MIND-II
Aum Shri Gurave NamaH!
Sianala, Montreal, Feb 2008
1. Modifications of Mind
The mental modifications are five kinds, (some) painful and (others) not painful.
NOTES
If you want to suppress the modifications, it is necessary for you to have a comprehensive understanding of these modifications. The painful Vrittis have to be controlled by the not-painful Vrittis, and these in turn have to be mastered by Para Vairagya or absolute non-attachment or dispassion or indifference to sensual enjoyments. The painful Vrittis are those which bring the afflictions and become the field for the growth of the vehicle of actions (Karmasaya). Vrittis that emanate from Rajas and Tamas are all painful ones. All Vrittis that proceed from Sattva Guna are not-painful ones. Through Vairagya and Abhyasa the painful Rajasic-tamasic Vrittis are to be controlled. Good Samskaras are generated by Vairagya and Abhyasa.
2. Five Modifications
They (the modifications) are right knowledge, wrong knowledge, imagination, sleep and memory.
NOTES
All the above five kinds of modifications are dealt with in the subsequent five Sutras.
3. Pramana
Right knowledge is direct perception or inference or testimony.
NOTES
Right knowledge is that which is unquestionably reliable and true. Right knowledge is right cognition. Wrong knowledge is misconception.
These Pramanas are helps or steps to attain knowledge of the Self. They are of no use for one who is resting in his own native divine glory. A full-blown Yogi depends on his own realization for his knowledge. He is not in need of these proofs. An ordinary man depends on Pratyaksha only for his knowledge. A little advanced man depends on Pratyaksha and Anumana. A little more advanced man depends on these three proofs. Pratyaksha is that knowledge which is caused by the direct contact of any of the five senses of knowledge, viz., ear, eye, tongue, skin and nose with the objects of knowledge. Proofs are the right sources of knowledge. If there is no contradiction in your two perceptions, you can call it a proof or right condition. If there is contradiction, you begin to doubt at once. You see a river or mountain. You feel heat and cold. You taste an orange or a mango. These are all Pratyaksha Pramanas or direct cognitions. There cannot be any contradictions in these experiences.
If there is flood in a river, you infer that there ought to have been a heavy rain on the previous day. If you see smoke, you infer that there must be fire. These are all inferences. Inference is knowledge produced by a previous knowledge of the relation between a characteristic mark and the possessor of the mark. You see a clear sign and from that you come to the thing signified. You see a table and infer that the table ought to have been made by a carpenter. You see the external universe and thereby infer that there must be a Creator. This is inference.
Testimony, Apta Vakya, Agama Pramana and Sabdha Pramana are all synonymous terms. A competent person is an Apta. He has omniscience. He is a Seer or a Sage who has direct knowledge or Aparokshanubhuti. He will not reason anything. The whole book of inner knowledge or knowledge of the Self is revealed to him like Amalaka fruit in the hand. His words serve as direct authority. There can never be any mistake in his statement. His words are infallible. The highest testimony is the Veda (Agama), which has come out of the mouth of Isvara. An Apta is a Seer who has Self-realization. All his words are gospel truths. He has derived super-intuitional knowledge beyond the senses through Asamprajnata Samadhi. His words will not contradict reasoning and past human experiences. Sankhyas also have three Pramanas like Raja Yogins. The Naiyayikas add Upamana (Analogy) to the above three. Vedantins have six proofs. In addition to the above three, they have Upamana, Anupalabdhi (non-presence) and Artha-patti (implication). These three come under the category of Anumana.
4. Viparyaya
Wrong knowledge is false perception whose real form is not of its own.
NOTES
The real Svarupa of one thing does not appear. A false form appears in its stead. I will give you a clear illustration. Mother-of-pearl is mistaken for silver. A post is taken for a man. A rope is mistaken for a snake. Viparyaya is wrong cognition brought about by some defect either in the object itself or in the means leading to it. Doubt is also included in this.
5. Vikalpa
Imagination follows from mere words which have nothing in reality.
