22. Chanting helps to calm the Mind………!!!!

A King who was on a hunting trip found an old lamp and he rubbed it and out came a genie. The genie told the King that we would do whatever the King orders him to do but on a condition that he has to be kept always busy. If the King fails to give him work he would devour the King. King thought he can use this genie to do the endless chores in the kingdom and keep him engaged all the time. So King took the genie with him to the kingdom and asked the genie to plough fields in his kingdom, get grass for the cattle, build castles etc. The genie completed these works very swiftly and came back to the King for more work. The King gave some more tasks that the genie completed even that in no time. Now the King ran out of tasks to be given to the genie. The genie threatened that if it does not get any task to do, it will kill the King. This scared the King. Finally, the Queen came up with an idea. The Queen asked the genie to erect a pole in the backyard of the palace. Then the Queen instructed the genie to keep climbing and getting down the pole over and over again. This way, she kept the genie busy and used it only when required. Rest of the time, the genie had to climb up and down the pole over and over again. Queen saves the life of the King.

Our mind is also like the genie it is hard to keep it still. It is always projecting thoughts which are constantly doing the flip flop. To keep the mind still it has to first reduce the projection of too many thoughts, so an important and ancient method of keeping the mind still is by Chanting (Nama Japa). Chanting has the power to transform an ordinary disturbed mind to a peaceful mind. It is said that if we chant repeatedly each syllable in any chanting has its own particular vibration frequency which resonates the petals of the imaginary chakras present in our vertebrate.

Our language has also got the same syllables and every time we talk those resonances is felt but there is no rhythm and are irregular, but in chanting a Nama Japa there is rhythm and regularity. This rhythm helps mind to stay calm and thoughts are reduced, once there are fewer thoughts there is stillness in mind and a still mind is peaceful mind. A peaceful mind generates power is always happy and satisfied in its presence and not easily disturbed by the unexpected circumstances that may appear on our life path. It has the power to overcome and prevent stress and anxiety and awakens inner strength and confidence. A peaceful mind is crucial for clear thinking and to generate creativity.

21. Mental Discipline can assist a Seeker to achieve Bliss..!

http://www.speakingtree.in/public/spiritual-blogs/seekers/science-of-spirituality/mental-discipline-can-assist-a-seeker-to-achieve-bliss

Every living being has a mind which is connected to the outer world through the five senses. We humans are fortunate to use the mind to connect the inner world as well. How can we utilise this facility that is been bestowed only specially to our species? Are we different from animals and birds that also have a mind like us? Yes, it is an extra gift from Absolute given to us through which we can know about our own mind. Sri Sri Sankara says to get a human birth is very difficult; hence it has to be utilised in such a way that it assists the seeker to achieve the much sought blissful state. It is the mind which can bind us or liberate us. To use the mind for liberation instead of getting entrapped in the cycles of birth and death we need to know what mind is. Is there any benefit in knowing our mind? Yes, by knowing about the mind we can observe the way it behaves and it is easy to identify the spot that need modification. This modification can prepare the mind to assist the seeker to excel further spiritually.      

Initially when we all were kids our mind was open and was willing to seek answers. As we reach certain age this mind became a little rigid and lost its zeal as it accommodated prejudices, dogmas and opinions. To live in a society our mind has to transform and that is how life goes on, but can the mind remain as it was in our childhood? 

In our childhood it was innocence and not being aware of outer world that could be cited as the reasons for the mind to remain open, but as we reach adolescence automatically the mind starts to go wavered. It is necessary to keep the mind open even in this stage of our life and further till shedding of mortal coils. Is it possible??? Why not???

An open mind is one which does not approve what every the ego acknowledges instead it inquires about the experiences. By doing this the open mind turn into a rational mind and does not incline to superstitions and false concepts. It neither contradicts nor accepts any experience without clarity. Here the mind discriminates the happenings without falling prey to the likes and dislikes. The discriminative mind realizes that the end result in game of life is “Love-all” since it is the play of duality; every gain is inevitable without a loss and every loss in inevitable without gain. But in the middle of the game there was an illusion of scores shifting sides, which depended on craving and desires which in turn exists due to parting of knower and the known. The discriminative mind therefore is ready to abandon sense gratification which avoids falling to emotional traps created by wantons.

Attachments have its roots in sense gratification. A dispassionate mind helps to restraint from those objects which draw the senses strongly towards them. This does not mean that it is indifferent to objects but enjoys the experience they provide but do not crave for them. Such a mind takes the fortunes and miseries in life as they come and will never go after fortunes or try to avoid miseries. This is mental discipline which brings in equanimity, the BLISSFUL state. And Blissful state is to align with what you really are.......What say????

