06 Oct Unleash the Power of your Mind: Your Best Friend and Worst Enemy
The most important aspect of surrender is to understand what is to be surrendered. Earlier, we briefly mentioned the need to surrender the mind and intellect to God (Link to Surrender).
Why is it so? What is the science behind it?
The mind is a machine that continuously generates thoughts. The quality of our thoughts is very important in determining our success in life. If someone thinks pure, noble, beautiful, serene, and calm thoughts, that person’s life becomes blessed. Such a person naturally attracts good things in life. If someone thinks selfish, violent, dishonest, and impure thoughts, that person attracts misfortune in life.
The mind is like a garden given to us by God. The fertile soil of our mind has the potential of generating inspiring thoughts, lofty ideas, and noble feelings. But for this, we need to tend to it carefully, planting in it elevating thoughts, and pulling out the weeds that poison your feelings.
The mind will then reward us with a noble, sterling, and heroic character that will help us accomplish great things in life. People who achieved greatness, did so by cultivating the mind.
Jagadguru Sri Shankaracharya said,
“One who conquers his or her own mind, not one who has superior weapons or greater wealth.”
When someone reins in and elevates the mind, that person’s thoughts and ideas become so inspiring, that they influence the whole world. The average person’s mind is not under control. Students often experience this, when they sit in front of the textbook to read. They find their mind wandering all over the world. Scientists estimate that we use only three percent of our mental and intellectual potential. The rest is dissipated because of lack of focus of the mind.
Our experience of happiness and distress in life is all a product of our mind. Harbouring positive thoughts, such as love, sacrifice, admiration, kindness, generosity, etc., makes us happy. Holding negative thoughts, such as hatred, fear, anxiety, resentment, jealousy, etc., makes us miserable. Thus, our experience of happiness and distress is not dependent upon our external situation, but upon the state of the mind. Even while living in hellish circumstances, a trained mind can make us experience heavenly bliss.
“On the other hand, even whilst living amidst heavenly luxuries, an uncontrolled mind can make us experience hellish miseries. Hence, effectively, we are where our mind is.”
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