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Go on tracing the thought to its origin and try to look for the thinker … thinker … thinker … like that. Every thought should lead you to its source. That is also a method whereby from thoughtfulness, you can be led to thought-freeness.

(Published in Speaking Tree on Sep 19, 2024, and Vicharasethu Aug 2005)

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru.

I was thinking about the widespread delusion people have about handling the mind and even understanding what is meant by spiritual wisdom or what is meant by the spiritual state of freedom, liberation, moksha and the like.

This delusion is very hard to overcome because people don’t reflect upon the subject or the truth even after many repeated exposures. Until the subject is clearly and thoroughly understood, the delusion will continue to mislead them.

The mind is always given to thoughts. That is its nature. Just as the blood in our body is constantly in circulation, the lungs breathe in and out, the mind too will always be given to thoughts. It is the very characteristic of the mind to produce thoughts incessantly.

Thoughtfulness is the nature of the mind. What is this thoughtfulness? Whatever we call the mind, it has got the nature of linking the past with the present and then project into the future. We think about and are concerned about the future. The future itself is flowing out of the present and the present is evolved from the past. So our mind continuously links the present with the past and future. In this process memory has a dominant role.

Now what is memory? Memory is the mind’s stock of the events that have taken place already. Now, unless the mind is active, it is impossible to remain interactive in this world. Our very life will become meaningless. Can you imagine what may happen if we have no memory? So, let us be very clear that the mind will be in a constant state of circulation between the past, present, and future. There is nothing wrong in it.

Ensure this much – in all the thoughts that are arising in your mind there should be a note of enlightenment and enrichment. Thoughts, which are victimizing, afflicting, agitating, by their very nature are not welcome. Whenever such thoughts come, what should be your attitude? You should dissuade them and keep quiet. After all it is in the mind and you cannot physically enter the mind and do anything. Mind is unphysical, metaphysical in character. So, just dissuade these thoughts. If you avoid or go on dissuading the undesirable thoughts, after sometime, finding that they are ineffective and useless, their number will be reduced and finally, they will become extinct.

How can this be achieved? Don’t be in a hurry. Suppose the mind goes on thinking about a subject for a very long time. After sometime the mind will feel very tired and become quiet. When the same job is done with concentration, for a number of hours or days, after sometime, you become tired and will stop the work. In the same manner, after continuously thinking for a long time, the thoughts in the mind will reduce, will thin down, will become lighter and feebler and gradually become extinct. This extinction is a very natural process. You need not hurry or show any haste in the matter. Simply leave the subject.

What is required is a progressive transformation of the mind, as a result of which, good, useful and enlightening thoughts will alone come or they will come in very large number and the undesirable elements will become extinct. That is all what is required.

The best way to deal with the mind is to remain unaffected by the thought processes. Take only the useful information and act upon it.

Never feel even the least antagonized or confronted in the mental functions. On the other hand, consider it to be useful, necessary and indispensable. Recognize their nature and then encourage the useful, benevolent, enlightening and peaceful thoughts, and dissuade the others.

All that is required is only this much. You dissuade whatever is undesirable. After sometime they will stop coming. But, it will take time – slow or fast depending on your mental makeup, your attitude and assiduous nature of your application. Similarly, encourage the thoughts that generate and preserve sublimity. Act upon whatever is necessary and useful. If you adopt this policy, that is the right treatment to the mind and not trying to quell, stop, or control the mind. We want to remain unaffected by whatever the mind does. Control is never the means with regard to the mind and its functions.

Another approach is: Go on tracing the thought to its origin and try to look for the thinker … thinker … thinker … like that. Every thought should lead you to its source. That is also a method whereby from thoughtfulness, you can be led to thought-freeness. Here too there is no hurry. It can take its own time. I shall talk about it on another occasion.

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru.