Sivananda....my favorite ponderings...:))

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SIVANANDA DAILY READING FOR 17 JULY

TRUE RENUNCIATION

 

The mind is the all in all. Its mastery leads to

the renunciation of

all. True renunciation is in the abnegation of

the mind. It consists in

renouncing all desires and egoism, not world

existence. Through such

mental abnegation you will be able to free

yourself from pain. Then will

come immortality in life - the enjoyment of the

infinite delight of

existence free from ego, founded on the oneness

of all in Brahman.

 

Sanyasa (renunciation) is a mental state only. It

is gerua (or

colouring) of the heart and not of the cloth

alone. He is a sanyasi who

is free from passion and egoism, who possesses

all the satvic qualities,

even though he lives with the family and in the

world. If you have a

stainless mind you are a sanyasi (a renunciate),

whether you live in a

forest or in a city, whether you wear white cloth

or an orange coloured

robe, whether you shave your head or keep a long

tuft of hair.

 

Shave the mind. This consists of getting rid of

all attachment, passion,

egoism, infatuation, lust, greed, anger, etc.

Vedanta does not want you

to renounce the world; it wants you to change

your mental attitude. It

wants you to give up this illusory feeling of

'I-ness' and 'mine-ness'.

 

Mind is a mass of objectified desires. Desire in

the mind to eat, has

manifested as the tongue, the teeth and the

stomach. Desire in the mind

to walk has manifested as legs and feet. Control

the mind and you

control the desires. Eyes can only see. Ears can

only hear. Tongue can

only taste. Nose can only smell. Skin can only

touch. The five senses

are blended in the mind and the mind directly

sees, hears, smells,

tastes and feels. It does this quite independent

of the senses.

 

Understand clearly the aim of your life. Chalk

out the line of work that

is congenial to your aim. Then you should work

hard to realise that

ideal. Have your ideal ever before you and try,

every second, to live up

to it.

 

Develop a strong desire to remove carelessness

and forgetfulness from

your character. Have confidence in your own

powers and faculties. Keep

your mental poise in the world, without

consideration of failure,

without consideration of gain or loss, pleasure

or pain.

 

Have the mind always rooted in God, amidst all

the activities of life.