NOTES
As instances of Vikalpa we have: ‘horns of a hare’, ‘son of a barren woman’, ‘lotus in the sky’, ‘intelligence of Purusha’, ‘head of Rahu’, etc. The difference between Vikalpa and Viparyaya lies in the fact that Vikalpa can hardly be removed by a careful observation of the object, as Viparyaya is. As soon as you closely observe, the notion of silver in the mother-of-pearl, or snake in the rope, disappears.
Mind havocs through the power of imagination. Imaginary fears of various sorts, exaggeration, concoction, mental dramatization, building castles in the air, are all due to the power of imagination. Even a perfect man full of health has some imaginary disease or other due to the power of imagination of the mind. A man may have a little weakness or Dosha (fault). When he becomes your enemy, you at once exaggerate and magnify his weaknesses and Doshas. This is due to the power of imagination. Much energy is wasted on account of imaginary fears.
Whenever the minds of two friends are strained by ill-feelings, these minds begin to exaggerate and concoct things. Fault-finding nature increases. It is very difficult to get at the truth of the statements of these two broken friends with broken friendship. Their utterances are always colored by their inner feelings. The power of imagination havocs now. Maya havocs through mind and its power of imagination. May peace be unto them. May there be sympathy and better understanding amongst them.
I shall explain to you the nature of ‘mental dramatization.’ Mark the ways of the mind. During conversation with your friend the mind sometimes imagines in vain that it has hurt the feelings of your friend. It spends much of its energy in unnecessary feelings. You think: ‘How can I see him tomorrow morning? He may be displeased with me.’ Next morning when you meet him, nothing happens. Your friend starts a pleasant conversation and smiles. You are surprised. To your great astonishment the subject of talk takes quite a different turn altogether. A family man imagines when a severe epidemic of plague ravages: ‘What shall I do if my wife develops plague and dies now? I have got six children.’ This is vain imagination. Nothing happens. Sometimes when the train moves slowly on the Pamban bridge over the sea, near Ramesvaram, the mind imagines: ‘If the bridge gives way now, what will become of me? I will be smashed to pieces.’ A touch of fear creeps in. There are thousand and one ways of mental dramatization like these. The power of imagination plays a vital part in mental dramatization. To destroy Vikalpa, you must have right knowledge described in Sutra I-7.
6. Nidra
Sleep is a modification of mind which has the cause of nothingness as its support.
NOTES
Sleep manifests when there is preponderance of Tamas, when Sattva and Rajas subside and when there is no knowledge of the external world. Ordinary people think that there is Vritti-sunya in sleep. It is not so. As there is memory in you when you wake up and as you say when you wake up, ‘I slept soundly; I knew nothing,’ there ought to have been a particular kind of subtle wave in the mind during sleep (Abhavarupa Vritti). It should not be understood that sleep is no transformation or Vritti of the mind. If it were so, the remembrance: ‘I slept soundly,’ would not follow on waking, for you never remember what you have not experienced. Sleep is a particular kind of Vritti. This must be controlled like other Vrittis if you want to enter into Samadhi.
7. Smriti
Memory is ‘not slipping away’ of the objects perceived.
NOTES
Remembrance is a function brought entirely by the residuum or impression due to former experience. The objects cognised do not slip away from the mind. They come back to the surface of the conscious mind through the influence of Samskaras that are imbedded in the subconscious mind. Knowledge produced by recollecting impressions of past experiences is memory. The above five kinds of Vrittis come under the three categories, pleasure, pain or Moha (delusion or infatuation or fascination). Pramana, Viparyaya and Vikalpa are enjoyed in waking state. The Vasanas of these three Vrittis are enjoyed in dream.
MIND - ITS MANIFESTATIONS AND ITS RESISTANCES by Swami Sivananda
I. THOUGHT AND FACIAL EXPRESSION
Face is the index of Mind. Face is the mould of the mind. Every thought cuts a groove in the face. A divine thought brightens the face. An evil thought darkens the face. Continued divine thoughts increase the aura or halo. Continued evil thoughts increase the depth of dark impressions just as the continued striking of a vessel against the edge of a well while drawing water makes deeper and deeper hollow on the vessel. The facial expression truly advertises the inner state of the mind or the true contents of the mind.
