Be Mindful of the Mind

 

Photo Credit: DP Sayings

Be Mindful of the Mind

Our mind, our intellect is very tricky – when the mind is caught up in desires, the direction emanating from the heart is not reliable because it could be just to fulfill our desires! It is extremely tough to differentiate between what is coming from the heart or from the mind, which is hell-bent in fulfilling the body’s desires and therefore is always finding excuses. The only way for one to distinguish is to watch what it is saying – is it clear-cut? Or is it dependent on some desire that one is trying to fulfill. One needs to watch this in complete awareness (takes time to learn) and one may need the help of a spiritual Master to find out whether the thought coming from within you is pure inspiration from the heart, or it is laced with some hidden subconscious selfish desire.

Many times, we are unable to discriminate when we think we are repeatedly called to do something which may not be always right. In such situations we need to watch carefully. Our mind is very funny and has the power to convince us that whatever is coming is from a ‘higher source’. May not be true always, but the possibility exists. The way to find out is whether it leads you to the Truth and not towards getting caught up in the untruth.

We are all aware that the intellect is useful up to a point and beyond that the intellect does not work. At higher levels of consciousness, the intellect has no role to play – in fact you go to those levels only when your mind becomes quiet, an ocean of peace, that’s when you reach higher levels! But without the intellect we cannot function in the material world – what I am writing will not be possible without a functional intellect, nor will it be possible for you to read what has been written! So, intelligence should not be abandoned, but in one’s spiritual search, at some point, one realises that the intellect cannot take us to the deeper, higher levels of consciousness – it has its limitations.

When one sits down to meditate, thoughts do enter the mind, just watch them like you are watching a movie, don’t hold on to them. Watch them come and go, come and go….slowly…slowly the gap between thoughts increases and you find yourself going from a state of mind to no-mind.

In a state of no-mind, during meditation we are likely to get spiritual experiences – hear the celestial sound, get divine fragrances, sense cold drops of consciousness – these all happen from within you at a very subtle level – your sense of this phenomena is very real – it is happening but, in another dimension, and not on the physical plane.

A great Master once said, “When you leave your shoes out there and come in to meditate, leave your personality behind and come. When you return, you have to function in the world, so put them back on again.” So, just be mindful of the mind!