Guest guest Posted March 7, 2010 Report Share Posted March 7, 2010 ANANDAMAYI MA ON "CONTROL OF THE MIND"www.spiritual-teaching.com Sri Anandamayi Ma - Joy Permeated MotherThe old man's question was: How can the mind be brought to rest? Ma responded: The mind is restless by nature. It naturally darts this way and that. It can have no rest till it gets its treasure which is its birthright—pure consciousness. So I interpret 'Sadhana' (spiritual discipline) as a bid for acquiring 'Swadhan' (one's real legacy). The object of Sadhana is steadying the mind. Once the mind is steady, little remains to be desired. In order to steady the mind, one must adhere to a single preoccupation such as repeating the holy Name, taking part in religious discussion, reading spiritual books and the like. One should devote a greater part of the time to the spiritual path that one delights in. The old man: If the mind flits from point to point while repeating the Name, is it any good? Ma: Why not? If while walking you tread upon fire, you burn your foot whether you intend to or not. In the same way, repeating the Name will bring its own reward whether you do it attentively or absentmindedly. We often have the idea that repeating the Name is not proving effective. It is true that often we cannot trace the effect of repeating the Name. But actually it is never ineffective. It leaves onus an imprint of its own ad later we realize that it has not been in vain. But there is a difference between repeating the Name attentively and doing it absentmindedly. An attentive repetition produces result quickly, while an inattentive one takes longer in showing effect. But the effect is not lost. So I say, it is good to repeat the Name constantly. However, it is not possible to repeat the Name for a longtime at the outset, because one does not relish it. Children also are not inclined to study as they prefer play to studying. If children are to be educated, they have to be forced to study; similarly, some force has to be applied in the beginning for continuing the repetition of the Name. What is needed is the formation of habit. You see, utensils encrusted with dirt require a good rubbing to scour them clean. One round of rubbing cannot free them from dirt. The more they are scoured the cleaner they become. To strike a matchstick into flame also requires rubbing; there is no saying when it will break into flame. It is the same with repeating the Name. A continual practice brings result. © 2010 www spiritual-teaching com This email was sent by www spiritual-teaching com, Arunachala, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu 606603, using Express Email Marketing. You were added to this list as alanadamsjacobs on 7/3/2009. Express Email Marketing supports permission-based email marketing. You can change your preferences or from this mailing list at any time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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