II. THE INNER WAR
So long as there are desires or Vasanas, you cannot have knowledge of the Self. So long as you have no knowledge of the Self, you cannot destroy desires completely. This is a Chakrika or paradox. The more you thin out desires or Vasanas the more you are near to Atman or the Goal. Subha Vasanas will not bind you. Japa, meditation, Vichara are subtle Vasanas. A desire for liberation is a subtle Vasana. Increase the subtle Vasanas. The evil Vasanas will perish by themselves.
III. FIGHT WITH EVIL
Fight with evil is fight with the mind. Fight with senses is fight with evil. Fight with desires is fight with the mind. Fight with matter is fight with evil. Fight with matter is breaking all attachments, that bind you to this world. Fight with desires and cravings is fight with ignorance. Conquest over mind, senses, desires and matter is the greatest victory. It bestows Immortality and eternal bliss, and makes you real King of kings.
IV. REMOVE THE DIRT IN THE MIND-RADIO
A new Radio is fixed. All its parts are quite all right. But the message is not received. This is due to a particle of dirt in it. If the dirt is removed, all the messages and songs will be heard distinctly. Even so in the big radio of the mind if there is dirt of bad character of evil quality, it cannot express true joy, bliss, love, the spirit of self-sacrifice, the aroma of truth. Remove the dirt of evil trait. Fill the mind with divine virtues. You will shine with Brahmic aura. You will shed the light of Self-illumination.
V. THE CREEPER-MIND
A creeper grows. You allow it to ascend on a stick. Every day you tend it, and move it in the direction you want. If you do not tend it for a week, it will move in its own way. It will not serve your purpose. It will look ugly. Even so, you must tend the creeper-mind daily. Then alone can you bend it easily. You can mould it properly, you can control it easily.
I. MIND AND THE WORLD
The body is the root of the tree of Samsara or the earthly existence.
There was not pot in the beginning and there will not be any at the end. But if you see the pot in the middle, then your attitude towards it should be detached i.e., you should not believe in its permanence.
So also, there was no body in the beginning, and there will be none at the end. But that which exists in the middle and not in the beginning or at the end, should not cause bondage to you, i.e., you should not get attached to it.
Identification with the body is the cause for pleasure and pain. Where there is pleasure, pain is present in the background.
The characteristics of the body, senses, vital force, mind and intellect are superimposed on the pure Atman, which, in reality you are. You labour under the false notion, - I am the doer, I am the enjoyer, I am the sufferer in relation to your body, mind and senses, and thereby come to grief.
The senses are the avenues for sense-knowledge. They are the gateways of perception for the mind.
The mind works always in conjunction with the five senses. It is drawn out by the five senses to the external objects, and thus the world is perceived.
Mind generates endless thoughts in relation to its perception through the senses, and the world comes into being.
Thoughts and names and forms are inseparable. If thought ceases, the world also ceases. Perception gives stimulation to thought.
The nature of the mind being extrovert. It tries to derive pleasure through stimulation of thoughts which are effected by the contact of the senses with the objects.
Not being satisfied with one object, the mind jumps from one to another, because no object can give continued satisfaction, and therefore they have to be changed constantly. Thus the mind is restless.
In a restless mind, no true knowledge, which is extra sensory supra-mundane, can dawn. Therefore, the necessity of the control of thought, and then its annihilation.
Then intuition dawns, which is beyond the means of thought. Acquire mastery over the mind. Make it your servant. Allow it not to become your master.
Practise Yoga. Discipline the senses and control the mind. Open the portals of intuition and let divine knowledge flood over the mind.
Be bold. Be courageous. Be manly. Yield not to temptation. Be not dejected. Stand up. Gird up your loins, achieve victory over the mind.
The external world cannot affect you if you have mastery over the mind.
The impressions of your past actions, tendencies and aptitudes are left in your subconscious in the form of Samskaras.
