The Search for Joy.

The Search for Joy.

The Search for Joy

Here murder, there theft; corruption is high,

Cases of HIV; rising to the sky.

Depression, tension, worry every-where cry.

Scandal, scam, rape, dowry, commotion … make life a burden,

People commit suicide and die.

Mental and physical problems make life dry,

This is the effect of ‘modern’ culture high!

Pause and think, or get crushed and die;

In such a nasty world, you are searching for joy.

                                    -- Author unknown.

W.H.O. (World Health Organization) says “depression” is the No 1 occupational disease of the 21st century. Around 49% of people under stress say they suffer from upset stomach or nausea. 71% people under stress feel they are not productive and cry regularly. Over 50% of the World's children are brought up in stressful conditions, says UNESCO. 66% CEO's in India are stressed out and 11% find it too much to handle says ASSOCHAM 

NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience, India). Depression among the youth has increased from 2% to 12% in the last five years. Globally 3 out of every 5 visits to the doctor are for stress related problems. 76% people under stress say they have sleeping disorders and 58% suffer headaches. 85% of people under stress tend to have strained relations with family and friends. 70% of people under stress say they have become short-tempered. A NIMHANS study says 36 % techies in Bangalore show signs of psychiatric disorder. Globally 1 out of every 10 students suffers significant distress. Over 50% of lost workdays across the world are due to stress, says an ILO study.

The current hectic, speedy lifestyle, though uplifts our standard of living; hardly makes life peaceful!

My first visit to the New Way (Manashakti) Ashram.

During 1990, I was working as an executive in Mumbai for a public sector commercial organization. A friendly senior colleague of mine would often narrate incidences about his association with Swami Vijnananand (1918 – 1993), his discourses, and discussions with him. This colleague would often visit the New Way Ashram in Lonavala to attend sessions. I had an inherent inquisitiveness about spirituality, which I believed answers many problems of life in a convincing manner. The many biographies of great, respected people that I had read during my childhood led me to such a belief. While formal education may be useful to earn a good livelihood, it does not provide tips for living a good life. I was in search of a source that could provide proper guidance in the aspects of spirituality. I learnt from my friend that the "new way philosophy" put forth by Swami Vijnananand deals with many aspects of life related issues, and helps a common man lead a life of  "stress-free success and envy-less prosperity". Various programs and seminars for providing such guidance were being organized by Manashakti. I decided to attend one such program.

In February 1990, along with my wife I attended a four day seminar titled "Freedom from Chronic Disease". This program was meant for people suffering from chronic diseases, as well as for those wanting to learn preventive measures for avoiding future problems.

The program dealt comprehensively with not only physical ailments, but also about handling calamities that occur in life. The analysis of the causes of calamities was based on a new approach in cell biology. The remedies suggested were logical and self-dependent. The theme of the counselling was “not the disease, but the patient is to be cured”. The philosophy behind the cure appeared useful for any person, without any discrimination. “You are responsible for your problems. With full determination, by the use of suggested remedies, you can get rid of, or reduce your grief, to tolerable limits.” The message was delivered in a lucid, convincing and rational way, with the aid of theory, examples and ample illustrations.

Manashakti New Way has published about 250 books, mostly authored by Swami Vijnananand. Out of these, the books that deal with health are, ‘Cure Without Medicine’, ‘Death of Disease’, ‘Cure Yourself’, ‘Rich, Ambitious, Healthy’ etc.

To understand the approach to this subject; the following partial summary points from the book ‘Cure without Medicine’ may be useful.

1.     Continue your present medicine or treatment and just add most modern psycho-based 'one dot a day' method for your perpetual good.

2.     Yoga therapy is simple only if it’s deeper, or subtle foundation is understood. So is the truth about all the schools of medicine. Happiness or cure cannot be separated from basic 'scientific' life line of physics.

3.     Unquestionable authorities in medicine and science endorse the view that the most of the diseases stem from emotions.

4.     Pathways of emotions and disease stand delineated.

5.     When 'cause' comes under discussion, we enter the realm of pure physics, Newtonian thought. Cause‐ effect terminology is same as action-reaction terminology.

6.     Purely in terms of laws in physics cause (emotion) is undeniably linked up with disease (effect). This has been proved in terms of mathematics and physics (Algebra).

7.     When emotion (cause), turns itself into disease (effect), the process is subtle. Cause-effect, action- reaction takes place either immediately or is deferred. In the first alternative the manifestation of effect is immediate, or optionally it may be stored as 'potential energy ', purely in terms of another concept of ‘physics'.

8.     Emotion does comes under the realm of physics' at least when, it makes marks on material body. Any doubt regarding this, has no place in science.

9.     Can we compare disease and potential energy? Yes we can; according to several authorities in science.

10.  We located emotion as an immediate cause of disease in scientific terms. What is the way out to avoid this abuse of emotion? Obviously, a non- emotional state of mind, which in simple words means a 'truth-patterned' behavior.

11.  What is the practical way to employ truth in day to day life is discussed.  Six main ways of untruth are attacked at practical level to eradicate their damage.

12.  Concept of medicine is not totally barred. In fact any medical treatment can be strengthened by adding the gist of recommendations.

Manashakti’s aim is stated as “Welfare of humanity through the welfare of an individual.” There was a conscience awakening appeal to join the brand of activists committed to the cause of the institute. One can opt to be a member of the Manashakti spiritual family of seekers by resolving to spare one hour a day (time or money) for society without expectations of any returns.

While taking the journey back home, as I decided to join the mission, I experienced a unique sense of serene tranquility. In the next visit to the Ashram, I registered myself as a seeker, a volunteer for Manashakti. Looking back, I feel proud of this decision.

Story: ELEPHANT AND THE BLIND MEN.

Once upon a time, there lived six blind men in a village. One day the villagers told them, "Hey, there is an elephant in the village today."

They had no idea what an elephant is. They decided, "Even though we would not be able to see it, let us go and feel it anyway." All of them went where the elephant was. Every one of them touched the elephant.

"Hey, the elephant is a pillar," said the first man who touched his leg.

"Oh, no!  It is like a rope," said the second man who touched the tail.

"Oh, no!  It is like a thick branch of a tree," said the third man who touched the trunk.

"It is like a big hand fan" said the fourth man who touched the ear of the elephant.

"It is like a huge wall," said the fifth man who touched the belly of the elephant.

"It is like a solid pipe," Said the sixth man who touched the tusk of the elephant.

They began to argue about the elephant and every one of them insisted that he was right. It looked like they were getting agitated. A wise man was passing by and he saw this. He stopped and asked them, "What is the matter?" They said, "We cannot agree to what the elephant is like." Each one of them told what he thought the elephant was like. The wise man calmly explained to them, "All of you are right. The reason every one of you is telling it differently because each one of you touched a different part of the elephant."

The moral of the story is that there may be some truth to what someone says: sometimes we can see that truth and sometimes not, because they may have a different perspective, which we may not agree to.

New Way Philosophy is a huge ocean of knowledge. Though I have endeavored to learn it, I have my limitations in comprehending and also expressing it. I sincerely appeal to all well-wishers’ minds who read this, to provide valuable inputs of relevance.

Vijay R. Joshi.