Mind Management – A few Observations

Mind Management – A few Observations Sometime back I had written a piece on “ Mind Management” and received certain queries about 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 whole day and particularly at night time. Thoughts arising at bed time 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 to 60 thousand thoughts a day. And 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 that “ the Present moment is inevitable.” And this state is true enlightenment. A state where you a become a witness to the actions . From an actor or doer , we become 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 second monk 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. Yet another Buddhist story . There were two Buddhist monks travelling through a dense forest . On their 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 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” achieved a state of being in the present moment. I would recommend , readers and all the callers 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. Practising Pranayama , Sudarshan Kriya, Yoga , undertaking vigorous exercise , pursuing hobbies, contemplating, praying , observing nature and just being a spectator or a witness will help 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. Confucious says” Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” Mind Management – Why do thoughts arise Recently I received a message on my cell," I am the son of Lord Krishna , I keep visiting Tirumala , yet I take drugs, why do I suffer, please help me?" My terse response was," Meet a psychiatrist , undergo counselling , practice medication and undergo the Happiness Programme of the The Art Of Living". But the caller was unsatisfied and kept pestering me with a flurry of such messages. This person was positively in a state of misery and fear. Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger or pain. His crutch and life boat was Lord Krishna. To my mind , it seemed a state of hallucination , perhaps because of medicines and drugs. The mind of the caller was both fragmented and deeply disturbed. He appeared to be in a state of imbalance . No one in his right frame of mind would come up with such outlandish prepositions. He refused to take proper medication, meet a psychiatrist or undertake the Art Of Living programme. Here was a challenge staring me in my face. The individual positively required attention and help. The Patanjali Yoga Sutras have identified the following as root causes of miseries in life- Avidya, Asmita, Raga, Dwesha and Abhinivesha. 1) Avidya- This is nothing but lack of knowledge or ignorance. Everything around us keeps changing constantly. It could be our cells , blood, stomach linings, hair to name some. But we are oblivious of the change. The only permanent thing in life is impermanence said Buddha. 2) Asmita- Is our intellect and our self. We get stubbornly stuck to our opinions. Like the caller was fixated with the idea that he was the child of Lord Krishna and stay put at Tirumala. Yet he was partaking drugs. We are unable to comprehend life beyond a state of our stubbornness and ignorance. Unfortunately the mind is stuck in our mirror image of stubbornness. We too become " Pictures of Dorian Gray". 3) Raga- This is nothing but craving. Normally craving arises out of certain pleasurable experiences of the past . It has deep imprint on the mind. But such impressions only aggravates our wants and misery. It is a vicious cycle of pleasure begetting more pleasure and ending up in a cachet of misery. 4) Dwesha- Is nothing but hatred . Hatred is antithetical to craving. Though it arises out of craving , the premise is an unpleasant experience. Some kind of an oxymoron like situation. This could be because of certain tragic moments in the past or unrealistic expectations which do not materialise. 5) Abhivivesha- This is fear of the unknown . An emotion which affects all of us. Only a saint or an insane person has overcome this barrier. Fear can also help as a protecting cloak when it is in relatively small measure. This helps us to not indulge in chest thumping bravado. Erudite scholars too live with this primordial instict. The above points have been explained in a succinct and elaborate manner by HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in his commentary on Patanjali Yoga Sutras. The caller proclaiming to be the son of Lord Krishna was in obvious pain and agony. He could experience ecstasy only through scientific help that is, consulting a psychiatrist , taking proper medication and undertaking an Art Of Living course. That was of course my suggestion. However his escapist response was that the course would be expensive and where could he locate a centre . This is how a how a fragmented and an escapist mind reacts. That is primarily looking for excuses and not accepting the reality. I suggested that through the Art Of Living website a centre could be identified and a course undertaken . Further there are free courses like Nav Chetna workshops which he could attend. The caller continued to escape and dodge the inevitable. This is how human mind reacts. It keeps hunting for excuses, alternatives . Invariably the cloak of negativity and ignorance shrouds the mind from combating the problem. Exercising all love, caution and care , I asked him to chant " OM NAMAHA SHIVAYA" - 108 times thrice a day to purge his mind from all negative thoughts and making positive affirmations by writing" I AM HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PEACEFUL". This task also to be done thrice daily 108 times; and the Tapas to be done for 41 days. In case a day is missed for some reason , repeat the process again for 41 days. Such signals to the mind are extremely useful and powerful . The mind then responds to positive thoughts and discards negative feelings and emotions. He has not contacted me so far. Presumably , he has embarked on the journey of Tapas and hopefully has found support and a beacon of light in the dark tunnel. His Ishta Devata , Lord Krishna wielded Sudarshan Chakra wading through negativity and impurity. Sudarshan Kriya , Pranayama , Yoga and Meditation will certainly swathe through the cobwebs of his troubled mind and increase his Prana, Chi or energy to obliterate the negativity. I am waiting for the 41 days to end so that he can be happy , healthy and peaceful. Jai Guru Dev.