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Art & Science of Meditation
shave in this way? His simple and profound answer began a conversation that eventually led to the book you hold in your hands.
"You see, everything we do in life can cause tension, or can reduce it. I choose to sit while shaving so I do not have tension. So it is with everything - anything you do, you can choose for it to bring you tension, or to bring you peace." And just like that, shaving was transformed. No longer merely the chore of slicing away stubble, it became the embodiment of a reasoned philosophy. I needed to dig deeper. Over the next few weeks, Pappa and I shared many hours together on his pair of lounge chairs, discussing his philosophy and accumulated wisdom. The topics were broad and complex - religion, spirituality, meditation, yoga - yet he brought them to life in a way that felt immediately applicable to my own daily routines, and emphasized personal thought processes.
Pappa is uniquely qualified to bring a psychological perspective to Eastern philosophy. He has been a practicing psychiatrist in Ahmedabad, Gujarat for over 50 years, having started the first psychiatry clinic in the city. He opened the first Psychiatry Department at the Vadilal Sarabhai hospital and served as its head for 25 years. He would go on to become a professor at Gujarat University, (5)
