UNDERSTANDING JOY AND SORROW

The cycle of joy and sorrow is perennial. Yet, they are largely of our own making. There is no market where we can go and buy either. As their source is not outside but within us, therefore, it is possible for us to transform or control them too. This is a vastly complex subject that man has struggled with for aeons. In Understanding Joy and Sorrow, Acharya Mahapragya, the tenth Acharya of the Jain Swetambar Terapanth sect and one of the most respected Jain thinkers of the world, outlines the causes, aspects and remedies of our unhappiness in twenty-one succinct chapters. Given here are chapters that address the role of anger, stress and desire in sorrow and those like detachment and fearlessness which help us be happy. Drawing upon anecdotes and examples, he holds up a mirror to our innermost fears and concerns. Alongside are five key exercises such as kayotsarga and antaryatra that provide a pathway to reaching mental calm. Kayotsarga is the process of relaxation of all the muscles in the body that helps one to release stress; antaryatra is the focussing of attention on the body's centre of energy to reach a state of balance and peace. Together with the other exercises given in the book these make it one of the most accessible books available on the subject, one that any reader can keep handy and benefit from by dipping into time and again.