Mind AND ITS CONTROL

The control of the mindIs not a problem peculiarto religious aspirants ; peoplein all walks of life need tocontrol their minds if theyare to succeed in theirvocation. No fundamentalwork for the uplift of theindividual or the communitycan ever be done withoutmind-control.This book which sets forththe teachings of Vedantaand Yoga on the nature ofthe mind and ways of con-trolling it, is meant for all.

ADVAITA ASHRAM A

THE MIND ANDITS CONTROLSWAMI BUDHANANDA

PREFACE TO THE FIRST REPRINTThe first edition of The Mind and Its Controlhaving gone out of print much earlier thanexpected — within five months of its publica-tion — we are now reprinting it with a fewimprovements here and there in the textIt is likely to be increasingly realized every-where in the world that mans well-being isinseparable from mind-control. Hence we hopethat the circulation of this small book willsteadily widen.

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITIONThe control of the mind is a theme ofuniversal interest It personally concerns everyspiritual seeker belonging to any religion.Religion in its applied aspect has to grapplewith this problem* No fundamental work for

:In this publication the text of the originalarticle has been revised; certain points havebeen further elucidated; and some points havebeen added. A summary and glossary havebeen provided.

It is hoped that this small book, whichaddresses itself to one of the central problemsof life, may be of service.The PublisherAdvatta Ashrama

Mayavati, Almora, HimalayasSeptember 30, 1971

CONTENTSPreface *U

1. Mind-control : Difficult but possible 12. How to Strengthen the Will

to Control the Mind 43. What is at Stake in Controlling

the Mind 84. How to Overcome the Pleasure-motive 115. The Nature of the Mind : Hindu View 19

6. How Not to Make Mind-controlUnnecessarily Difficult 297. A Clear Grasp of the Task

on Hand Needed 328. A Favourable Inner Climate

Needs to be Created 339. Two Sets of Inner Disciplines 3410. The Purer the Mind the Easier

to Control 3011. Changing the Constitution of

the Mind 38

12. Holy Company Greatly HelpsMind-control 4813. How is Sattva Purified 51

Vlll14. Basic Yoga Disciplines forMind-control

15. Practice of Discrimination Helps

.

-

16. Training the Mind to Behave17. Practice of Pranayama18. Practice of Prajyahara

19. Importance of HarmoniusHuman Relations20. Healthy Occupation of theMind Needed21. Importance of Right Use• of the Imagination

22. Importance of Meditation23. Guard Against Despondency24. Emergency Control Devices25. Directed Thought ' &

r26. Control of Thought : the Secret

27. Control of the Subconscious Mind28. Beware of a Trick of the Mind29. Believers are at an Advantagein Controlling the Mind

30. The Simplest and the Surest Methodof Controlling the MindA Summary

Glossary

MIND-CONTROL: DIFFICULTBUT POSSIBLEIn this theme, the mind and its control, we. areall deeply interested, in a very personal way,for nothing affects us individually more thanour own minds. We know something about thesubject. All of us try to control our minds.But we should like to know more and do better.

Who can help us in this regard? Only thosewho have perfectly controlled their own minds.What we may learn from such sources we shallpresent here as a system of simple disciplines.Control of the mind is a very interestinginner game. If you have a sportsman's attitudeyou will thoroughly enjoy it, even while appar-ently losing. In the playing, this game takes agreat deal of skill, alertness, sense of humour,goodness of heart, sense of strategy, patienceand some heroic flair which makes it possiblenot to get disheartened in the face of a hundredfailures.

2 THE MIND AND ITS CONTROL

Sri Krsna, was explaining in the Gitd howthe supreme state of Yoga was to be attained.After listening to him Arjuna said to the Lordin understandable despair:O Krsna, this yoga which you declare to becharacterized by perfect evenness of mind, I donot see how it can endure, because of the rest-lessness of the mind. 1 The mind, O Krishna, isrestless, turbulent, powerful and obstinate. Tocontrol the mind is as hard, it seems to me, as tocontrol the wind.*

Sri Krishna listened to this representative com-plaint of man and gave a reply important forall men of all times. All Indian thinking andpractice on mind-control are largely based onthis teaching of Sri Krsna, He said: 'Undoubt-edly, O Arjuna, the mind is restless and hardto control. But by practice (abhyasam) anddispassion (mtrdgyajlt can be controlled.*From this conversation we know three basicfacts about mind-control:

a. That it has always been an extremelydifficult task even for heroic persons ofthe stature of Arjuna.b. That yet it is possible to control the mind.c. That there are well-defined methods forcontrolling the mind.

MIND CONTROL :* DIFFICULT BUT POSSBLEIn these two words, abhyasa and vairgya,practice and dispassion, Sri Krishna gave thewhole secret of controlling the mind,It is the uniform verdict of all the saints ofIndia dowfi the ages that there is no other wayof controlling the mind except through 'prac-tice and dispassion'. This is also called'abhyasa-yoga' or 'the yoga of practice'.

We shall quote here a dialogue between SriRamakrishna and a devotee, in which the formeremphasizes a fundamental point which everyoneneeds to remember:Sri Ramakrishna : * Don't sit idle simply becauseyour spiritual consciousness has been awakened alittle. Go forward. Beyond the forest of sandal-wood there are other and more valuable things—silver-mines, gold-mines and so on,'

Priya; 'Sir, our legs are in chains. We cannotgo forward/Sri Ramakrishna : for What if the legs are chained?The important thing is the mind. Bondage is ofthe mind, and freedom is also of the mind/

Priya : ' But the mind is" not under my control/

Sri Ramakrishna: 'How is that? There is sucha thing as abhyasa-yoga, yoga through practice.Keep up the practice and you will find that yourmind will follow in whatever direction you lead it.The mind like a white cloth just returned fromthe laundry. It will be red if you dip it in reddye and blue if you dip it in blue. It will havewhatever colour you dip it in/*The Gospel of SH Ramakrishna, tr, by SwamiNikhilananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras, 1964 t

THE MIND AND ITS CONTROLPractice and dispassion are no doubt theentire secret of controlling the mind. But howdo we bring them into our life-stream? Thatis the question. To do this

a. we shall have to develop a strong will tocontrol the mind ;b. we shall have* to understand the natureof the mind ;c. we shall have to learn certain techniquesand practise them earnestly and intelli-gently.

HOW TO STRENGTHEN THE WILLTO CONTROL THE MINDIt cannot be said that we have no will to

control the mind. The very fact that all of ushave our own inner struggles indicates that we

.liave the will. But in most cases this will tocontrol the mind is not very strong.

Our will to control the mind can never bestrong until and unless we have deliberatelyand irrevocably renounced pleasure as one ofHOW TO STRENGTHEN THE WILL 5

the main pursuits of our life. The canker which""feats away the vitality of our will to controlthe mind is the pursuit of pleasure. It is likethis: if you have a servant who is aware thatyou depend on him to procure you illicit drugsand if you both enjoy the drug together, youâ–  cannot then control that servant. The same isthe case with the mind. The mind which we usefor seeking pleasure and enjoying pleasure, wecan never control until we give up seeking

pleasure. Even after giving up the pursuit ofpleasure it will not be easy to control it for themind will always have past incidents to citeto embarrass us. The strength of our will tocontrol the mind' will be in proportion to thestrength and intensity of our renunciation of thepursuit of pleasure. Unless the pleasure-motiveis overcome, no matter what else we do, wecan never perfectly control the mindA The ,derivative of this truth is that those who are 'reluctant to renounce the pleasure-motive arenot sincere enough in wanting to control theirminds, whatever their professions.By renunciation of the pursuit of pleasure is dnot meant renunciation of the pursuit of joy ov/>bliss. By pleasure is meant the enjoyment ofsense-pleasures or the gratification arising fromwhat Sri Ramakrishna calls the 'unripe ego*,both of which obstruct the attainment of joy

Y>

tTOE MIND AND ITS CONTROL

or bliss, It is by going beyond pleasure andpain that one attains joy or bliss, which is thevery goal of life. There is no question of givingup the desire for joy or bliss, for it is integralto us, our real nature being Existence-Know-ledge-Bliss. About the methods of overcomingthe pleasure-motive something will be said inthe next section.Opposites sometimes look alike. Two typesof persons do not have inner struggle ; thosewho have become unquestioning slaves of theirlower nature, and those who have completelymastered their lower nature. All others haveinner struggles, which are the result of inade-quate or unsuccessful attempts at controllingthe mind. Inadequate attempts are indicationsof weak will and of lack of knowledge as tohow to control the mind.The most important thing is to strengthenthe will to such a degree that even in the faceof repeated failures we are not disheartened ;rather, that with every new failure to controlthe mind we are rousfed to fresh endeavourswith new enthusiasm.

\ Now how do we strengthen this will to con-trol the mind? We have to remove the causesof weakness of will. And we have to injectstrength into it by ensuring the presence ofsuitable causes.

HOW TO STTUSNGraEN THE WILLNot doubt some of us have struggled with ourminds but have faced repeated failures. So wehave come to believe that controlling the mindis not for us. Another reason for the weaknessof our will is that most of us have perhaps notclearly thought what exactly is at stake in thecontrol of the mind. If we had, the sheer instinctfor survival would have driven us to strengthenour will to control the mind. As regards ourfailures to control the mind, we need not beunduly exercised. It has never been an easytask even for the noblest of men, the nature ofthe mind being restless. Sri Krsna says in theGita :The turbulent senses, O Arjuna, do violentlysnatch away the mind of even a wise man, strivingafter perfection.

For the mind which follows in the wake of thewandering senses, carries away his discrimination,as a wind carries off its course a boat on thewaters. 6The Buddha teaches t

If one man conquers in battle a thousand mena thousand times, and if another conquers him-self, he (the latter) is the greater conqueror. 6From this we can ( understand that controllingthe mind is the most difficult task in the world.

5 H. 60 and 67.• Dhammapada, verse 103.

8

THE MIND AND ITStOL

It is indeed a hero's task. Hence occasional orrepeated failures to control the mind should notbe taken too seriously. Failures should be takenas spurs to more determined, sustained, andintelligent efforts, for we are assured by thegreat teachers that perfect control of the mindis possible. All thoughts to the contrary mustbe eschewed like poison.WHAT IS AT STAKE IN CONTROLLINGTHE MIND

We must clearly understand what is at stakein controlling the mind. Insanity is the worstthing that can happen to an individual as aresult of non-control of the mind. Collectively,non-control of mind may lead to the downfallof an entire civilization, however prosperous orstable it may appear to be. There are manyother lesser misfortunes that directly or indirect-ly issue from non-control of mind.Non-control of mind effectively obstructsintegration of personality. A person of

WHAT IS AT STAKE IN CONTROL!THE MIND

uncontrolled mind will always have a tendency)to abnormal developments or to mental disinteg-(^vration through internal conflict. Even under \the most favourable circumstances he will notrealize his potential or fulfil expectations.One who has no control over his mind cannothave peace of mind. One who has no peaceof mind, how can he have happiness? A victimof passions, emotions and tensions, l he maydevelop obstinate mental maladies or turn into

a criminal. If he is the head of a household,indiscipline, disorder, delinquency, and wretch-ed human relationships leading to family mis-fortunes are likely to prevailIn an Indian maxim it is said: a man mayhave received the grace of God, of the teacher -and of holy men ; but if he does not have thegrace of his own mind he will go to rack andruin. Having the grace of one's own mindmeans having control of it.

On the positive side, at its highest, throughcontrol of mind one can attain spiritual illumi-nation. Short of that there are many otherblessings of life attainable through control ofmind, A controlled mind can easily be con-centrated. Through concentration of mind onegains knowledge. And knowledge is power. jMOne of the spontaneous results of control ofmind is integration of personality. Such a person

10 THE MIND AND ITS CONTROLsucceeds, even in adverse circumstances. Acontrolled state of mind leads to calmness, andcalmness leads to peace of mind. Peace of mindleads to happiness A happy person makesothers happy. The quality of his work im-proves steadily and he often attains enduringprosperity as a matter of course. It is not thatsuch a person has not to face the trials and

tribulations of life. But he never lacks thecourage and strength to face them. At home,where he is the head, there are greater chancesof order, discipline, joy, culture, and excellenthuman relations. Society looks upon such aperson as an exemplar of good life,A person of controlled mind will be freefrom mental maladies and physical troublescaused by mental tension.

In a person who has controlled his mind hishigher nature asserts itself, and his hiddenpowers axe released. Friends wonder how thisperson could become, before their eyes, sogreat. A popular Sanskrit maxim says: 'Whoconquers the world? He alone who conquers hismind/Progress, prosperity or peace — nothing of anenduring nature can be achieved in any field,without control of mind. People without self-~control will not retain even the prosperity thatthey have.

HOW TO OVERCOME THE PLEAS ORE-MOTIVE11

Such are the stakes in control of the mind.

To develop a strong wiU to control the mind,we must teach our own minds that, without it,we are nowhere. We must impress upon our-selves the fact that the character of our entirefuture depends on whether or not we controlour minds. After fulfilling mans basic physicalneeds, other things also may be important ; butfor the attainment of the highest objective oflife — spiritual illumination — nothing in life ismore important than controlling the mind. Oncewe reklly understand and believe this, our willto control the mind will become strong, asstrong as we need to have it.

4 HOW TO OVERCOME THEPLEASURE-MOTIVE

We have said; 'Unless the pleasure-motive fis overcome, no matter what else we do, wecan never perfectly control the mind; This state-ment may give a rude jolt to many who strugglewith their minds. But it is a statement of fact,

and the implications of this fact need to begrasped.It is easy to say bluntly that unless thepleasure-motive is renounced one cannot havea strong will to control the mind, But thepleasure-urge, being elemental in us, is so deep-ly ingrained in our flesh and blood that it canbe got rid of, if at all, only with the greatestdifficulty. We must not, however, complicateour inner situation by imagining that we arewicked in seeking pleasure. The pleasure-motive is not in itself sinful, though, of course,indulgence in immoral pleasures which creategreater bondage and retard our higher self-clevelopment, is, Except for a microscopicminority — who, in response to a higher call,have renounced worldly pursuits and aboutwhom we are not speaking here — except forthem, life itself will hardly be possible withoutsome satisfaction of the pleasure-urge. 'Whatto live for, if not for pleasure?' will be thehonest question of the majority of mankind. Thisurge is a living force in man, and a force bywhich he lives. , Yet it is true that the pleasure-motive eats away our will to control the mind.What then is the solution of this inner prob-lem?

