Why Go Surfing?

 

Photo Credit: Urban Outdoors

Why Go Surfing?

If we just want to feel nature and to do that we decide to go surfing only to be tossed by the waves, then what is the point of the surfing? The nature of the ocean is to try and dump you into the water, make you lose your balance as waves keep changing speed and direction. Our objective is always to maintain balance and stay on the surfboard without getting dumped into the water!

Our mind is somewhat similar – its nature is to constantly change. Our mind keeps oscillating like a pendulum left-right, left-right, past-future, past-future. Our mind is also like the waves of the ocean, rising and falling from the past into the future continuously. We should know how to ride the waves of the constantly busy mind, rather than being tossed and beaten by its waves! We need to affirm to the mind that we are the boss, we cannot afford to become slaves of the mind, specially on the spiritual path. We are the master and not the slave, keep affirming that to the mind.

When faced with a difficult situation, we tend to either fight or run – the fundamental fight or flight tendency which is part of human nature – a weak mind will always surrender and a strong mind will become antagonistic while fighting; a balanced mind will assess the situation calmly and arrive at a decision which will be the most appropriate one under the given circumstances.

Our approach to any situation – good or bad – depends completely on the state of our mind and our mastery over it. If faced with a terrible situation, one thinks, “Oh, I can’t bear this any longer!” But if we manage to hold on just a little longer, the moment passes and we face the situation and move on in life. Why does this happen – simply because the good and the bad are mental matters. How we think decides on our course of action.

Sometimes white clouds come; sometimes black clouds come. Wait a little; everything passes away. Don’t give up. When a restless cloud passes, we are peaceful again.

If we give up and run somewhere else, there will be a difficult situation to face there too. Wherever we go, our own mind goes with us. It will create the same problem, maybe in a different way. If we can keep control over the mind, wherever we are will be a heaven. If we do not have that control, even if we are in heaven, it will be a hell for us.