Thought 119: About Likes and Dislikes (Continued)

You are born with certain likes and dislikes. You are not only born with some likes and dislikes - but you also pick up some more likes and dislikes in every life, unknowingly, of course. These likes and dislikes are buried in every person’s subconscious mind and this “sub” will surface at the right time. These buried likes and dislikes are called Samskaaras.

Our ears, skin, eyes, tongue (palate) and nose are called the sense organs – which are five in number. They sense sound, touch, form and color, taste and smell respectively – which are, therefore, called the objects of the senses or sense objects. Every sense object is either liked or disliked.

Every person is attracted by what appears agreeable to his mind and repulsed by what appears disagreeable to his mind. Agreeability and disagreeability do not, of course, inhere in the objects; they are only in the mind of the person viewing the objects. The buried likes and dislikes, which are the Samskaaras, decide what is agreeable and what is disagreeable.

Likes and dislikes are also called Raagas and Dveshas (in Sanskrit). Every person expresses his nature in terms of his Raagas and Dveshas, over which, he seldom has any control. The senses themselves do not have these likes and dislikes. Senses merely report about their (sense) objects and the person develops the likes and dislikes - develops Raaga and Dvesha to those sense objects, based on his Samskaaras.

When you analyze carefully, your activities are not caused by your “Raaga-Dveshas” - but by your identification with them. Although every person is endowed with a “free will”, this “free will” cannot determine what thoughts you should have and what thoughts you should not; they are only decided by your identification with your Raaga-Dveshas. But the “free-will” can determine how far you should go with each thought as it arises in your mind. By refusing not to dwell on certain thoughts, you can get out of the spell of your “Raaga-Dveshas”.

Avoid coming under the spell of your Raaga-Dveshas, because, they are your enemies. Actually, Raaga-Dveshas by themselves are not the enemies - but when you come under their spell, they turn into your enemies. When you deliver yourself into their hands, you do precisely what they want you to do - and you do not do what you should be doing in your own interest.

The next thought is “About your mind and self talk”