To be sure, ascetic denial is not the answerfor the vast majority. Neither is the answer

indulgence. The answer is in gradually educat-ing our pleasure-urge, and in understanding thedimensions of our own being and how toharness the pleasure-urge for the purpose ofself-fulfilment. This will need some elabora-tion.Incidentally it is as well to make it clear thatwe are now discussing a general problem thatfaces beginners who are worldly in their dis-positions. For those who are advanced aspir-ants some of the points we are going to dis-cuss will not hold good. They will know whatthese points are ; for example, the enjoyment of

legitimate sense-pleasure is permissible for theordinary person who has yet to make a start inspiritual life, but not for the person who hastaken several steps in it.' Don't seek pleasure ' is hardly a practical pre-cept for any One who has a pronounced cravingfor pleasure in his nature. The illuminedteachers of India, besides being knowers oftruth, were masters of human psychology andcompassionate preceptors. What they taught onthis subject can be put in a few words: seekpleasure, but in a way which will not spoil yourphysical or mental health, or obstruct yourhigher development If you must seek physi-cal pleasure, seek them in such a way that yourpowers may be preserved for enjoying the joys

of the mind ; seek the joys of the mind in sucha way that your powers may be preserved forattaining the bliss of the spirit. Do not seekpleasure in a way that will destroy you. Thisshould make sense to thinking people. Ethicalprinciples, the observance of which is helpful incontrolling the mind, are all meant to protecta man from harming himself. Thus they servehis profoundest interest.The wild pleasure-urge has first to be domes-ticated in the frame of the requirements of self-

development before it can be ready for gradua-tion. What do we mean by ' graduation * here?Sri Ramakrishna teaches:...There are three kinds of ananda, joy:the joy of worldly enjoyment (vistiyananda), thejoy of worship (bhajanananda) and the joy ofBrahman (Brahmananda). The joy of worldlyenjoyment is the joy of sense-objects which peoplealways enjoy. The joy of worship one enjoys whilechanting the name and glories of God. And thejoy of Brahman is the joy of God-vision. Afterexperiencing the joy of God-vision the r$is ofolden times went beyond all rules and con-ventions, 7

By graduation we mean passing from one ofthe above kinds or levels of joy to one above.We must remember that the joy of Brahmanis attainable by man not only theoretically butT 'M\ op. cit, p. 404,

HOW TO OVERCOME THE PLEASURE-MOTIVE^ 15actually. A firm faith in this truth is necessaryfor graduation in pleasure-seeking.

Seek sense-pleasure (visaydnanda), if youmust, then, but in a way which does not runcounter to gaining the joy of worship (bhaja-

ndnanda). This can be done through develop-ing the habit of discrimination and being dis-criminating in the sense-pleasures you seek.Sri Krsna teaches in the Gita? and experience*corroborates, that all contact-born happiness isproductive of misery. To remember this even , \while enjoying sense-pleasures will develop thehabit of discrimination. Then it will be easierfor a person to seek sense-pleasure within theframe of moral disciplines, which is meant topreserve him for enjoying the highest bliss,Along with this he should engage in suitableforms of spiritual discipline which are con-ducive to the joy of worship (bhajanananda).Gradually, as his mind gets more and more,purified, his interest in sense-enjoyment will beless and less, and his, interest in the joy ofworship will increase proportionately,A time will eventually come in the life ofthe person who sincerely struggles on in thisway, when he faces the necessity of settingaside even the joy of worship, and becominga firm seeker of the Supreme Spirit, It is one

thing to seek the benefits of seeking God andquite a different thing to seek God for His ownsake, benefit or no benefit. When the seeker hasinwardly grown to* the extent of seeking theSupreme Spirit for its own sake and for noother motive, then his desire for pleasure willhave been sublimated, and this will be con-ducive to perfect contrql of the mind. SriRamakrishna teaches:

When does the attraction of sense-pleasure dieaway? When one realizes the consummation ofall happiness and all pleasures in God— -the in-divisible eternal ocean of bliss. Those who enjoyHim can find no attraction in the cheap worthlesspleasures of the world.He who has once tasted the refined crystal ofsugar-candy finds no pleasure in tasting dirtytreacle. He who has slept in a palace will notfind pleasure in lying down in a hovel. The soulthat has tasted the sweetness of divine bliss findsno happiness in the vulgar pleasures of the world, 5 *Many well-meaning but misdirected aspirantsstruggle with their desire for pleasure in awrong way. In their earnestness they do nothesitate even to do harm to themselves, but itis all in vain. Ultimately they are vanquished,notwithstanding their honesty of purpose andsincerity. So it is very important to avoid thispitfall in handling the problem of our inner

life — the desire for pleasure. Sri Ramakrishnateaches a helpful way, On being asked/ whenthe enemies of man, such as lust, anger, etc.

would be vanquished, the Master replied:So long as these passions are directed towardsthe world and its objects, the^ behave like ene-mies. But when they are directed towards God,they become the best friends of man, for theylead him to God, Lust for the things of theworld must be changed into hankering for God ;the anger that a man feels towards his fellow -menshould be turned towards God for not revealingHimself, One should deal with all the passionsin the same manner. These passions cannot beeradicated but can be educated. 10

What Sri Ramakrishna appears to mean by'passions cannot be eradicated but can beeducated* is that the passions cannot be de-stroyed but can be harnessed and purified. If wedirect our passions to lower things we remain ona lower level ; by linking them to higher objec-tives we rise higher. If we link them to theSupreme Spirit, by their driving force we rise toIIim J and they, on the oilier hand, are educatedand purified and cease to be passions in theordinary sense. After a person has experientiallyknown that he is the Atman and not the body-mind complex, passions cease, for passion issimply desire wrongly oriented, tn other wordsdesire can be a friend or a foe" according to the

direction we give it. When desire is directedtowards reality it becomes the instrument ofliberation and joy; when it is directed towardsthe unreal it becomes the instrument of bond-age and misery.Vedanta traces the pleasure-motive in man tohis metaphysical root, ananda or bliss, the ulti-mate fact' of existence from which man is essen-tially non-different. The Upanisad teaches:

That which is known as the self-creator isverily the source of joy; for one becomes happyby coming in contact with that source of joy.Who, indeed, will inhale, and who will exhale, ifthis Bliss be not there in the supreme space(within the heart). This one, indeed, enlivens(people). 11Certainly all beings here are, indeed, born fromBliss (ananda) ; having been born they remain aliveby Bliss ; and on departing they enter into Bliss. 12

The very root of man's existence being bliss,it is but natural that he should instinctivelyseek to feel identified with it. But when he isignorant and is identified with body and mind,he seeks it ignorantly in the body and mindand not where it is— in the Spirit. This wrongseeking of bliss in a wrong place gives rise to^ our pleasure-motive and its resultant bondage.As we have said before, bliss (ananda) is \not pleasure, it is beyond pleasure and pain, y*11 Taittiriya Upantfad, II, 7,

12 Ibid., III. 6.THE NATURE OF THE MIND : HINDU VIEW 19which can never be separated on the physical / pand mental plane.

It is man's essential nature that urges him toseek bliss. And after much striving and fitfulseeking of it on the material and mental planes,in the limited, man ultimately discovers it withinhis very Self— the Atman, which is unlimited,being identical with the Supreme Spirit.He then realizes the truth of this teachingof the Upanisad r 'In the Infinite alone is bliss •there is no bliss in the finite/ 13 To come toknow this fact man must learn at one stagethat bliss is different from pleasure and painand that to attain it he must control his mindand give his pleasure-motive a higher direction.

THE NATURE OF THE MIND:HINDU VIEWThe will to control the mind is not enough.We need also to know something about the

nature of the mind. This we shall briefly discuss^Chdndogya Upanifad, VII. 23. 1.20 THE MIND AND ITS CONTROL

in the light of Hindu psychology, whichhas long had an adequate system of disciplinesfor controlling the mind, Hindu psychology isconsidered to be a science because it hasthrough proper investigation and verificationdevised methods for the absolute control of themind, leading to the attainment of perfection orillumination. What we say here is mostlyderived from Hindu psychology as it is inter-preted by Swami Vivekananda in his CompleteWorks.Mind is a finer body within this gross body.The physical body is, as it were, only the outercrust of the mind. The mind being the finerpart of the body, the one affects the other. Itis for this reason that physical illness often affectsthe mind and mental illness or tension oftenaffects the body.Behind the mind is the Atman, the real Selfof man, Body and mind are material ; Atmanis pure Spirit Mind is not the Atman but dis-tinct from the Atman.To use an analogy from science, the differ-ence between matter and mind is only in therate of vibration, Mind at a low rate of vibra-

tion is called matter: matter at a high rate ofvibration is known as mind. Both matter andmind are governed by the same laws of time,space and causation.THE NATURE OF THE M1TND : HINDU VIEW

Matter is convertible into mind, though wemay not have realized that this is so. Takefor instance a person who does not eat for twoweeks. What happens to him ? Not only doeshis body become emaciated, his mind alsobecomes blank. If he fasts for a few days morehe cannot even think. He does not even re-member his name. When he begins to takefood, again, strength slowly returns to his bodyand his memory revives. Therefore it must bethat food, which is matter, becomes mind.We read in the Upanisad of Uddalaka teach-ing his son Svetaketu by experiment how foodis converted into mind. The two chapters withother relevant teachings run thus;f That, my dear, which is the subtlest part ofcurds rises, when they are churned, and becomesbutter. In the same manner, my dear, that whichis the subtlest part of the food that is eaten risesand becomes mind. The subtlest part of water

that is drunk rises and becomes prana. Thus,my dear, the mind consists of food, prana consistsof water, and speech consists of fire/The son Svetaketu said: 'Please, venerable sir,instruct me further.''So be it, my dear. A person, my dear, consistsof sixteen parts. Do not eat (any food) for fifteendays, but drink as much water as you like. Sincethe prana consists of water, it will not be cut offif you drink water.'

Svetaketu did not eat (any food) for fifteen days.Then he came to his father and said: 'What*sir, shall I recite ?*

THE MINDlOL

His father said: 'The Rk, Yajus and Samanverses.'He replied: 'They do not occur to me, sir,'(He could not remember the Vedas,)

His father said to him: *Just as, my dear, of agreat blazing fire a single coal, the size of a .fire-fly, may be left, which would not burn muchmore than that, even so, my dear, of your sixteenparts only one part is left; and therefore withthat one part you do not remember the Vedas.Now go and eat and you will understand me.'Svetaketu ate and approached his father. Thenwhatever his father asked him, he showed thathe knew it.Then his father said to him: 'Just as, my dear,of a great lighted fire a single coal of the sizeof a firefly, if left, may be made to blaze upagain by adding grass to it, and will thus burnmuch more, even so, my dear, of your sixteenparts only one paTt was left, and that, whenstrengthened by food, blazed up. With it younow remember the Vedas. Therefore, my dear,the mind consists of food, the praya consists ofwater, and speech consists of Are.'After that he understood what his father said ;yes, he understood it 1 *Those who doubt this teaching are invited tofast for fifteen days living only on water andsee what happens to their mindlEssentially man is not the mind but the Selfor Atman. The Atman is ever free, infinite andeternal It is pure consciousness. In man thefree agent is not the mind but the Self. Mindis, as it we re, an instrument in the Self s hands,

14 Ibid., VI. 5. 5-0,the na:

OF THE MIND : HINDU VIEW,23)

through which the Self apprehends andresponds to the external world.This instrument with which the Self comesin contact with the external world is itselfconstantly changing and vacillating. When thevacillating instrument is made motionless, it canreflect the Atman.

Though the mind is not a free agent, itspowers are simply incalculable. If man hassmashed the invisible atom and released itspower, if man has realized the unseen Atmanand become illumined, it is through the powersof the mind that he had done these tilings ; and

so with all his other achievements in the diversefields which fall between these two poles ofattainment. In fact the mind is omnipresent.Each mind is a part of the universal mind.Each mind is connected with every other mind.Therefore each mind, wherever it may be, canbe in communication with the whole world.The Upantsad teaches: 'He shining all theseshine. Through His radiance all these becomemanifest in various ways.* 15 This profoundteaching is to be remembered in order to under-stand the Hindu view of the mind. The sourceof all light is Brahman, the Supreme Spirit, pureconsciousness. What is known as Atman, theknowing Self of the living being, is identical

w Kafka, II.2.15.with Brahman, pure consciousness. It is theradiance of this pure consciousness which mani-fests all things at all times.The mind, composed pf subtle matter, trans-parent and closest to the Self, is the inner instru-ment (antahkarana) of this knowing Self. .It isnot the source of light. There is no conscious-ness inherent in the mind. The mind receivesthe radiance of consciousness â–  from the know-ing Self, whose inner instrument it is, and illu-minates all things including physical light.Though having no light of its own the mindappears to be luminous. Though it seems to

cognize, the mind is not the cognizer, but onlyan instrument of cognition. Shining as it doeswith the borrowed light of consciousness, themind is an effective instrument of knowledge.From our own experience we can know in anumber of ways that there is a mind distinctfrom the organs and the body. We can think,feel, will, imagine, remember, rejoice, regretwithout using any of our ten organs, whichproves that there is a distinct inner instrumentmaking aH these functions possible.

In order to convince those who doubtwhether the mind is a distinct inner instrumentthe Upanisad gives the following argument:They say, *I was absent-minded, I did not seeit*; *I was absent-minded, I did not hear it/ Itis through the mind that one sees and hears.THE NATURE OF THE MIND : HINDU VIEW

/

Desire, resolve, doubt, faith, want of faith, steadi-ness, unsteadiness, shame, intelligence and fearall these are but the mind. Even if one is touched

from behind, one knows it through the mind *therefore (the mind exists). 16The mind has the power of looking back intoitself. With the help of the mind we can ana-lyse the mind, and see what is going on inthe mind.

According to the Hindu analysis the mindhas three constituents, three levels, four func-tions, and five conditions, which we shall explainvery briefly.Why is it that the mind is not always foundin a uniform state? The reason is that themind is compound of three substantive forcescalled gunas, viz sattva, rajas and tamos. Thesegunas are also the basic constituents of theentire universe, physical and mental. Sattvais the principle of poise conducive to purity,knowledge and joy. Rajas is the principle ofmotivity, leading to activity, desire, and rest-lessness. Tamos is the principle of inertia re-sulting in inaction, dullness and delusion. Tamoscauses the mind to move on a low level ; rajasscatters the mind and makes it restless andsattva gives it a higher direction.It is not easy to define the gunas. Hence

16

Brhadara^yaka Upani$ad t 1.5,3.26

THE MIND AND ITS CONTROLVidyaranya defines them according to theireffects :

Non-attachment, forgiveness, generosity, etc. areproducts of sattw* Desire, anger, avarice, etc., areproducts of rajas. Lethargy, confusion, drowsiness,etc. are products of tamos. When sattva functionsin the mind, merit is acquired; when rajas func-tions, demerit is produced. When tamos functions,neither merit nor demerit is produced, but life iswasted for nothing. 17The constitution of individual minds is deter-mined by the various combinations and permu-tations of these gunas. This explains the varie-ties in human nature and also the vacillatingnature of the mind.

We often say: T have changed my mind/This would be impossible if the mind were com-posed of one substantive force only. In thatcase men could neither fall nor rise. All wouldthen remain as they were born.

We are familiar with the words, consciousand subconscious. These indicate differentplanes on which the r mind operates. On theconscious plane all work is normally accom-panied by the feeling of egoism. On the sub-conscious plane the feeling of egoism is absent.There is a still higher plane on which themind can work. It ean go beyond relativeconsciousness. Just as the subconscious isbeneath consciousness, so there is another plane

" Fancadahl, II. 14-16.

