Mind : ( 24/10/2012. )

On Mind-Control : 6. The control of the mind is, therefore, equal to the finding of the relation between the finite and the Infinite. Great persistence, great understanding and capacity to discriminate is here called for. Ancient masters and seekers of truth, to one of whom I made reference yesterday, had their own way of solution. Sometimes the solutions seem to be very humorous, but very practical. The mind has to be handled in an intelligent manner, but persistently. 7. When we drive a nail continuously on the wall, without changing the spot, with the determination to drive the nail into the wall, it will go inside and yield to our pressure. But, if we strike at one place and find a brick, at another place a stone, in a third place something else, we will not succeed in driving the nail at all. 8. In a similar manner, several methods have to be adopted in a continuous determination to achieve a purpose. This determination takes various phases of expression. It is n

On Mind-Control : 1. The "mind" is a name given to the policy of affirming one's finitude. The assertion of individuality is known as "mind." It is a pressure exerted upon the limitedness of our personality, and there is no such thing as mind independently existing, as we may imagine it to be. 2. Childlike considerations may form the opinion that the mind is something moving inside the body, like a ball of mercury changing its position frequently, within the body only. No such thing is the mind. It cannot be located as "something." It is, to explain it precisely, the body asserting itself: "I am." This body feels "it is." That vehement feeling of physical existence is termed the "mind" for purpose of easy comprehension. 3. Fickleness is the nature of the mind. It will never occupy a particular position because the physical affirmation spoken of is a tantalizing phenomenon, not sure of itself. The body does not fi

SANTI MANTRAM : 1. OM  Saha  navavtu.  Saha  nau  bhunaktu.   Saha viryam  karavavahai. Tejasvi  na  vadhitam-astu.   Ma  vidvisa-vahai. OM  Santih!   Santih!   Santih! OM=AUM, Sah = Us ( both together) Avavtu = May ( He-Lord ) protect. Saha nau = Us both together, Bhunaktu = May (He) cause us to enjoy (the Supreme ). Sah = Together, Viryam = Put in efforts ( with enthusiasm ), Karavavahai = Exert together ( to find the true meaning of sacred texts ). Tejasvi  na  =  Being brilliant, Avadhitam-astu =  May we both exert together ( to discover the inner meanings of the scriptures ). Ma = Never, Vidvisa-vahai = We misunderstand each other. OM-  1. Santi! = Peace be with us from heavenly wraths;          2. Santi!= Peace be with us from phenomenal cruelties;          3. Santi! = Peace be with us from bodily obstacles. OM, May He ( Lord ) protect us both ( the tacher and the pupil ). May He cause us both to enjoy (the Supreme). May we both exert

                                                   Swami Chinmayananda What is the mind? Thoughts cannot be the mind because the quality, nature and identity of our thoughts never remain the same although we feel that our mind is ever the same.  If thoughts were the mind, it would have changed as often as our thoughts! Nor can the mind be 'desire'because desire has no existence apart from thoughts. Our Sastras are much more direct. For their crystalline clarity of expression, completeness of exposition, thoughtlessness of explanation, no scientific literature in the world has yet come to compete with the perfections gained in these lines by the Bharatheeya Sastras in the hands of our great Rishies of Ancient Bharatham. According to our Sastras thought is but a manifestation of the mind, but the mind itself is a delusory nothing seemingly conspicuous, a delusory something created when thoughts flow. This is better understood if we take the example of a river

                               Swami Swaroopananda :  (Chinmaya mission) ALL of our emotions are given to us for our benefit. In fact, everything in this world is there for our benefit only. It is how we use or misuse the objects of the world that will being about positive and happy results, or negative and miserable results.   Emotions like fear and anxiety are meant to help us rather than to become a curse in our lives. For example, if we did not have fear how many stupid things would we do? Fear for the right things we must have -- fear for the misuse of weapons, fear of dangerous things and of doing wrong or adharma. Without that fear we would do anything that we wanted to do and end up hurting ourselves.  If we are faced with a poisonous snake, an immediate impulse of fear makes us jump back. How we may then courageously meet that threat is another matter, but the initial instinct of fear protects us. In this context, fear is positive, not negative. But when an emotion