All your past experiences, though lost to your memory, are deeply rooted in the subconscious. These Samskaras, some of which or the most of which may have been acquired in the past birth or births, are revived in the present life.
Though external environmental factors mould your propensities, the past Samskaras are not lost. They may acquire a different mode of expression but never lose themselves.
The sum total of Samskaras constitutes the mind, together with its various agencies. This mind is a strong wall that stands between the individual soul and the Supreme Soul.
The nature of mind is to create distinctions and differences. It separates, divides, limits.
It is a storehouse of errors, cravings, doubts, delusions and the primordial ignorance.
The lower mind is your real enemy, because it binds you to the Samsara.
The higher mind, which is endowed with the faculty of right perception, is your aid in the spiritual path.
The lower mind is filled with Rajas and Tamas, or passion and inertia or ignorance. The higher mind is filled with Sattva or purity.
The Atman never feels any pleasure or pain. The mind feels the different conditions of life. If it is controlled and well-cultivated and guided in the right groove, then one attains happiness, being not entirely dependent on the external conditions.
Equipoise of mind is the ideal sought by all, consciously or unconsciously.
II. ANALYSIS OF MIND
If the senses of perception are restrained, the mind can be greatly neutralized. For the moment the mind may be restless, not finding the service of the senses, but later on it will quiet down and be amenable to your directives. Intellect should guide and mould the emotions. The higher mind has a large measure of pure intellect which enables right understanding or evolution.
Perverted intellect may cause unhealthy emotions, and is often a great obstacle to Self-realization.
Unbridled emotions can bring about a good deal of harm even to spiritual aspirations. Emotionalism is certainly not devotion. Intellect is not Self-luminous. It borrows its light from the Atman.
Higher emotions that are well-cultivated and directed in the right grooves, can lead one to God-realization.
Ahamkara or - I-ness is the core of the mental world. Ahamkara denotes identification. Identification causes the generation of Vrittisor modifications. Identification with the Atman helps one to rise above the mundane world. This is the process of Vedanta.
The lower impulses are subdued and scorched out by the higher emotions through the process of Yoga.
III. INNER DISCIPLINE
The senses are the gates. Close the gates of the senses by the practice of Dama and Pratyahara (abstraction). You will have deep concentration.
Even if the external senses are controlled, the mind will be dwelling on the sensual objects. Therefore the mind also should be fixed in the lotus of the heart or the point between the two eyebrows (Ajna Chakra). Then the thoughts can be controlled. Develop one-pointedness of mind. Fix your mind on the Lord. If the mind wanders bring it back again and again to the object of meditation. Collect all the dissipated rays of the mind. Gather all thoughts through discrimination, dispassion and concentration. You will be free from wavering or oscillation of mind.
You cannot practise meditation without a firm posture. If the body is unsteady, the mind also will become unsteady.
Through regular meditation the mind becomes serene and calm. The little self-arrogating personality then slowly dies. Through regular meditation you grow spiritually. The Divine flame becomes brighter and brighter. You become impersonal and one with the Reality.
Keep the mind quite steady by withdrawing it from the objects of senses. Renounce all thoughts which generate desires. Meditate on the Lord. You will become a Yogi.
The Chitta-Vritti which is of the form of the object meditated upon is called Bhavana or that which binds. The mind which is endowed with strong discriminative faculty and dispassion will be able to control the senses from their inroads to the objects in all directions.
The Yogi is one who has united his mind with the Reality. Muni is one who does Manana (reflection or meditation.) Meditation or Dhyana is a continuous and unbroken flow of thought which is compared to the flow of oil from one vessel to another (Avichhinna Taila Dharavat).
The mind is refined and purified only by meditation and self-discipline. The mind that is rendered pure, will automatically move towards the Self or Atman. Then it has neither attraction nor attachment for the sensual objects.
IV. MIND AND SPIRITUAL PROGRESS
Mind is the means to spiritual attainment, and yet it is an obstacle too. The higher mind helps one to progress spiritually, and the lower mind anchors one to the worldly mire.
The battle between the positive and the negative forces is decided by the superior strength of the either of the two parts of the mind.