THE NATURE OF THE MIND : HINDU VIEW27*

which is above relative consciousness. This iscalled the superconscious plane. Here also thefeeling of egoism is absent, but there is a vastdifference between this and the subconsciousplane, When the mind passes beyond the planeof relative consciousness it enters into samddhi

or superconsciousness,The superconscious plane of the mind is themind in its pure state. In a sense it is thenidentical with Atman. This is why Sri Rama-krishna says: That which is pure mind is alsopure buddhi; that again is pure Atman.* 18

These three planes of conscious, subconsciousand superconspious all belong to the same mind.There are not three minds in one man but threelevels on which the mind operates.The question of controlling the mind relatesonly to the conscious plane, where the mind isnormally accompanied by the feeling ofegoism. We cannot directly control the sub-conscious mind unless we are established inYoga, The question of controlling the mindon the superconscious plane does not arise. Butthe superconscious plane can be reached onlyby those who have controlled their minds onthe conscious and subconscious planes.The mind in its functional aspect has four

18M\ op. cit, p. Ill,

28THE MIND AND ITS CONTROL

faculties, viz manas, buddhiy ahamkara andcitta, Manas is that modification of the internalinstrument (antahkarana) which considers thepros and cons of a subject. Buddhi is thatmodification of the internal instrument whichdetermines. Citta is that modification of theinner instrument which remembers. Ahamkarais that modification of the inner instrumentwhich is characterized by self-consciousness. Inevery external perception these four functionsof the mind are involved. These four functionsfollow one another so rapidly that they seeminstantaneous.The mind manifests itself in the followingfive conditions: 'scattering, darkening, gather-ing, one-pointed and concentrated/ As SwamiVivekananda explains;

The scattering form is activity. Its tendency isto manifest in the form of pleasure or of pain. Thedarkening form is dullness which tends to injury....The commentator says, the third form is natural todeoas and angels, and the first and second to the

demons. The gathering form is when it strugglesto centre itself. The one-pointed form is when ittries to concentrate, and the concentrated formis what brings us to samadhi. 1 *The ordinary conditions of the mind are'darkened* and "scattered*. In the darkened statea man feels dull and passive. In the scattered

19 The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda.Advatta Ashrama, Calcutta, Vol. I, 1965, p. 243.HOW NOT TO MAKE MIND-<

state he feels restless. Through practising thedisciplines of yoga the same mind can be'gathered* and made 'one-pointed*. The wholepurpose of mind-control is to make the mindone-pointed. When such a mind is appliedto any sphere of activity, in that it shines.A businessman with a one-pointed mind willprosper in business ; a musician with a one-pointed mind will become a great musician; ascientist with a one-pointed mind will becomea celebrated scientist. Through the practice anddevlopment of one-pointedness, the mindreaches the fifth or highest condition, calledconcentrated*. In this condition superconscions-ness is attained.

6HOW NOT TO MAKE MIND-CONTROLUNNECESSARILY DIFFICULT

We have said something about the nature ofthe mind as understood in Hinduism. Whilethis knowledge may be helpful, it will not neces-sarily lead to control of the mind. Much

30 N THE MIND AND ITS CONTROLknowledge about human psychology can verywell go with marked non-control of the mind.The main thing is to have a strong will tocontrol the mind. If we have that, knowledgeof psychology will certainly help, provided westeadily practise the prescribed disciplines.By certain actions, dispositions, and habits ofthought we make our task of controlling the mindalmost impossible. It will be helpful to knowwhat these are, so that we may avoid them.If we have strong likes and dislikes, attach-ments and aversions, we shall not be able tocontrol our minds.

If we live an immoral life we shall not beable to control our minds.If we have the habit of deliberately harmingothers we shall not be able to control our minds.If we indulge in intoxicants, live unbalancedand chaotic lives, e.g. eat, drink, talk, work,or sleep too little or too much, we shall not beable to control our minds.If we habitually indulge in vain controversy,are inordinately inquisitive about others' affairs,or are too anxious to find others' faults, we shallnot be able to control our minds.

If we torture our bodies unnecessarily, spendour energies in futile pursuits, force rigid silenceupon ourselves, or become too egocentric, weshall not easily control our minds.

HOW NOT TO MAKE MIND- CONTROL DIFFICULT 31If we are over-ambitious irrespective of ourcapacities, if we are jealous of others* prosperity,or if we are self-righteous, we shall not easilycontrol our minds.

If we have a feeling of guilt, we shall notbe able to control our minds. Therefore wemust erase all guilt from within us. To repent

for "sins committed and ask God's help forstrength of will so that they may not be re-peated, that is all that is needed to be freefrom guilt.To succeed in controlling the mind one musthave, in addition to a strong will, faith in one-self. Sri Krsna says in the Gitc^ that one mustoneself subdue one's weakness and raise one-self by .oneself. This teaching must be prac-tised by one who intends to control his mind.The mind will have to be controlled by themind itself. The difficulties which we experiencein controlling the mind are created by our ownmind. Mind cannot be controlled by artificialmeans for any length of time. Deliberate,patient, intelligent, systematic hard work accord-ing to tested and suitable disciplines is needed.

20 VI. 5.A CLEAR GRASP OF THE TASKON HAND NEEDED

It must be clearly understood and fullyaccepted that there is no gimmick by which the

mind can be controlled. Those who are in ahurry and looking for clever, devices may wellbe warned that the mind, a delicate instrument,should be handled very carefully. The entire,work of controlling the mind will have to bedone by ourselves. No one else can do it forus. We cannot get it done by someone else fora fee. It is our personal task. We must do itourselves. And we shall need great patience todo it Swami Vivekananda teaches:The mind has to be gradually and systematicallybrought under control. The will has to be strength-ened by slow, continuous, and persevering drillThis is no child's play, no fad to be tried one dayand discarded the next. It is a life's work ; and theend to be attained is well worth all that it cancost us to reach it; being nothing less than therealization of our absolute oneness with the Divine.Surely, with this end in view, and with the know-ledge that we can certainly succeed, no price canbe too great to pay. 21

aiOp. cit., Vol. V, 1964, p. 294.

8

A FAVOURABLE INNER CLIMATENEEDS TO RE CREATEDTo be able to practise the disciplines leadingto the control of the mind we need to createa favourable inner climate by consciously ac-cepting certain inevitables of life. Though theyare inevitable, often enough we do not acceptthem as such with the result that unnecessarymental problems are created. But those whowant to control their minds must scrupulouslyavoid loading the mind with unnecessary prob-lems, for there are quite enough of necessaryand unavoidable ones. We shall all do well tapractise these teachings of the Buddha in theAn guttata TSIikdya:Bhikkhus, these five things must be contem-plated by all men and women, householders as wellas bhikkhus.1. Old age will come upon me some day andI cannot avoid it,

2. Disease can come upon me some day and Icannot avoid it.3. Death will come upon me some day and Icannot avoid it.4. All things that I hold dear are subject tochange and decay and separation* and I ca motavoid it.

34 THE MIND AND ITS CONTROL5. I am the outcome of my own deeds and what-ever be my deeds, good or bad, I shall beheir to them,Bhikkhus, by contemplating old age the prideof youth can be curbed, or at least reduced; bycontemplating disease the pride of health can becurbed, or at least reduced ; by contemplating deaththe pride of life is curbed, or at least reduced ;by contemplating the change and separation of allthings dear, the passionate desire for possessionis curbed, or at least reduced ; and by contem-plating that one is the result of one's own deeds,the evil propensities of thought, word and deedare* curbed, or at least reduced.One who contemplates these five things cancurb, or at least reduce, his pride and passion andthus be able to tread the path of Nirvana, 22

The practice of these teachings of the Buddhawill indirectly help purification of the mind*

9TWO SETS OF INNER DISCIPLINES

To control the mind we have to develop forourselves two sets of inner disciplines:a. One set is for permanent basic operation.^Sudhakar Dikshit, Sermons and Sayings of theBuddha, Chetana, Bombay, pp. 49-50.

TWO SETS OF INNER DISCIPLINES35

b. The other set is for providing high-poweremergency brakes.The first set will give a general healthy direc-tion to the mind. The second will save us inemergencies.

. If the first set is not practised, we cannotmake use of the second set at all, for the simplereason that the power-supply for the secondsystem comes from the first set of disciplineswhen these are effectively practised.

In the first set several basic disciplines areincluded :1. Life must be held in a proper frame ofconstructive thinking. There should be a routinefor daily life and certain basic principles bywhich a sense of direction is given to whateverwe do. There should also be certain moral com-mitments by which conduct, should be guided.Those who have no moral and other prin-ciples, and no regularity of life, will find italmost impossible to control the mind. We haveto bring rhythm into our life in order to controlthe mind.

2. To control the mind we must check its pro-verbial restlessness. In Raja-Yoga Swami Vive-kananda describes the restlessness of the mind:How hard it is to control the mind! Well hasit been compared to the maddened monkey. Therewas a monkey, restless by his own nature, as allmonkeys are. As if that were not enough some

36 THE MIND AND ITS CONTROLone made him drink freely of wine, so that the

became still more restless. Then a scorpion stunghim. When a man is stung by a scorpion hejumps about for a whole day ; so the poor monkeyfound his condition worse than ever. To completehis misery a demon entered into him. Whatlanguage can describe the uncontrollable restless-ness of that monkey? The human mind is like thatmonkey, incessantly active by its own nature ; thenit becomes drunk with the wine of desire, thusincreasing its turbulence. After desire takes pos-session comes the sting of the scorpion of jealousyof the success of others, and last of all the demonof pride enters the mind, making it think itself ofall importance. How hard to control such a mind! 23To check its restlessness we must know thecauses. What are these causes? The causes ofrestlessness are the impurities of the mind,

10THE PURER THE MIND THE EASIERTO CONTROL

Swami Vivekananda teaches:The purer the mind, the easier it is to control.Purity of the mind must be insisted upon if you

'#Op. Cit, Vol. I, 1962, p. 174.

THE PURER THE MIND THE EASIER TO CONTROLwould control it Perfect morality is the all in

all of complete control over mind. The man whois perfectly moral has nothing more to do ; he isfree. 21The control of the mind depends on its purity.We are unable to control our mind because atpresent it is impure. If we live in a way whichmakes the mind more impure, and at the sametime make assiduous efforts to control the mind,this will be futile. Again, if without doing any-thing regarding purification of the mind, wejust go ahead to control our mind, we are notlikely to succeed, except in the rare case whenwe start with a highly pure mind. What weneed is a system of discipline for controllingthe mind which will also obliterate its impuri-ties.What are these impurities of the mind? Theyare the urges, impulses and emotions like envy,hatred, anger, fear, jealousy, lust, greed, con-ceit, temptation, etc. born of the two lowergunas, rajas and tamas. These impurities cause

disturbance in the mind by creating attachmentand aversion, and thus rob it of tranquillity.How do we remove these impurities?

« Ibid., Vol, VI, 1963, p. 126.11

CHANGING THE CONSTITUTIONOF THE MIND

The impurities of the mind can be graduallyremoved by providing the mind with whole-some food, and by bringing about a change inthe constitution of the mind so that sattva pre-dominates over the other two gunas. Finally,it is true, sattva has to be transcended ; but firstit has to predominate.We mentioned earlier that according to theteachings of the Upanisad the mind consists offood. 25 In elaborating this teaching the Upani-sad says:The food that we eat is transformed in threedifferent ways: the grossest part of it becomesexcrement, the middle part is transformed intoflesh, and the subtlest part goes to form the mind. 2 *

Further :Just as in the churning of curds, the subtlestpart rises up and is transformed into butter, sowhen food is eaten, the subtlest part rises up andis transformed into mind. 37

^Chdndogya Upanisad, VI. 5.4.*Ibid., VI. 5.1.*Ibid., VI. 6.1-2.CHANGING THE CONSTf/TUTTON OF THE MIND

39As the mind consists of food, naturally theteaching follows:

sWhen the food is pure, the mind becomes pure.When the mind becomes pure, memory becomesfirm. And when a man is in possession of firmmemory, all the bonds which tie him down to theworld are loosed, 28According to the commentary of Sankaracarya

the word *food* in the text means anything thatis taken in by the senses, that is to say, sounds,sights, smells, etc. And 'the mind becomespure' means that it becomes free from aversion,attachment or delusion, which create disquietin the mind, making it difficult to control. Soone of the basic methods of controlling themind is to desist from taking such 'food* as.will cause attachment, aversion and delusion.But how do we know which food will causeattachment, aversion and delusion? Broadlyspeaking, according to the Gtta, rajasika andtamiisika food cause attachment, aversion and1 delusion. Sdttvika food helps a person to re-duce attachment, aversion and delusion. It isnot only what is usually taken through themouth for nourishment which will have some 1thing to do with the state of the mind. Liquorand drugs are also taken through the mouth,and they also affect the mind. We can easily

28 Ibid, VII. 26. 2.THE MIND AND ITS CONTROL

see the difference in effect when we drink aglass of sugar-candy water and a glass of liquor.The effect of drugs on the state of the mindis well known. Also, as we have noted, whatwe see with our eyes, hear with our ears, andwhat we touch, have great effect on our minds.A movie, or an oration, can set in motion wavesof various sorts in the mind, making it difficult

or easy to control.So, in moulding the conditions favourable forcontrolling the mind, judicious eating and drink-ing are of some help. Equally important is theintake through the other senses. In the choiceof food, persons desiring to control the mindwill do well to prefer sattvika to rdjaMka andtamasika foods. So far as food taken throughthe mouth is concerned, the Gitd is our bestguide :

The foods which augment vitality, energy,strength, health, cheerfulness and appetite, whichare savoury and oleaginous, substantial and agree-able, are liked by the sattvika.The foods that are bitter, sour, saline, excessivelyhot, pungent, dry and burning are liked by therajasika and are productive of pain, grief anddisease.That which is stale and tasteless, stinking, cook-ed overnight, refuse and impure is the food likedby the tamasikaP

What is liked by sdttvika, rajasika and29 XVII. 8-10,

CHANGING THE CONSTITUTION OF THE MIND 41

tdmasika persons is also conducive to develop-ing sdUvika, rdjasika and tdmasika mindsrespectively.Human nature being constituted by varyingcombinations of the three substantive forces,sattva, rajas and tamos, the predominance ofone of the three gunas over the other two deter-mines the dominant tone of a man's nature, Aman with a preponderance of rajas or tamos inhis nature cannot behave, in spite of himself,like a man with a preponderance of sattva.This is why Sri Krsna says in- despair, as itwere, in the Gita: 'Even a wise man acts inaccordance with his own nature: beings follownature: what can restraint do?' 30If restraint can do nothing, if human natureis predetermined and incapable of being chang-ed, then there is little sense in discussing howto control the mind. The implication of thisstatement of the Lord, therefore, seems to be:man must change his nature, physical and men-tal, in order to be able to control the mind. Solong as rajas or tamas predominates in the con-stitution of our mind, we cannot control it, how-ever much we may try. The reason for thisshould be understood. According to the teach-ings of Vedanta:

Rajas has its vityepa-sakU or projecting power,80 Ibid, HI. 33.4

THE MIND AND ITS CONTR(

which is of the nature of an activity, and fromwhich this primeval flow of activity has emanated.From this also, mental modifications such as attach-ment and grief are continually produced.Lust, anger, avarice, arrogance, spite, egoism,envy, jealousy etc. — these are the dire attributesof rajas, from which the worldly tendency of manis produced. Therefore rajas is a cause of bondage.

Avrti or the veiling power is the power of tamas,which makes things appear other than what theyare. It is this that causes man's repeated trans-migrations, and starts the action of the projectingpower.Absence of right judgement, or contrary judge-ment, want of definite belief and doubt — these cer-tainly never desert one who has any connectionwith this veiling power, and then the projectingpower gives ceaseless trouble. 31

The psychological consequences of thepredominance of the projecting power of rajasand the veiling power of tamas make control-ling the mind in which these powers aredominant a difficult task. Yet there is anotherconstituent of the mind which makes the tasknot a hopeless one. This constituent is saliva,

which is found in a mixed or pure state. Onthis, Vedanta teaches:Pure sattva is (clear) like water, yet in con-junction with rajas and tamas, it makes for transmi-gration. The reality of Atman becomes reflected

31 Sri Sankaracarya, Vicekacudamani, tr. by SwamiMadhavananda, Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta, verses111-13, 115.