20. Blissful State from Transcending Higher Mind to No-Mind!!!!!

http://www.speakingtree.in/public/spiritual-blogs/seekers/science-of-spirituality/blissful-state-from-transcending-higher-mind-to-nomind

This is in continuation of the earlier blog on “http://manonuga.blogspot.in/2014/09/19-spirituality-helps-mind-to-excel.html”

Spirituality helps us to excel our mind from the lower to higher level. Staying in this higher mind will take us nowhere; hence we have to advance from this higher mind state to No-Mind state. This No-Mind state is a state which is experienced as inner peacefulness in stillness, eternal blissfulness that cannot be put in words. This stillness is achieved through meditation. 

Meditation is not an act of sitting in a particular pose with closed eyes, but it is the feel of No-Mind state. In this state the present attitudes and past tendencies of our mind are cleansed. This is a state which is similar to that is in our Deep Sleep, but in Deep Sleep State we are unaware of the Bliss we experience due to ignorance. Becoming aware of this state while we are awake is the purpose of meditation.    

The essence of meditation is to get aware of “I am not Mind” state. When this awareness goes deep in us then a moment arrives where it is silence, mind is not stirring, a moment of stillness. This stillness will let us understand our existence and the purpose of our existence. This is the state when we are aligned with Absolute Consciousness (Brahmatattva).   

As long as we are identified with the mind we are far away from the Absolute which is one and only without a second. The very moment we detach our self from the mind we are aligned with Absolute and this is what is explained in Upanishad as “TAT TVAM ASI”. To achieve this state we have to get the permission of none. It is our right, privilege and healthy choice. If we are not ready to surpass the mind, no amount of study of the scriptures, hearing to discourse, and spiritual practices will be of help, because we will still be following our own mind. “Never follow me with your mind”, say ancient sages. 

The direct experience of that Truth which goes beyond everything is more than the known and the unknown. As long as our mind is functioning the direct realization of Truth is not possible. Still the mind's functioning and become aware of THAT Absolute. This stage of mind transcending is the highest form of evolution.

With the help of spirituality one can excel from lower mind to higher mind and once in the state of higher mind we need to evolve to the state of No-Mind. This can be understood in this analogy, suppose a person is walking barefoot in a garden. He steps on a thorn glass and a small piece of it get stuck in his foot. Now he looks for the means to get the thorn piece out of his foot isn't it??? 

He fortunately finds a thorn with a pointed end. He succeeds in getting the embedded piece of thorn and is relieved. Now what does the person do with the thorn???? Will he keep it with him or will he discard the thorn also???? Obviously he throws away the thorn he used to get the pierced piece of thorn. Yes, after the task of getting the thorn in the foot is accomplished there is no use of the thorn. So it makes sense for the person to discard the thorn he used as well.

Likewise we use the higher mind to correct and mould the lower mind and once this task is accomplished this higher mind has to advance towards No-Mind state for eternal Bliss. 

19. Spirituality helps Mind to excel from Lower to Higher Level.

http://www.speakingtree.in/public/spiritual-blogs/seekers/science-of-spirituality/spirituality-helps-mind-to-excel-from-lower-to-higher-level-31446

According to Upanishad mind is twofold, while one is higher filled with purity, the other is the lower filled with passion, emotion and desires. Spirituality is one of the means to make this twofold into one Sattvic mind so that it will let us have peace and allow us to meditate. It is through the higher mind that we will be able to control the lower mind which is engrossed with passion, emotion and desires.

Lower mind that is filled with desire, passion and emotion creates irrational resolve, impractical sense and ego and all these three forms a triangle and work in collaboration.  Mind is just a flow of uninterrupted thoughts and of all these thoughts “I” ness is the source and it if the first to develop in the mind. While the intellect is the one which forces us to identify our mind with our physical body.

Higher mind is one which is essentially very simple, bright, aware and enthusiastic. It usually observes and gives a response free from conditioning with truthfulness and frankness. By this approach it indicates that it is immense with peace within itself. Thus this mind enjoys the splendor & harmony of nature and goes deep into the problems of life and solves them.

Once our higher mind is awake then alone it can understand our problem and then it becomes easy for it to work and discover that the basic problem is baseless presumptions about oneself. It clearly visualizes that due to the ignorance of self there is presumptions about oneself & the world at large. This presumption in turn focuses to the single most effective cause to bring about various expectations and all the connected problems that we may experience in making a success or failure in the venture. True knowledge of oneself from the higher mind reveals that it is important to achieve something which is steady and not to go behind some transitory success which is subject to change at different time & place.

