Mind and Mind Management

 Mind and Mind Management

Mind Management 2 [pa1] 

 

Some time ago, I had written an article on Mind Management, following which I received queries about   the generation of multiple thoughts and the acceptance by people that mind was not at ease. It was frightening and troubling that several people of various age groups were plagued by all kinds of negative thoughts and were not living lives in the Present Moment.

People   were troubled by thoughts arising during   the day but particularly at night. Thoughts arising at bedtime reside with us and seep deep into our consciousness and the following morning we are again troubled by those very   thoughts and are not like fresh dew on petals.

Ashtravaka Gita (a   dialogue between King   Janaka and sage Ashtavakra) says that ‘all   action resides in the mind’ and this is further corroborated by modern science. Modern science   amplifies that there is no difference in the activity of the mind; whether you slap someone or merely think of slapping someone. It is actually the brain’s limbic system, which is where the   motor control   gets expressed. Just thinking of slapping   someone activates all muscles that would   be employed to undertake that specific action.

Jesus adds further that a   sin gets committed by the mere thought of being unfaithful to your spouse. On an average, we   are bombarded by 50–60,000 thoughts a day. Yet, we seem to have no control over them.

These thoughts arise on account of   our   memory bank (past impressions and Karma), the   company we keep, past and current experiences, and also the food we partake.

According to Ashtavakra Gita, enlightenment occurs only when we live in our hearts. Heart is synonymous   for a point of inflexion where there is no past or future. There is only a present. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, ‘The   Present mMoment is inevitable.’ This state is   true enlightenment. A state where you move from being actors or doers to becoming witnesses to what is happening around us.

How does one reach that state of Present Moment? Before dwelling on some techniques, let us witness a few stories.

Two Buddhists monks   were riding   cycles and   were on their way to meet a Zen Master. Monk One,   described the number of trees, clouds, waft of cold breeze striking his cheek, mountains, beautiful blue sky, fruits plucked on the way, village folk he encountered   among others before meeting the Zen Master. While the Monk Two, in all trepidation, meekly replied that he only cycled to meet the Zen Master. Immediately, the Master proclaimed the second monk to be the next Zen Master. Why?   Because he was only cycling! He was in the present moment. How many of us have seen Virendra Sehwag despatch the red cherry all over the park! He is in that present moment zone, where the   mind is not cluttered. That is true consciousness.

Here is yet another Buddhist story—. Tthere were two Buddhist monks travelling through a   dense forest. On the way, they came across a naked woman. The older one removed his apparel and clothed the bare woman and carried her across the river and left her on the other side of the   bank. The younger monk was greatly troubled by this act of his senior. He kept chiding the senior monk, literally accusing him of   for what he perceived as an act of   sacrilege. The older one just smiled and remarked that he had only carried the lady across the river, while   the other monk was still carrying the lady in his mind. Obviously the older monk, through his ‘Sadhana’ had achieved a state of being in the present moment.

I would recommend all to undertake the Happiness Programme of Art of Living. Read Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s, Celebrating Silence and   knowledge sheets of Guruji to acquire this wonderful knowledge of being in the Present Moment.

Practicing Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, Yoga,   undertaking vigorous exercise, pursuing hobbies, contemplating, praying, observing   nature   and   just   being a spectator or a witness will also help a   seeker and those with troubled minds to live   in the present moment. Once in the present moment, unwanted thoughts dissolve and a person is at peace.

Confucius says, ‘Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.’