CHANGING THE CONSTITUTION OF THE MIND

in sattva, and like the sun reveals the entireworld of matter. The traits of mixed saliva arean utter absence of pride etc., niyama, yama, etc.,as well as faith, devotion, yearning for liberation,the divine tendencies, and turning away from theunreal.The traits of pure sattva are cheerfulness, therealization of one's own Self, supreme peace, con-tentment, Jbliss, and steady devotion to Atman bywhich the aspirant enjoys bliss everlasting. 33

So we find — and it is very important tounderstand this — that built into our ownnature are powerful impediments and potenthelp in controlling the mind. It is therefore aquestion of devising the right strategy so thatthe inimical forces may be defeated and thehelpful forces given full play. This can be donenot by engaging in a blind mad fight, but byskilfully operating the inner forces.The strategic question in regard to thecontrol of mind is this : can we so change the "fgwntf-balance in our nature as to bring aboutthe preponderance of sattva? Teachings on thisiproblem are therefore of great help to us. Inthe Sfimad Bhagavatam we find:

The gunas, sattva, rajas and .tamas, belong tothe intellect and not to the Self. Through sattvaone should subdue the other two and subduesattva also by means of sattva itself.Through developed sattva a man attains that formof spirituality which consists in devotion to Me.

32 Ibid., 117*19.-44

THE MIND AND ITS CONTROL

Through the use of sattvika things (i.e.tend to purity and illumination and sois developed ; this leads to spirituality.That superior form of spirituality whichon by an increase of sattva destroystamas. And when both of them . areiniquity which has its rise in them, is aldestroyed. 83

those thaton) sattvais broughtrajas anddestroyed,so quickly

In the teaching that through developedsattva the aspirant attains spirituality we getthe most important lesson for our purpose, forattainment of spirituality and mind-control areidentical in one sense. So, of utmost importancefor those who want to control the mind is toknow how to develop sattva.

What are the sattvika things and activities bymeans of which sattva can be made to pre-dominate? Sri Krsna specifies them in the nextverse :Scriptures, water, people, place, time, work, birth,meditation, mantra and purification — these are theten causes which develop the gunas. 3 *

The import of this verse is that 'each of thesehas its sattvika, rajasika and tamasika counter-parts j the first conducing to purity, illumina-tion, and bliss ; the second to temporarypleasure followed by painful reaction ; and the.last leading to ignorance and increasingbondage. The teaching continues:33 Book XI, chapter 13, verses 1-3.

34 Ibid., verse 4.

CHANGING THE CONSTTTUTION OF THE MINDOf these, those alone are sattvika, which the sagespraise ; the tamasa are what they condemn ; whilethose are rajasa about which they are indifferent.

For the increase of saliva a man should con-cern himself with sattvika things alone. Thence

comes spirituality, and from this again knowledge,leading to the realization of one's independenceand the .removal of the superimposition of grossand subtle bodies, 35The import of the last verse is:

Only those scriptures are to be followed whichteach nivrtti or the march back to the oneness ofBrahman, not those that teach pravrtti or contin-uing the multiplicity (rajasika) or those that teachdownright injurious tenets (tamasika). Similarlyholy water only is to be used, not scented wateror wine, etc. ; one should mix only with spiritualpeople, not with wordly-minded or wicked people.A solitary place is to be preferred, not a publicthoroughfare or a gaming-house. Early morningor some such time is to be selected for meditationin preference to hours likely to cause distractionor dullness. Obligatory and unselfish works aloneshould be done, not selfish or harmful ones. Initia-tion into pure and non-injurious forms of religionis needed, not those that require much ado orthose that are impure and harmful. Meditationshould be on the Lord, not on sense-objects or onenemies with a view to revenge. Mantras such asOm are to be preferred, not those bringing worldlyprosperity or causing injury to others. Purificationof the mind is what we should be interested in,not merely trimming up the body or cleaning uphouses. 36

35 Ibid., verses 5, 6,

36 Ibid., verse 6, Sridhara's gloss.

46PTHOL

In the verses ' quoted above we have, froman authentic source, ill-important teachings onhow to bring about desirable transformation inthe gwi^combination in our mind. Control ofmind, in its creative arid positive aspect, is thisinner transformation. Until this is achieved notrue work is really done for gaining controlover the mind, ^rWhen through these and other means theaspirant has succeeded in ensuring the pre-ponderance of sattva in his nature, his battlefor mincl-control is more than half won, butnot fully, [ The reason is that even sattva binds

â– man. This is how the Glta puts it:I

i Sattva > rajas and tamos — these gunas, O mighty-

aimed", born of Prakrti, bind fast in the body theindestructible embodied one.Of these sattva, because of its stainlessness,luminous and free from evil, binds, O sinless one,by attachment to happiness and by attachment toknowledge. 37Sri Ramakrishna in his parable of the manand the three robbers, explains the matter asfollows :

This world itself is the forest, The three robbersprowling here are sattva , rajas and tamos. It isthey that rob a man of the knowledge of Truth.Tamos wants to destroy him. Rajas binds himto the world. But sattva rescues him from theclutches of rajas arid tamas. Under the protection437

XIV, 5, 6.

CHANGING THE CONSTITUTION OF THE MIND47

of sattva, man is rescued from anger, passion, andother evil effects of tamos. Further, sattva loosensthe bonds of the world But sattva also is a rob-ber. It cannot give him the ultimate knowledgeof Truth, though it shows him the road leadingto the supreme abode of God. Setting him on thepath, sattva tells him: *Look yonder. There isyour *home/ Even sattva is far away from theknowledge of Brahman, 88The psychological implication of the wordsof the Gita that 'sattva binds by attachment tohappiness and attachment to knowledge*, andof Sri Ramakrishna, that 'sattva is also a rob-ber', is that even the preponderance of sattvain our nature does not amount to perfect con-trol of the mind. What is needed for gaining (perfect control of the mind is to go beyond thegunas. Sri Krsna teaches the teachnique of goingbeyond the gunas in the fourteenth chapter of)the Gita. In verse twenty-six he gives the entireteaching in its' simplest form, shorn of all tech-nicalities. He says: 'And he who serves Me(the Lord) with unswerving devotion, he, goingbeyond the gunas, is fitted for becoming Brah-man/ .•-^But only the pure in heart can serve Godwith unswerving devotion. If we feel that we

are not so pure in heart and so cannot practiseunswerving devotion, we must not be dis-couraged. Through the persistent practice of

<-

88'M\ op, oft, pp. 207-08.

48

THE MINDrrs CONTROL

devotion we can gradually become more un-

swerving and pure.However, if for any reason we are not ableto adopt the 'simplest method* of going beyondthe gums, other ways of controlling the mindremain open to us.

In addition to learning how to conquer tamasand rajas we need to learn how to conquersattva also. This is taught by Sri Sarikaracaryathus :Tamas is destroyed by both sattva and rajasrajas by sattva, and sattva dies when purified!lnerefore do away with thy superimpositionthrough the help of sattva®

12

HOLY COMPANY GREATLY HELPSMIND-CONTROLWe have discussed in some detail one methodof changing the guraa-composition of our mindfor the purpose of controlling it. This is anauthentic method taught in the scriptures.

35 Vivekacudama$i, 278.HOLY COMPANY GREATLY HELPS MIND-CONTBOL 49

When correctly practised it can help any one.There will, howtever, be many people who areso constituted that they cannot take inner careof themselves in such detail, or because theirconditions of living are not conducive to thepractice of this discipline. Is there any otherdiscipline easier to practise but equally effec-tive? Yes, there is a discipline which is easierto practise, and is equally, if not more effective.But there is a difficulty in speaking about thisvery simple method. An illustration will showwhat we mean. There are some patients who,•having suffered a great deal from an obstinateailment, do not really trust the doctor when heprescribes a simple remedy. They are inclinedto think that a difficult disease needs corre-spondingly complicated treatment. The same istrue of the simple method we are about todescribe : for some people it is too simple.The method is that of being in holy company.It is a simple method, but more effective* than[ all others. Sri Krsna teaches :

Yoga, discrimination, piety, study of the Vedas,austerities, renunciation, rites such as agnihotra,works of public utility, charity, vows, sacrifices,

secret mantras, places of pilgrimage, and moralrules, particular as well as universal — none ofthese, I say, bind Me so much as association withsaints, which roots out all attachment.*

-n $rlmafl Bhagawtam, XL 12. 1, 2.

THE MIND AND ITS CONTROLMost of our attachments are due to the pre-ponderance of rajas in our riature. Wh6n weare in the company of a perfected soul, thepowerful vibrations of his holiness penetratewithin us and bring about a speedy change inthe gt/7ia-composition of our mind, leading toa preponderance of "sattva- for the time being*How enduring this sa#t>a-dominance will bedepends on how often we frequent holy com-pany. Sri Ramakrishna teaches:...The wordly man must constantly live in thecompany of holy men. It is necessary for all, evenfor* sannyasins ; but it is specially necessary for thehouseholder. His disease has become chronic be-

cause he has to live constantly in the midst of'woman and gold*.* 1Holy company makes our task of controllingthe mind easier, so we must not fail to seek it.But when holy company is not available, whatdo we do? We must depend on our own re-sources and go ahead with hard and methodicalwork. Following those . of the above teachingswhich are suitable for us, we must bring aboutthe preponderance of sattva in our mind, andfinally learn how to transcend sattva by purify-ing it

11 'M', op. cit, p. 269.13

HOW IS SATTVA PURIFIEDAccording to Vedanta, the purification ofsattva takes place through constant discrimina-tion between the real and the unreal, throughrenunciation of the unreal, and through deepcontemplation on the true nature of the Self.In this connection what Sankaracarya teachesby implication on mind-control is helpful:

The desire pf Self-realization is obscured by in-numerable desires for things other than the Self.When they have destroyed by constant attach-ment to the Self, the Atman clearly manifests Itselfof Its own accord.As the mind becomes gradually established inthe inmost Self, it proportionately gives up desiresfor external objects. And when all such desireshave been eliminated, there takes place the unob-structed realization of the Atman.The yogi's mind dies, being constantly fixed onhis own Self. Thence follows the cessation of de-sires. Therefore do away with your superimposi-tion.**

This 'death* of the mind does not mean lossof the mind, but perfect purification*, in whichstate it is identified with the Atman. When one

^Op. cit, 275-77.

THE MIND AND ITS CONTROLt

knows oneself as the Atman, there is no longera mind needing control.

In seeking to control of our mind we must as-pire to this absolute state of being. As long aswe have more desires than one, or other desiresthan the desire for the realization of Atman,it will be difficult to control the mind, for it willthen be in a scattered state. If we seek any-thing less than the highest, into which every-thing converges, as it were, the mind will bedivided. It is hard to control a divided mind.In other words, those who seek anything lessthan perfect illumination, or realization of theSelf, can never control their mind perfectly.They have some desire other than that for illu-mination and therefore they in effect vote forthe perpetuation of aoidtjd. Thus they renderthemselves incapable of doing things needed forcontrolling the mind. In Vedanta, mind in itsimpure state is identified with avkhjd^ And sothe disciplines that are enjoined for the removalof avidya are also applicable to mind-control.Of these disciplines one particularly is veryhelpful in controlling' the mind through itspower of purification. This discipline, in Vedan-tic terminology, is swdhyasdpanayam, doingaway with the superimposition that has come43 Ibid., 169, 180.

r A PURIFIED?

58conquering the

upon oneself, or in other worcis^identification with the non-Self.About super imposition on the Self and themethod of its 'removal Sankaracarya teaches:

The idea of 'me and mine* in the body, organs,etc., which are the non-Self- — this superimpositionthe wise man must put a stop to, by identifyinghimself with the Atman.Realizing your inmost Self, the witness of thebuddhi (intellect) and its modifications* and con-stantly revolving the positive thought 1 am That',conquer the identification with the non-Self. 4 *All the disquiet, tension, and problems of themind have only one origin, the false identifica-tion of one's real Self with the non-Self, givingrise to the idea of 'me and mine* in the body,the organs, etc.* 5 The cure of all these dis-orders is in the effective practice of the positivethought 1 am That'. 1 am the Atman/ TheReality-oriented mind alone can be controlled.The practice of sadhana-catustaya, the four-fold Vedantic disciplines, 46 which is enjoined for

"Ibid., 268-69.45 Sankaracarya says in Vivekacutiamayi (311): 'Healone who has indentified himself with the body is greedyafter sense-pleasures. How can one devoid of the body-idea be greedy (like him) ?'

Cf. Swami Vivekananda, op. cit., Vol. VI, 1963,p. 124: There is but one way to control the senses —to see Him who is the Reality in the universe* Thenand tlien alone can we really conquer our senses/46 The fourfold Vedantic discipline is:

THE MIND AND ITS CONTROLthe attainment of illumination, takes care of theproblem of mind-control as a matter of course.These Vedantic disciplines for controlling themind can be helpfully supplemented by certainyoga disciplines which we shall now discuss.

14BASIC YOGA DISCIPLINES FORMIND-CONTROL

The yoga scriptures insist that in order tocontrol the mind aspirants must practise thedisciplines of xjama and niyama. Non-killing,truthfulness, non-stealing, continence, and non-receiving of gifts are called yamas.* 7 Internal andi Discrimination between things permanent andtransient.

11

Renunciation of the enjoyment of the fruits ofaction in this world and hereafter.iii The cultivation of six treasures: restraining theoutgoing mental propensities ; restraining the ex-ternal sense-organs ; withdrawing the self ; for-bearance ; self-settledness ; and faith,

iv Longing for liberation.(Sadananda, Vedantasara, 15.)47 Yoga-sutra of Patanjali, II, 30.

BASIC YOGA DISCIPLINES FOR MIND-CONTROL

55external purification, contentment, mortification,study, and worship of God are the niyamas. 4 *

Obviously one who is not yet the master ofhis mind will fail to observe some of these pre-cepts. Yet the idea of insisting on the practiceof these virtues is to keep the ideal alwaysbright before the practitioner, so that innerstrength may grow through self-effort. Fatanjali,the great teacher of yoga, says :Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained bycultivating t

a. Friendliness towards the happy.b. Compassion for the unhappy.

c. Delight in the good.d. Indifference to the evil. 49

This aphorism requires explanation. The dis-position of being happy at the happiness ofothers creates a very soothing mental climatein which wrong impulses like jealousy cannotthrive.Contraction of the heart causes us a specialtype of inner disquiet, and this can be removedonly through the expansion of our heart. Prac-

tising compassion for the unhappy is one of themethods of doing this. Active compassion willmean service to the afflicted. Service done inthe proper attitude is purifying, It expands our« Ibid., 32.19 Ibid,, 33,

THE MIND AND ITS CONTROLhearts, enhances our sense of identity with thewhole, and liberates us from the cramping agonyof our smallness. This gives us inner joy.Even if we ourselves are miserable, there willbe no dearth of more miserable persons aroundus. Let us do something for somebody else. Ifwe cannot do anything else, we may just befriendly and pray sincerely for the good of theworld. That too will help.Our delight should be in the good. When wetake delight in the good the psychological lawis that we imbibe the goodness and the otherqualities of the good. Goodness is conducive tocalmness of mind.We. are asked to be indifferent to the evil.Undoubtedly to try to change evil people intogood is a high and noble task. But that taskis for the prophet and the saint, not for theordinary man who is struggling with his ownmind. As long as our own minds are not well

under control, we should studiously avoid evilcompany. In that way we can save our ownminds from catching the contagion and gettinginto greater trouble. If we feel so deeply forthe evil and the wicked we can pray for theirwelfare. This will help both, them and us.But who are these wicked people? Whojudges who is wicked? There can be a longcontroversy on this issue. For all practical

BASIC YOGA DISCIPLINES FOR MIND-OONTROL 57purposes, however, those who live immoral andunethical lives can be considered wickedpeople.