The Supreme Being created this aggregate of the body and entered it in the form of Jiva or the individual soul. The individual soul is united with the mind and the senses and becomes the enjoyer of the objects. Friends and enemies are not outside. They exist in the mind only.
It is the mind that makes a friend an enemy and an enemy a friend, depending on its moods. No meditation on Truth is possible with a fickle mind. A steady, one-pointed mind serves as a powerful searchlight to find out the hidden spiritual treasure of the Atman. No meditation is possible when the senses are out of control and distract attention.
The self-controlled Yogi who has attained mastery over his mind through discrimination, dispassion and meditation attains Self-realization. He who clings to pleasure and power cannot have steadiness of mind. He cannot concentrate and meditate.
He who is free from desire, greed and expectation can have a steady mind. When all desires for objects die, the mind becomes very peaceful and rests steadily in the Atman. Quiescence and despondence are different conditions.
When the mind becomes quite steady by constant and protracted practice of concentration, the Yogi beholds the reality by the mind which is now rendered pure, and yet which was an obstacle before.
He who does not practise any meditation cannot possess peace of mind.
Without peace man cannot have happiness. When the mind is completely withdrawn from the sensual objects there is a feeling of supreme contentment within the heart. He who cannot fix his mind in meditation is a slave of his senses.
A man of balanced mind is indeed a great soul. When the mind is always in a balanced state one rises above duality.
V. WATCH THE MIND
In the waking state the mind plays with the external objects. When you sit for meditation with closed eyes, the mind plays with past memories. It builds castles in the air. You will imagine that you are having deep meditation. When it gets tired it may become dull (Moodha state) or it may enter into deep sleep. Watch the mind carefully; be always vigilant.
I. MIND - THE CAUSE OF EVERYTHING
Mind alone is the whole world, the great pains, the old age, death and the great sin, earth, water, fire, air, ether, and the internal organ. Mind binds a man. He who has controlled his mind, is a veritable God on this earth. You live in a world of thoughts. First is thought. Then there is the expression of that thought through the organ of speech. Thought and language are intimately connected. Thoughts of anger, bitterness and malice injure others. If the mind which is the cause of all thoughts vanishes, the external objects will disappear. Thoughts are things. Sound, touch, form, taste and odor, the five sheaths, the waking, the dreaming and deep sleep states - all these are the products of mind. Sankalpa, passion, anger, bondage, time - know them to be the result of mind. Mind is the king of the Indriyas or senses. Thought is the root of all mental processes.
II. THE INSTRUMENTAL STATUS OF MIND
The true laboratory is the mind. Study of the mind is essential. Test the mind. Go beyond the mind. You will realize the truth. You will discover the hidden soul. If only your mind is quieted, you will enjoy peace in your own home as well as in a forest. For one whose mind is entirely fixed and purified, forest or house is alike. Man has a mind but mind is not man. Mind is a good servant. It is an instrument. You will have to utilize it tactfully and properly. The prime requisite for happiness is control over the mind or the lower self. Your thought is imprinted over your face. Mind is a bridge that connects the human with the Divine. Your body, your business, your home - they are only ideas within your mind. Thought is a dynamic force. Good thought is the first perfection. Thought is real wealth.
Emotion is the driving force at the back of thought. Will-power is a master-key to all success. Knowledge, thought, intellect, reason are one. Appetite, impulse, instinct, desire are one. Emotion, ambition, spirit, courage, are one. The mind is master of body. Soul is master of mind. Thou art in essence Immortal Soul above body and mind. Always remember this supreme fact. Love in the awareness of thy spiritual nature.
III. THE LAWS OF THOUGHT
As you think, so you become. As your thoughts so must be your life. Improve your thinking. Better thoughts bring better action. Mere thinking of the objects of this world is pain. Bondage is caused by the very act of thought. Pure thought is a mightier force than electricity. The mind which is attracted by objects of sense, tends to bondage, while that which is not so attracted, tends to emancipation. Mind is a dacoit. Slay this mind-dacoit. You will be happy and free forever. Manifest all your strength in the task of conquering your mind. This is true manliness or Purushartha. Self-denial is a means to the purification and refinement of mind. Purify and still the mind. The layers of ignorance covering knowledge, will not be removed without a calm mind.
