Monday, August 19, 2013

(August 19,2013) Spiritual Message for the Day – Control of the Mind

Control of the Mind by Abhyasa and Vairagya
Divine Life Society Publication: Control of the Mind by Swami Sivananda

 1. Control by Abhyasa (practice) and Vairagya (non-attachment)

Through Vairagya you will have to check the out-going Vishaya Vrittis and through Abhyasa you will have to cut the new spiritual path for the mind to move on. Vairagya forms a strong embankment on the river of Vishaya Vrittis. It does not allow the Vishaya Vrittis to pass outside. Vairagya removes Pratibandhas or obstacles. Abhyasa gives Kaivalya Moksha. Without Vrittis one cannot enjoy sensual objects, (Vaishaya-Vyavahara). If the Vrittis along with Samskaras are destroyed, Manonasa or annihilation of the mind follows.

According to Vyasa, the stream of mind flows both ways -towards good and towards evil. That which flows on to perfect independence, Kaivalya, down the plane of discriminative knowledge is named the stream of happiness. That which leads to rebirth and the flows down the plane of indiscrimination or ignorance, is the stream of sin. Among those, the flow towards objects is thinned by Vairagya or desirelessness; the flow of discrimination is rendered visible by habituating the mind to the experience of knowledge. Hence the suppression of the mental modification is dependent upon both.

2. What Is Abhyasa?

Abhyasa or practice is the effort to secure steadiness of mind. The effort to restrain all the Vrittis of the mind and to make the mind steady like the jet of a lamp in a windless place is Abhyasa. To drive back the mind to its source - Hridaya Guha, and get it absorbed in Atman is Abhyasa. To make the mind inward and to destroy all its out-going tendencies is Abhyasa. And this practice should be done for a long time without any break and with perfect devotion.

3. Control by Suppression of Vrittis

The suppression of the modification of mind (the Nirodha Bhumi ) is the junction with the moment of suppression, when the out-going impressions and impressions of suppression disappear and appear. In other words, we can say that, by the suppression of the out-going Vrittis of mind and the development of modifications of control, the mind rests firm in Nirodha Bhumi. This is Nirodha Parinama (modification of control).

The mind remains in its real, unmodified state.  Vyutthana means the mind goes outward. Here it means Samprajnata Samadhi (outward) which in itself is a distraction of the mind. The passage from the Samprajnata (outward) to Asamprajnata Samadhi (inward) is very difficult and a critical process. The Yogi must be very, very vigilant. If one out-going Vritti is checked and controlled, that powerful Vritti which checks the out-going Vritti is itself a modification. This also must be controlled. The mind should become absolutely waveless before Asamprajnata Samadhi is attained.

4. Make the Suppression Steady

Its undisturbed flow becomes steady by habit (continuous practice). The controlling modifications (Nirodha Parinama) must arise so continuously as to become a regular habit. Habit will come only by continuous practice. Then alone Samadhi will come by itself.

5. Control Mind by Virtues

By cultivating the habits of friendliness (towards equals), mercy (towards inferiors), gladness (towards superiors), and indifference towards happiness, pain, virtues and vice, comes peace of mind.

The best and easy way of keeping the mind in a state of equanimity or evenness, which is conducive to the attainment of Samadhi, is described here. Maitri (friendliness) and Karuna (mercy) will eradicate hatred. Mudita (happy for others) will remove jealousy. Mercy softens the hard heart and removes the cruel, harsh nature. By this practice, anger, Abhimana(misconception/false prestige), hatred, egoism, envy of various sorts will vanish. Rajas and Tamas will be removed. The mind will be filled with Sattva. The fickleness of the mind will disappear. Ekagrata state of mind will come in. The mind becomes pure.

Samadhi cannot come in a mind that is filled with hatred, jealousy and anger. By the method of Pratipaksha Bhavana, any good virtue can be developed.

6. Control Mind by Pranayama

By Pranayama – exhalation and retention of breath, you can control the mind. All Vrittis will cease by the practice of Pranayama. Rajas and Tamas will be removed. The mind will become one-pointed. The body becomes light. The mind will become calm.

7. Control Mind by Vedantic Method

Cut off daily the branches of Sankalpa from the tree of Manas and ultimately destroy the tree of the mind at its root completely. The cutting off of the branches is only secondary. The eradication of the tree by the removal of ego is the primary thing. Therefore, through virtuous actions, if you destroy the idea 'I' which forms the very root of the mind, then it will not spring up again. The Brahma Jnana which enquires the true nature of 'I' is the fire which destroys the mind. It is the Jnanagni referred to in the Gita IV-37: The fire of wisdom reduces all actions (and the false 'I') to ashes.

He who knows the receptacle (Ayatana) verily becomes the receptacle of his people. Mind is verily the receptacle (of all our knowledge). (Chhandogya Upani- shad V-i-5)

Excerpts from:
Control of the Mind by Swami Sivananda

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