While avoidance of evil company is helpfulfor controlling the mind in a negative way, thecompany of the holy is helpful in the mostpositive manner; Holy company removes themental impurities of even a degraded person.lis is what the saints and scriptures say, SriKrsna teaches in the Srhnad Bhagavatamâ„¢ thatassociation with the holy roots out all attach-ment. Our attachments are th emost powerfimpediments to the control of the mind. I WherT

attachments are removed, aversions and delu-sions also leave us easily, as a result of whichw^Jittairi^nght discrimination and^clarity olunderstanding. With these inner transformationsunknowingly going on as a result of holy com-pany we find it possible to control the mind.

W XL 12.1 and 26.26.15

PRACTICE OF DISCRIMINATION HELPSThere are situations in which we cto thingsdeliberately, knowing full well that it is theright thing to do. And there are situations inwhich we act impulsively without knowing theright or wrong of them. But in either case everywork bears its own fruits, sweet or bitter,j Apart from other sufferings one result of wrong>*— ^'action is greater mental turmoil. Our ignor-ance about" right and wrong will not save usfrom trouble.

"~ Therefore in order to control the mind oneessential thing is to learn how to discriminatebetween right and wrong, good and evil, real

and unreal. When discrimination becomes ahabit with us we shall automatically ask our-selves: What good is it? This will save usfrom possible mental turmoil resulting fromwrong, rash and foolish actions, provided wehave developed the habit of doing only whatour discrimination tells us to be good. Thepractice of discrimination may very well gohand in hand with the practice of self-examina-tion. This conduces to self-improvement.There is another dimension to the practice ofdiscrimination which helps the control of the

PRACTICE OF DISCRIMINATION HELPSmind in a fundamental manner, The crux ofthe problem of mind-control was neatly put bythe ancient seekers, Sanaka and others, toBrahma in these few words ;

O Lord, the mind is attached to the sense-objectsand the sense-objects influence the mind: So forthe man who seeks liberation and wants to gobeyond them, how do they cease to act and reactupon each other? 51The crux of the problem remains the sameeven today, And given a universe on the sameplan, it will ever remain so. The authoritativeanswer that came from Sri Krsna to this im-portant question has been summarized in thefollowing words :

If the mind, which is connected with sense-objects as agent and enjoyer etc, and is variouslynamed as intellect, egoism and so forth, were the• reality of the jiva (living being), then there mightnot be a dissolution of the , connection betweenthe fwa and the sense-objects. But the jiva iseternally identified with Brahman, and his appar-ent connection with the sense-objects is due tothe superimposition of the mind on him, Henceby considering oneself to be Brahman and reflect-ing on the unreality of the sense-objects, one shouldturn away from them and worship the Lord sothat one can remain in one's true nature as theinfinite Self. 5351 Ibid., XI. 14. 17.

** The Last Message of ShH Krishna, tr. by SwamiMadhavananda. Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta, 1956,pp. 118-19.16

TRAINING THE MIND TO BFMAVE

In one sense to control the mind is to trainit to behave. It is like catching a wild horseand turning it into a circus horse to do featsto order. How is it done ?Swami Vivekananda teaches;

Before we can control the mind we must studyit.We have to seize this unstable mind and dragit from its wanderings and fix it on one idea.Over and over again this must be done. By powerof will we must get hold of the mind and makeit stop and reflect upon the glory of God.The easiest way to get hold of the mind is tosit quiet and let it drift where it will for a while.Hold fast to the idea,, T am the witness watchingmy mind drifting. The mind is not 1/ Then seeit think as if it were a thing entirely apart fromyourself* Identify yourself with God, never withmatter or with the mind.* Picture the mind as acalm lake stretched before you and the thoughtsthat come and go as bubbles rising and breakingon its surface. Make no effort to control thethoughts, but watch them and follow them inimagination as they float away. This will graduallylessen the circles. For the mind ranges over widecircles of thought and those circles widen- out intoever increasing circles, as in a pond when we throwa stone into it We want to reverse the processand starting with a huge circle make it narrower

TRAINING THE MIND TO BEHAVE61

until at last we can fix the mind on one point andmake it stay there. Hold to the idea, 1 am not themind, I see that I am thinking, I am watchingmy mind act*, and each day the identification ofyourself with thought and feeling will grow less,until at last you can entirely separate yourself fromthe mind and actually know it to be apart fromyourself.When this is done, the mind is your servantto control as you will. The first stage . of beinga yogi is to go beyond the senses. When themind is conquered, he has reached the higheststage. 63 '

We shall be surprised to see, when webegin this practice, how many hideous thoughtswill come to our mind. As the practicecontinues the turbulence of the mind mayincrease for some time. But the more detachedfrom our minds we shall find it possible tofeel ourselves, the less will be its pranks.Gradually its vagaries will lose all vigour underthe penetrating gaze of the observer, andfinally the mind will become like a circushorse, vigorous but disciplined. We should forsome time deliberately watch our minds everyday at regular intervals. And this should

continue as long as the mind needs to betaught how to behave.

53Op, eit,, Vol, VIII, 1964, pp. 47-48.

17PRACTICE OF PRAtyAYAMA

We shall notice that when our mind is in adisturbed state our breathing becomes fasterand irregular. One- of the ways of quietingthe mind is to regularize the breathing. Regu-lar practice of deep breathing helps to developa stable state of mind, —It may be mentioned here that the practiceof pranatjama (restraining the breath in orderto get control of the prdna or vital force) is veryhelpful for controlling the mind. Pranayamashould, however, be learnt directly from ateacher, and should be practised in a clean

â–  atmosphere. Besides, those who do not practise continence, or have a diseased heart, lungsor nervous system, are advised not to practisepranatjama.28

PRACTICE OF FRATYAHARAUsually our .condition is that we are forcedto concentrate our minds on certain things.There are attractions in objects which compelour minds to become fixed on them. In thisway we become the slaves of tempting objects.The true position, however, should be that weput our minds on things at will. Things shouldnot be able to force our minds on them.Learning to do this is a most important stepin controlling the mind. In fact, until we learnto do this, nothing is practically achieved byway of controlling the mind.Now, how do we do this ? Swami Viveka-nanda teaches:We hear 'Be good*, and 'Be good', and 'Begood', taught all over the world. There is hardlya child, born in any country in the world, whohas not been told, 'Do not steal', 'Do not tell a lie',but nobody tells the child how he can help doing

theiri. Talking will not help him. Why should henot become a thief? Wc do not teach him hownot to steal; we simply tell him, 'Do not steal.'Only when we teach him to control his minddo we really help him. AH actions, internal andexternal, occur when the mind joins itself tocertain centres, called the organs. Willingly or un-willingly it is drawn to join itself to centres, and[E MIND AND ITS CONTROL

that is why people do foolish deeds and feel miser-able, which, if the mind were under control, theywould not do. What would, be the result of con-trolling the mind ? It then would not join itselfto the centres of perception, and, naturally, feelingand willing would be under control. It is clearso far. Is it possible ? It is perfectly possible. 54It can be done by practising the discipline ofpratyahara which is taught by Patafijali,What is pratyahara ? Pratyahara is that ab-stention by which the senses do not dome intocontact with their objects and follow, as itwere, the nature of the (controlled) mind.

It

When the mind is withdrawn from the sense-objects the sense-organs also withdraw themselvesfrom their objects and they are said Jo imitatethe mind. This is known as pratyahara**The link between the sense-organs and sense-objects is the mind. When the mind is with-drawn from sense-objects, the sense-organs alsoimitate the mind, that is to say, they also with-draw themselves from their objects. When themind is restrained, the senses are then auto-matically restrained. This example illustratesthe point: just as the bees fly when the queenflies, and alight when the queen alights, so thesenses become restrained when the mind isrestrained. This is pratyahara. â–

54 Ibid,, Vol. I, 1962, p. 171*w Yoga-sutra of Patanjali, II. 54.IMPORTANCE OF HARMONIOUS HUMAN RELATIONS

The entire secret of pratyahara is will-power, £hwhich every normal person is capable of devel-oping; but in most people it is in an undevel-oped state. When confirmed in pratyahara oneattains mastery oyer ones senses, thoughts and *emotions, Practice of pratyahara helps developwill-power and will-power helps develop pratya-

hara.19 '

IMPORTANCE OF HARMONIOUSHUMAN RELATIONSi •

In the Sermon on the Mount Christ says:. . . If thou bring thy gift to the altar and thereremember that thy brother hath ought againstthee, leave there thy gift before the altar, andgo thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother andthen come and offer thy gift* 6

This is an important teaching of Christ. Ourhuman relations have much to da with ourstates of mind, on which depends the buildingup of spiritual life*

M Matthew, 5. 23-24.66

TI-IE MIND AND XTS CONTROL

Those who want to control their minds mustnot store up ill-feelings or grievances or otherwrong impulses in the mind, which is to beused for higher purposes. Through doing one'sduties to others, and through the practice ofdetachment, forgiveness and humility, we mustkeep our human relations straight. HolyMother says; 'Forgiveness is tapasya (auster-ity).* 57A healthy mind is much easier to controlthan an unhealthy or broken mind. Here is acase history which will indicate how forgive-ness helps in restoring the health of the mind.Years ago, Dr. Jung suggested that psychol-ogists and clergymen should join hands inalleviating human suffering. The AmericanMagazine of October 1947 published an articledescribing a remarkable clinic of this kinddesigned to mend broken souls and restoreshattered faith:

A thirty-four-year-old woman came to this clinic.

She looked like a woman of fifty and had formonths suffered from insomnia, nervousness andchronic fatigue. She had consulted doctors, but tono avail. Religious at heart, she tried to pray butwithout success. She finally became so depressedthat she wanted to commit suicide, The clinicpsychiatrist discovered the real cause of her illness :a deep resentment towards her sister who' had"Sri Sarada Devi* The Holy Mother, Sri Rama-krishna Math, Madras, 1949, p. 457,

HEALTHY OCCUPATION OF THE MIND NEEDED67

married the man she herself wanted to marry*Outwardly she was kind to her sister, but deep inher subconscious mind she cherished a terriblebar ted which ruined her mental and physicalhealth. Then a minister' came to her aid. *Youknow it* is evil to hate. You must ask God to helpyou to forgive your sister in your heart ; then Godwill give you peace/ She followed this advice.1 Through prayer and faith in a power greater thanherself she has been able to forgive her sister.Her depression and insomnia are gone. She is anew person and happier than ever before/ 68

20HEALTHY OCCUPATION OF THEMIND NEEDED

The common saying 'an idle brain is thedevil's workshop* is very true. Therefore themind must be given healthy and creative occu-pation. It should be fed with high thoughtsand noble inspiration. Otherwise it will driftto low things and become scattered. In itsscattered state the mind cannot be controlled.If we can penetrate to the core of the un-steadiness of our mind, there we shall discover

^Swami Yatiswarananda, Adventures in ReligiousLife, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras, 1959 } pp. 159-60.68

THE MIND AND ITS CONTROLas its cause a wrong thought, or many wrong

thoughts, one acting upon another. So, tosteady the mind we need to guard our thoughtswith maximum steadfastness. There are theseBuddhist teachings:As a fletcher makes straight bis arrow, a wiseman makes straight his trembling and unsteadythought, which is difficult to guard, difficult tohold back.Let the wise man guard his thoughts, for theyare difficult to perceive, very artful and they mshwherever they listeth ; thoughts well-guarded bringhappiness.If a man's thoughts are not dissipated, if hismind is not perplexed, if it has ceased to think ofgood and evil then there is no fear for him whilehe is watchful. 69Right introspection will reveal that inadvert-ence is at the root of much of our mentalturmoil. And inadvertence comes to us sonaturally because we are not trained in culti-vating our mind for higher inner" occupations.Sii Sarikaracarya teaches :

One should never be careless in one's steadfast-ness to Brahman. Bhagavan Sanatkumiira, whois Brahma's son, has called inadvertence deathitself.There is no greater danger for the jiianin thancarelessness about his own real nature. From thiscomes delusion, thence egoism ; this is followedby bondage, and then comes misery.

69 Dhammapada, verses 33, 36, 39.HEALTHY OCCUPATION OF THE MIND NEEDED

69Finding even a wise man hankering after sense-objects, oblivion torments him through the evilpropensities of the buddhi, as a woman does herdoting paramour.As sedge, even if removed , does not stay awayfor a moment, but covers the water again, soMaya or Nescience also covers even a wise" man,if he is averse to meditation on the Self.

If the mind ever so slightly strays from theIdeal and becomes outgoing, then it goes downand down, just as a play-ball inadvertentlydropped on the staircase bounds down from onestep to another. 60Steadfast cultivation of awareness of thehighest objective of life, which is the SupremeSpirit, is a potent method of steadying themind. In fact, when we practise this disciplinewe shall derive greater benefit from other

practices.A healthy preoccupation of the mind neednot necessarily be monotonous. If it should be,it might turn into unhealthy drudgery. Therecan be a chosen, • refreshing variety to ensurethe healthy preoccupation of the mind, SriKrsna teaches:

i # â–Charity, the performance of one's duty, the obser-vance of vows, general and particular, the hearingof the scriptures, meritorious acts, and all otherworks — all these culminate in the control of themind. The control of the mind is the highestyoga.* 1

60 Vivekacutfamani, verses 321-25,61 Srirnad Bhagavatam, XI. 23. 46.

21

IMPORTANCE OF RIGHT USEOF THE IMAGINATIONMan is endowed with the faculty of imagina-tion. A great deal of our mental troubles anddifficulties in controlling the mind arises fromour habitual wrong use of this faculty* It iscommon practice with many of us to indulgein what is called emotional kite-flying, day-dreaming, and wild, meaningless and purpose-less speculation of various sorts. Our expec-tations may be imaginary, without any basisin fact, but they bring us real disappointments.Our fears may be baseless, but they causegenuine trepidation in our heart. Throughexercising our power of imagination we makeunreal things real for Ourselves. And webecome victims of worries and concerns forwhich there is no factual basis. When thishabit becomes a hardened one, it is extremelydifficult to control the mind. Sometimes wemay not even be aware of the fact that for agood part of our day we live in a dreamland,in a world of shadows and not in that of truthand facts.Unless we get rid of this habit we shall findit extremely difficult to control the mind. How

IMPORTANCE OF RIGHT USE OF THE IMAGINATION 71do we do it? The following story will giveus an important clue:

A somewhat inebriated gentleman was slowlymoving along the street, carrying in his hand abox with perforations on the lid and sides. Itappeared he was carrying some live animal in thebox. An acquaintance stopped him and asked,'What have you got in the box?''It is a mongoose' replied the tipsy man.

'What on earth for?*'Well you know how it is with me ; I am notreally drunk now, but soon I shall be. Andwhen I am, I see snakes all around and I getawfully scared. That is what I have the mon-goose for, to protect me from the snakes,*

'Good heavens, those are all imaginary snakes I'This also, is* an imaginary mongoose!'

The box was in fact empty. 63Similarly we require one imagination tocounteract another. We require a right imag-ination to throw out wrong ones. SwamiVivekananda teaches: Imagination properly

employed is our greatest friend ; it goesbeyond reason and is the only light that takesus everywhere/ 63 The purest of imaginationsis the thought of God. The more we clingto the thought of God, the less will be ourtrouble with the mind.83 Swami Yatiswarananda, op, cit., p. 263.63 Op. cit, Vol. VIII, 1964, p. 49.

