Acharya Mahaprajna
A further benefit of sarira preksa is swimming upstream. Our habit of perceiving non-self (i.e. external things) has so vitiated our perception that we never think of seeing the self. We have forgotten that we must also sometimes turn inwards. Sarira Preksa is the process of looking inwards and seeing one's own self. This process strengthens our consciousness and enables it to swim against the (habitual) current. Consequently, it gets rid of the habit of seeing non-self and seeing one's own self. At the commencement of the meditation session, it is customary to recite the slogan, "See the self, to see the self, practise preksa meditations." The object of reciting and repeating the slogan at every session is to strengthen our consciousness, stop the habitual drifting and create the capacity to swim upstream. Until this happens, we consider the external conditions to be more powerful than our own selves. When, however, the transformation takes place, the values are reversed, i.e.the self takes the driver's seat and environment is relegated to the back seat Thus, the capacity for swimming against the current enables us to resist and overcome the forces of circumstances and establish full control over them.
