People with negative, debased or criminal mentality pro life rate their vices and infirmities among those influenced by their company and produce many more like them.
The impressive (pure) thoughts of great personalities and saintly and eminent thinkers on the contrary generate an ambiance of positive and elevating thoughts and help ideal molding of the characters of their disciples and also inspire others in their mental vicinity.
Parapsychology does not regard the supernatural powers of human mind as miracles. Rather, it affirms such potentials as natural outcomes of the stimulation of otherwise dormant centers in the brain. Extrovert attitude appears to be a normal tendency of an agile mind. As we all might have experienced, the inquisitiveness and interest of our mind mostly revolve around the external world. If we could divert our mind inward to some extent and think a little deep about our inner self, we would find immense troves of power and unalloyed happiness within us.
The hidden potentials of our mind are more startling than the wonders of Nature and the marvelous achievements of human talents and the intellectual and physical powers found in the world outside.
The world around us has its own importance in our life. It offers us opportunities of progress and prosperity in a number of ways. But that does not mean that we are sions are only like ornaments that help outwardly adorn our life. Indeed, the nectar of ultimate evolution, enlightenment, peace and beatitude lies in the depths of our inner self. However, it requires persistent single pointed effort to cultivate a self-contemplative nature and realize the miraculous dimensions of our inner selves.
As practiced, experienced and taught by the sages of yore and the enlightened ones of the later ages, gradual training (with firm determination and will) of self-restraint and self-observation help in controlling and transforming the extrovert tendencies of the mind. Swadhyaya and Satsang1 are found to be most effective methods of disciplining and refinement of the mental tendencies. School education and training for higher learning and development of talents is no doubt necessary in civilized growth of human society. Its contribution towards the evolution of consciousness is however minimal like that of the leaves in circulating carbon dioxide in the plants. Nurturing the roots of the mind is essential for spiritual growth.
Activation of the hidden centers of subliminal power of praa (life energy) is essential in this endeavor.
The yoga-sadhanas devised by the Indian rishis enable gradual awakening and activation of the extrasensory centers in the brain and in rest of the body. In the modern age, dedicated investigations in the fields of neurology, psychology, parapsychology, and metaphysics have brought forth a partial understanding of the neuro-physiological, biochemical, and hormonal functions associated with manifestation of some hidden faculties of the human mind. Prof. Delgado of France had speculated that as the flow of blood in the arteries could be controlled by specific treatment of the heart, it should also be possible to vary the orientation of mental tendencies by operating certain regions and locations of the brain. He believed that such a method, if devised, would be useful in inducing ethical values in place of wild play of passions. Although his hypothesis has yet to be tested, the neurologists of the 20th century have succeeded in finding the location of memory centers in human brain.
Dr. W. G. Penfield of Canada has also developed special electrodes, which, while connected with specific neuronal regions of a person help awakening his remote memory including that of the earlier lives.
This activation retrieves the memory of distant past so effectively as if the subject were experiencing the sequence of corresponding events in the present moment. This type of experimental research has guided advanced investigations on the human brain. According to noted neuro-chemist Dr. Cameron, the nucleic acid of the neurons governs the neuro-electrical momentum.
The stimulation regulated by this acid activates neuro-hormonal secretions of the important hormones like encephaline, endorphins, cystinine, and gaba. Electrical stimulation regulated by the synaptic activity helps in controlling several kinds of mental disorders. Scientists believe that deeper understanding of the reticular formations that connect the spinal chord to the brain would some day help in creating artificial emotions. This could offer effective remedies against psychological disorders including those of split or dual personality.
The experiments conducted by Dr. Hedger Hoyden in Sweden on some animals have shown that variation in the concentration of neural RNA affects the clinical consciousness and some mental activities.
During the first half of the 20th century, biologist, Dr. James Oldschue, had successfully shown the change in natural mental characteristics of some mice by brain stimulation techniques. After stimulation, the mice were found playing fearlessly on the back of a cat. Dr. D. Albert had also demonstrated significant difference between the behaviors of the mice that underwent brain-stimulation and those from the same biological family and age group, who did not.
Dr. Robert Thompson had shown that the activities of cockroaches could be controlled via radio-signals. According to him, human mind could also be controlled externally by some powerful (though yet unknown) radio waves. It may be noted that the mental functions that are controlled by external signals or drug-injections pertain to behavioral responses only. The deeper sentiments or subliminal impulses of inner mind that constitute what was deeply understood and experimented under the ancient science of spirituality have not yet become the focus of neuroscience.
The scientific study of the more subtle aspects of mind in the modern times still lies in the field of Metaphysics. Research on the metaphysical character of human mind encompasses deep psychology and parapsychology. Modern psychologists classify the manifestations of the supernatural potentials of human mind in four categories:
(i) Clairvoyance clear vision of hidden objects or things and events lying far beyond the perceivable limits of our sense organs;
(ii) Precognition knowledge of the future;
(iii) Retrocognition knowledge of the past;
(iv) Telepathy distant communication through mental signals. All could be possible without any external help or device.