22IMPORTANCE OF MKx

Meditation on God is the most effective wayof controlling the mind, Meditation and con-trol of the mind go hand in hand. Thehighest objective for which one controls themind is meditation on God or Atman as thecase may be. However, meditation also helpscontrol of the mind.The mind must be riveted on somethingwhich is not only pure in itself but can alsopurify our mind through its power. Meditationon God is advised, because one becomes

imbued with the quality of the object onwhich one meditates.In meditation, whenever the mind straysaway one should indefatigably bring it backand place it on the object of meditation.Swami Brahmananda, one of the great directdisciples of Sri Ramakrishna, says:

Unless you meditate, the mind cannot be con-trolled, and unless the mind is controlled,,, you can-not meditate. But if you think, 'First let mecontrol the mind and then I shall meditate*, youwill never enter the path of spiritual life. YouGUARD AGAINST DESPONDENCY

73must do both at the same time — steady your mindand meditate. 6 '

So, when once a disciple asked SwamiBrahmananda, 'Maharaj, how can one controlthe mind?* the teacher, in effect, explained howthe above instruction was to be put intopractice. He said:

Through gradual practice the mind has to beconcentrated upon God, Keep a sharp eye on themind so that no undesirable thoughts or distrac-tions may enter in. Whenever they try to crowdin on your mind, turn it toward God and prayearnestly. Through such practice the mind comesunder control and becomes purified. 6523

GUARD AGAINST DESPONDENCYThese are the basic disciplines. Theyshould be regularly practised by those whointend to control their minds. While steadfastly

•tiw Swami Prabhavananda, Tlie Eternal Companion :Spiritual Teachings of Swami Brahmananda, Sri Rama-krishna Math, Madras, 1945, p. 229,

65 Ibid., p. 197.674

THE MIND AND ITS CONTROLpractising these disciplines, the aspirant's mottoshould be: struggle, struggle and struggle;never give in.

We must not allow despondency to eat intoour earnestness and energy. Despondency isthe worst enemy of spiritual life. So it shouldbe cast out whenever it presents itself.When we are in the worst of mental statesand feel as though we shall never rise againto meet the demands of inner struggle, we areadvised to stand behind the mind, and see ourmental state as something from which we areseparate. We should never identify ourselfwith any of the mental states, good or bad,for, our real Self, the Atman, is not the mind.When in a low state we must drive out allnegative thoughts by repeating to ourself withall our might: lam divine, identical with theSupreme Spirit. No misery can ever touch me ;I am ever free, infinite and immortal.* 86 Or wecan repeat with firm conviction: 'If God befor us who can be against us/ 67 Thus thelow state of mind will pass away.

«fi Swami Virajananda, Towards the Goal Supreme,

Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta, 1949, p. 23.m Epistle of St, Paul to the Bomans, VIII, 31.

24EMERGENCY CONTROL DEVICES

It will be within almost everyone's experiencethat even while earnestly practising the basicdisciplines, we come into headlong clash withpowerful inimical forces, thoughts, urges, ten-dencies, and emotions which tend to tear downall our good work in the mind. To deal withsuch critical situations we have to developsome high-power emergency controls. Like thefire-fighters of a city our methods must beready at hand day and nightPatailjali, the teacher of Raja-Yoga, calls thismethod pratipaksabhavanar.i, or thinking con-trary thoughts. In the relevant aphorism hesays: 'When thoughts obstructive to control ofthe mind arise, contrary thoughts should beemployed, 768For instance, you notice that a big wave ofanger is just rising in your mind, which willnot only upset your peace for long but causeyou great harm, What should you do to

neutralize the wave? You have to raise acontrary wave, a wave of love. If lust assails88 Yoga-sutra, II. 33, 34,

76[K MAND

you, you have to raise a contrary wave ofpurity. This can be done by thinking intenselyon the pure heart of a saint.But contrary thoughts have to be raised atthe very inception of inimical ones. There isa stage when your anger is just a bubble inyour mind ; and there is a stage when you areanger itself. Contrary thoughts should be raisedwhen the first bubbles arise ; otherwise themethod will not work. Contrary thoughts willbe powerless when the harmful ones have had

time to develop. From this we can under-stand what a close watch we have to keep onour thoughts and emotions.It is possible that we may not notice the firstfew bubbles and may become aware of thesituation only when the waves have risen prettyhigh. What shall we do in this situation? Wemust tear ourselves away from the situation andgo to a lonely place for self-confrontation.There we must catch our mind by the throat*as it were, and say to it : 'O my mind, thiswill ruin you altogether. Don't you see that?'If we impress the idea forcefully upon themind> it will behave ; for it does not want self-destruction.When a disciple once asked Swami Brahma-nanda: What should I do if a distracting

EMERGENCY CONTROL DEVICES77

thought persistently arises hi my mind? hereplied :'This thought is immensely harmful to me- Itwill be my ruin/ Impress this idea again andagain upon your mind. The mind will be freed

from that distracting thought.The mind is susceptible to suggestions. Itlearns whatever you teach it. If through discrimi-nation you can impress upon it the joy and full-ness of life in the spirit and the folly of worldlyattachments, then your mind will devote itselfmore and more to God. 09

Nothing is more exhausting than wrestlingwith the mind. The more we are exhaustedthe more turbulent the mind becomes ; andultimately we are swept away. In such a situa-tion a frontal attack on the mind is not veryhelpful. What should we do then? We shouldcease to identify ourselves with the mind. Ifwe do this a tremendous work will have beendone.As long as we identify ourselves with themind we cannot control bur minds. Themoment we succeed by philosophic thought inseparating ourselves from the mind, it hasnothing to stand on from where it can maketrouble.

But the work in this regard is finished andpermanent only when the ignorance of egoismis destroyed. Patanjali defines egoism as thew Swami Prabhavananda, op. tit, pp. 135-36.

78THE MIND AND ITS CONTROL

identification of the seer or Atman with theinstruments of seeing, which are the senses,intellect and mind. 70 All our sins and troublesare rooted in this egoism. Therefore an effec-tive way of controlling the rebellious and way-ward state of the mind, is to dissociate ourselffrom it.25

DIRECTED THOUGHTThere are other devices which may beeffectively employed in an inner emergencycreated by the sudden onrush of temptation,anger, lust, greed or hatred, succumbing to anyone of which may render control of the mind

simply impossible.Teaching what we should do when wewatch ourselves being, greatly tempted, a West-ern mystic suggests the following practicalmeasures 71 which can be practised by anyone

70 Yoga-sutra, II. 6."St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the DevoutLife, Doubleday & Company, Garden City, N.Y., 1982,pp. 240-41,

DIRECTED THOUGHTin distress anywhere in the world. These pre-cepts, with such adaptations as are necessary,will be found helpful in all inner emergencies:1. Follow the example of children when theysee a wolf or a bear in the country. They imme-diately run to the arms of their father or mother,or at least they call out to them for help andassistance. Turn in like manner to God, andimplore His mercy and His help. This is theremedy that our Lord has taught t 'Pray that yeenter not into temptation/2. Protest that your will never consent to thetemptation ; implore His assistance against it ; andcontinue always to protest that you will refuseyour consent as long as the temptation shallcontinue.

3. When you make these protestations andthese refusals of consent, do not look the temp-tation in the face, but look only on our Lord.If you look upon the temptation, especially whenit is strong, it may shake your courage.4. Turn your thought to some good andcommendable matter. When good thoughts enterand occupy your heart, they drive away everytemptation and evil suggestion.

5. The sovereign remedy against all tempta-tions, whether great or small, is to lay open yourheart and communicate its suggestions, feelingsand affections to your director (same as Guru).6. If the temptation should still continue toharass and persecute us after all this, we havenothing to do on our part, but to continue reso-lute in our protestations never to consent to it.As girls can never be wed as long as they answerno, so the soul, no matter how long the tempta-tion may last, can never sin as long as she saysno.

80THE MIND AND ITS CONTROL

Psychologically speaking what we need to doin such an inner situation is to calm down thepowerful inimical wave which has arisen in themind, If we ceaselessly call on God, everybreath being a call and giving birth to anothercall, there is then no loophole through whichthe inimical thought can assert itself- and betranslated into action. The strategy is to causea more powerful explosion of helpful thoughtin order to counteract the explosion of involun-tary inimical thought By constant, even frantic,calling on God or on one's own higher self, byrepetition of a mantra, if one is initiated, or ofa divine name, a higher impulse will be setgoing within us to take care of the emergency.We have to be particularly watchful thatthough beset by inimical tendencies, we do notgive our inner consent to them. Tendencies arenot sins. It is the inner consent to wrongtendencies that constitutes sin,

Sri Ramakrishna teaches:All tibe sins of the body fly away if one chantsthe name of God and sings His glories. Thebirds of sin dwell in the tree of the body. Sing-ing the name of God is like clapping your hands.As, at a clap of the hands, the birds in the treefly away, so do our sins disappear at the chantingof God's name and glories. 73

In this homely precept Sri Ramakrishna

73 M., op. cit„ p. 105.

DIRECTED THOUGHTpresents us with a simple remedy for a diffi-cult situation, and this can easily be put intopractice by all who are genuinely anxious toget out of it

In the same vein Swami Brahmanandateaches :Japam, japam, japam . . . let the wheel of thename of God go round in the midst of all activ-ities. , . . All the burning of the heart will besoothed. Don't you know how many sinners have}>ecome pure and free and divine by taking refugein the name of God? 73

Keep a sharp eye on the mind so that noundesirable thought or distractions may enter in.Whenever they try to crowd into your mind, turnit toward God and pray earnestly. Through suchpractice the mind comes under control andbecomes purified. 71All the above precepts imply the effective-ness of taking refuge in God. Yet it is neces-sary to emphasize that those who believe inGod, for them the surest remedy in such asituation is to take whole-souled refuge in

God, Lay your heart bare before God, andcry a genuine cry for His mercy. The LordHimself asks the devotee to take refuge in Himand also gives the assurance: C I will liberateyou from all sins'; 75 He further declares: 'My73 Swami Prabhavananda, op. cit P1 p. 166.

74 Ibid., p. 114,n Bhagavad-Gita, XVIII. 66

82 THE MIND AND ITS CONTROLdevotee will never perish/ 76 Another well-known Hindu scripture attests that the DivineMother removes the sufferings of all who, beingdejected and distressed, take refuge in Her."The same scripture offers adoration to theDivine Mother saying:

Where raksasas and snakes of virulent poison(are), where foes and hosts of robbers (exist), whereforest conflagrations (occur), there in mid-oceanyou stand* and save the world, 78If this be true — and we believe it to be true-will She not save us when we take refuge inHer in our personal conflagrations?

In the same vein Christ calls to the distressed :Gome unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavyladen, and I shall give you rest, 79

These distinct invitations from the Lord'sside are there^ before the devotee. What sensedoes it make not to accept this invitation andsuffer? For the devotee, therefore, enoughand more measures exist for meeting an inneremergency. He has only to put into practiceone of the methods or a combination of themsuited to his ability and purpose.The question arises, if a person is a

7G Ibid„ IX, 31,77 Durga-saptaSati, XL 12.

78 Ibid., XI. 32.79 Matthew, XL 28.

DIRECTED THOUGHT63

non-believer, what does he do in such inneremergencies as we have been considering?

Let him first tear himself away from thelocale of the situation, go out for a brisk longwalk in the company of his higher self, as itwere, and try to put his mind onto somethingelevating and commendable. If for want offaith he cannot cry to God and lay his insidebare for divine Inspection, let him turn toNature — a flowing river, the sky, the wind, atowering cliff of a mountain, to the vast oceanor the rising sun — and narrate his storycandidly and ask understanding and power forself -transcendence.Better than this, however, will be to commu-nicate one's inner situation to a wise, trust-worthy selfless man of character and seek hisadvice and help. Such a person should bevery carefully selected. If a trustworthy personis not available, it is better to fight one's innerbattle oneself.

What the non-believer should try to do inan emergency is to get out of the mentalprison of inner diflSculty, into the vastness ofthe open where he can take wing and leavethe turmoil to take care of itself. He mustcontrive an escape-hatch out of the immediatepsychological situation into a larger universe ofmeaning. This he can perhaps do even byholding on to an inspiring line of a poem or

84

THE MIND AND ITS CONTROLsong, or* by recalling a great work of art or afew stirring words of a noble mind, One oranother of these may serve as a window oneternity for him and enable him to rise to hishigher self.

But an escape from an oppressive innersituation, while absolutely necessary as a tempo-rary measure, is neither a final nor a funda-mental answer to the problem. For this thenon-believer will do well to steadily practisethese disciplines of therapeutic and spiritualvalue taught by Patanjali:Or he can try to think deeply on the effulgentlight which is beyond all sorrow ; or on the heart'that has given up all attachments to sense objects ;or on anything that appeals to him as good. 80

26CONTROL OF THOUGHT : THE SECRET

These two sets of disciplines, when practisedproperly can take care of the conscious levelof the mind and also indirectly help the80

Yoga-sfdra, I. 36, 37, 39.control 6f thought: the secret

85control of the subconscious. The specialdiscipline for urgent operations will functionsmoothly only in case the general disciplines forbasic control are practised.The most imptirtant thing in the generaldiscipline is the control of thought. One whoknows how to regulate his thinking will knowhow to control his mind,

How do we control our thoughts?Thought-control in the initial stage does notmean that there will be no thought in themind at all. A thoughtless state may be astupid state. In the initial stage thought-control means developing the capacity delib-erately to think good thoughts and to desistfrom thinking bad or wrong ones.

In one of his sermons, after preaching insome detail on the method of thought-control,Buddha summarized his teaching:Remember, bhikkhus, the only way to becomevictorious over wrong thoughts is to review fromtime to time the phases of one's mind, to reflecton them, to root out all that is evil and to cultivateall that is good. 81 ,

Swami Vivekananda teaches:We are what our thoughts made us ; so takecare what you think. Words are secondary.Thoughts live, they travel far.. Each thought wethink is tinged with our character, so that for the

S1 Sudhakar Dikshit, op. cit., Vitakka-Sanatana-Sutta.

86 THE MIND AND ITS CONTHOL

pure, and holy man, even his jest or abuse willhave the twist of his own love and purity anddo good. 82This taking 'care of what- you think' is soimportant that we must set about learninghow to do it. In other words we must learnhow to manufacture good thoughts. If weintend to manufacture good thoughts, we mustbe careful what food we take, not only bymouth but through all our senses. This wediscussed earlier. If the food is pure, ourthought will be pure ; if the food is impure sowill our thought be. It is no use taking wrongfood and so making it necessary to struggle tosuppress the resultant wrong thoughts. In factthought-control does not at all mean suppres-sion of thought but mastery of it.

In its highest stage thought-control of coursemeans complete cessation of thought. As longas we identify ourselves with the ego or thebody we cannot reach this stage. What SwamiVivekananda teaches in the following lessonon prandydma indicates the processes by whichcessation of thought is attained :...Identify yourself only with God. After awhile thoughts will announce their coming, andwe shall learn the way they begin and be awareof what we are going to think, just as on thisplane we can look out and see a person coming.

es

Op, eit., Vol. VII, 1964, p. 14.CONTROL OF THOUGHT: THE SECRET

87This stage is reached when we have learnt toseparate ourselves from our minds and see our-selves as one and thought as something apart. Donot let the thoughts grasp you ; stand aside andthey will die away.

Follow these holy thoughts (of the Chosen Idealor Om) ; go with them ; and when they melt away,you will find the feet of the Omnipotent God.This is the superconscious state ; when the ideamelts, follow it and melt with it. 83We should not, however, be over-zealous toattain cessation of thought, without practisingthe disciplines leading to the state. It is betterto keep the mind filled will holy thoughts asmuch as possible, as a result of which themind will be purified. When purity of mindis attained cessation of thought comes of itself.

