Thought 10: All thoughts arise in the mind only

All thoughts arise is the mind only. But what do we understand by mind? Is it the same as the brain. Is mind a physical organ? If we believe that it is a physical organ, then, we have to assume that mind is the same thing as the brain. Is the mind really the same thing as the brain?

Sir John Eccles, Nobel prize winner for medicine, does not believe that the capabilities of the mind are merely the sum of the capabilities of nerve cells, dendrites, synapses and neurotransmitters (quoted in "Your Maximum Mind", Herbert Benson). Mind is not simply a biological capability. He feels that some account of the evolutionary characteristics and genetic inheritance must also enter into the making of the mind.

Canadian neurosurgeon, Penfield wrote in "The Mystery of the Mind" (quoted in "Your Maximum Mind" by Herbert Benson), that it is not possible to explain away the working of the mind simply on the basis of electrical and chemical actions of the central nervous system. He further feels that the brain is a computer that is programmed by some thing outside it the mind. Some experts now are, thus, beginning to suspect that mind and brain are not synonymous, but science has not yet come to any definitive conclusions. We have to look else where for the answer. Vedaanta has the answer.

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Thought 9: Inner struggles

The unhappy persons are always driven by their lower nature. The lower nature of a person, which is characterized by impurities such as Raaga-Dveshas (Likes and Dislikes are called Raaga-Dveshas in Sanskrit), greed, jealousy, Mada (excessive pride or arrogance) and similar negative emotions set up a tremendous pressure on the mind. Desires set up their own pressure (called Vega in Sanskrit) on the mind - until they are fulfilled. If the desires are not fulfilled, the mind is filled with anger and hatred and anger - and hatred also set up intense pressure on the mind. Every conflict in life sets up its own pressure and every one encounters many, many, conflicts in his/her life. Mind struggles to cope up with all these pressures - and all persons go through this inner struggle all through their lives.

These inner struggles, apart from frustrating all efforts at controlling the mind and meditation, can lead to depressions, mental blocks, strokes, and sometimes, even serious nervous breakdowns. These inner struggles are indicative of misdirection and misuse of internal energies, which is an avoidable wastage.

Negative thinking and lowly passions also result in making the mind divided and scattered. When divided and scattered, mind cannot be controlled. When we gather the scattered pieces together, however, we gain a certain amount of continuity and concentration in our thinking. Continuity of thought is necessary to attain success in any undertaking. Concentrated thinking is indicative of control over the mind. They say, “He alone who conquers his mind, conquers the world”. To control and conquer the mind is the highest Yoga.

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Thought 8: Wrong thoughts destroy a person

An impulse is a thought – and very few people are conscious of such impulses, when they arise in their minds. When an impulse, which is centered on a sense object, suddenly takes root in the heart, more often than not, the person is not even aware of it. When the mind dwells on this thought repeatedly for some time, he begins to get worked up over it. This thought then takes possession of the mind as if the person had sold himself to it. And very soon later, this person begins to give excessive importance to that very thing to which the thought is attached – and becomes identified with it completely.

Bhagavaan Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, “Dhyaayato Vishayaan Pumsah Sanga Ste Shuupa-jaayate Sangaat Sanjaayate Kaamah Kaamaat Krodho-bhijaayate Krodhaad Bhavati Sammohah Sammohaat Smriti-vibhramah Smriti-bhramsaad Buddhi Naso Buddhi Naasaad Pranasyati = For the person, who constantly broods over the sense objects, attachment to those sense objects is born. From attachment is born desire and from unfulfilled desire anger is born. From anger delusion takes place. From delusion, loss of memory occurs. From loss of memory results the loss of Buddhi. From the loss of Buddhi, he gets destroyed”. (2.62, 63)

Thus, at first the object and the person stand as two separate entities; but through attachment and lack of discrimination, the person becomes identified with the object and suffers from what ever comes out of this attachment. The resulting desire sets up its own pressure in the mind and the mind becomes restless and unsteady - and gradually destroys the person.

The wrong thoughts may destroy a person easily but the wrong thoughts cannot be destroyed easily. Wrong thoughts however, can be harnessed and purified. If you direct your passions towards the lower things such as sensual pleasures and sensual objects, you sink lower. If you link them, however, to higher spiritual objectives, these passions get purified - and you rise higher. Spirituality brings clarity, compassion and commitment to do good. Spiritual progress leads to happiness - and a happy person makes all others happy. Of course, the converse is also true; that is, an unhappy person tries to make all others unhappy

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Thought 7: Negative Thinking

Negatives always deduct; it is their nature to deduct, to degrade, to weaken, to debilitate - in the mental and emotional planes especially. Negative thinking subtracts - from your happiness; it subtracts from the quality of your life. Negative thinking is a weakness and when you continue to indulge in it, you are building weakness over weakness, layer after layer, resulting in greater weakness. You are building, misery and suffering over misery and suffering, resulting in greater misery and suffering. Negative thinking is a self-inflicted harm, which is totally avoidable

To hate anyone or to indulge in intrigue to avenge imagined injuries and injustices is negative thinking and therefore, wrong; it always works against your interests. To think of harming any one or to feel jealous of some one’s success or prosperity is a negative thinking – and therefore, wrong; it works against your interests. To always feel gloomy and suffer from a sense of foreboding is an irrational fear, which is a self-inflicted damage. To constantly indulge in irrational fears is negative thinking – and therefore, wrong; it adds to your misery. For that matter, any fear is due to negative thinking and therefore, is best avoided. All fear is avoidable to a large extent if you have confidence in yourself and in your god.