Higher mind brings bliss by making others happy without distinguishing between man and animals. It boosts the person not to miss any opportunity to serve others and rebukes him on transgressing the freedom of others and imposes his ideologies on others. The mind which works in this manner is called as a pure mind. It is indeed a great advantage to have such a mind as knowledge comes easily with least possible efforts to those who posses it. And also it is indeed a joy to tell or teach about any subject or topic to those people as they will pay their entire attention to the subject and would love to go deep & unfold the mysteries of the subject.

Just as a diamond cuts a diamond the higher mind of a person which is immersed in the virtuous path should correct and mould the lower mind. Lower mind can be rendered pure through right virtues, pure actions and constant association of the wise. Being truthful and practice of pure compassion work in purification of our lower mind.

Higher mind is always inclined to virtues, and crave for knowledge and is dispassionate towards unwanted and unrelated subjects. With these attributes it is plentiful, has sovereignty and freedom hence it has mastery over all.   

18. Mature Mind is as important as a Mature Body!!!!!

http://www.speakingtree.in/public/spiritual-blogs/seekers/self-improvement/mature-mind-is-as-important-as-a-mature-body

As a general perception we believe that if person responses to an event or an incidence in a most responsible and adaptable manner he is a mature individual. The maturity of an individual that is visible through bodily growth does not account him to be matured unless he is mature in mind. Yes, scientifically one is matured when he or she reaches the age of puberty but then it is hard to know if they have mentally matured.

What is being mentally matured?

Maturity is a complicated notion, it modifies too often for those who are adaptive and at the same time remains the same for those who are less adaptive and cognizant of the circumstantial changes. There are times when we have thought that we are mature enough to take decisions and at times found that our decisions were wrong. If one thinks deep there are so many times that our decisions have gone wrong and we have repented that the decision we took were not correct. If we were matured then, why did our decision go wrong in the first place?

Answer is very simple; we were not matured enough for the decision at that particular time, and were not aware of the matter at that point in time. And after our decision failed to yield the required results and if we are in a position to adapt to the changes, we are now more matured than what we were at the time of taking the decision. Right?

Unfortunately our misconception is that maturity grows by age but in reality maturity comes with experience. There was a belief in ancient times that the elderly person was more matured than the young, but now the scenario is that young are regarded more matured than the elders since they are acquainted to the world more. The more exposure to the world could get them more information but for a person to be matured he has to get it by experience. Hence in olden days the young King had an able minister who was old and experienced man.

Having said that, if maturity is got from experience is it right to say learn from the mistake and thus become more mature?

Life is indeed very short and we cannot afford to learn from the mistake committed by us so it is wise to become more mature by learning from the mistakes other people make as well. When a person with burned fingers say that fire burn your fingers, it is wise to heed his advice not to find out really if that happens. We have not that much time and in fact there are so many sources to get experience. It is worthwhile to become matured by reading and knowing from good books.

Our ancient thought is that of a Rishi who would have documented the words of wise and poured out his experience in the way of scriptures. These scriptures do not only talk of Absolute and the Cosmos but also gives us the knowledge on how to live a Blissful life. Complete maturity is something that is an un-achievable concept. As maturity is experience oriented growth it is an infinite phenomenon, hence it is incomplete. For a person in material world it is an impossible task, but if one is on spiritual track this is some thing that can be defined. Our Upanishads proclaims, “Brahmavid Brahamaiva Bhavati” the knower of Brahman becomes Brahman himself. A person who has experienced Brahman is a completely matured one. 

17. Peace of Mind is an Illusion it cannot be achieved from anything Outside me.

http://www.speakingtree.in/public/spiritual-blogs/seekers/self-improvement/peace-of-mind-is-an-illusion-it-cannot-be-achieved-from-anything-outside-me

The conception that the external conditions have to be in accordance with our perception and only then we will attain Peace of mind is a sheer illusion. This illusions manifest as an unconscious thought impression persisting in mental realm that always put pressure on our thought process. This pressure induces stress and we assume that it will subside and think “once my son/daughter gets admission to that particular college then I’ll have peace of mind” or “by next week end I will be finishing my project, once I do so I will have peace of mind”. The illusions like this sort will only add more to our stress.

Now let us understand what stress is? Stress is a gap between the Sankalpa and Sadhana in the management terms it is the gap between the idea and implementation. Wider the gap more is the stress. 

Now what has this got to do with our peace of mind?  

Peace of mind is the skill to remain mentally and emotionally composed irrespective of the external conditions, people and situations.  

