Thinking Mind And Spiritual Practices

Wednesday, November 3, 2010, 17:49

No religion can give it to you because it is already yours. You 'are already That. Transcend the thinking mind. You have no enemy other than yourself, and no friend greater than yourself in this process. If , for example, you close your eyes and cover them tightly and say there is no light, it is not the fault of the sun. There is plenty of light. You have to remove your bandages, take away your hands, and open your eyes, and the light is there - self-evident as always.

Similarly, the mind that blocks the Light of Brahman's self evident Presence is to be ended. Whatever be the process that we adopt, it does not matter. We are today looking at objects incorrectly and not understanding them properly. We see only distortion of the mental projections. This great saboteur in ourselves is to be annihilated. The annihilation of the thinking mind is the final stage and the final instruction that teachers give to their students. But intelligent teachers wait till the end, till the student is capable of comprehending.

Sadhana is very important. When you begin spiritual practices (spiritual practices), it is necessary to understand that the quality of your meditation depends upon the purity and beauty of the entire twenty-four hours of the day. If, for example, you were a musician and you said that for one hour a day you knew music and the rest of the time you knew nothing about music, you would not be a musician at all. You would be playing with your mind.

Similary, if for twenty-three hours of the day, you live in sensuousness, lust,greed, and passion, what can a (thinking) mind do in that one hour's meditation (spiritual practices) except sit down and think completely, conclusively of the very same things - lust, greed, passion, and so on. In order to enter into the greater chambers of inspired quietude meditation - restraint of the senses through calmness (sama), self-control (dama), and perfect living of all moral and ethical values is essential.

If the spiritual aspirant (sadhaka) has not yet acquired conviction, courage, or faith in the highest Reality, then I must say, there is no spiritual life for you. To you thereafter, the study of the Upanishads is only an intellectual preoccupation, an intellectual hobby for understanding the various philosophies of the world. You must have the necessary mumuksutva - a burning desire to get away from the binding encrustations of matter. If you are conscious of the imperfections of your present life, but have not the desire to end these limitations and reach the Highest, then higher unfoldment will not happen.

to be contd.....

About the author

Swami Chinmayananda

This article, by Swami Chinmayananda is an excerpt from His 'Highest Truth' from the Vedanta Vani magazine of Chinmaya Mission. Swami Chinmayananda explains the importance of transcending the thinking mind through spiritual practices in order for the light of the Brahman to be revealed.