Sri Ramana Maharshi - Who am I? ( cintd.....7 )

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The next section is a continuation of the answer to the previous question :

'Are there any other means for making the mind quiescent?'

 

Like breath control, meditation on a form of God, repetition of sacred

words and regulation of diet are mere aids for controlling the mind.

Through meditation on a form of God and through the repetition of

sacred words the mind becomes focussed on one point. An elephant's

trunk is always moving around, but when a chain is given to it to hold

in its trunk, that elephant will go on its way, holding onto the chain

instead of trying to catch other things with it. Similarly, when the

mind, which is always wandering, is trained to hold onto any name

or form of God, it will only cling to that. Because the mind branches

out into innumerable thoughts, each thought becomes very weak.

As thoughts subside more and more, one-pointedness [of mind] is

gained. A mind that has gained strength in this way will easily succed

in self-enquiry. Of all regulations taking sattvic food in moderate

quantities is the best. Through [this], the sattvic quality of the mind

gets enhanced and becomes an aid to self-enquiry.

 

[ Remarks by Sri David Godman :

A sattvic diet is one which is vegetarian and which also excludes

stimulating substances - such as chillies, tobacco, alcohol - and food

that is excessively sour, salty or pungent.

Some Indian systems of thought maintain that the mind is composed

of three fluctuating componenets called gunas:

(a) 'sattva', purity or harmony.

(b) 'rajas' , activity.

© 'tamas' , inertia or sluggishness.

Since the type of food eaten affects the quality of the mind, non-satvic

foods promote 'rajas' and 'tamas'. The 'sattvic' mind is the most desirable.

One of the aims of spiritual practice is to increase the 'sattvic' component

at the expense of 'rajas' and 'tamas'. ]

 

 

 

 

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