The subtle part of food forms the mind. Mind is manufactured out of food. The subtle part of food is transformed into mind. Food does not mean merely what we eat, but what we gather through all our senses. Learn to see God everywhere. This is real food for the eyes. Purity of mind depends upon purity of food. You can see better, hear better, taste better, think better, when you entertain sublime, divine thoughts. Look at an object through a green or red glass; the object appears green or red. Even so, the objects are colored by the desires through the mirror-mind. All mental states are transitory; they produce pain and sorrow. Have freedom of thought. Free yourself from the slavery of prejudice that blunts intellect and dulls thought. Think of the Immortal Atman. This is the right method of direct, original thinking. The Atman reveals Himself after the purification of the mind. When the mind is serene without any want, without any motive, without any craving or desire or thought, without any compulsion, without hope, then the Supreme Atman shines. There is the experience of Bliss. Live the way in which saints live. This is the only way to victory over mind and the lower self and until you have conquered mind, there can be no sure and permanent victory.
IV. CULTURE OF THE MIND
Watch your thoughts. Control the thoughts. Be a witness of your thoughts. Rise above thoughts and dwell in that pure consciousness where there is no thought. The subtle impressions, tendencies, desires and passions lying in the depths of the subconscious, have a tremendous effect on your conscious life. They should be purified and sublimated. They must be given a spiritual turn. Hear what is auspicious. Behold what is auspicious. Think what is auspicious. Talk what is auspicious. Meditate what is auspicious. Understand what is auspicious. Know what is auspicious.
Fear, strong dislike, buried hatred, prejudice, intolerance, anger, lust, disturb the action of the subconscious mind. Cultivate virtues. Purify and strengthen the subconscious mind. Desire, greed, etc., enslave and obscure the mind which must be freed and restored to its pristine purity, to reflect Truth and practise meditation. The lower impulses belong to the physical body and the mental plane.
When the mind does not function owing to the absence of Vasanas (mental impressions and subtle desires), then arise the state of Manonasa or annihilation of the mind.
V. MYSTERIOUS HUMAN MIND
Mind is everything. He who has a pure mind sees everything pure. It is with the mind that you truly see. It is with the mind that you truly hear. Mind is a miracle. The greatest miracle of all is your Atman or soul. It is your will that makes your thoughts, words and deeds, good or evil. Your will shapes and dictates your actions in life. Uncontrolled mind is the root of unhappiness. He who knows his own mind, knows heaven. You will attain everything when the mind is steady. Nothing can be attained without purity of mind. O Ram! Be not like dumb-driven cattle. Be a hero. Fight bravely with the mind and the senses. Come out victorious. Thought is a great force. It has a tremendous influence. The mind is nothing but temperament to a modern psychologist. There is no greater fool than he who has studied, known and taught and yet does not control his senses and mind.
The mischievous mind generates all pains, sorrows, fears, doubts and delusion and robs you of the inner spiritual wealth. The functions of the mind are thinking, feeling and willing. Conscience is the light of the mind which discerns good and evil. Mind's very nature is restlessness. It is very rebellious. Mind is not soul. Thou art pure, blissful soul or spirit. Soul is self-contained. Thinking and planning are important characteristics of the mind. Mind is a bundle of Vasanas (desires) and Samskaras (impressions). Analyse the mind. go deeper within and discover the source of your life, the Soul of your soul.
VI. VASANAS AND VRITTIS
There are two seeds for the tree of mind, viz., vibration of Prana and Vasanas. Vasana is of two kinds, viz., Asubha or impure Vasanas, the cause for rebirths, and Subha Vasanas, the pure Vasanas which are destructive of births. He who is subject to bondage, is verily bound by Vasanas. Liberation is the annihilation of Vasanas. After annihilation of all Vasanas, abandon the seeking after liberation as well. Through the practice of annihilation of Vasanas, control of mind, and Jnana or wisdom, the knots of the heart, viz., ignorance, desire and Karma are rent asunder.
