Ways To Control The Mind

Move to higher centres of spiritual satisfaction,  says SRI M

 

Since long,  sages and prophets have laid down what are called rules of conduct which a religious person should practise.  While rituals and ceremonies may be dispensed with if found unnecessary and cumbersome, the rules of conduct have to be studied carefully and adopted as far as possible, because, by practising them, your capacity to meditate is enhanced. 

 

Given below are the yamas,  the do’s,  and the niyamas,  the dont’s,  common to all aspirants no matter what formal religion they belong to:  

● Do not steal.  

● Do not kill.  

● Do not lie.  

● Do not be violent.  

● Do not commit adultery.  

● Do not indulge in intoxicants.  

● Eat in moderation — do not overeat.  

● Pray or meditate daily, if possible,  twice a day.  

● Treat your parents and teachers with respect.  

● Lead a simple life. 

● Do some service to other human beings. 

 

You’ll notice that all these precepts,  if practised,  are surely conducive to peace and tranquillity.  If you steal,  you always have the fear that you will be caught some time or other. How can such a mind be calm and meditative?

 

If you kill, you know that it is most likely that you will be killed by someone too.  The whole culture of violence where enemies kill each other is merely the symptom of a disease which lies deep in each individual. 

 

The desire to kill is necessary to win the race, but then who pauses to ponder over the fact that all joy and fulfilment lie within the heart and not outside? The same blissful Self which is in you is in me and one has only to meditate and live in peace to contact it. 

 

If you lie once, you’ll probably have to lie again and again to protect the original lie, and so on it goes — a vicious circle. Soon you have spun a web of lies which you are afraid might be broken and further lies are woven to prevent this. Thereafter, you even begin to believe your own lies. How can such persons have peace of mind? So, throw all these things overboard and lead a simple, transparent life full of peace and tranquillity. The small inconveniences you may feel are nothing compared to what you gain. 

 

As for adultery,  spiritual progress is linked to the ascension of the mind into subtler and higher states of consciousness,  the grossest points of which function as hunger and sex. These are perfectly legitimate needs of any human being. However, we pay too much attention to the latter, because it affords the maximum enjoyment we can normally conceive of,  and for a split second,  can even make us forget ourselves. 

 

As one approaches subtler spheres,  the consciousness has to be shifted from the lower centre of sexual satisfaction to higher centres of spiritual satisfaction.  This cannot be done if one’s mind is always centred on sex-related activities. Therefore, the emphasis on moderation in sexual indulgence.  The ideal person does not go around indulging in sex at all times under all circumstances and become a prey to venereal disease or AIDS or other physical and mental diseases, all in the name of freedom. He gradually gets rid of the obsession by sublimating his sexual energies to higher emotions which lift his consciousness to greater and higher states of existence. In the upper centres,  like the heart centre,  for instance, he enjoys a bliss that is a thousand times more powerful than mere sexual enjoyment. Therefore,  the advanced yogi needs no sexual enjoyment in the usual sense of the term. 

 

Closely connected to sex is the question of food. The best way to control a wayward mind is an occasional fast. The yogi, a practitioner of spiritual exercises,  needs to moderate all his activities in order to be able to progress in his endeavour. Mark you, moderation is the key word. ■ 

 

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