Chapter 13

Preksha Dhyana

Self-Discipline: Development of Will-Power

Infinite is the potential power of our Will. A large portion of the power, however, lies dormant; some portion is supine and only a very small fraction is active. Once we commence to will the Will, not only the supine portion but the undeveloped dormant one can also be activated.

Our primal drives constantly demand appropriate action, and we continue to satisfy the need of the urges. The narcotic of the sensual pleasures further weakens our willpower. Only way then to awaken and develop it is to stop feeding it with the befogging narcotics through the exertion of self-discipline.

When the Will is supine, we nourish sensual desires and delude ourselves in believing that pleasure is happiness. When the Will is partly awakened, a desire for self discipline and spiritual awareness is born. We begin to discriminate between what is good and what is evil. True, we would still be affected by external temptations and may sometime succumb to them; but in due course the Will will be fully awakened and our attitude, thought and perception begin to rotate round the nucleus of reasoning and rational conduct. Once we stop succumbing to our sensual desires, our supine Will begins to awaken from its stupor. The strangle-hold of delusion will be first weakened, and then destroyed. We shall become alert and vigilant towards truth and discipline. Then the vigilant rational mind becomes strong enough to regulate the responses to the insistence of the instinctive drives and demands of carnal desires.

Once we have fully awakened our supine Will, we have to reinforce its power with determination and self-discipline. Thus strengthened, our rational mind will establish its supremacy. It will then be able to regulate our responses to even the most powerful urges and drives. Environmental conditions may temporarily influence our behaviour, but the power of the Will and rational mind is supreme.

Self-discipline acts as a defending fort against the onslaught of contamination through carnal desires. Ultimately external environment also fails to influence the behaviour of one who is self-disciplined.