(Experts from His book-Meditation & Life)

In the Hindu tradition of thought it is declared that philosophy should not only prescribe an ideal and a perfect view of life, but must also prescribe the means and methods by which everyone can reach that state of perfect living. Thus, whereas in the West philosophy is merely a view of life, in the East it is, besides being a view of life, also a way of life. No Hindu school of philosophy has overlooked this aspect of the science of religion. Every one of them has a complete and clear prescription of a technique, following which the practitioner can be assured of achieving his or her spiritual goal. The practice of meditation is one such technique for reaching spiritual fulfillment. Meditation has been glorified in the Hindu scriptures as the most sacred vocation of the human being. Humans alone are capable of this highest efforts, by which they can hasten their own evolution and rise beyond the mind and intellect, the factors that limit them. Once an individual successfully transcends these limitations, he enters into the higher planes of perfection, pointed out by Darwin as the destiny of "the superman".

If we are simply advised to meditate, we will not be able to benefit from that advice sine, as a generation, we are not ready to follow any advice unless it is based upon reason. Unless we know what meditation is, how are we to meditate? Thus, we require detailed explanation before we can understand exactly what the scriptures mean by prolonged meditation (dhyana). (The following articles in the same column will serve that requirement).

Few of us can remain for a single moment without the mind and intellect roaming in clusters of thoughts. The question is: How can we control and regulate the production and flow of our thoughts? Only when we have developed a steady hold on our thoughts, and when we have gained mastery in controlling and directing their flow, can we say that we have become full - fledged human beings-or that we are capable of meditation. The animal world, too, has a mind and intellect, though not fully developed. The human being is different from and superior to animals only through his capacity to integrate and develop, through conscious effort, both his mind an intellect. Once integrated, the vacillating mind comes under full control of the discriminating intellect.

When the mind get thus chastened, the clarity and brilliance of that individual's intellect also come about. Thus each serves the other. In fact, the mind and intellect are expressions of thoughts in two different functions: felling (mind) and thinking (intellect). The cultivation of this control leads to the development of a fuller personality, and this marks the beginning of meditation.