhythmically, it creates a neuro- linguistic effect. Such an effect occurs even if the meaning of the mantra is not known. Mudras, which are an integral part of Preksha dhyan, help to link the brain to the body, soothes pain, stimulate endorphins, changes the mood, and increases our vitality. The major mudras include gyan, prana, prithvi, surya, varun and vayu.

The above mudras give us an idea of how we can use our hands to control the five key elements of our body namely air, water, fire, earth, and space and thus help us in balancing the energy in the body.

Yoga is another technique of Preksha dhyan, which is incredibly beneficial to our overall well-being. Yoga improves flexibility, releases stress, improves mental health, reduces anxiety, boosts immunity, treats insomnia, increases body balance, improves brain functioning etc.

Another important technique involved in Preksha dhyan is pranayam which is the practice of breath regulation. In Sanskrit ‘prana’ means life energy and ‘yama’ means control. Pranayam involves controlling one’s breath in different styles and lengths. The goal of Pranayam is to connect our body and mind. It also increases the oxygen supply in our body alongwith removing toxins from our body. Pranayama is typically practiced along with yoga. It is known as the fourth anga, or limb of yoga. It is a science believed to control the power of one’s mind through regulating one’s breath.

Some popular pranayama practices include, Bhastrika, kapal bhati, nadi shodhan, bhramari etc. Modern science also believes that pranayama holds a wide range of benefits for the mind and body. A few benefits of pranayama include, decreasing stress and anxiety, improving lung functions, regulates blood pressure, cures insomnia, and strengthens one’s mental capacity.

Conclusion:

Preksha dhyan is thus a technique of meditation practiced with the aim of purifying our emotions and our mind and thereby realizing our own self. It is a type of meditation used for attitudinal change and modification of ones’ overall personality.

Bibliography:

1. Acharya Tulsi: Transmutation of personality through preksha meditation, Jain Vishva Bharti Institute, Ladnu, 1994
2. Preksha Meditation, Philosophy and Practice by Acharya Mahapragya
3. Gelra, M.R.2002 Science in Jainism: Perspectives, Issues, and futuristic trends. Ladnu Vishva Bharti Institute
4. Mahapragya, Acharya.2003ETPreksha dhyan: Perception of body
5. Science of Preksha Meditation : Prof. C.L. Talesara, Newsletter of Anuvrat Global Organisation, Vol.1 No.2, March 2003
6. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, Vol. 29, April 2022

Acknowledgement:

IJCRT2305116 International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts (IJCRT) www.ijcrt.org a887