The mind is akin to an iceberg, with its massive base submerged in the water. A storehouse of many lifetimes, it carries much residue that gives us pain and anguish and affects our relationships – unless we learn the art of tending it daily. The first step lies in taking responsibility, acknowledging that the mind’s condition is entirely self-created; others merely provide situations.
A Sadguru is the one who has purged the mind of all darkness from its very root. Drawing on this clarity of insight, revered master Anandmurti Gurumaa shares the means to take charge of the mind and fill it with light and grace.
Unconsciousness Breeds Sorrow
Picture someone pushed into a dark cave – stumbling, bruising himself, maybe even breaking his bones. Because the territory is unknown, it’s a dark place with ditches and crevices. And there are crawling scorpions and snakes ready to bite and sting.
A mind subjected to the darkness of unconsciousness is living in that cave. The cave is filled with the snakes of your past bad karmas, vasanas and perverse desires; scorpions of anger, jealousy, and big boulders of ego falling on your head all the time. And the strange thing is that, as if someone has hypnotised you, you keep them around your neck! You think that these snakes of passions and vasanas are good for you.
The mind can create many illusions that you believe to be true. For example, in a dream, you may see yourself wandering a scorching desert, thirsty and exhausted. Then you wake up and find you were lying in your comfortable bed. This means your mind can conjure up a false reality – we call that maya.
Dreams Expose Your Subconscious
By day, you may act noble, disciplined, and self-controlled. But in a dream, you see yourself as something else – perhaps libidinous, indulging in weird sexual acts. According to psychology, the private world of dreams arises from your hidden desires, impressions, and fears. So, the wise say you should always reflect on your dreams.
If they are violent, ugly, or filled with misery, the mind is dark and tamasic. If they are restless and always on the move, the mind is rajasic. If they are serene, showing you engaged in sadhana, sitting in the company of saints, or by a quiet riverbank, the mind is sattvic. Kabir says in one of his couplets, “If someone speaks the name of Ram even in his dream, then I’d like to get my skin peeled to make a shoe; let that shoe be worn by that devotee who even in dreams is saying the name of Ram.”
What’s the State of Your Mind?
Your mind can be a hell or a heaven for you. Remember, if there is anger and vasanas in your mind, then your mind will be a hell for you. And if there is divyata, love, faith, and wisdom, then your mind will be your heaven! The question is not where you are physically or how the world sees you; the only question is how your mind is.
We put so much effort into beautifying and decorating our bodies, but for our minds? We don’t even look. And we give ourselves a self-certificate, that “in this world, there is no one better than me”. This is the story of every human being. You think you are a hero or heroine, and everyone else is only there to give you a difficult time. I’ve never met a person who said, “I’m bad” – I’ve been invited to some of the most notorious jails in India, and there, even murderers were saying that they were mere victims of situations.
Self-Inflicted Suffering
Just try this: raise both your hands, and slap your cheeks hard. Well, please don’t do it – understand the point. If you did, you’d certainly look insane – yet this is what we do to our minds every day. Just because the mind is invisible, no one comes to help.
You might be angry with someone and seethe with vengeance. Or you think you deserve the finest jewellery from your mother-in-law, but she gave it away to your sister-in-law, triggering jealousy. Thus, you are trapped in the illusion of “me” and “mine” and suffer.
The mind’s habit is to run after what it does not have and become possessive with what it has. All husbands and wives should be aware of this. They think, “the spouse is mine”, and always keep an eye on the other.
Once, a lady told me that her husband was having an affair, so she was in great difficulty with him. I said, “If he’s difficult, then leave him –” A marriage where there’s no love, mutual respect, trust, and faith will not work anyway. “Or, leave your unhappiness. Leave one thing: your husband or your unhappiness”. But she would neither abandon her sorrow nor her troublesome relationship! This is how people become attached even to their pains, unable to let go.
Your Mind Is Your Responsibility
In reality, your biggest problem is never someone else; it’s your own mind. You yourself are responsible for your pain. If you keep lust, greed, anger, hatred, jealousy, or ambition in your mind, suffering is guaranteed.
Many times, people who participate in our retreats say that their minds experienced joy, peace and quietude. But the moment they go back to their surroundings, the same troubles await them. Well, the trouble was never in the house; it was in their mental habits of greed, ego, and so on. If you don’t change your habits, the peace won’t stay long. Then, even if you were to live in my Ashram, within a few days or weeks, you’ll start to think, “It’s horrible to live in this place”.