We have heard people say that they are planning for a holiday to get some peace of mind. But amazingly it is with the same mind we undertake the vacation so getting the stress relived will never happen again it is an illusion. Peace of mind is not to be achieved it is already in us it only requires our awareness. If we carefully observe the sentence “peace of mind”, the solution of the problem lies in the sentence itself. To achieve peace we have check our mind. For all the stressful turmoil, restlessness, annoyance and all other unwanted attitudes it is our own mind that is the cause, it is believed to have direct influence on our finance, job, and relationship.  

For example if we are to think that we are not that financially secure as we would want to be, thinking that by working for some more hours or day till we achieve it would seem like a reasonable bargain for our peace of mind. We get the money, and then we think we are at peace. But for sure this approach is not as bright as our thoughts make us believe.

Uniqueness is one of the obstacles for peace of mind. We humans always think to be unique. When we look at the articles we posses we would love to get the brand new ones so that other have not got it and likewise the same holds good in collecting antique objects also. Our mind always aims at reaching the unique status and in the process of achieving that we lose our peace of mind.   

New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay were the famous duo who climbed Mount Everest first in 1953. But few people know about the discussion they had when they were half way up the mountain. 

It goes like this:

“You see Tenzing; we are going to tame the dragon of Everest. We have been climbing its back, and soon we will be higher than its head.” said Hillary joyfully.

“Yes, I see Hillary, but I am not as enthusiastic as you are.”

“But look at the fantastic view. We are at a crossroads: down there is the valley, our resting place, the ultimate depression. And up there is the roof of the world, the highest point on earth, with its eternal snow. What more could you want?” said Hillary.

“I don’t want anything. I know people who are depressed, and who have sworn to me that they reached the very bottom of their being which is not a good place to be, believe me. I have also spoken to people who reached the summit of their existence, and who sacrificed everything to get there. They did not seem to be happier either. When you are at the top, you are alone, it’s cold, and nothing grows there. Personally, I prefer staying with my friends and family, at a level where I am comfortable. You are not at peace, Hillary, because you look up or down too much. You don’t know how to stay still.” advised Tenzing.

With such thoughts Tenzing did reach the top of Everest, he did what he was to do but did not pin his hope of peace on the deed.

THAT IS PEACE OF MIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What Say?????????

16. From Firm Mind to Freedom of Mind..........

http://www.speakingtree.in/public/spiritual-blogs/seekers/self-improvement/from-a-firm-mind-to-freedom-of-mind

A Firm Mind keeps the individual unruffled to the duality that the world presents. Freedom of Mind helps the individual to be indifferent to the duality that the mind presents.  

The world is amalgamation of pain and pleasure. Change is inevitable in the world of duality. Just as the season changes so does the opposites. Opposites need not be something that happens to be contrast. Instead they can also be like the other side of the same thing. Swamy Vivekanada said, “Happiness comes to us wearing the coronet of sorrow. If you welcome it, you must be ready to accept sorrow also.” And a firm mind does know this truth and is not rattled when there is a change of scene in the play.

A seeker with a firm mind even though gets involved in all the worldly activities will never get puffed up by the success or disheartened by failures. The reason being he credits his success to Absolute and failure (if any) to his destiny, since he is sure that he has given his best. He goes on with his duties and responsibilities with an undeterred mind as he relates work to worship. With such an attitude he always thinks that work is done through him and never by him and hence he never develops attachment to the fruit of the action. He is sure that the Providence will provide him all that he needs and he certainly has no greed. 

Mind is full of thoughts and if let to prevail there is a network of endless thoughts both negative and positive. These endless thoughts induce strain when it becomes too noisy. An individual struggles to shy away from noisy thoughts. He often thinks he needs a break and plans a vacation, but if he is carrying the same thoughts the vacation is no better. This situation will in a way make an individual the hostage of mind and is always in a fear of how the mind might react to the circumstances. Freedom of mind is to be free from ignorance which is the cause of fear, anguish, doubt, abhorrence, and bewilderment. All these emotions imprison the individual of his limits not offering assurance and inner peace. He forgets his true nature and has to depend on false identity to face the problems. The more he tries to dodge from his inner freedom to act as per his wishes, the more ineffective he feels and the more futile his existence seems to be. If his existence loses its meaning the individual become desperate and will be ready to dance to whims and fancies of his negative thoughts.

Freedom of mind can be attained when awareness of the “now” is experienced. Thoughts can never be stopped but when the “I ness” gets involved the thoughts get the wings to fly high beyond reach. “I ness” gets the support from the memory to fuel the thoughts and the fire is at rage. Being a mere witness to a thought will annihilate it and stops it from prevailing in the first place.

What Say?????