Humankind has received its valuable spiritual heritage from sages and seers, Yogis and Munis, Spiritual Practitioners and so on. This heritage has a sound theoretical foundation in form of laws that govern living beings as also the material universe. In addition, it emphasizes certain practices for physical, mental and spiritual development of human beings, coexistence of all forms of life on Earth, and environmental protection of the Earth.
It is recognized that all activities in living being including humans have been categorized at three levels, i.e., soul or consciousness or psyche, mind and body. Soul, (in the form of consciousness) is so subtle that it is not easily grasped through technological gadgets. In contrast, physical world of brain- and body-functioning has been studied in detail and has been demonstrated with scientific evidence. Though consciousness, psyche and mind are non-quantifiable, study of deeper structures of brain suggests that their processes in part, if not in complete, have structural correlates.
Humankind has received the spiritual heritage from diverse cultures across the globe. It provides ways to live in harmony, not within human society but also amongst all living creatures through practice of non-violence, tolerance, compassion, altruism, forgiveness etc. and by minimizing one’s requirements. Because of faulty life-style and inadequate spiritual guidelines, society today is plagued with many of personal, familial, social, environmental and international problems. Many of the problems can be resolved through proper training of these practices. Lack of scientific validation of ancient technologies is one of the major reasons for their non-acceptance amongst masses. Thus, these practices and spiritual techniques must be scientifically documented, established and reinterpreted in the modern languages.
Keeping this in mind, I-ARTIST has been established as a unit of Spiritual Technology Research Foundation (a not-for-profit company, registered u/s 8 of Companies Act, 2013) for imparting training in yoga and meditational techniques and establishing principles of lifestyle modifications. Eventually facilities for residential training courses will be established as well as for distant care through online as well as offline instructions. The centre will also house a strong research wing, equipped with a sophisticated laboratory for conducting scientific research on holistic healing techniques with the help of conventional medical equipment as well as with modern state-of-the-art instruments. Our centre will also have a rich library.
Historical Background
An International Conference on Science and Jain Philosophy (ICSJP) was held at Indian Institute of Technology (Mumbai) during Jan 8-10, 2016. It was attended by a large number of philosophers, scientists, scholars from various disciplines of knowledge and students and professionals in various disciplines from around the world. At the conclusion of the conference, the need for in-depth studies for integrating science with spirituality to bring about transformation of consciousness through attitudinal changes and behavioral modifications, enhance moral values in life, increase social harmony, develop wellness and minimize the ditch between rich and poor was emphasized. It was conclusively decided that the proposed Institution should have a vision of a research base with a global outlook, having Scientific Research on one hand and Spiritual Technology on the other. The application of such research should be in various fields starting with education and encompassing holistic health, society, international relations and so on. It was further felt that local as well as scientific communities across the globe must take a lead over this pioneering work. Thus there is a strong need for initiating organized research on scientific lines in diverse spiritual practices, reinterpret them in current colloquial language, bring out their benefits in a quantitative way, apply them in daily life and compare them with the modern concepts in science using modern scientific tools.