Is your mind the Master, or are you?

Dada Gavand

An important thing to remember is when you are silent God works to fulfil your dreams. Try it and experience. It is comparable to when you order in a restaurant the attendant can bring your order only when you stop chattering.

We have approximately 50,000 – 60,000 thoughts per day. You may be surprised to note that 95% of those thoughts we had today are the same ones we had yesterday. Do you have any idea what a loss of energy takes place in this 95% garbage generation?

We are not our minds. We use our minds just like we use a car. Car helps us to get to our destination. If someone kept driving car aimlessly what would you call him? But same analogy applies to mind use. We keep using mind without any particular goal. The outcome is quite easy to understand.

Only a healthy mind can focus and will be successful in achieving the goal. Disciplining the mind is not an easy task; you need strong determination, patience and perseverance. Let us first understand the nature of mind. Mind always wants to run either in the past of in future. Our endeavour should be to keep it in the present.

Mind is the fastest thing in this universe, faster than light even, reaching from Earth to Mars in fraction of a second. So Beware! The task of getting Mind under your command will need constant practice and very strong determination.

The property of Mind is Speed. Initially it may be helpful to mount it on a slow vehicle. And this is what happens when you chant mantras, by engaging Mind in mantras added with Pranayama you will find that it will begin to come under control.

Mind and Breath (prana) are intimately linked and thus if you are a serious seeker you should start pranayama everyday for 10-15 minutes. And you will gradually experience as you gain control of breath you also gain control over mind.

Read spiritual books at least for 10 minutes each night before falling asleep. This helps to enhance your devotion and reverence to Almighty God or whatever you would like to call it.

Repression and force are never successful in taming the mind; these methods may appear to be successful in the short term and will lead to disaster. Such a mind will rebound and strike back with fury.

Silence is the fasting for mind. It takes daily practice to improve this skill. Initially you will find flow of thoughts continues. Do not be perturbed.  Watch the flow of thoughts. If you get carried away start all over again. Start with 10 minutes daily practice.

If you find it very difficult, you can begin by numbering your inward breaths. If you lose count start all over again. This way you will improve each day. Stillness of body (good sitting posture) followed by regulated breath will make you improve each day.

Purity is very important for mind. Watch carefully and see which food, company of people or actions lead to increased disturbance of mind.

The action that springs from tranquil energy, from silence, is total and complete. It is an action of intuitive intelligence, which is impersonal and thus spiritual. So there is a way to true action.  Without the dictation and drive of thought, Right action takes place instantaneously, without the prompting of the memory mind.

Excerpted from healthmantra.com. Dada Gavand (1917-2012) was an Indian mystic, guru, traveler, photographer and author.