This classification is further expanded into eleven subgroups reflecting extrasensory experiences without any medium or source of information, beyond the barriers of time and space:
(i) firsthand knowledge of the events taking place at remote places;
(ii) reading others mind without having any interaction, not even an acquaintance with them; (iii) premonition of future events well in advance;
(iv) communication with the souls or subtle bodies of the dead or receiving timely guidance and help from them;
(v) live memory of previous births;
(vi) sudden outburst of knowledge, talents, or behavior in a person that does not correspond to his personality or mental training so far;
(vii) arousal of exceptional powers in the body that could affect the surroundings, too;
(viii) outburst of extraordinary courage that enables adventurous accomplishments;
(ix) knowledge of the subtle worlds;
(x) curses and boons uttered vocally that come true in due course of time;
(xi) transmogrification of the souls, transfer of ones subtle self into other living body, and co-existence of two souls in one body. Many live examples of these supernatural experiences have been reported in the related proceedings of professional seminars and other publications since the mid-nineteenth century.
The following are among the historical examples of this kind. Once upon a time Edgar Keisei, an inhabitant of a village near Kentucky (USA) was suffering from severe rheumatic pain and spasm. No doctor could diagnose the disease because of lack of knowledge about it during those days. While some doctors were observing this patient, they found that clinically unconscious Edgar was suddenly awake.
He also started uttering the name and details of the disease and the names of some medicines, ointments, etc in fluent Latin. Being in that exceptional trance-like state, he also suggested the methods of preparation of these medicines and the availability of the constituents. Well, those preparations were attempted on him.
To everyones surprise Edgars condition improved and he was cured by these strange medicines within a week. Most amazing part of this incident was that this villager did not know a single world of Latin! How could he then speak so well in this classical language in his exceptional state of comatose? This activation of the hidden layers of the unconscious had also resulted in arousal of some extrasensory powers, which enabled him to diagnose and cure dreaded diseases and ailments of people from different parts of the world. Dr. Eirigo of Brazil is also known to have been endowed with some marvelous spiritual healing gifts in treatment of patients. Inscriptions on rocks found in Egypt also depict doctors with one hand kept on the patients stomach and the other on his back. Egyptian scriptures also make mention of psychic healing. It is also known about Saint Patrick that he had blessed vision upon a blind man just by touching the latters eyes with his palms. Saint Bernard is said to have miraculously cured ten blind persons and a dozen physically handicapped persons in a single day with the application of his elevated spiritual power.
A London based gardener named Lambert was reported to have had such extrasensory powers in the seventeenth century. A nineteenth century Sicilian watchman named Keritcher is also known among blessed spiritual healers. Although it sounds amazing but it is true that the source of supernormal potentials of the above kinds lies dormant within each of us because of our ignorance and extrovert engrossment.
Ancient sages and eminent spiritual scientists of India seemed to have had perfected the art and technique of arousing the hidden powers of the inner realms of the mind, soul and spirit. They used their spiritual endowments in elimination of the ailments of the flesh as well as for improvement of the physical and mental health of people across the globe. Other creatures on the earth were also blessed by their compassion. Inducing spiritual transmutation, positive thinking and youthful longevity in any one was as easy for these rishis of yore as writing a prescription is for the doctors of today.
The philosophy and science of spirituality and yoga, devised by them, led to the descent of a divine era in the Vedic Age. The devoted seekers of true knowledge have been coming to India since thousands of years to get some pearls of the limitless treasure of ancient Indian wisdom and to get an opportunity to meet the enlightened yogis and adepts in the Himalayas. It is ironical that most of the modern day Indians either scorn their ancient culture without caring to know its roots (and the original form) or they blindly accept anything, any trick of magical games, or any superstition in the name of yoga and spirituality. In this age of explosion of information and advertisement in some areas of human life and utter confusion, controversies and ignorance in some others including those of importance to global survival and growth, it has become all the more necessary to set an open-minded, enlightened and balanced approach to this matter of utmost import. It is now the responsibility of the scientifically enlightened researchers who also feel concerned about the ailing state of the world today, to accelerate the pace of deep and unbiased investigation into the ancient sciences and find feasible and effective means of ensuring vibrant physical, psychological and spiritual well being of humanity.
Notes: 1. Self education in the light of the inspiring thoughts of great personalities and natural conditioning of the mind in the company of morally elevated people, whose characters and deeds could guide us on the path of soul-growth and motivate us towards creative use of our talents. ________ There was a devotee of Shri Hanuman. Once upon a time he was driving a bullock cart. Suddenly the cart got stuck in a marshy land. He stood over there and started chanting Hanuman Chalisa and prayed for the bullock cart to come out. A scholar was passing by. He said that due to non-recognition of the sanjivani herb Sri Hanuman brought the Mountain itself. At least you should try a little pulling out your cart.
The man gave a little push, exhorted the bullocks and they were successful in pulling the cart out of the marsh. Even the mightiest of gods do not respond to mere verbal prayers unless man does what lies in his power to do.