                                 Swami Tejomayananda ( Chinmaya Mission) In modern life we see that there is much material progress and comfort. At the same time humanity experiences great stress and strain. There is comfort, but there is also stress. When there is stress comfort is no comfort at all.   We generally hear that there is too mush stress, strain and tension in our day to day life. In business we have cut throat competition. There may be strain within the family or in social relationships. Within ourselves we may find disintegration. This stress and strain is experienced by us as anxiety, worry, fear, or frustration.  How do we overcome these various stresses? Some people try smoking and drinking. Others seek change, a vacation. Thus, we adopt various temporary escapes from tension. Some of these are tamasik (inactive) such as the drinking, or rajasik (serene) such as attending a spiritual retreat; that can also be an escape if we do not make right use of it. Ho

     Swami Chidatmananda     ( Chinmaya Mission)--- Family amp, April 2001  Just Be : May we not have Kartrutva Bhavana(doership) and then get our mind influenced by it.  It is an opportunity for us to serve HIM; otherwise we will create uneasiness for ourselves and also for others.  There is no need for anything to be organized at all. we are creating an opportunity to serve HIM in this manner. Even for us this is not the only way to serve HIM. We may have many ways but for the NOW this is what we have planned and by HIS Grace and others cooperation we are able to get things going.  With out you and me doing these activities GOD knows 1000 ways(infinite number of ways) to get things done.  If you keep just yourself in these activities, then your capacities will be limited  If you keep HIM and do it as an offering unto HIM, then HIS capacities will flow through you.  Keep the EGO at a distance and out of these Seva activities. Remember you are not the DOER, HE is the

                                                    Swami Chidatmananda When we Observe Thoughts in Awareness ,we know that all the comfort we seek in this world is actually comfort of thought , comfort in thought,because experience of anything of comfort is actually is in the form of thought,hence our choice of comfort in thought remains prone to discomfort at any time because thought and mind never remain the same,they are full of change,it is their nature to change. The thought of discomfort also belongs to the same category,even the discomfort we feel due to things is actually the discomfort at the thought level,if we can steadily,look at the thought of discomfort with awareness, in awareness,as awareness, the discomfort vanishes,disappears, because in Awareness there is no room , space , for discomfort to exist, in fact there is no room for thought to exist, just Awareness remains as Awareness in Awareness. Our Nature is Awareness, hence not to remain in Awareness,

                                    Swami Tejomayananda :(Chinmaya Mission) The Nature of Desire  Once a desire arises, we cannot forget it. There is complete insistence that things must happen the way we want. As long as we have such desires, it is impossible to gain peace. We cannot even sleep properly because our mind is so riddled with desires, let alone poised enough to gain that great and permanent peace. Another characteristic of desire is that once we have enjoyed something, we crave for it again and again. If we feel itchy and make the mistake of scratching, we will find that the itching increases. The nature of desire is just like having an itch. Once we start enjoying something, there will be more and more craving and longing for it. We keep planning for those pleasures we have not yet experienced, and then after having enjoyed them, we remember them constantly and crave for them. These are the two main things that tend to disturb us when we sit for meditat

Purity is achieved by freedom from desire, and desire should be distinguished from necessity. When one is hungry, one should eat, when one is thirsty oneshould drink, when one is fatigued, one should sleep. These absolute necessities cannot be called desires because without these necessities one cannot even survive. Desire is a destructive form of longing which innervates the whole system, longing for things which are not necessary for the maintenance of the body. Every kind of luxury should be considered as desire. One has to judge for oneself whether this particular thing is absolutely necessary, or one can be comfortable even without that. Each one is one's own judge. If one can comfortably live happily without certain things, asking for those things once again is called desire. It will disturb the mind. There are levels of desire, of a lower category and a higher category, etc. You may feel like having a cup of tea. It is a minor desire; have it. You may like to go for

All the Shastras and scriptures unanimously declare that our enemy is the ego. The sorrows and sighs belong to the ego - phantom. Sublimate the ego in constant vichar. In your discrimination of the real and the unreal, the false ego dream ends. End the ego and end the woes. If the ego in you is the samsarin, if the ego in you is the tormentor, if the ego in you is the enemy, spy on him more closely and come to know who he is. Find out your enemy and drive him away. This ego, in fact, is a myth, a non - entity, a dream, a phantom, a mere false shadow. All the sorrows belong to this shadow of your own reality, and in your own thoughtlessness you have surrendered yourselves to the endless tyranny of this shadow. End the shadow for ever. Fall flat at the feet of the Lord in love and surrender. When the ego sense is offered at His lotus feet, the mortal limitations end and the bhakta who has done a full and complete atma - samarpan becomes God himself. Turn your gaze towards th