Administrative Head's Desk:Swami Bhaveshananda

                                                                                               

CHARACTER BUILDING

According to Swami Vivekananda, Character development means 3 H development. First H means Health and Hand, second H means Head and third H means Heart.

The same concept is echoed in his idea on goal of education:

“We want that education by which

a)      Character is formed

b)      Strength of mind is increased

c)      Intellect is expanded and

d)     One can stand on one’s own feet.”

A man of good character or personality will be physically strong and healthy, energetic with a controlled mind, tremendous will power, a sharp intellect and a broad heart to feel the sufferings of others/have love and feeling for others.
This will help to cultivate self reliance in all aspects of life viz. economical, political and social.  He will make the right decision at the right time and place independently and will lead a meaningful, peaceful life for himself as well as for society at large.

Character is defined as an agglomeration of propensities. It is the propensity of the man which determines the nature of reaction at a particular moment/event. How a person reacts or responds to a particular moment depends upon the character of the person. Character is the sum total of habits/qualities of a person, like a garland made of flowers. Each flower is just like a quality (good/bad). There is a saying: Repeated actions make a habit, ripened habits make character. Again, action is the result of repeated thinking only. Eg doing exercise regularly, smoking for a long time, keeping oneself neat and clean etc. Propensities may also be called habits.

Human beings exist at five levels of personality, viz. body level, energy level, mind level, intellect level and inner self level. Character/personality is developed through nourishment of these five levels.

Body Level:
Nourishment:

Physical health is to be developed through nutritious food, diligence, games and sports, exercise etc.
a) An optimum quantity of balanced, nutritious and easily digestible food at regular intervals.
Four types of food viz chewable (eg rice, vegetables etc), sucking-type (eg drumstick, amaranthus), palatable (eg chatney, pickle) and liquid (eg dal, soup etc). Germinated pulse mixture contains all types of nutrients like carbohydrates, fat, proteins, vitamins and minerals etc in the highest percentage and in easily digestible forms. Junk foods like ice cream, cold drinks etc which are rich in carbohydrates and calories are responsible for obesity and other health hazards.

b) Exercise and physical work for sound and healthy body.

c) Following health care formula ----
i) How to eat, how much to eat and when to eat--- chew and drink food, eat water in order to get it oxygenated

First, belching is the first warning to stop eating, like showing a yellow card; and second belching is the final warning to stop eating, like showing a red card to the players

ii) How to drink, how much to drink and when to drink--- Water Therapy

iii) Proper care of ears, eye, teeth etc—cleaning ears; splashing water on the eyes after taking food and at some intervals during the day; brushing teeth and massaging the gums, oil pulling weekly to cure bleeding gums, bad odour, to freshen teeth and to improve general health of the teeth and gums.

d) Utilization of leisure hours—good hobby,

A Person is judged by observing how he utilizes his leisure hours.

Energy Level:

Individual Prana is the part of the cosmic prana. Prana is the primordial energy and source of all types of energies of this world or cosmos. The ultimate goal of controlling this prana is to realize the connectivity of individual prana with the cosmic prana. By controlling prana, one can acquire eight types of siddhi like anima, laghima etc., details of which are explained in the Yogasutras of sage Patanjali, written in c250 BC.  Depending upon the functions, there are five types of prana, viz. Prana, apan, byan, udan and saman.

Nourishment:

1) Breathing Exercise:
a)Deep breathing--- long inhaling and long exhaling according to capacity five times twice a day.
Benefit:
i) Increases the oxygen intake capacity of the lungs and cures/reduces colds and cough related problems
ii) Due to increased oxygen intake capacity, it increases resistance power and improves health
iii) Controls stress
b)Abdominal breathing--- swelling abdomen (lower part), middle part of the chest and upper part of the chest

Benefit:
i) Due to increased oxygen intake capacity, it increases resistance power and improves health
ii) Increases will power of the mind

iii) Increases the oxygen intake capacity of the lungs and cures/reduces cold-and-cough related problems.
c) Rhythmic breathing---inhaling at four steps/four count and exhaling at four steps/four count
Benefit:

i) Reduces irregularities in respiration and thus helps to control the mind by reducing mental distractions
ii) Improves health and reduces problems due to cold and cough 

2) Moderation in meal, work, rest and sleep (on back on a moderately soft mattress and single pillow) for six hours a day.

