An ordinary man cannot
employ this yogic method of cure, nor is it desirable that he
should do so; for an unsound physical instrument is a hindrance to
God--meditation. The Hindu scriptures teach that the first duty of
man is to keep his body in good condition; otherwise his mind is
unable to remain fixed in devotional concentration.
A very strong mind, however, can transcend all physical difficulties
and attain to God-realization. Many saints have ignored illness and
succeeded in their divine quest. St. Francis of Assisi, severely
afflicted with ailments, healed others and even raised the dead.
I knew an Indian saint, half of whose body was once festering with
sores. His diabetic condition was so acute that under ordinary
conditions he could not sit still at one time for more than fifteen
minutes. But his spiritual aspiration was undeterrable. "Lord,"
he prayed, "wilt Thou come into my broken temple?" With ceaseless
command of will, the saint gradually became able to sit daily in
the lotus posture for eighteen continuous hours, engrossed in the
ecstatic trance.
"And," he told me, "at the end of three years, I found the Infinite
Light blazing within my shattered form. Rejoicing in the joyful
splendour, I forgot the body. Later I saw that it had become whole
through the Divine Mercy."
A historical healing incident concerns King Baber (1483-1530),
founder of the Mogul empire in India. His son, Prince Humayun, was
mortally ill.
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