Repetition of the Gayatri mantra greatly

helps control of the mind, The meaning of themantra is as follows:We meditate upon the adorable effulgence of theresplendent vivifier, Savitr ; may He stimulate ourintellect. 84

This in effect is a prayer for clarity of under-standing, which grows out of purity of mind.The purer the mind, as said before, the easierit is to control.According to Patanjali repetition of the sacred

— â–  â–  â–83 Op. cit, Vol. VIII, 1964, p. 50.MRg-Ved<t t III. 62. 10.

88THE MIND AND ITS CONTROL

mantra Om helps the control of the mind ina fundamental way. He teaches:lie (God) is indicated by the mystic syllableOm. The repetition of that Om and the contem-plation of its import (God) are means of achievingconcentration. Thereby is gained inwardness of

thought and freedom, from obstacles to concen-tration. 85Inwardness of thought and concentration aregained when the mind is controlled. Com-menting on the second and third of theseaphorisms of Pataxijali, Swami Vivekanandawrites :

*■«Why should there be repetition? We have notforgotten the theory of sarhskciras, that the sumtotal of impressions lives in the mind. They be-come more and more latent but remain there, andas soon as they get the right stimulus, they comeout. Molecular vibration never ceases. When thisuniverse is destroyed, all the massive vibrationsdisappear; the sun, moon, stars, and earth, meltdown \ but the vibrations remain in the atoms.Each atom performs the same function as the bigworlds do. So even when the vibrations of thecitta subside, its molecular vibrations go on, andwhen they get the impulse, come out again. Wecan now understand what is meant by repetition.It is the greatest stimulus that can be given tothe spiritual samskaras* 'One moment of companywith the holy makes a ship to cross this ocean oflife.' Such is the power of association. So thisrepetition of Om and thinking of its meaning iskeeping good company in your own mind. Study,

85 Yoga-sutra, I. 27-29.

CONTROL OF THOUGHT: THE SECRKT89

and then meditate on what you have studied. Thuslight will come to you, the Self will become mani-fest.But one must think of Om, and of its meaningtoo. Avoid evil company, because the scars of oldwound are in you, and evil company is just thething that is necessary to call them out In thesame way we are told that good company willcall out the good impressions that are in us, butwhich have become latent. There is nothing holierin the world than to keep good company, becausethe good impressions will then tend to come tothe surface.The first manifestation of the repetition andthinking of Om is that the introspective power willmanifest more and more, all the mental and physi-cal obstacles will begin to vanish. 86

J27

CONTROL OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS MINDIt will be hard to demarcate exclusively theconscious and subconscious levels of the mind.Yet for all practical purposes it is found con-venient to use such terms for handling theproblem under consideration. Discipline meant

60 Op, cit„ Vol. I, 1962, pp. 219-20,7

90THE MIND AND ITS CONTROL

for controlling the mind on the conscious levelcannot leave the subconscious wholly un-affected, and vice versa. What we have dis-cussed so far, however, directly concerns theconscious level.We now turn to the control of the sub-conscious mind, as a natural extension of ourwork on the conscious level. We all have ex-perienced this strange phenomenon in our life:we know what is right but we cannot act upto it ; we know what is wrong but we cannotdesist from doing it. We make very goodresolutions, but before we are aware of it, likethe sand-dyke before a tidal wave, they arewashed away. We stand bewildered and frus-trated.

An examination of this situation will showthat we are making resolutions with the con-scious part of the mind, and we ourselves arefrustrating our resolutions with another part ofit, the subconscious, of which we know little.It is an unlighted region of the mind.The moment we seriously try to control ourminds we are beset with inner difficulties. Themore we persist, for a time the greater ourdifficulties may become. In surprise we ask .ourselves *What! am I getting worse day byday and that since taking religion seriously?*We have not to be worried if the situation islike this. This is exactly as it usually is. What

*

CONTOOL OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND91

happens is this: in the event of deliberatelytrying to control our conscious mind, we comeinto clash with the opposing forces of oursubconscious mind. These opposing forces arenothing but our stored up samskaras, pastimpressions and tendencies. Whatever we thinkand do leaves a potent impression in our mind.These impressions pop up from the subcon-scious mind and seek expression and remanifes-tation. When they are inconsistent with whatwe have been thinking with the consciousmind, that causes strife.The subconscious mind is like the cellar ina house, You do not know how much junk isthere, until one day you think you will clearit. As you begin, you are not sure what kindof things and bugs you will encounter. Soonyou are tired and leave the work unfinished.So the cellar remains a cellar, it is seldom fit

to be a living room. But unless we clear thecellar of the subconscious mind we can neverbe sure of controlling the conscious mind.Therefore we must find ways of clearing thisdark region of the subconscious mind. Howdo we do it?Suppose we want to cleans an ink-pot.How do we do it? We pour clean water intothe pot. As the dry ink gets soaked darkerwater comes out for some time, Then clearerand less inky water comes out. At last we do

92THE MIND AND ITS CONTROL

not find a trace of ink.. Clear water poured incauses clear water to come out of the pot.One of the ways of clearing the subconscious .mind is to pour holy thoughts into our mindand allow them to go deep down within our-self. Holy thoughts are like pure water. Onlywe must not get frightened when we find darkwater coming out from within ourselves at a

particular stage. If we persist in pouring inholy thoughts, a time will come when weshall find holy thoughts coming out from within. ,The subconscious mind can then be taken tohave been cleared. Control of the consciousmind will not be difficult then.We must not think that the subconscious isthe storehouse of evil only. The subconsciousalso stores up all our past good and noblethoughts and experiences in seed form. So inthe subconscious we do have, stored up, bothhelp for, and opposition to, our efforts atcontrolling the mind. Our task will be to re-duce the opposition and increase the help.Sri Krsna assured Arjuna in the Gltff 7 that theyogi who strays away from the path does notcome to eternal grief, for his good work isstored up, and in the next birth he is unitedwith the intelligence acquired in his formerbody. This union with the intelligence

87 VI. 43.

CONTROL OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS MINDacquired in the previous body can be a power-

ful unknown factor in this life's attempts atcontrolling our mind. If this intelligenceformerly acquired is to be said to have anyparticular locus, that locus is the subconsciousmind.So to control the mind, important workneeds to be done in the subconscious. On theother hand, if we do not aim at the attain-ment of life's goal, which is the experience ofthe superooiiscious state, we cannot reallycontrol our mind, conscious and subconscious.It is only the experience - of the superconsciousstate, or the vision of God, that destroys allthe attachments, aversions and delusions, whichcause the disturbances and disquiet of themind.

Our attempts at controlling the mind, there-fore, must have reference on the one hand tothe subconscious mind and on the other to thesuperconscious, In other words our entireexistence is involved in the process of. con-trolling the mind. Laying stress on the vastnessof the task of controlling the mind, SwamiVivekananda points out why our study andefforts cannot remain confined only to theconscious plane:The task before us is vast; and first and fore-most we must seek to control the vast mass ofsunken thoughts which have become automatic with

94

us. The evil deed is no doubt on the consciouspiano but the cause which produced the evildeed was far beyond in the realms of theunconscious, unseen, and therefore more potent- *He therefore underscores the importance ofcontrolling the unconscious' — here no distinc-tion is being made between subconscious andunconscious — for reasons irrefutable. Heteaches :

Practical psychology directs 'first of all its ener-gies in controlling the unconscious, and we knowthat we can do it. Why? Because we know thecause of the unconscious is the conscious ; theunconscious thoughts are the submerged millionsof our old conscious thoughts, old conscious actionsbecome petrified — we do not look at them, do notknow them, have forgotten them. But mind you,if the power of evil is in the unconscious, so also isthe power of good. We have many things storedin us as in a pocket. We have forgotten them, donot even think of them, and there are many ofthem, rotting, becoming positively dangerous ; theycome forth, the unconscious causes which killhumanity. True psychology would, therefore, tryto bring them under the control of the conscious.The great task is to revive the whole man, as itwere, in order to make him the complete masterof himself. Even what we call the automatic actionof the organs within our bodies such as the liveretc, can be made to obey our .commands,. 69

But control of the unconscious' does notaccomplish the entire task on hand. There issa Op. cit, Vol II, 1963, p. 34.wibid., ^ 35.

CONTROL OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND 95more to it. So Swami Vivekanancla teaches:This is the first part of the study, the controlof the unconscious. The next is to go beyond theconscious. Just as unconscious work is beneathconsciousness, so there is another work which isabove consciousness. When this super consciousstate is reached man becomes free and divine ;death becomes immortality, weakness becomes in-finite power, and iron bondage becomes liberty.That is the goal, the infinite realm, of the super-cons cjpus. 00

To clinch his teaching on this subject hesays:So, therefore, we see now that there must be atwofold work. First, by the proper working theida and the pingalu, which are the two existingordinary currents, to control the subconsciousaction ; and secondly, to go beyond even con-sciousness.

The books say that he alone is the yogi who,after long practice in self- concentration, has attain-ed to this truth. The m$umna now opens and acurrent which never before entered into this newpassage will find its way into it, and graduallyascend to (what we call in figurative language)the different lotus centres, till at last it reacbesthe brain. Then the yogi becomes conscious ofwhat he really is, God Himself. 91The reference here is to the awakening ofkundalini through the Raja-Yoga method ofpranayama, which is an aid in the control ofone's mind. Frtin&yama, however, as. we have

90 Ibid., p. 35.01 Ibid., pp. 35-36.ok THE MIND AND 3TS CONTROL

mentioned before, is to be learnt personallyfrom an expert teacher who is not easy to find,Those who are continent and earnest aspirantsand who are fortunate to have such a teacher,may well learn from him and their task ofcontrolling the mind will be easier. But thegreater number of those who struggle withtheir mind and want to control it may neitherlive in a very congenial atmosphere Jjpr prac-tising pranayama, for example in a smog-filledmodern city, nor have the opportunity t oflearning the discipline from an expert teacher.Most of them, therefore, must depend uponother disciplines which can be as effective if

practised with faith and diligence. Repetitionof Orn while meditating on its meaning is themost efficacious of these practices.When the kuncjalim, the latent spiritual power,is awakened in a person, the control of thesubconscious mind, which is hard to handle, istaken care of. But, in fact, the Raja-Yogamethod of awakening the kundalim cannot beeasily practised by the vast majority of people.

Fortunately, there are other disciplinesthrough the practice of which one's spiritualconsciousness can be awakened.Sri Ramakrishna teaches; *

rOne's spiritual consciousness is not awakened bymerely reading books. One should also pray to

CONTROL OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND

God. The kuntfalirii is roused if the aspirant feelsrestless for God. 93...The kuntfalini is speedily awakened if onefollows the path of bhakti. 9 *

One day a disciple asked Swami Brahma-

nanda, 'Sir, how can the kundalim be roused?*The Swanu" replied:

According to some there are some exercises, butt believe it can be best done through repetitionof (he Divine Name and meditation. Speciallysuited to our age is the practice of japam or con-stant repetition of God's name and meditation uponit. There is no spiritual practice easier than this.But meditation must accompany the repetition ofthe mantra (the mystic word). *Thus, by the practice of the spiritual disci-plines of the path of bhakti, such as prayer,repetition 6i the Divine Name, and meditation,our spiritual potency is awakened. And thisawakened power easily takes care of the diffi-culties of the subconscious mind. So no oneneed be in despair thinking that because he isunable to practise Raja-Yoga disciplines hisway to controlling the subconscious mind isclosed. No, it is not, for there is none so help-less in this world that he cannot repeat theDivine Name. If there is, his time for con-trolling the mind is not yet.

n4 M\ op. cit, p. 814.03 Ibid., p. 310.

"Swami Prabhavananda, op.cit, p. 149.

28BEWARE OF A TRICK OF THE MIND

We must know that the mind sometimesplays a trick on itself, that is to say, the sub-conscious mind on the .cdnscious. When weare struggling with temptation or weakness onthe conscious level, suddenly the picture of amore difficult situation flashes before our mind'seye, and fear-stricken we wonder: 'What shallI do if I am beset with such difficulties?* Inworrying about our future, our present topplesover. Being off guard, we are swept away bythe present temptation.How do we prevent this sabotage? We cando so by simply clarifying our idea of time.As Meister Eckhart, the German mystic, says:'In the heart of this moment is eternity/ Wemust clearly see that every moment is onlythis moment If we have taken care of thisoment, we have taken care of our entireuture. If we do not submit to temptation onlyor this moment, and always only for thismoment, we never shall submit to it.

Therefore, whatever situation we may be in,let us stand firm in our resolution this moment,and we shall succeed. The future is nothing

RELIEVERS ARE AT AN ADVANTAGE99

but Maya. It is foolishness to worry about thefuture while allowing the devil to conquer thepresent.The challenge of spiritual life is very simple:to be good, truly moral and master of our-selves for only this moment. What time isthere outside this moment, that we shouldworry about it?

29BELIEVERS ARE AT AN ADVANTAGEIN CONTROLLING THE MIND

Those who believe in God have a distinctadvantage over those who do not believe, asfar as mind-control is concerned. When faithin God is sincerely cultivated, we get potent

help for controlling the mind. Through thepractice of devotion, zeal for God is developed ;and this zeal for God can work wonders byway of removing obstructions to the controlof the mind. In the words of Sri Ramakrishna:As the tiger devours other animals, so does the'tiger of the zeal for the Lord' eat up lust, anger

100 THE MIND AND ITS CONTROLand other passions. Once this zeal grows in theheart, lust and the other passions disappear. Thegopis of Vrindavan had that state of mind becauseof their seal for Krsna. 95

■ ■ •When lust, anger and other passions dis-appear the mind becomes purified. A puremind is easily controlled. But the non-believerwill have to work at it the hard and long way,for, unless he gives up his unbelief, he cannotdevelop zeal for God. •

Sri Krsna teaches:* » «

Even a devotee (not to speak of a saint) of Minewho is not the master of his senses and is troubledby sense-objects, is generally not overcome by

them owing to his powerful devotion. 00The psychological process through whichpurity of mind comes to the believer is simple.When he develops love for God, his minddwells on Him, for we naturally concentrateon whatever we love. We assimilate the quali-ties of whatever we concentrate our mind on.Therefore when we concentrate our mind onGod, we assimilate what the Gitd calls daivisampad, divine qualities. 97 Purity of heart,control of the senses, absence of anger, , tran-quillity, absence of fickleness are some of the

M *M\ op. dt, p. 140.H $rinuid Bhagavatam, XI. 14-18.97 XVI. 1, 2.THE SIMPLEST AND THE SUREST METHODdivine qualities which $ true lover of God getswithout deliberately striving for them. Inother words he attains control of the mind ina spontaneous way.

30THE SIMPLEST AND THE SUREST METHOD

OF CONTROLLING THE MINDWe have said a few things about methods ofcontrolling the mind. But one truth will bearrepetition* And this truth is laid much stressupon both by Sri Ramakrishna and HolyMother. Sri Ramakrishna teaches:The best thing for people whose minds areattracted by sense-objects is to cultivate the dualis-tic attitude and chant loudly the name of the Lordas enjoined in the Narada Pancaratra.* 9

On another occasion Sri Ramakrishna said toa devotee:Through the path of devotion subtle senses comereadily and naturally under control. Carnal

KSayings of Sri Ramakrishna, saying 349.

•

102THE MIND AND fTS CONTROL

pleasures become more and more insipid as divineJove grows in your heart. Can the pleasures ofthe body attract the husband and the wife onthe day their child has died?Devotee: But I have not learnt to love God?

