Discipline of the mind

[Guest guest]

DISCIPLINE OF THE MIND

 

by Swami Sivananda

 

You must have a pure mind if you want to realise the self. Unless the

mind is free and it casts away all desires, cravings, worries,

delusion, pride, lust, attachment, likes and dislikes, it cannot

enter into the domain of supreme peace and unalloyed felicity, the

immortal abode.

 

A glutton or a sensualist, a dullard or a lazy man, cannot practise

meditation. He who has controlled the tongue and other organs, who

has an acute acumen, who eats, drinks and sleeps in moderation, who

has destroyed selfishness, lust, greed and anger, can practise

meditation and attain success in samadhi (superconsciousness).

 

You cannot enjoy peace of mind, you cannot practise meditation if

there is viksepa in your mind. Viksepa is tossing of mind. Viksepa is

rajas (passion); viksepa and desires co-exist in the mind. If you

really want to destroy viksepa, you must destroy all mundane cravings

through dispassion and self-surrender to the Lord.

 

If you apply fire to green wood, it will not burn; if you apply fire

to a piece of dried wood, it will at once catch fire and burn. Even

so, those who have not purified their minds will not be able to start

the fire of meditation. They will be sleeping or dreaming building

castles in the air - when they sit for meditation.

 

But those who have removed the impurities of the mind by japa

(repetition of God's name), service, charity, pranayama (yoga

breathing) etc., will enter into deep meditation as soon as they sit

for meditation. The pure ripe mind will at once burn with the fire of

meditation.

 

Clarify your idea again and again. Think clearly. Have deep

concentration and right thinking. Introspect in solitude. Purify your

thoughts. Still the thoughts. Silence the bubbling mind. Allow one

thought-wave only to rise from the mind and settle down calmly. Then

allow another thought to enter. Drive off all extraneous thoughts

that have nothing to do with the subject matter on hand. An efficient

control over thoughts, through long practice, is a great help in

meditation.

 

Watch every thought very carefully. Shut out all useless thoughts

from the mind. Your life must tally with your meditation. You keep up

your meditation during work also. Do not give new strength to evil

thoughts by constantly thinking. Restrain them. Substitute sublime

thoughts.

 

(Source: http://sivanandaonline.org/html/ )