Conquer the mind to grow
Eid Mubarak to readers
Elevate yourself through the power of your mind, and not degrade yourself, for the mind can be your friend as well as your enemy. Bhagavad Gita 6.5
Our growth is possible only if we make our mind our friend, otherwise we will end up in degradation. Who can make the mind the friend and who will end up in degradation. Lord Krishna has the answer for that in the very next sloka.
Conquer the mind
बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जित: | अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्ते तात्मैव शत्रुवत् || Bhagavad Gita 6.6||
bandhur ātmātmanas tasya yenātmaivātmanā jitaḥ anātmanas tu śhatrutve vartetātmaiva śhatru-vat
For those who have conquered the mind, it is their friend. For those who have failed to do so, the mind works like an enemy.
The difference between elevation and degradation is in conquering the mind. The Vedic philosophy lays great emphasis on the ramification of thoughts. Illness is not only caused by viruses and bacteria, but also by the negativities we harbour in the mind.
The Story of #TheraTissa
Tissa, son of the Buddha's maternal aunt, was at one time staying with the Buddha. He had become a bhikkhu only in his old age, but he posed as a senior bhikkhu and was very pleased when visiting bhikkhus asked his permission to do some service for him. On the other hand, he failed to perform the duties expected of junior bhikkhus; besides, he often quarreled with the younger bhikkhus.
Should anyone rebuke him on account of his behaviour he would go complaining to the Buddha, weeping, very much dissatisfied and very upset. The others also followed him to the presence of the Buddha. The Buddha told them not to harbour thoughts of enmity, for enmity could only be appeased by not harbouring enmity.
Buddha said in #Dhammapada:
“The experience of life is created by mind. Thought precedes experience. If one speaks and acts with a clear mind, happiness follows like a faithful shadow” – Dhammapada 1.2
“I have been insulted! I have been hurt! I have been beaten! I have been robbed! Misery does not cease in those who harbor such thoughts” – Dhammapada 1.3
When we nourish hatred in our mind, our negative thoughts do more damage to us than the object of our hatred. It has been very sagaciously stated: “Resentment is like drinking poison and hoping that the other person will die.” The problem is that most people do not even realize that their own uncontrolled mind is causing them so much harm. Hence, Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj advises:
mana ko mano shatru usaki sunahu jani kachhu pyare (#SadhanBhaktiTattva)
“Look on your uncontrolled mind as your enemy. Do not come under its sway.”
“Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt reflects what has been stated in #BhagavadGita.
The more powerful an entity is, the greater is the danger of its misuse, and also the greater is the scope for its utilization. Since the mind is such a powerful machine, it can work as a two-edged sword. Thus, those who slide to demoniac levels do so because of their own mind while those who attain sublime heights also do so because of their purified minds.”
Healthy mind results in healthy body and happy life. How to keep our mind healthy?
#Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
Our mind takes flight, we lose touch with our body, and pretty soon we’re engrossed in obsessive thoughts about something that just happened or fretting about the future. And that makes us anxious.
Spending too much time planning, problem-solving, daydreaming, or thinking negative or random thoughts can be draining. It can also make you more likely to experience stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression. Practicing mindfulness exercises can help you direct your attention away from this kind of thinking and engage with the world around you.
Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, meditation and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress.
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#PositiveNewsPage
I had the opportunity to visit and spend good time at #GandhiResearchFoundation at #GandhiTeerth, Jain Hills, Jalgaon this week and I shall use this column to share my unique positive experience with the readers. Because I felt that is the best place to practice mindfulness.
Gandhi Teerth (www.gandhifoundation.net/) is a magnificent 65,000 sq. ft. sustainable structure located at #JainHills, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India. The premise is beautifully landscaped with sprawling lawns and is adjoined by mango orchards with mounded sit-outs and serene walk-ways. The entire green complex nestles between 300 acres of lush, afforested hilly terrain, and is noise-free and pollution-free. I experienced the positive vibration of getting immersed in gandhian thoughts in mindfulness during the time I was in Gandhi Teerth.
Gandhi Teerth is built with the following facilities:
‘Khoj Gandhiji Ki’ museum: A thematic, state-of-art, interactive multimedia museum conceived and commissioned to disseminate Gandhiji’s life-lessons and ideology, as also the saga of Indian independence movement. By delivering the message of Gandhiji’s life and principles in new generation multi-media interactive concept, Gandhiji museum makes it interesting and easy for the audience to understand Gandhiji’s life. It takes solid 2 hours to understand Gandhiji and it is worth the time.
GIRI (Gandhi International Research Institute): The academic arm of GRF conducts academic courses and facilitates research on Gandhian thoughts and rural development.
GRF Think Tank : A consortium of scholars who will deliberate on contemporary issues. It can independently study and opine on public policy matters such as peace, ahimsa etc.
Gandhiana : Collection, classification, indexing and synopsizing of publications by and on Gandhiji.
Gandhi Archives : Preservation of archival publications related to Gandhiji and the Indian Freedom Struggle.
Gandhinomics : Rural Development/Outreach Programmes based on Gandhian ideology.
GRF has so far collected from authentic sources 7140 books, 4368 periodicals (Harijan, Navjeevan, Young India etc.), 4019 captioned photographs, 75 films, 150 audio recordings of Gandhiji’s speeches, and 114 philately stamps (as given in GRF website)
Gandhi Teerth is not like other monuments built for Gandhiji. It is not a government museum. It is ‘labour of love’ built for passion by late Dr. Bhavarlal H. Jain, Founder of Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd.
Bhavarlal Ji was deeply influenced by Gandhiji whose core principles of Ahimsa (nonviolence), Aparigraha (non-acquisitiveness) and Anekantvada (non-absolutism/many-sidedness) he embodied in his daily life. He stressed the crucial relevance of these Gandhian values, especially in the present age burdened as it is by violence, political dictatorship, materialism and immorality, all the while, lacking in true spirituality.
Padmashri Dr. Bhavarlal Jain, familiarly known as "Bade Bhau" said in his message “For decades, I have also been pursuing an inner search to attain a greater degree of spirituality and selfless-love in word and deed to dissolve the often glaring gap between thought and action, and on a more prosaic level, I have paid meticulous attention to the effects of diet on my physical and mental make-up. Realizing that Gandhiji, albeit at a level of greater intensity, was involved in a similar kind of experimentation on his inner journey of moksha, I became increasingly inspired by his persona and accepted him as my role model”.
Don’t forget to visit Gandhi Research Foundation if you are in Jalgaon. Why wait? Plan a trip to Jalgaon to visit Gandhi Research Foundation as it is once in a lifetime experience.
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Conceived, compiled and posted as a positive (only) newsletter #MondayMusings consistently every Monday for the past 6 years by Jaganathan T (www.authorjaganathan.com).
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