Gandhi Before Gandhi

Author(s): Bipin Doshi, Priti Shah
Publisher: Jain Academy Educational Research Center Promotion Trust Mumbai

Page 137

GANDHI BEFORE GANDHI
Occult Powers of Souls
absence of greed are various things which decide the progress of the soul. Each act of mind, body and speech imbibes certain energies from surrounding and influences the soul.
In ordinary observations we see many occult powers of things, the simplest examples could be development of infant in the womb or growth of a tree from the small seed. These phenomena are so common that we even do not take notice of them. All non liberated souls when pass from one life to another it carries with itself the Karmic body which is invisible and subtle. This Karmic body depending on the karma energies it carries, exhibits the occult powers.
Purpose of mind and body is to advance spirituality. To gain higher planes one need to depress the lower planes. All that must benefit the spiritual growth of soul.
It first attracts the material particles to form the physical body. The senses, speech and mind are formed according to the ability of the soul bonded by Karmic connections. It may be one sense organism to five sense organism with mind or without mind. Even one can be born as hellish being or celestial being, Mind includes desires, emotions, intelligence, thinking etc.
Control on thirst, food or ability to see invisible or hear inaudible or an ability to make body invisible by dissolving the physical body in universal ether etc may be achieved by a person through occult powers. The vital fact to be remembered is "Spirituality is not to acquire such occult power but it is unveiling of the Soul itself" This is what monks and Yogis in India try to reflect on.
Ancient monks in India used to live with wild animals because their vibrations were such that they could control the thought of wild beasts. Indian philosophy is "Not to be controlled by something but to be a controller of something"
According to Jains the soul in pure form has infiniteness in terms of its knowledge and power. These faculties are obstructed for its exhibition due to Karmic bondage. As the soul progresses in its morality and spirituality it gets certain powers which may look miraculous. Not only Indian but scripture of all religions is full of such stories indicating occult powers possessed by holy men.
Through occult powers the soul forms and influences the physical body and mental faculties. Physical factors like health, food, breathing, posture; mental factors like thoughts and memory, moral factors like charity and
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