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Wrong thinking (Continued)

It is wrong to think, for example, that money is all important and the means by which it is gained are not that important. It is right, however, to think that money should be earned only by honest means. It is wrong to think that worldly pleasures give happiness and therefore, one may go for them with great passion. It is right to think however, that worldly pleasures, not only do not give happiness, but they also lead to misery ultimately – and therefore, one has to exercise extreme caution before plunging head long into them.

It is, therefore, very, very important for people to stop thinking wrong; and it is equally important for people to start thinking right. Wrong thinking leads to cynicism, grief, depression, gloom, conflict and unhappiness. The wrong thinking mind is a negative mind.

A doubting mind is as bad as a wrong thinking mind. A doubting mind can never accept anything – implicitly. Persons with doubting minds would have no faith in anything or in anyone – not even in themselves. Their outlook on life is completely steeped in suspicion and cynicism. They have no faith in friendships or relationships. Naturally, such persons will have no friends. They can never have any social life. They are lonely and frightened souls. Since it is their nature to suspect almost everything and every one, they can never take a firm decision, which is so essential to succeed in their profession. They have no peace; and naturally, they can never be happy.

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Thought 6: Wrong Thinking

We may not realize what serious damage the wrong thinking mind can do to us. For a starter, the wrong thinking mind has too many impurities in it – making it unfit for meditation. The wrong thinking mind enjoys and breeds on conflict. Since there is conflict everywhere around us, this mind easily picks up this conflict and becomes turbulent. Mind also becomes turbulent when it feeds on sensual objects and sensual pleasures. A turbulent mind is not only an unhappy mind, but it also makes every one else around unhappy. There is nothing more exhausting than wrestling with a turbulent mind during the meditation; the more exhausted we are, the more turbulent the mind becomes.

The tremendous energy of the waters of a river like Brahmaputra, for instance, are wasted when it flows turbulently, causing untold misery to the people living on its banks. When a dam is constructed across it, this energy is conserved. It is then guided through canals and channels and pipes for irrigation or for generation of electric power. In precisely the same way, the mad rush of the mental energies, which are being wasted through the ill-advised enjoyment of the sensual pleasures and negative and wrong thinking, must be halted by cultivating dispassion towards these sense objects and sensual pleasures - and the energies thus saved, should be directed towards the self (Atma). (Swami Harshananda)

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Thought 5: Wasteful thinking dissipates our limited store of energy and causes stress

We are all energy sources. When we lose energy completely, we are dead. When we live at low energy levels, we are considered old. When we let our day to day living concerns sap or dissipate our limited energy wastefully by wrong or negative thinking, we age prematurely. When you dissipate your energy wastefully, you lose not only useful energy, but also your enthusiasm to live happily. This is the reason why in old age, we become a lot less enthusiastic about everything. To be able to overcome unnecessary dissipation of energy is the secret to intelligent and enthusiastic living.

Wasteful dissipation of energy resulting in avoidable stress and agony happens all the time in every life - but one is seldom aware of it. The negative thoughts indicate conflict of some sort - and every conflict in the mind dissipates a portion of your stored energy in your individual energy bank. Every time you dissipate energy wastefully, you are under stress. Therefore, these loads are unnecessary burdens on you. They serve no purpose. You can do without them.

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Thought 4: Loads on the mind

Every one of our thoughts is loaded with a charge – which could be positive or negative. If this charge is positive, you feel light and at peace with yourself. If this charge is negative, however, it makes the mind heavy - and you feel stressed and unhappy. Anger, hatred, jealousy, anxiety, fears of various types, feelings of insecurity, impatience, etc. are all negative loads on the mind. They are all avoidable loads on the mind, which you involuntarily carry all the time. Every negative load on the mind gives rise to stress and agony.

Since a thought has to be there behind every action, wrong thinking leads to wrong actions; and wrong actions are those that violate Dharma (ethics and values). Dharma is Isvara’s Universal Ecological and Moral Order and when you go against this Order, you carry an unnecessary load on your mind. This load causes you suffering – which is a self-inflicted suffering.

Let go all the negative loads. Let go all the toxic emotions and toxic thoughts. Let go hostility, guilt and fear. And see how light and relaxed you feel.

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