3) Doing all work at the appropriate time helps to keep breathing normal and reduces stress, eg sincerity in study from the beginning of the session reduces stress and tension before or during examination.

4) Rest by Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique (PMR): Relaxing body parts from the tips of the toes to the head as well making respiration slow and uniform in both nostrils.

5) SMET (Self management of Excessive Tension) Techniques --- Increasing awareness at all components of body through tightening and relaxation of whole body and controlling prana. This reduces excessive tension.

6) Study shows---Self effort contributes 48% to success. Other factors include intellect, family background, economic condition, contact and risk factors.

C) Mind Level:
Nature of mind---
i) Like a restless monkey drunk with the wine of desire and bitten by the scorpion of jealousy and the ghost of egotism

ii) Five sense organs are like five horses, the mind is like the rein of the horses, and buddhi, the intellect, is like the charioteer. The goal is to be reached by directing the five sense organs with the help of a controlled mind and a sharp intellect.

iii) Six modifications of mind which are considered to be enemies of the mind. These are kama(desire), krodha(anger), lobha(hankering), moha(delusion), mada(egotism) and matsarya (jealouness)

iv) The controlled mind is our friend and the uncontrolled mind is our enemy--- Bandhuratma manah tasya yenah atmaiva atmanh jitah. Gita-6/6

v) Controlling the mind is as difficult as controlling the air--- Bayoriba suduskaram Gita-6/34

vi) The mind is responsible for bondage (misery) and freedom--- Manah eva manusyanam karanam bandhyo mokshayo

vii) The individual mind is part of the cosmic mind. The ultimate goal of mind control is to realize this unity.

 Nourishment:
Mental health is to be developed through a regulated/controlled and moral way of living; adopting value-based cultural and recreational dimensions of life.

a) Regulated and disciplined life
b) Discrimination and renunciation--- Discriminate between good and bad; and renounce the bad
c) Habit of praying--- Prayer helps to keep the mind disciplined
“Inner strength grows by prayer” Mahatma Gandhi

d) Concentration practice
e) Repeating some holy names like Om
f) Unselfish works, helping others and praying for the good of others--- to make the mind pure, calm and quiet. ‘The benevolent person does not suffer’ Gita 6/40
UNESCO considers education, science, social science, culture and communication as the means to achieve the ambitious objective of its founding charter: “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defence of peace must be constructed.”

Intellect Level:

Two main functions
i) Discriminating faculty of mind

ii) Power of memory

Nourishment:
a) Self analysis--- Remembering events including thoughts from morning to night and analyzing good and evil events. Encourage the mind to prefer the good and shun the bad.  This can be divided into two halves also ie Morning to noon and noon to night.
Benefit:
This helps to increase the analytical and memory power of the mind. eg Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose wrote in his auto biography that he could even remember events that happened six months in the past.
b) Auto suggestion---The mind is to be observed at all times and given positive and proper suggestions at the proper time
c) Discrimination--- “Always Discriminate”- Holy Mother
d) Regular study, writing( preparation of synopsis/memory map for each chapter or topic) and thinking about books relevant for career and moral building---

This is a source of inspiration for leading a good and moral life
e) Prayer and self resolution – pray for strength and peace of mind.

Inner-self Level:

This is the fountain of joy, peace, strength, knowledge and all positive qualities.

This individual self is also called Atman. This is either part of the cosmic Self, i.e. Brahman, or it is identical to it.  The goal of life is to realise this unity in order to get eternal joy, peace and strength.This can be realised only in the heart. Ishwara sarvabhutanam hriddesherjuna tisthati (Gita 18/61)

Nourishment:

Unselfish works, helping others, and praying for the good of others make the mind pure, calm, and quiet. ‘The benevolent person does not suffer’ Gita 6/40

This makes our heart broad and responsive to the sufferings and feelings of others.

Note: The concept and nourishment process of five levels discussed above are not exhaustive but indicative only.

                       

            xxxxxx            The End          xxxxxx

Swami Bhaveshananda

16 January 2016