Improving personality

[Guest guest]

Use your resources to improve spiritual practice

rather than to overcome personality

(prakruti)<br><br>Even if our intellect knows what is right, the

impressions in our subconscious* mind are so strong that they

do not allow the intellect to do the right thing.

For example, a person smokes and knows that smoking

is not good for him, yet he cannot quit smoking,

because the impression or desire in the subconscious mind

to smoke is very strong. Still, using the intellect

one can make efforts to go against the impressions in

the subconscious mind. But, when one is unwell, one

is weakened further and cannot go against the mind;

hence, the impressions in the sub-conscious mind take

over. These impressions are a result of not just a few

years, but many lifetimes. Therefore, it is very

difficult to eliminate them. As long as the mind exists,

such shortcomings in one’s personality (prakruti) will

exist. Every seeker becomes aware of his shortcomings

along the spiritual journey. One should remember that

Spirituality is about growing beyond the prakruti and not

about developing a good prakruti. One should pay

attention to a negative factor in the prakruti only if it

is a major obstacle in one’s spiritual practice and

work progressively in overcoming it, not

otherwise.<br><br>Source : <a href=http://www.sanatan.org/weekly

target=new>http://www.sanatan.org/weekly</a>

[Guest guest]

Thank you for mentioning this as I have given up

smoking a few times, as also right now. I find that when

the support of the bad habit goes away then all it

takes is diverting thought from the habit and poof it

goes away almost magically. For instance I am a chef

and feel very hollow after even a good night because

the activity invariably drains me and I feel lonely

after. The loneliness is not for people but for the self

that was drained away as I am never lonely when by

myself alone, even when for days or weeks. But I replace

the lonliness with smoking. So I cannot be a chef any

longer. For the sake of my health and peace of mind. I

still have to be one for awhile but I must remove

myself from this bad karma (for me) profession (klesha)

to remove the support of the habit (samskara). When

the support is gone them a breath knocks the habit

over.