Sri Ramakrishna; Take His name constantly/This will cleanse all sin, lust and anger, and alldesires for the pleasures of the body will vanish,â–

Devotee : But I do not find delight in His name.Sri Ramakrishna: Then pray with a yearningheart that He may teach you to relish His name,Undoubtedly He will grant your prayer... *Ifind no delight in Thy name — * If a deliriouspatient loses all taste for food, despair of his life.But if he relishes food even slightly, you may hopefor his recovery. So I say, 'Find joy in His name*.Durga, Krsna, Siva — any name will do. And if

you daily feel greater attraction for taking Hisname and a greater joy in it, you need fear nomore. The delirium must he cured, and His gracewill surely descend on you,"The same truth comes to us equally forcefullyfrom Holy Mother's life and teaching: '

The mother was seated on her bed. The disciplewas reading to her letters written by her devotees.The letters contained such statements as: 'Themind cannot be controlled etc/ The Holy Motherlistened to these and said in rather an animatedvoice, 'The mind will be steadied if one repeatsthe name of God fifteen to twenty thousand timesa day. It is truly so. I myself have experienced** T <*t them practise it first ; if they fail, let themiaying 350.

-s,THE SIMPLEST AND THE SUREST METHOD

103complain. One should practise japam with somedevotion, but this is not done. They will not doanything; .they will only complain saying "Whydo I not succeed?" * 100

An easier and more potent method ofcontrolling the mind than the one explained byHoly Mother is not known to man. But onemust be simple in heart to accept and prac-tise it. Let us test these words of the HolyMother for ourselves and see whether or notthey come true in our lives.But this warning should be given that fora beginner to repeat the name of the Lordtwenty thousand times a day suddenly* maynot be -advisable. One should begin modestlyand through regular practice steadily increasethe number under the guidance of the Guru.The most important thing is to begin doingsomething in the right direction now.

Earnest prayer to God every day at regularhours for good intentions and purity of themind— - which is the same as the controlledstate of mind — will greatly help. Sincereprayers are answered, says Sri Ramakrishna.As our practice of prayer grows in intensityone result will ensue. Gradually we shall noticethat the character of our prayer has been

100 Sri Sarada Devi : T}\e Holy Mother, Swamis Tapa-syananda and Nikhilanauda, Sri Ramakrishna Math,Madras, 1949, p. 489,104

THE MIND AND ITS CONTROLchanging: it has become more God-centredthan object-centred. We have become moreinterested in God than in what we want fromHim. Asking has been transmuted into love ofGod. It is this love of Cod which is the mostimportant factor in controlling the mind.In the beginning this love may appear to beabsent in our hearts, or very faint even if it isthere. But through various methods — such asholy company, repetition of the Lord's name,study of the lives and teachings of saints,ritualistic worship, devotional singing — thislove may gradually grow in us. As it becomesa strong force within us, we easily overcomeinimical inner forces which cause non-control ofthe mind. A time comes in a person's lifewhen the mind spontaneously gravitates towardsthe object of supreme love. In such a state ofmind bliss is experienced. When we are con-firmed in this state we shall have attained the

controlled state of mind automatically.So the most complete answer to the question,How to control the mind? is: Love God. Butif you do not believe in God, then believe inyourself. Exercise your will and transcend thegunas by self-effort. By this means also youwill gain control of your mind.

In any case, for the believer as for the non-believer, a way of controlling the mind alwaysA SUMMARY

105remains open. There is no greater blessing inlife than a controlled state of mind. Let usdo our very best to acquire it, for this willlead us to the greatest of blessings.

A SUMMARYMind-control has always, been a difficult taskeven for a heroic person ; but it is not animpossible one. There are well-defined methods.

The entire secret of controlling the mind isgiven by Sri Krsna in the two words abhydsaand vairagya, practice and dispassion.To bring these two disciplines into thestream of our life: we have to develop astrong will to control the mind ; we have tounderstand the nature of our mind ; we haveto learn certain techniques and practise them.

In order to strengthen the will, we need toovercome our pleasure-motive and' also under-stand what is involved in controlling the mind.The nature of the mind is explained from8

106

HIE MIND AND ITS CONTROLthe Hindu point of view in The CompleteWorks of Swami Vivekananda.To be able to control our mind we mustknow how not to make our task unnecessarilydifficult.

Mind-control is the personal task of theperson concerned. The object of mind-controlis the realization of our absolute oneness withthe Divine. For this no price can be too greatto pay.To be able to practise effectively the disci-plines leading to mind-control we need afavourable inner climate. This includes thecapacity to accept certain features of life asinevitable.For controlling the mind we need two setsof inner disciplines: one to give a healthygeneral direction to the mind, and the other tosave us in emergencies.

The purer the mind, the easier it is to control.So we should practise disciplines for thepurification of the mind. Our object should beto bring about a preponderance of sattw inour inner nature, and then to transcend sattvaby purifying it according * to authentic disci-plines.

A SUMMARY JQ7The easiest method of doing tins, however,is cultivating holy company.The Vedantic disciplines can be helpfullysupplemented by the Yoga disciplines taughtby Patafijali.

Along with the practice of the disciplines ofYoga should go the practice of discrimination.Then we shall be able to train the mind tobehave. When it has been trained to behave,the senses will have been trained not to comein contact with their objects, but to obey themind. Then pratydhara will have been achieved.Certain ancillary measures which greatlyhelp the effective practice of the main disci-plines should be given attention. Thesemeasures are: keeping our human relationshipsin order ; giving the mind a healthy occupation ;making right use of the imagination; andguarding against despondency.

Mind-control is greatly helped by the practiceof meditation, and meditation by mind-control.In explosive inner situations to apply high-power emergency brakes, Patafijalfs teachingis: practise thinking contrary thoughts. Cease-less chanting of the Lords name and also takingrefuge in God help.

108THE MIND AND ITS CONTROL

Methodical control of thought is a greatsecret in controlling the mind.Without controlling the subconscious, themind cannot be controlled. The subconsciouscan be controlled by pouring holy thought intoit, as it were, and by the practice of Prdnaydmaand other disciplines, among which is bhaktLThese rouse the kundalinl, the latent spiritualpower in a person.

We must beware of a harmful kind of imag-ination. By being truly moral only for thismoment, and then at the next moment for thenext moment, and so on always we can guardagainst such a possibility.Believers are at an advantage in controllingthe mind.The simplest and surest method of control-ling the mind is through love of God.

Those who do not believe in God can controlthe mind by transcending the gunas throughself -effort.Mind-control is valuable because it leads tothe highest blessing — the illumined state ofbeing,

GLOSSARY

Arjuna The great hero of the Hindu Mahohharata,Friend and disciple of Sri Kr§na. It was to himthat Sri Krsna taught the Bhngawd-Gitd on thebattlefield Kuruksetra.Atman A term of Vedanta Philosophy, denoting theSelf or Soul; refers also to the Supreme Spirit(Brahman) which according to Nondualistic(Advaita) Vedanta, is one with the individual soul.

Atharw-Veda One of the four Vedas, the most sacredscriptures of the Hindus. The other three are:Rk, Sam a, Yajus.Avidtjd A term of Vedanta Philosophy denoting primalignorance, individual or cosmic. According to Non-dualistic Vedanta, it is responsible for the percep-tion of multiplicity. The beginning of this igno-rance cannot be traced, but it comes to an endfor a person when he attains Self-knowledge.Bhagavad-Gttd The well-known Hindu scripture, whichoccurs in the Bhisma parva of the Mahabharata.

Bhagavan The Lord of the Universe. Also used as anhonorific before the names of great world-teachersor persons of extraordinary spiritual excellence.Bhakti Devotion, attachment, loyalty, faithfulness toGod,Bhikkhu A religious mendicant. Commonly used torefer to a Buddhist monk,

Brahma The creator God of the Hindu Trinity. Theother two being Vismi and Siva.THE MJND AND TTS OONTOOL

Brahman The Absolute. The Supreme Reality of Non-dualistic Vedanta. See *Atman\Holy Mother Denotes Sri Sarada Deyi (18534920),the holy spouse of Sri Ramakrishna,

10 A 'nerve current' (in Yoga terminology) in the spinalcolumn. See Pitigala and Sufumna.Jfidni A spiritual aspirant who follows the Nondual-istic path of knowledge and discrimination torealize the highest Truth,

Krm, Sri An Incarnation of God; the celebratedhero of Hindu mythology? the popular Hindudeity; and the world-teacher who taught theBhagavad-Gita. His life and acts are narrated inthe Srimad-Bhagavatam and the Mahabharaia,Kunjalini The spiritual energy lying dormant inevery individual, which can be awakened throughappropriate spiritual exercises.

Maharaj Literally, a great king. Also usedhonorific in addressing monks in India.Mantra A Word formula (or prayer) sacred to adeity, and a sound-symbol of the deity, by

devoted and reverential repetition of which thedeity is spiritually realized.Maya A term of Vedanta philosophy denoting cosmicignorance which obscures Reality and conjures upthe universe of multiplicity.

Niyama Literally, restraints, check. In Yoga disciplinesniyama is the second of the eight principal stepsior the attainment of perfection in Yoga.The most sacred of all words, being the Wordout of which emanated the universe. Thesymbol of both the personal God and theAbsolute. Om is regarded by the Hindus as thegreatest mantra, being of incalculable spiritualpotency.

Patanjali The founder of one of the six systems ofas anOm

GLOSSABY111

Indian philosophy, namely Yoga philosophy. Thecelebrated author of the Yoga-sQtm. Accordingto some scholars he flourished about 150 b.c.Pingala A 'nerve current' in the spinal column referredto in Yoga terminology, See Sufumna.Prakrti Primordial nature; the material substratum ofcreation. It consists of three substantive forces{gunas), namely, sattva, rajas, and tamos.

Rajasika Having predominance of the quality ofrajas (a term explained in the text of the book).Rafa-Yoga One of the four main ancient Hinduspiritual disciplines. This system of discipline

ascnbed to Patanjali, deals with the methods ofrealizing the highest Truth through concentrationor mind.

Ramakrishm, Sri The world-teacher of India regardedas a divine Incarnation, a.d. 1836-1886.$k-veda One of the four Vedas, the most sacredscriptures of the Hindus.

Sdma-Veda One of the four Vedas.Sanatkumara A celebrated figure of Hindu mythology.One of the four mind-born sons of Brahma th P

'2E G, ** 1 5r ax i hish]y regarded «S«2sSraJbL *" * we are Sanaka - Sanatana -

Srimad Bfmgavatam A scripture of the Hindus deal-ing with the life and teachings of Sri K R na.SufumnS A 'nerve* running through the centre ofthe spinal column, extending from the base ofthe spine to the brain. It is through theWamja hat spiritual energy rises wh | n ft «kui)4ahm is awakened.Ta "T™" / H ^ ng P'l^^rance of the quality oftamos (a term explained in the text of the book)

UpmUfadt The celebrated scrijitures of the Hindus.CONTENTS

Prefaceiii

1. Mind-control : Difficult but possible1

2. How to Strengthen the Will

1 to Control the Mind4

3. What is at Stake in Controlling

the Mind8

4, How to Overcome the Pleasure-motive11

, 5, The Nature of the Mind : Hindu View19

8. How Not to Make Mind-control

Unnecessarily Difficult29

7. A Clear Grasp of the Taskon Hand Needed32

8* A Favourable Inner Climate

Needs to be Created33

9. Two Sets of Inner Disciplines34

10. The Purer the Mind the Easier

to Control38

11. Changing the Constitution of

the Mind38

12. Holy Company Greatly HelpsMind-control48

13. How is Sattva Purified51I

THE MIND ANDITS CONTROL

SWAMI BUDHANANDA

ADVAITA ASHRAMA5 DEHI ENTALLY ROADCALCUTTA 14PREFACE TO THE FIRST REPRINT

The first edition of The Mind and Its Controlhaving gone out of print much earlier thanexpected — within five months of its publica-tion — we are now reprinting it with a fewimprovements here and there in the text.It is likely to be increasingly realized every-where in the world that man's well-being isinseparable from mind-control Hence we hopethat the circulation of this small book willsteadily widen.

Advaita Ashrama The PublisherMayavati, Almora, Himalayas

February 16, 1972

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITIONThe control of the mind is a theme ofuniversal interest. It personally concerns everyspiritual seeker belonging to any religion.Religion in its applied aspect has to grapplewith this problem. No fundamental work for

In this publication the text of the originalarticle has been revised ; certain points havebeen further elucidated; and some points havebeen added. A summary and glossary havebeen provided.It is hoped that this small book, whichaddresses itself to one of the central problemsof life, may be of service.

Advaita AshramaMayavatt, Almora, Himalayas

September 30, 1971The Publisher

IVthe uplift of the individual or the communitycan ever be done without mind-control. Henceits compelling claim on our attention.

Among those who seek to control theirminds there are different kinds of people:atheists, believers, agnostics, and those who areindifferent to religion. Ways of controlling themind are open to all these kinds of people,though the true believer in God may be at anadvantage in that genuine love of God can toa considerable degree simplify his problemswith the mind. This book, however, is writtenfor all. A detached inquirer will keep his mindopen to all the methods of controlling themind,Vedanta and Yoga have much to teach aboutdie nature of the mind and the ways ofcontrolling it. In his treatment the author haslargely depended on such information andenlightenment as the authentic scriptures andteachers of Vedanta and Yoga provide,The Mind and Its Control was first serializedin the 'Essays on Applied Religion column in

the October, November and December 1970issues of Prabuddha Bharata* It attracted theattention of some readers, one of whomgenerously offered to contribute towards thecost of its production as a book for widercirculation, Our thanks are due to that friend.Published by

SWAMI BUDHANANDAPRESIDENT, ADVA1TA A SHRAM A

MAYA V ATI, PITHORAGARH, HIMALAYASâ–

All rights reserved .SECOND REPRINT, NOVEMBER 1974

15M3Cr

Set and Printed in India

' BY OFFSET AT SUN LITHOGRAPHING CO.P20 C.I.T, ROADCALCUTTA 10

vm14. Basic Yoga Disciplines forMind-control 54

15. Practice of Discrimination Helps 5816. Training the Mind to Behave 60

17. Practice of Pranayama 6218. Practice of Pra(:yahara 6319. Importance of Harmonius

Human Relations 6520. Healthy Occupation of the

Mind Needed 67

21. Importance of Right Useof the Imagination 70

22. Importance of Meditation 7223. Guard Against Despondency 7324. Emergency Control Devices 75

25. Directed Thought I 7826. Control of Thought ; the Secret 84

27. Control of the Subconscious Mind 8928. Beware of a Trick of the Mind 98

29. Believers are at an Advantagein Controlling the Mind 99

30. The Simplest and the Surest Methodof Controlling the Mind 101

A Summary 105Glossary 109

THE MIND AND ITS CONTROL

112Vedas The roost sacred scriptures of the Hindus;the ultimate authority of Hindu religion andphilosophy.Vedanta Literally the concluding portion of theVedas or their essence. One of the six systemsof Indian philosophy, discussed mainly in theUpanisads, the Bhagavad-Gitd and the Brahma-sutra> ascribed to Vyasa.

Vivekananda, Swami A disciple of Sri Ramakrishna.Vivekananda, (1863-1902) was a world-teacherwho carried the message of Vedanta to the Westin the nineties of the 19th century, He alsoawakened the Indian nation by his Vedanticpreaching, and substantially contributed to itsrenaissance in a number of ways,Yama Literally, restraining, controlling, curbing. Thefirst of the eight steps leading to the attainmentof Yoga, as taught by Patanjali.Yoga Union of the individual *oul with the SupremeSpirit. The term also denotes the methods ofattaining this union.Yogi Qne who practises the disciplines leading tounion with Supreme Spirit Also denotes one whohas atttained such union.