So, don’t point fingers at others: “He’s bad; that one has done me wrong” – why do you keep remembering all the bad that was done to you? Leave it, let it go!
Do Not Hold Onto Emotions
According to Ayurveda, there are six urges in the body, viz. sneezing, coughing, yawning, hiccuping, belching, and passing gas. When these are held back, it leads to disturbance in your body. Many women stifle their sneezes, thinking it’s not ladylike – but this strains the lungs, heart, and even the brain. Likewise, everyone has to pass wind, and it’s okay – be wise enough to relieve yourself sensibly.
Now, the same logic applies to the mind. Don’t suppress anger or lust in your mind. When you notice them, immediately take action for relief. If you are angry with someone, ask yourself, “That fellow doesn’t even know I am angry with him; why am I straining my heart?” Leave it, let it be. Just know that an intelligent person will act intelligently, whereas what else than foolishness will come from a fool? Never let your mind be troubled by things, people or money. If you look at others’ wealth with jealousy, inquire: What is the true worth? Truly, it’s nothing.
Bathing the Mind
Never call anyone good or bad; never harm others; never speak or even think badly about anyone. This is what I call the method to keep your mind clean.
In the morning, you clean your body, wear fresh clothes and comb your hair to look and feel clean. Similarly, bathe your mind every day. How? “Today, I will not trouble my mind for something or someone. I will not harbour any anger or revenge, nor worry about things or people. If I did something wrong, I was misled; and if someone else did something wrong, they were misled, or fell for a bad moment.” Everyone has a bad moment. Learn to forgive yourself and others. That’s the mental bath. Remember the gyana and bring in noble and wise thoughts – this will help you to go deeper in your sadhana.
The Mind-Body Connection
The principles of yoga say that for your mind and body to be healthy, your breath should be long and deep. Unfortunately, in my programs, I see that people are unable even to take a deep breath. Why is that so? When you are sad, frustrated or dejected, your diaphragm becomes choked. Habitual grief or fearfulness creates these knots in your physiology. Have you noticed that when someone is crying, their breath becomes short? Those full of grief keep sighing frequently. And then they ask me, “I am finding it so difficult to breathe deeply.” I say, well, correct your mind.
Similarly, we can’t teach most people the full yogasana sequence right away. Instead, we begin with sukshma vyayam – gentle movements to loosen up the joints and ligaments. The problem is, you have stiff bodies and stiff minds. “I won’t forgive anybody” – that’s a stiff mind. And a stiff mind, in turn, stiffens the lumbar and sacrum, which is why you struggle with a simple forward bend. The mind is stuck in samsara, and joints and ligaments are stuck, too.
Honing Body and Mind for Well-Being
Do something about this. To free the body, you must first begin to free the mind; to free the mind, you must move the body. The two are never separate. Swami Bua Ji, who lived to over 120 years, would often say, “If you don’t bend forward and backwards a hundred times a day, you will grow old and diseased”. You have to work hard to make your body relaxed, flexible and mobile. When you perform asanas, you increase internal body heat and nourish ojas – the “8th tissue”, or subtle vital essence. With a proper diet (fresh and organic) plus regular asana practice, you will enjoy sitting for sadhana without any aches or pains.
This allows you to practice pranayama, out of which nadi shodhana is a beautiful method for your body and mind. If you do it for at least half an hour every day, your hormones will be balanced, and you will sleep soundly. It greatly calms the mind, too – especially those who have anxiety issues should do nadi shodhana – it will be gone. The brain hemispheres get calmed and balanced, evening out the lunar and solar breath.
Ideally, if you practice pranayama attentively, your mind will dip into stillness. You will enjoy good physical and mental health and be spiritually charged. This science of hatha yoga entails working on your body to strengthen and calm your mind; remember, sumiran (divine remembrance) can only happen in a quiet mind.
So, forgive others, and forgive yourself; love others, and love yourself. That’s a simple motto for life. Tend your mind daily with higher wisdom, gyana, and keep it clean of emotional baggage. With a pure mind and body, the path of sadhana becomes easy and successful. This is the way to live beautifully.
