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Control the mind religion

CHENNAI: All spiritual practices are ultimately tailored to enable the mind to attain equanimity. The senses are outward bound as their function is to receive stimuli from the objective world to gain knowledge. The mind which receives the sensory inputs becomes oriented to the outside world and also preoccupied with it. On the other hand, spiritual development involves turning the mind inward so that it can overcome the distractions of the world and identify with the Self (Atman), which is blissful.

In his discourse, Sri P.M.Vijayaraghava Sastrigal said if the mind was not harnessed properly right from young age it would behave like a wayward child degenerating into a good-for-nothing person in adulthood without proper guidance. Self-identity is centred in the ego (arising out of the sense of “I” in the mind) due to attachment to the body. So, all the worldly experiences of an individual are circumscribed by the ego and the body. With the understanding that it is the Self (Atman) that makes the body-mind-intellect personality function, a person will be able to deduce that it is out of ignorance that he is attached to his body. Ignorance, which is the cause of bondage, and its consequence, rebirth, in order to enjoy the fruit of accumulated Karma, is not of this birth alone; it has been there in every earlier life also. The objective now is to put an end to it to be liberated from transmigration.

Sri Ramana Maharshi used to say that if one allowed the mind to go astray (in worldly matters) without disciplining it, it will be difficult to control it during Sadhana (spiritual practice). So in the initial stages of spiritual life it is very essential to pursue the practices in the company of the devout or retire to a secluded place to avoid distractions. The Bhagavad Gita states how a spiritual seeker should do Sadhana: “Living in seclusion all by himself, the Yogi who has controlled his mind and body, and is free from desires and void of possessions, should constantly engage in meditation.”

Once the mind identifies with the Self it will not be affected by worldly attractions. This is similar to butter floating on water after it is separated from milk unlike milk which will mix with water.

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