Annihilation of Vasanas, attainment of the knowledge of Brahman, and dissolution of the mind, when practised for an equal length of time, over a long period, are bestowers of Self-realization. By the eradication of Vasanas, the mind attains the state of dissolution, being deprived of its functioning. Restraining the flow of the vital air or the practice of Pranayama is similar to the practice of the eradication of Vasanas. If the Vasanas remain in a potential form, they will again and again trouble the Jiva and generate rebirth.
As long as the mind is not dissolved, so long there is no annihilation of Vasanas or desires. As long as there is no tranquillity of the mind, so long there is no knowledge of the Truth. As long as there is no annihilation of Vasanas, so long there can be no attainment of the Truth or Brahma-Jnana. As long as there is no attainment of knowledge, so long there is no annihilation of Vasanas. Knowledge of Truth, dissolution of the mind and annihilation of Vasanas, each of them becoming the cause in its turn, is difficult of accomplishment. The state devoid of dotage and death, is attained by the destruction of Vasanas alone.
VII. SECRET OF SADHANA
Learn to control your emotions, moods, temper, fear, worry. Learn self-control and mental discipline. A well- disciplined mind will do you tremendous service. Therefore, discipline the mind. The mind is rendered free from passion and desire of all sorts through the practice of meditation. Then, develop a strong aversion to carnal pleasures and worldly ties. Merge your speech in the mind, merge your mind in the cosmic mind, merge your will in the Divine Will, merge your life in the Eternal life. Keep the mind pure. Saturate the mind with sublime, lofty, divine thoughts. Environments are not bad, but your mind is bad.
Your mind is not disciplined properly. Overcome your moods. Then the circumstances will become all right. When the mind merges in ignorance in deep sleep, the senses cannot function independent of the mind. The sense of separateness is primarily responsible for the desire for action. Nothing can give you eternal happiness but your self; nothing can give you everlasting joy but the victory over the lower self or mind. Be not soft. Be hard. Cultivate power of endurance. Endurance develops will. Energy is the root of all actions. Will is the root of all desires (I will. I desire). Knowledge is the root of all thoughts (I know or I think).
The great hindrance to the proper use of will is the lack of ability to focus the attention. Attention is a prerequisite of good memory. Willing is the power to execute the decisions of intellect and the dictates of emotion. The first step towards the development of will, lies in the exercise of attention. Attention is at the base of will. Strong will makes men giants. Pratyahara is ingathering of the mind, Dharana is fixing the mind on one point or idea. The Yogi who by meditation and Yogic discipline, conquers his mind, conquers easily the world of matter. ‘Jitam jagadyena mano jitam hi'.
He is the Master of the Self, he is the king of the inner spiritual kingdom, who keeps his mind and senses under perfect control. He who conquers his mind, is greater than those who conquer dominions in the war. The surging up of the mind spells ruin, while the annihilation of the mind spells liberation. The mind which has been educated in the love of the body through ages, feels very much distressed when detached from the body. Snanam manomalatyagam. Real bath is cleansing the mind. Apart from the conquest of the mind, there is no other course left open to you for being saved from the ocean of worldly existence. Subdue the mind, control the mind and defeat it through Brahmacharya and meditation. Cheerfulness brings strength and steadiness to the mind. Benevolence, tenderness and complacency are helpful for purifying the mind and bringing peace.
Serenity, restlessness, attachment, anger, courage, purity, impurity, covetousness, nobility - all this is truly mind. Control of the Prana and the dissolution of the mind are to be practised constantly for attaining liberation. When the desires of the mind are destroyed, when the senses are withdrawn in the mind, when you are regular in your meditation, Japa, prayer, Vichara and study, you will enjoy peace of mind. Slay this mind past all resurrections. Achieve perfection. Rest in your Satchidananda Svarupa!
To Follow: MIND IIIAum NamaH shivaya!Sianala, Montreal, Feb 2008
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