Thoughts and the Mind

You cannot remove any thought. Suppose you don't want anything in your room. You can clean out the whole room, throw everything out. But you cannot do that with thoughts; once they come to you they are your property, whether you like it or not. Good, bad, or indifferent, all thoughts are there with you. How they are handled is up to you.

Purifying the mind means making [instinctual] thoughts ineffective. How? By detachment, that is all. Don't pay attention to the thoughts, don't be interested in them; they will all lie down, sleep. If you pay attention, if you are interested, they will come up. That is why often in your idle time, leisure time, you enjoy or are miserable - because you dig up thoughts from the past, even though you know that you are wasting your time.

Raja yoga gives you the art of controlling thoughts, making them ineffective. Patanjali speaks of constant practice and dispassion. What is constant practice? Constant awareness of the pure Being, the Purusha. Put the mind on the pure Being, don't be interested in any other thought. Thoughts do come, but don't pay attention to them. Thoughts arise because of some suggestion outside. They don't come without a suggestion. There are millions of thoughts in your min now; why don't all of them come up? They arise according to the external suggestion. Something is seen outside - outside of the mind - from inside a thought arises, and you are a victim. From the external suggestion, internal urges come up; they play games, and you are in between, a victim.

Patanjali tells you: 'Control them, control them, control them.' When you control them, a time comes when all of them are rendered ineffective, almost dead; [or remain] in their unmanifested condition. They are almost dead, they do not manifest. The unmanifested condition is called the second stage of samadhi - the thoughts are there buy they do not disturb you. This stage is called the state of no-mind. In this mind, there is no pulsation, no impression, no thought, no urge, no modification.

Excerpt from the article, "Light on Patanjali-IV" by Swami Sarvagatananda in Prabuddha Bharata (Awakened India), November 2008.

Grateful thanks and 'pranams' to Srimat Swami Sarvagatanandaji Maharaj and Prabuddha Bharata.

For Spiritual Aspirants-5: "Sadhana" by Swami Vivekananda

Tremendous determination to struggle, a hundredfold more determination than that which you put forth to gain anything which belongs to this life, is the first great preparation.

And then along with it, there must be meditation. Meditation is the one thing. Meditate! The greatest thing is meditation. It is nearest approach to spiritual life - the mind meditating. It is the one moment in our daily life that we are not at all material - the Soul thinking of itself, free from all matter - this marevellous touch of the Soul! - Swami Vivekananda

Courtesy: "Prabuddha Bharata" or "Awakened India", November 2008.
Grateful thanks to Prabuddha Bharata.

For Spiritual Aspirants-4: "Working in God's Garden"

Kemmons Wilson, founder of an international motel chain, quoted some advice for planting a "garden" that would enhance our work skills:

* Five rows of "peas" - prayer, preparedness, promptness, perseverance, politeness

* Three rows of "squash" - squash gossip, criticism, and indifference

* Five rows of "lettuce" - let us love one another, let us be faithful, let us be loyal, let us be unselfish, let us be truthful

* Three rows of "turnips" - turn up for church, turn up with a new idea, turn up with the determination to do a better job today than you did yesterday.

Today let us evaluate our attitude toward our work. Do we see it as a necessary evil that deserves the least possible effort? As an unfortunate prerequisite to retirement? Or do we see it as an opportunity to serve God?

"Whatever you do," wrote Paul, "do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that frm the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for your serve the Lord Christ" (Col.3:23-24). With that attitude, we can work enthusiastically and wholeheartedly, not just for a paycheck but for glory of God - David C.McCasland.

Courtesy: "Our Daily Bread", July-December 1999.

Grateful thanks to Mr.David C.McCasland and "Our Daily Bread".

Prayer of the day-18:

Lord, help us walk with You each day,
Attune our hearts to what You will say;
And show us how to read and pray
When pressing needs get in our way - Sper

Courtesy: "Our Daily Bread", July-December 1999